First Thursday: Practical AI for Business

AI is already changing how businesses work. Most people are using it in some way, whether that is daily, experimentally, cautiously or in quite advanced ways.

So this session is not an AI 101.

Instead, this month’s First Thursday is about moving the conversation on: where is AI actually helping, what are we learning from using it, and how do we apply it with more confidence, clarity and purpose?

Hosted by Lucy Paine, Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Bath Innovation Centre, the session will be joined by Tim Robinson from Agilist, who works with businesses to apply AI in clear, useful and commercially relevant ways.

This will be a practical, interactive session for people at different stages of AI adoption. You might already be using AI extensively across your business. You might be testing tools, building workflows or thinking about where it fits. Or you might still be using it in a light-touch way and want to understand what others are learning.

The aim is to create a useful conversation between people who are trying, testing and questioning how AI can support better business practice.

We will also be celebrating and sharing more about Tech Adoption for Growth, a free business support programme funded by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by  Business West, techSPARK and a network of expert consultants.

The programme began in June 2020 and has had such a strong impact for businesses that it has continued to evolve. Its focus remains practical and business-led: helping people gain confidence and clarity around the digital tools, systems and technology that can support growth.

Through Tech Adoption for Growth, eligible businesses can access either:

A focused consultancy project, giving you £1,000 worth of expert support to explore a specific tech adoption challenge, such as SEO, CRM, AI, digital workflows or sales and marketing systems.

Or a four-part workshop programme, giving you more time to step back and look at the wider ecosystem of tools your business uses, how they connect, and where CRM, AI, sales and marketing can support growth.

Together, we will explore questions such as:

• How are businesses actually using AI now?

• What has become genuinely useful?

• Where is AI saving time, improving thinking or opening up new possibilities?

• What have people tested, adopted, abandoned or changed their minds about?

• What still feels clunky, risky or unclear?

• Where do businesses need more confidence, structure or support?

• What would we like AI to do next?

Expect whiteboarding, discussion, examples, shared learning and plenty of practical conversation.

Come along if you are actively using AI, experimenting with it, still finding your way around it, or simply want to understand how other businesses are approaching it.

First Thursday is the University of Bath Innovation Centre’s regular monthly community event, bringing together founders, innovators, entrepreneurs and the wider tech and business community for useful conversations, new connections and practical ideas.

Agenda

8.30: Welcome Coffee and Pastries

9.00: Talk begins

9:45: Wrap up and Networking

Don’t forget to register via the link below.

We hope to see you there!