Welcome. You're in exactly the right place. This repository is your companion for the day — everything you need for every session lives here, in the order we'll work through it. No hunting through emails, Slack threads, or external sites. If it's part of the workshop, it's in one of the folders below.
Everything we do today comes back to these three ideas:
- No Code Required — You don't need to be a developer. If you can edit a document and follow a recipe, you can do everything in this workshop.
- Low Cost, High Accessibility — Every tool we use today is free or free-tier. No GPUs, no enterprise licences, no corporate credit card. You can rebuild all of this at your desk on Monday morning.
- AI as a Co-Pilot — AI doesn't replace your expertise as an IT Operator, Architect, or Manager. It augments it. You stay in the driver's seat; AI helps you get there faster.
The folders are numbered in the order we'll visit them. Work through them top to bottom — each one has its own README.md that orients you when you arrive.
00_before_you_start/— Pre-flight checks. If your laptop is set up, skim this and move on.01_session_1_ai_fundamentals/— What an LLM actually is, what MCP and RAG mean in plain English, and a short group activity.02_session_2_building_ai_assistants/— Your first hands-on lab: a local AI assistant in LM Studio, connected to live web search and your own files. Thelab_guide.mdis your main companion here.03_session_3_building_agentic_ai/— From assistant to agent. You'll configure AnythingLLM Desktop with a Groq cloud model, run the ARK Industries IT Policy Intelligence Agent, and design a use case of your own.04_session_4_securing_ai/— The risks, the guardrails, and where Cisco AI Access and AI Defense fit in.05_takeaways/— The most important folder. Your Monday-morning action plan, a manager brief email template, and next-step learning resources. This is what survives past 4:30.
| Time | Session | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| 09:15–09:30 | Welcome & Introductions | You're here ✅ |
| 09:30–11:00 | Session 1 — AI Fundamentals | 01_session_1_ai_fundamentals/ |
| 11:00–11:15 | Break ☕ | — |
| 11:15–12:30 | Session 2 — Building AI Assistants | 02_session_2_building_ai_assistants/ |
| 12:30–13:00 | Lunch 🍽️ | — |
| 13:00–14:30 | Session 3 — Building Agentic AI | 03_session_3_building_agentic_ai/ |
| 14:30–14:45 | Break ☕ | — |
| 14:45–16:00 | Session 4 — Securing AI | 04_session_4_securing_ai/ |
| 16:00–16:30 | General Discussion & Q&A | — |
| Take home | Your Monday-morning kit | 05_takeaways/ |
It happens — especially in hands-on labs on shared Wi-Fi. Look here in order:
- The
troubleshooting.mdinside the session folder you're working in. Most answers are here. - Pre-workshop issues:
00_before_you_start/troubleshooting.md - Raise a hand. The facilitator is walking the room during every lab. Don't spend more than five minutes stuck.
Every acronym used today — LLM, MCP, RAG, HITL, and the rest — is defined in plain English in one place: glossary.md. Keep it open in a tab.
Ready to start? Head to 01_session_1_ai_fundamentals/ when the facilitator gives the signal. 👋