Thursday, December 3, 2026
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM CST
Understanding AI — Austin Public Library (December)
About this event
A free beginner session at the Central Library's Innovation Lab covering how AI actually works, where it is already part of daily life, and a hands-on exercise in writing better prompts.
AI without the hype or the jargon
The Austin Public Library runs Understanding AI as a plain-language introduction for people who keep hearing about artificial intelligence and want a grounded explanation rather than either marketing copy or alarm. No prior experience is expected.
The session covers the fundamentals of how these systems work, what a large language model is actually doing when it produces text, and the environmental considerations that come with running them at scale. It also addresses the misconceptions that come up most often — the things people are confidently told about AI that are not true.
The class closes with a hands-on prompt-writing exercise, so attendees leave having tried the thing rather than only heard about it.
Practical details
- When: Thursday, December 3, 2026, 6:00–7:00 p.m.
- Where: Austin Central Library, Innovation Lab, 5th Floor West, 710 W. César Chávez Street
- Cost: Free and open to the public; aimed at adults
This is a bimonthly series rather than a monthly one — the library runs it roughly every other month, so this is the next occurrence after the October session. Check the library's event page to confirm whether registration is required closer to the date.
Organized by
The City of Austin's public library system, whose Central Library Innovation Lab runs free beginner-friendly technology programming, including a recurring introductory series on artificial intelligence.