Phil Whittaker - CLI vs MCP vs Agent Skills

⌖ Birmingham · Moss House (University College Birmingham)

Hosted by BrumAI - Birmingham Artificial Intelligence Meetup

Explore how AI agents are being used to build a regulated fintech at BrumAI’s in-person meetup in Birmingham on 28 October 2026. Hosted at University College Birmingham’s Moss House campus and sponsored by Griffiths Waite, the evening combines a practical founder talk, an interactive session, food and networking. It is aimed at entrepreneurs, researchers, academics, students, engineers, AI practitioners and anyone curious about applying AI in real products. Talks and activities Peet Denny, founder of BrumAI and Tekka, will explain how he is building a regulated fintech with AI agents operating across Claude, Grok and GPT, connected to Cursor and Linear. He will unpack the custom harness behind the system, including how it works, what went well and what he got wrong. The session is particularly relevant to people already shipping products with agents, or considering doing so. Dr Anandhi Vivek Dhukaram, a responsible AI specialist and EU AI Act compliance strategist, will then lead an interactive session. Its specific topic has not yet been published. Schedule: - 17:30, Arrival and named reception check-in - 17:50, Welcome and introduction from Griffiths Waite - 18:00, Peet Denny’s talk - 18:30, Free food and refreshments - 18:45, Interactive session - 19:25, Close; attendees must leave by 19:30 Capacity is limited. You must provide your first and last name when RSVPing and may attend only with a confirmed RSVP, not a waiting-list place. Registration closes at 18:30 on Tuesday 20 October. Do not arrive before 17:30. Register for the BrumAI October meetup

ClaudeCursor

Sponsors: Griffiths Waite

⌖ Birmingham · Innovation Depot Inc

Hosted by Birmingham AI

Explore practical AI use cases for classrooms and academic research at Birmingham AI’s free education breakout in Birmingham, Alabama, on 29 October 2026. Hosted by Birmingham AI, this 90-minute event brings together people interested in using artificial intelligence to improve education. A speaker-led talk and demo will introduce relevant AI tools and applications, followed by opportunities to exchange ideas with Birmingham’s wider AI community. The speaker and specific tools have not yet been announced. What to expect - Welcome and networking - Complimentary lunch - An AI-focused talk and live demo - Discussion of classroom and academic-research use cases The session is designed for educators, professors, academic researchers and school leaders, as well as anyone who wants to make an impact in education using AI. No experience requirements are stated. Date: Thursday 29 October 2026, 11:30am–1pm (GMT-05:00) Venue: Innovation Depot’s Event Space, 1500 1st Avenue North, Birmingham, Alabama, in the large room past the atrium on the right Tickets: Free, with limited seating Language: English The event is sponsored by KEYSYS, Sparkhound and C Spire. Reserve your free place.

Sponsors: KEYSYS · Sparkhound +1

⌖ Birmingham · Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Hosted by AND Capital Projects Limited

A practical, beginner-friendly AI workshop in Birmingham focused on working faster, strengthening skills and creating new income opportunities. Taking place on 2 November 2026 at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, this hands-on session looks beyond AI hype to explore where the technology can create real value in everyday work, freelancing, entrepreneurship and small business. It forms part of Building Financial Futures 2026, a full-day event covering financial resilience, careers, wealth, property, business ownership and long-term financial planning. What the workshop covers The session focuses on practical application rather than technical theory. Attendees will explore: - Ways to use AI to work more efficiently and improve productivity - How AI can strengthen skills and expertise you already have - Using AI to research, create, analyse information and solve problems - Opportunities to support freelancing and generate additional income - Practical applications for entrepreneurs and small businesses - Turning ideas into products, services or commercial opportunities more quickly - Why human judgement and subject-matter expertise remain essential - Responsible AI use, including the technology’s limitations The workshop is designed for non-technical attendees, and no previous AI experience is required. It should be particularly relevant to employees, freelancers, aspiring entrepreneurs, business owners and anyone curious about applying AI to their work or ideas without needing to understand the underlying technology. Part of a wider financial futures programme Registration for this workshop also provides access to the broader Building Financial Futures 2026 programme. The full-day event brings together individuals, families, business owners, financial professionals and community organisations for a mix of keynotes, workshops, marketplace activity and networking.… Register for this event

⌖ Birmingham · PwC, Birmingham

Hosted by Constructing Excellence Midlands

Explore how AI could reshape construction and business at this in-person debate in Birmingham on 3 November 2026. The CE Midlands Big AI Debate brings opposing perspectives together to examine whether artificial intelligence is a genuine game changer, or whether its risks could outweigh its rewards. Organised by Constructing Excellence Midlands and supported by the University of Wolverhampton, this thought-provoking morning event will move beyond one-sided AI hype. Industry experts will make the case for AI-driven innovation and efficiency while also confronting questions around governance, sustainability, ethics and risk. What to expect The event uses a structured debate format rather than a conventional conference agenda. Attendees will hear short arguments from speakers on both sides before contributing questions and perspectives during an open audience debate. Slido questions and a concluding audience vote will make the room part of the discussion rather than a passive observer. Confirmed contributors include: - Barrie Diffin, speaking on AI risks, governance and sustainability through The Next Excavator: Leadership in the Age of AI - Alistair Wilson, presenting the benefits and advantages of AI - Jessica Southworth, addressing AI risks, governance and sustainability - Further speakers and closing contributors are still to be confirmed The programme begins at 8:00am with registration, tea, coffee, pastries and fruit. Audience questions start at 8:30am, followed by the main speaker arguments from 8:45am. The open debate begins at 9:25am, with closing remarks, an audience vote and further networking from 10:00am. The event concludes at 10:30am. Who should attend? This debate is relevant to construction and business leaders, project teams, innovators and other professionals considering AI’s impact on their organisations. It is designed for both people already using AI at work and those only beginning to explore its potential. No particular level of technical expertise is specified; the focus is on practical perspectives, responsible adoption and informed industry discussion. View the event and registration details

Sponsors: University of Wolverhampton

⌖ Birmingham · Innovation Depot Inc

Hosted by Birmingham AI

A free lunchtime AI briefing for finance and financial services leaders, taking place in Birmingham, Alabama, on 5 November 2026. Organised by Birmingham AI, this 90-minute breakout explores the latest AI news, its impact on financial services, and practical case studies and use cases for applying AI in business. What to expect - Welcome and networking with Birmingham’s AI and finance community - Lunch, which is included with admission - A speaker talk and live demo focused on AI in financial services The event is designed for finance professionals, bank and credit union leaders, fintech innovators, accountants, analysts, insurance professionals and wealth managers. It also welcomes anyone curious about how AI could transform financial services. No named speaker or detailed session topic has been published yet. The breakout runs from 11:30am to 1pm (GMT-06:00) on Thursday 5 November 2026 at Innovation Depot Inc, 1500 1st Avenue North. It will be held in the Event Space Room, located to the right past the large open atrium. Admission is free, including at the door, but seats are limited. The event is sponsored by KEYSYS, C Spire and Sparkhound. Reserve your free place

Sponsors: KEYSYS · C Spire +1

⌖ Birmingham · 6 Brindley Place

Hosted by DevOps Society

Improve how you communicate technical ideas at this practical DevOps workshop in Birmingham, taking place on 12 November 2026 from 6pm–9pm GMT. Hosted by DevOps Society at AND Digital’s The Foundry, the evening is designed to get engineers away from their laptops and practising the human skills behind effective meetings, presentations and workplace conversations. What to expect Steve Wade, Founder of Platform Fix, Kubernetes Ambassador for DevOps Society, former Flux maintainer and Istio contributor, will lead three sessions: - AI, DevOps and Kubernetes: What’s Next?, a concise keynote on changes across AI, Kubernetes and platform engineering. - The Human API, an interactive talk exploring how to start better conversations and communicate effectively in stand-ups, interviews, meetings and presentations. - Owning the Stage, a hands-on confidence workshop featuring small-group speaking exercises, unexpected questions and PowerPoint Karaoke with unseen slides. Steve brings 15 years of production infrastructure experience, has trained more than 6,000 engineers and has spoken at KubeCon and DevOps Pro Europe. Attendees will receive practical communication techniques, presentation practice and Steve’s Communication Playbook after the event. The workshop is aimed at DevOps engineers, SREs, platform and cloud engineers, developers, engineering leaders and other technology professionals, including those who find Terraform easier than presenting or asking for a pay rise. No natural public-speaking ability is expected. Venue: AND Digital, The Foundry, 6 Brindley Place, Birmingham B1 2JB. Food and drinks are provided by the host venue. Registration also includes pre- and post-event emails from Steve with session materials and a short follow-up series. Register for The Human API Workshop