Harpenden-priced AI Night School
Our flagship six-week cohort, priced specifically for Harpenden residents. Cohorts open and close with a physical event in town - so community is baked in from night one.
The resident-only offer
Because you live in Harpenden, the door to AI fluency opens wider - and costs less.
The resident-only offer is exclusive Harpenden pricing on AI Night School and Sherpas AI, bundled with physical get-togethers, community groups, a rolling series of exclusive talks and workshops, and the Free Dreamers. None of it is available to residents of other towns.
What’s inside
Six elements - each designed to start online and end in a room with your neighbours.
Sherpas AI - Harpenden edition
Teenagers build real AI tools for real Harpenden organisations. Community groups meet in person through the year. Work experience, mentorship, and visible local wins.
Exclusive talks and workshops
Residents-only speaker series - Laura on D2C, Chris on IP, and a rolling roster of Hugo’s network. Not available outside Harpenden.
Harpenden AI Summer festival
A visible summer closing event run by the community, for the community - talks, showcases, graduations, and a town-wide celebration of a year of fluency.
In-person clinics and drop-ins
Weekly clinics at the Leisure Centre and Library for older residents. Parent sessions at schools. Small-business coaching on the High Street.
The Free Dreamers
A curated, small Harpenden group pushing the boundaries of what AI can do for the town. See /free-dreamers.
The speaker series
A network of practitioners, in a Harpenden room, exclusively for residents.
These aren’t webinars. They’re small-room evenings in town, with a speaker Hugo knows and trusts, and a residents-only audience. Bookings are first-come. Numbers are small on purpose.
Laura
AI for direct-to-consumer businessesA practitioner’s session on the AI moves that actually shift the needle for a small D2C brand - marketing, ops, product, customer service.
Chris
Creating and protecting IP in the AI ageWhat’s changed, what hasn’t, and the concrete steps a founder or creator should take before their idea gets scraped.
Rolling roster
Guest speakers from Hugo’s networkHugo brings one headline speaker a month from the AI Optimist network - exclusively for Harpenden residents, in a Harpenden room, over a Harpenden dinner.
High street
Cursor as an AI-first business interface
A practical walk-through of a tool that replaces a handful of SaaS products for small businesses - useful for the high street.
Teens & families
The school system in the UK is broken
Why our children's education can't rely on the old assumptions - and what Sherpas AI proves is possible in its place.
Who it’s for
Every door leads back to the same community.
AI for teens
Sherpas AI summer cohorts, year-round community groups, work-experience with Harpenden businesses.
AI for the high street
Small-Business AI Opportunity Diagnostic, one-hour coaching, and a pragmatic shortlist of AI moves.
AI for older residents
Patient, in-person clinics at the Leisure Centre and Library. Warm, slow, practical.
How to get involved
Join a community working group, train as an AI Coach, or come to the Imaginarium and bring an idea.
More from AI Optimist
Risk, honestly
Why AI isn't going to take our jobs
Hugo's case for the optimist's read on displacement - why fear is the wrong response and what to do instead.
Teens & families
The school system in the UK is broken
Why our children's education can't rely on the old assumptions - and what Sherpas AI proves is possible in its place.
High street
Cursor as an AI-first business interface
A practical walk-through of a tool that replaces a handful of SaaS products for small businesses - useful for the high street.
Sherpas
Startup Sherpas · Episode 27
The conversation that sits behind the Sherpas AI model - how real mentorship accelerates real people.
Say yes