What we’re about
Portland AI Engineers is a community of software developers at all experience levels exploring the frontiers of generative AI through hands-on experimentation. We're builders who leverage cutting-edge models—from frontier APIs to on-device, LLMs to multimodal—to create practical applications ranging from personal hobby projects to enterprise-scale solutions. Join us to share discoveries, compare approaches, and push the boundaries of what's possible in this rapidly evolving field.
What is an AI Engineer? An AI Engineer is a software developer who integrates existing language model capabilities into products that solve real-world problems. We are not pre-training models or delving deep into data science—we're focused on applying our foundational software development skills to harness generative AI and its surrounding tools ecosystem to build scalable, user-centric applications.
"In numbers, there's probably going to be significantly more AI Engineers than there are ML engineers / LLM engineers. One can be quite successful in this role without ever training anything."
— Andrej Karpathy, Formerly OpenAI, Tesla
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Portland AI Engineers [PIng] Inaugural MeetingKiln Portland, Portland, OR
AI is transforming how we build software, and Portland engineers are at the forefront of this revolution. Whether you're integrating LLMs into production systems or just starting to explore AI capabilities in your personal projects, PIng is your community.
Our inaugural meeting brings together developers passionate about practical AI applications that solve real-world problems. Come ready to learn, share, and connect with fellow engineers.Featured presentations
Data Security in the AI Era
Kellyn Pot'Vin-Gorman, Database and AI Advocate at Redgate
In today's era where data is the new nuclear power fueling AI, its protection has become a battleground. From high-profile breaches that shake industries to the ethical dilemmas posed by AI, ensuring data security is more critical—and complex—than ever. Kellyn explores real-world data breach stories that highlight vulnerabilities in the data lifecycle and the profound consequences of lapses in protection.
-- Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman is a Database and AI Advocate and Engineer with Redgate, with a long history in multi-platform technology. An Oracle ACE Director alumnus, she has been awarded over the years for her technical contributions and community volunteerism through many organizations, including a recognition as Woman in Tech of the Year for the state of Colorado.GenAI Model Output Evaluation
Patrick McCuistion, Sr. Platform Engineer at Databricks
From traditional ML metrics to dynamic feedback loops, evaluation approaches have evolved to meet the unique demands of generative AI systems. Drawing from experience building and deploying a production-grade GenAI application that generates cloud infrastructure as code, Patrick will delve into how automatic feedback loops and iterative evaluation cycles can dramatically enhance the accuracy, functionality, and readability of GenAI outputs.
-- Patrick McCuistion is a Sr. Platform Engineer at Databricks. At work, he builds automations between learning platforms, integrates AI into applications, and manages ML resources in Databricks lab environments. At home, he spends time with his wife and 1.5-year-old girl, writes and performs music for his band, The Governors, and renovates his home in Vancouver, WA.Schedule:
- 6:00 - 6:30: Food and networking
- 6:30 - 7:40: Presentations
- 7:40 - 8:00: Wrap up and networking
Details:
- Date: Wednesday, April 30th
- Location: Kiln 1120 SE Madison St, Portland, OR 97214
About PIng:
Portland AI Engineers brings together software developers at all experience levels who are passionate about building with generative AI technologies. We focus on practical applications that solve real-world problems by leveraging existing language models and the surrounding GenAI tools ecosystem.
Learn moreGet involved:
- Present your work: Email us at info@portlandai.engineer to discuss sharing your project or insights
- Provide feedback: Help shape our community by sharing your ideas and suggestions
- Sponsor an event: Contact us to discuss partnership opportunities
For more information and to join our community, visit portlandai.engineer
![Portland AI Engineers [PIng] Inaugural Meeting cover photo](https://secure.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/c/5/a/event_527283162.webp "Portland AI Engineers [PIng] Inaugural Meeting")
