Rep. Zach Hawkins and Joshua Gunn get real about what AI means for the communities government is supposed to serve. Two leaders, two vantage points, one honest conversation. Rep. Zach Hawkins brings the legislative lens. Joshua Gunn — Durham's Director of Economic and Workforce Development, and a strategist, entrepreneur, and artist — brings the operational reality. Together they'll dig into how AI is actually showing up in public service, what's working, what's overhyped, and what communities stand to gain when government gets this right. Expect substance over slides. This is part of AI Week, Knox St Studios' curated salon series on artificial intelligence across business, government, and community. Register Now

A conversation about AI hype, real talk, and why the sky probably isn't falling We spend a lot of time talking about what AI is going to change. This session flips that. Join us for a candid, curious conversation about what AI isn't — at least not in the way the loudest voices would have you believe. From Y2K panic to the dot-com crash, history is full of moments where technology fear outpaced reality. We've been here before. And the people who navigated those moments without flinching have a lot to teach us. Part panel, part open conversation — this is a space to ask the honest questions, push back on the noise, and walk away with a clearer, calmer sense of what AI actually means for your work, your community, and your life. No buzzwords. No doom. Just real talk. Register Now

Real work. Real results. See what Knox St Studios program graduates built — then get hands-on yourself. Knox St Studios has trained and certified 100+ Durham entrepreneurs in Google AI under ARPA and NC Department of Commerce funding. On May 6th, we're pulling back the curtain. Hear directly from program graduates — small business owners who've used AI to win grants, systemize operations, and build real customer pipelines — and see the kind of work cohort members actually ship. The approach starts with how a business actually works, then finds the leverage: evaluate the workflow, automate what's repeatable, enhance what's strategic. One in-class example: we mapped a consulting firm's client intake end-to-end, automated the proposal draft with Gemini, and enhanced discovery call prep with an AI-generated research brief — four hours a week back for the owner, and a sharper first meeting every time. The second half of the session is hands-on, so you'll work through a similar exercise on one of your own workflows. Led by Richard Brown, this is built for the business owner who's heard enough about AI and is ready to see what it actually looks like in the hands of someone running a business. You'll leave with one workflow you can use immediately, a picture of what's possible, and a room full of people figuring this out alongside you. From Side Hustle to Scale: The AI Playbook for New Founders You've spent years building expertise as an employee. Now it's time to put that experience to work, for yourself. This 60-minute hands-on workshop is built for founders in motion: professionals from consulting, consumer products, and tech who are ready to turn their side hustle into their main gig without burning out or losing momentum. No lectures. No slides you'll never look at again. Just your laptop, your idea, and 60 minutes of doing. You'll leave with a complete AI-powered business foundation: a structured business plan, a pitch you can deliver with confidence, an automation system that buys back 10+ hours a week, and two custom AI executive advisors, your Chief Growth Officer and Chief Sales Officer, trained on your business and ready to work. We'll also tackle the conversation most workshops avoid: why startup founders quit, and how the tools you build today become your defense against every one of those failure points. Walk in with an idea. Walk out with a business. High-Level Agenda  Exercise 1: Turn your idea into a business plan using AI Exercise 2: Craft and pressure-test your elevator pitch Exercise 3: Identify where AI can automate your daily grind Exercise 4: Build your AI Chief Growth Officer + Chief Sales Officer Discussion: Why founders quit, and how AI changes that Register Now