Know what
better means.
John’s session connected useful examples, thoughtful graders, and repeatable tests to a clearer picture of AI performance.
Next gathering · October 21, 2026AI,
Distilled.
How Rock Town built the software that runs its business. Join founder Phil Brandon for real-world AI builds, new possibilities, and a night above Little Rock.
Free admission. Free parking. Come curious.
- When
- Wednesday, October 21, 2026
5:00 PM – 7:30 PM CDT - Where
- Skyline Event Venue · 30th floor
400 West Capitol, Little Rock - With
- Phil Brandon
Founder, Rock Town Distillery
An evening of practical learning and connection.
Free parking in the attached deck.
Rooted in Central Arkansas.Open minds. Real people. Shared momentum.
Curiosity brings us together
AI is moving fast.
You don’t have to figure it out alone.
A community for people curious about AI and what it means for our work, our lives, and our shared future.
Meet the people asking good questions, trying new things, and helping Arkansas move forward.
Meet the community
Inside the builds
Real business needs.
New possibilities.
Software built around the business
Rock Town’s custom ERP, from production and inventory to the monthly federal reporting a distillery lives under.
A new experience from existing assets
How an existing WordPress website became the foundation for native iPhone and Android apps.
AI running locally
A tool-using assistant on a Mac Studio, and the practical choices around hardware, models, and operational limits.
Wednesday, October 21 · 5:00–7:30 PM CDT
Skyline Event Venue, 30th floor · 400 West Capitol
Parking & arrival
Park in the deck.
Meet us above the city.
Park in the Regions parking deck attached to 400 West Capitol, the tower formerly known as the Regions Center. Parking is free for event attendees.
From the deck, make your way into the building lobby and take the elevator serving the 30th floor to Skyline Event Venue. We’ll meet you upstairs for an evening of practical AI and conversation overlooking Little Rock.
Get directions to 400 West CapitolLast event recap · September 30, 2026
UA Little Rock, ArkansasBigger possibilities.
Better questions.
AI in Production brought practical ambition and thoughtful testing into the same room.
John McCrary of Ouachita Labs explored how to evaluate AI systems. Owen Parker and Kurtis Cochran of Arkana Laboratories looked beyond efficiency to the possibilities of rebuilding core processes.
Thank you to Matmon, UA Little Rock, Arkana Laboratories, our speakers, and everyone who joined us. Special thanks to UA Little Rock for hosting.
A few things worth carrying forward
Know what
Look beyond
time savings.
Arkana’s presentation asked what becomes possible when teams rethink the process, rather than simply speed it up.
Test carefully.
Build with intention.
A promising experiment and a production-ready system are different milestones. Human judgment matters at every step.
What’s emerging
Less noise.
More useful
questions.
The conversations we want to keep having.
Not another list of tools to keep up with. A few human-centered starting points for making sense of AI together.
Suggest a topic
From pilot to practice
What makes AI useful beyond the demo?
The workflows, decisions, and small experiments that help turn an interesting tool into something people can use.
People at the center
How do we make room for everyone?
New skills, shared learning, and the human judgment that matters as AI becomes part of everyday work.
Responsible by design
What does trust look like in practice?
Clear boundaries, thoughtful questions, and a community willing to talk about both the possibilities and the tradeoffs.
Ways to get involved
There’s a place
for you here.
Bring your curiosity. Share your experience. Help the next conversation happen.
Join the conversation
Join us October 21 at Skyline Event Venue. Come curious, explore practical AI builds, and connect with people learning alongside you.
Reserve your spotShare what you are learning
Bring a useful experiment, an honest lesson, or a project others can learn from. You do not need a polished success story.
Start a speaker conversationHelp make it possible
Interested in sponsoring, volunteering, or connecting the community with a new opportunity? Let’s talk about a good fit.
Explore ways to helpCommunity proof
Real people.
A growing conversation.
From the room at UA Little Rock to local news coverage, this is a community you can see and be part of.
In the news · KATV
Little Rock’s new hub for tech enthusiasts.
Read the coverageBuilt around people
A room full of different perspectives.
A shared interest in what’s next.
Students. Educators. Creatives. Business leaders. Developers. The simply curious.
Follow the community on LinkedInMoments from the community
From our meetup archive
Good people. Shared possibility.
Our community sponsors
Thank you to Matmon, UA Little Rock, and Arkana Laboratories for supporting AI InTheRock and helping our community keep learning together.
- Matmon
- UA Little Rock
- Arkana Laboratories
Stay connected
Your next good
conversation
starts here.
Be part of a community learning out loud. Hear about gatherings, share an idea, or tell us how you would like to get involved.
Find us on LinkedInWe’d love to hear from you
Let’s keep the conversation going.
Tell us a little about yourself and what you’re curious about.