Where is Great Lakes AI Week held?

Great Lakes AI Week is hosted at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Bowling Green, Ohio. BGSU is just 30 minutes from Toledo and within easy reach of Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, and Chicago, making it a central location for attendees across the Great Lakes region.

Why should I travel to Bowling Green for Great Lakes AI Week?

Bowling Green, Ohio offers a central location in the Great Lakes region, with direct access to AI leaders, innovators, and industry experts. Attendees from cities like Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, and Milwaukee can easily travel in to participate in this premier AI conference.

How do I get to BGSU?

Bowling Green State University is easily accessible by car via I-75 and by air through nearby Toledo and Detroit airports. Approximate drive times: Detroit (1.5 hrs), Cleveland (2 hrs), Columbus (2.5 hrs), Chicago (4.5 hrs), Milwaukee (5 hrs).

Who should attend Great Lakes AI Week?

Executives, entrepreneurs, researchers, educators, policymakers, and technology professionals from across Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. The event is designed for leaders in the Great Lakes and Midwest who want to understand how AI is transforming industries.

What makes the Great Lakes region important for AI?

The Great Lakes region is home to top universities, Fortune 500 companies, and thriving startup ecosystems. Cities like Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, and Milwaukee are leading in industries such as automotive, healthcare, finance, logistics, and manufacturing, making the region a growing hub for applied AI.

What’s included with my ticket?

Tickets include access to keynotes, breakout sessions, networking events, sponsor activations, and curated matchmaking opportunities. Attendees also receive session recordings and post-event materials. Networking highlights include opportunities with leaders from Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, Milwaukee, and beyond.

Will there be networking opportunities?

Yes. Great Lakes AI Week features receptions, meetups, and curated networking designed to help attendees from across the Great Lakes region connect with peers, collaborators, and potential partners.

Your Week of AI Transformation

From stranger to insider. From questions to answers.

Great Lakes AI Week isn't another conference—it's an engineered progression from community connection to leadership insights to tactical execution. In 72 hours, you'll have the playbook, the network, and the confidence to actually deploy AI, not just discuss it.

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DAY 1: NOVEMBER 4th

COMMUNITY DAY
What: Kickoff Community Happy Hour Event
When: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Where: TBA (downtown location)
Cost: FREE - No ticket required but you must register here.
Before the keynotes and panels begin, we're bringing the entire Great Lakes AI community together for what matters most—meeting the people who are building the future of AI in our region.
No badges needed. No VIP sections. Just an open invitation to anyone passionate about AI to grab a drink, make connections, and kick off AI Week the right way.
Whether you're deploying AI at a Fortune 500, building your first model, or just AI-curious—this is your chance to meet your people before the conference officially starts.
The vibe: Relaxed, welcoming, and full of energy for the week ahead.
DAY 2: NOVEMBER 5th

AI LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
What: Full Day Conference Programming
When: 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM - Keynotes, Workshops & Panels
VIP Hour: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Exclusive Happy Hour
Where: BGSU
This is the main event.
Fortune 500 AI leaders sharing what's actually working. Live workshops where you'll learn to build solutions, not just hear about them. Panels that skip the fluff and dive into the failures that led to breakthroughs.
From 8 AM through afternoon sessions, you'll get the concentrated knowledge of the region's top practitioners—the ones with budgets, battle scars, and real deployments at scale.
VIP PASS HOLDERS: Your day extends into an exclusive happy hour where speakers stay, guards drop, and the conversations get remarkably honest.
DAY 3: NOVEMBER 6th

AI FOR BUSINESS SUMMIT
What: Implementation-Focused Conference Day
Special Event: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Women in AI & Tech Breakfast
Main Programming: 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM - Keynotes, Panels, Workshops
Where: BGSU
Day 3 is where strategy becomes execution.
We start with the Women in AI & Tech Breakfast—a powerful gathering of female leaders who are shaping enterprise AI, sharing insights you won't hear anywhere else.
Then we shift into pure implementation mode: How to actually deploy AI across your teams. What's working in manufacturing. Which tools deliver ROI versus which are just expensive experiments.
This is the day that turns inspiration into your Monday morning action plan. Real case studies. Real budgets. Real results.

Full Agenda

Explore Dates, Times, Tracks, & Speakers for ALl Sessions.

Great Lakes AI Week - Choose Your Track

November 4-6, 2025 • Bowling Green State University

8 Tracks Designed For Your AI Journey

Real People. Real Use Cases. Artificial Intelligence.

AI Leadership

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Who This Is For

C-suite executives, board members, regional leaders, and strategic decision-makers who need to transform their organizations and communities—not just talk about it.

What You'll Walk Away With

Strategic frameworks for AI transformation, regional collaboration opportunities, and a network of Great Lakes leaders who've actually built AI-first organizations.

Featured Sessions

Building An Intelligent Region: Opening Summit

BGSU AI+ Program Highlight

Ohio Means AI (JobsOhio Special Presentation)

The Pathway to Unlock Ohio's AI Opportunity: MARS

The State of AI Across the Great Lakes States

AI First Leaders: Enabling AI Powered Teams and Communities

Why You Can't Miss This

While your competitors debate AI strategy in boardrooms, you'll be implementing it. The Midwest doesn't do theory—we do transformation.

AI Learning Lab

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Who This Is For

Tech enthusiasts, continuous learners, and professionals who want hands-on exposure to the latest AI tools, platforms, and demos from industry leaders.

What You'll Walk Away With

Live demos from AWS, Microsoft, and leading AI platforms. See the tools in action before you invest—and learn which solutions actually deliver ROI.

Featured Sessions

AWS AI Services Workshop

Microsoft AI Solutions Demo

AI Platform Showcases from Leading Sponsors

BGSU AI Technology Demonstrations

Community AI Innovation Spotlight

Why You Can't Miss This

Stop reading case studies. See AI tools work in real-time. This is your chance to test-drive enterprise AI before writing the check.

AI Readiness

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Who This Is For

HR leaders, change managers, workforce development professionals, and anyone responsible for preparing people and processes for AI transformation.

What You'll Walk Away With

Readiness assessment frameworks, transformation roadmaps, and proven strategies to turn AI anxiety into AI enthusiasm across your organization.

Featured Sessions

Workforce 2030: AI and the Future of Work

From AI Ready to AI Powered: People, Process, Data, Technology

If They Can't Feel You, They Can't Trust You

Navigating AI Governance, Risk, and Change Management

Women in AI Breakfast Thursday Only

Why You Can't Miss This

Your employees are already using AI—either to help your company or update their resumes. This track ensures it's the former.

AI Builders

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Who This Is For

Developers, IT leaders, technical architects, and anyone who prefers keyboard time over PowerPoint time. Bring your laptop.

What You'll Walk Away With

Working code, proven prompts, live demos, and templates you can implement Monday morning. This isn't inspiration—it's installation.

Featured Sessions

Steal My Playbook: 4 Unlocks to Turn ChatGPT Into Your Chief of Staff

Master Prompting in 30 Minutes

Choosing and Using The Right LLM

Build Your Own AI Agents and Workflows Limited Seats

AI and IP: What You Need to Know, Now!

Why You Can't Miss This

While others attend webinars about AI, you'll be building it. Hands-on workshops with limited capacity—once they're full, they're full.

AI For Humans

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Who This Is For

Leaders focused on the human side of AI—trust, ethics, change management, and building AI systems that people actually want to use.

What You'll Walk Away With

Frameworks for building trust in AI systems, strategies for human-centered AI design, and insights on managing the cultural transformation AI requires.

Featured Sessions

If They Can't Feel You, They Can't Trust You

Agents of Change: Transforming in the AI Age

Navigating AI Governance, Risk, and Change Management

Securing the Future: AI Risk, Safety, and Security

Women in AI Breakfast Thursday Only

Why You Can't Miss This

The best AI strategy fails without human buy-in. This track ensures your team embraces AI instead of fears it.

AI For Business

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Who This Is For

Business leaders, department heads, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers who need AI solutions that drive revenue, reduce costs, and deliver measurable ROI.

What You'll Walk Away With

Real use cases, measurable ROI frameworks, and actionable strategies from companies that look just like yours—not Silicon Valley unicorns.

Featured Sessions

AI + ROI: Real Use Cases That Move The Needle

How Enterprise Leaders Are Actually Driving AI ROI

Trends in AI: What It Means For Your Organization

AI Agents in Action: Orchestrating Revenue Across the Modern Buyer Journey

AI as Strategy, Not Just a Tool: What That Really Means

Navigating IP and Governance Challenges in the AI Age

Why You Can't Miss This

Stop chasing AI hype. Start delivering AI results. These sessions turn buzzwords into balance sheets.

Intelligent Industries

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Who This Is For

Manufacturing leaders, industrial innovators, supply chain executives, and anyone building the future of intelligent manufacturing in America's heartland.

What You'll Walk Away With

Real case studies from real factories, actual ROI numbers from industrial AI implementations, and connections to the MARS (Manufacturing, Automation, Robotics, Space) ecosystem.

Featured Sessions

The Pathway to Unlock Ohio's AI Opportunity: MARS

Building AI Use Cases in Northern Ohio and Beyond

AI Agents for Offensive Security

Securing the Future: AI Risk, Safety, and Security

Funding AI Innovation in Northern Ohio and Beyond

Why You Can't Miss This

Your competition is already automating. The question isn't IF you'll implement AI in manufacturing—it's whether you'll lead or follow.

Tech Talks

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Who This Is For

Anyone who wants rapid-fire insights, community spotlights, and lightning-fast presentations from innovative companies and regional tech leaders.

What You'll Walk Away With

Quick hits of innovation, emerging trends, and breakthrough ideas from startups, sponsors, and community builders across the Great Lakes region.

Featured Sessions

Lightning Round Presentations (Wednesday & Thursday)

Community Spotlight Features

Expo Hall Showcases and Demonstrations

Roundtable Discussions

VIP Reception Speakers & Sponsors

Why You Can't Miss This

Sometimes the best insights come in 10-minute bursts. These rapid-fire sessions pack maximum value into minimum time—perfect for the ADD generation.

Your Week of AI Transformation

From stranger to insider. From questions to answers.

DAY 1: NOVEMBER 4th

DAY 2: NOVEMBER 5th

DAY 3: NOVEMBER 6th

Full Agenda

Explore Dates, Times, Tracks, & Speakers for ALl Sessions.

8 Tracks Designed For Your AI Journey

Great Lakes AI Week

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