Vancouver AI Meetup (VAM!) AI Trends & Strategies for Learning, Education, and Communication
🤖 AI Trends for Learning & Education + Communication Strategies for Better AI Ideas Delivery
The AI space is growing exponentially. Educators, researchers, and builders around the world are using new AI tools to rethink how we learn, teach, and communicate ideas.
Come and learn about the latest AI trends and practical strategies for education through a short series of talks and a hands-on session. This event brings together perspectives from academia, classrooms, and industry, with a strong focus on using AI with intention and communicating ideas with clarity and impact.
In this event, you will:
🤖 Learn practical and efficient ways to use AI to support learning and education
🎓 Explore how AI can support human-centred teaching and creativity, rather than replace it
🎤 Build confidence in communicating your AI ideas clearly, confidently, and with impact
🗓️ Schedule
🕠 11:00 AM – Arrival & Networking
PS: Doors will close at 11:15 AM sharp, as we’ll be busy running the event and won’t be able to let anyone in after that.
🗣️ 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Speaker 1: Issam Laradji
How to Learn with AI Efficiently
Inspired by Andrej Karpathy’s Eureka Labs, Issam will share practical and modern ways to use AI for learning and education, with a focus on efficiency, clarity, and real-world use.
🗣️ 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM | Speaker 2: Elixa Neumann
AI Supporting the Human-Centred Revolution in Education
Elixa will share stories and examples of what becomes possible when AI is used with intention, creativity, and care, supporting learners and teachers rather than replacing them.
☕ 12:30 PM – 12:40 PM | Break
🗣️ 12:40 PM – 1:30 PM | Speaker 3: Vahan Bedros
Communicating AI Ideas with Impact
Vahan will lead a presentation and hands-on activity focused on speaking with clarity, presence, and authenticity. Participants will practice communicating their ideas while learning how voice, body language, and self-awareness can help AI ideas land, inspire trust, and connect with an audience.
🤖 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Socials
🫧 Bubblys will be provided.
👥 Facilitators Bio
Issam Laradji
Dr. Laradji is a Research Scientist at ServiceNow and an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC), focusing on machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. He specializes in large-scale optimization, few-shot learning, and self-supervised learning, with over 50 publications in top-tier conferences including NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, and CVPR.
He completed his PhD at the University of British Columbia and a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University. He currently leads AI research initiatives for enterprise applications while supervising graduate students and teaching advanced machine learning courses.
Elixa Neumann
Elixa Neumann is a teacher in the Burnaby School District with over a decade of experience working at the leading edge of educational change. Her work spans digital media art and design, virtual reality, gamified learning, and artificial intelligence. As an instructional and educational designer, she is recognized globally for creating learning experiences that re-energize students, reduce teacher workload, and help learners discover who they are and what they love through human-centred use of technology.
Vahan Bedros
Vahan Bedros is a voice coach, educator, and founder of Temple of Speak and the Empowering Entrepreneurs Toastmasters Club. He helps people speak with confidence, presence, and authenticity by blending practical speaking skills with self-awareness and inner growth.
🐾 Note: The space is not pet friendly. Service animals are allowed.
Looking forward to another powerful AI meetup!