My family moved to Chaska in 1862, and we've stuck around long enough that there's a road in town called Engler Boulevard, so when I had the chance to bring a free AI series to the Chaska Library this fall, it was an easy yes. I live next door in Chanhassen, and this community is the reason I care about getting this right. Below is why I'm doing it, what we'll cover across three evenings, and why it might be worth a Wednesday night (or three) of your time.
Where does AI actually fit in your life?
That question sits underneath almost every conversation about AI, and the people asking it are rarely the ones who work in tech. They're parents trying to figure out what their kids are using for homework, small business owners who keep reading that they're falling behind, and anyone who's picked up a phone call that sounded just a little too much like someone they love. I've been writing about AI since 2016, and I wrote Turning On Machines to help people answer that question for themselves.
The library is the right place for this conversation, since it's where a lot of us first learned how to find things out on our own. AI has the potential to create a new divide between people who know how to use these tools and people who never had the chance to learn, and community education is one of the best ways I know to close that gap before it hardens. Everyone deserves the chance to understand AI, use it with confidence, and protect themselves and their families from its risks.
Three Wednesdays by the fireplace
The series grows out of the book, and each night builds on the one before it, starting with what AI actually is, moving into how it fits your everyday life, and finishing with how it's changing the way we work. You don't need to read the book first, and you don't need any technical background. Bring your questions, a laptop if you have one, and a healthy dose of skepticism, since that last one is the most useful tool in the room.
What AI Is (And What It Isn't). Wednesday, October 21, 6 p.m. We'll start with what AI actually does, where it already lives in your day, and why it matters right now. I'll walk through the Trifurcation of Work, which sorts tasks into the ones AI handles, the ones it helps with, and the ones only people can do. We'll also cover how bad actors are using AI in scams and how to spot them, and then you'll get hands-on time with leading AI assistants and search tools.
AI Tools for Your Real Life. Wednesday, October 28, 6 p.m. This is the practical night. We'll talk about healthcare AI and how to tell what to trust from what to verify, everyday uses for writing, organizing and researching, and the highest-leverage starting points for small business owners. We'll cover privacy too, meaning what AI knows about you and how to manage it, and you'll leave having built a simple personal AI workflow of your own.
AI Tools for Business: Practical Tools for Entrepreneurs and Working Professionals. Wednesday, November 4, 6 p.m. The last evening is for anyone who earns a living, whether you run your own business, freelance on the side or work inside a larger organization. We'll look at how AI is reshaping business operations, freelance work and career strategy, and we'll stay focused on hands-on examples you can put to use right away.
Is this for you?
If you've ever closed a chatbot window because you weren't sure what to type, it's for you. If you run a small business and want to know where AI can save you real hours without a big investment, it's for you. And if you're the person your family calls when something on the phone looks suspicious, you'll walk out with a few more answers than you walked in with. The sessions are open to adults at every skill level, from working professionals to people who are brand new to all of this, and each one runs about 90 minutes.
Everyone's welcome, so bring the neighbor or family member who keeps asking you about this stuff, and we'll fit in as many people as we can.
How to join us
The series is free and open to everyone, and there's nothing to sign up for. Come to the fireplace area at the Chaska Library at 6 p.m. on any of the three Wednesdays, grab a seat, and we'll wrap up by 7:30. Each session title above links to its listing on the Carver County Library calendar, and if you have questions before then, you can reach the library at (952) 448-3886.
Chaska Library, Fireplace area
3 City Hall Plaza, Chaska, MN 55318
My family has been figuring out what's next in Chaska for more than 160 years, and I'd love to spend three evenings figuring out this next part with you. Where does AI fit in your life? You might not know... yet.
Zac Engler is the author of Turning On Machines, CEO of Bodhi AI and Chief AI Officer at C4 Technical Services. He writes on AI and enterprise technology for CIO.com. AI in Your Neighborhood is presented by Bodhi AI and hosted by the Carver County Library.