Head over to our Events Portal to get the latest on upcoming AI Collective events near you. Search by city, date, or event format, and join thousands of builders at events across 100+ chapters on every continent (except Antarctica, for now).

🌁 Based in SF? Check out SF IRL, MLOps SF, GenerativeAISF, or Cerebral Valley’s spreadsheet for more!

Ditto is an AI dating startup founded by two UC Berkeley dropouts that matches college students via an AI chatbot over text instead of a traditional app. Users share preferences and receive weekly match suggestions, with Ditto’s agents simulating “vibes” and conversation flow to optimize pairings and then auto-plan IRL dates.

The company has about 42,000 signups across California campuses, raised $9.2 million led by Peak XV, and is using the funds to hire AI and growth talent while prioritizing user growth over monetization.

Meta now requires employees, especially engineers, to show consistent use of internal AI tools (coding assistants and productivity apps) as part of their performance evaluation, using AI engagement as a proxy for productivity.

The policy responds to low voluntary adoption despite heavy LLM spending, and aims to accelerate AI-driven workflows even as critics warn forced usage without proper training could slow teams down or unfairly penalize work where AI is less applicable. The move is being closely watched across Big Tech, as firms like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon also look for ways to prove AI ROI and may adopt similar measures if Meta can show clear productivity gains.

The energy in Bangalore was electric as The AI Collective joined forces with HiDevs and Microsoft for GenAI Demo Day 2.0. This wasn’t just another networking mixer; it was a high-stakes showcase of a city moving past the initial AI hype and into deep execution. Ten seed-stage startups took the stage for crisp, five-minute pitches, proving that the ecosystem is officially swapping “toy projects” for global-first, real-world implementations.

The evening offered a rare, hands-on look at how builders are leveraging the Microsoft ecosystem to move beyond simple chatbots and into complex agentic systems. Between spontaneous builder chats and sharp, no-filter feedback from a panel of active investors, the session gave everyone a clear-eyed view of what it actually takes to get funded in today’s maturing GenAI market.

The AI Collective’s Europe chapter took over Amsterdam for an evening that felt like a true peek into the future of work. Hosted at the Databricks office, the gathering brought together a dense circle of practitioners to explore how AI is evolving from a simple search tool into a collaborative partner. Anderson Imes led the charge with a series of live demos showing how technical non-coders can use AI agents to automate the tedious “drudge work” of management, while Grigory Panov shared a “hero’s journey” perspective on how AI-augmented workflows are giving engineers more room for deep focus and faster innovation.

The session moved beyond just the “how-to” of building, offering a critical counterbalance from Paul Epping on the governance of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Drawing on his work with The Millennium Project, Epping framed AGI as a systemic leadership challenge, sparking deep side-chats about human-value alignment and why organizational readiness matters far more than speed.

Builders, mark your calendars for the largest developer conference in the Bay Area.

We’re partnering with DeveloperWeek 2026 to bring our community to the center of the software engineering universe this February 18-20 in San Jose, CA. If you are looking to master the cutting edge of AI, Cloud, and DevOps alongside thousands of your peers, this is the place to be.

Produced by DevNetwork, DeveloperWeek 2026 is more than just a conference… it’s a massive ecosystem. Events include a 1,000+ attendee hackathon, a tech hiring expo, and specialized tracks like AI DevWorld, ProductWorld, and DevExec World. With 250+ speakers and 70+ exhibitors, you’ll get everything from introductory lessons to advanced masterclasses in AI, Blockchain, and Serverless technologies.

Roam is the virtual workspace our team relies on to stay connected across time zones. It makes collaboration feel natural with shared spaces, private rooms, and built-in AI tools.

Roam’s focus on human-centered collaboration is why they’re our Premier Partner, supporting our mission to connect the builders and leaders shaping the future of AI.

Launching a new product or hosting an event? Put your work in front of our global audience of builders, founders, and operators — we feature select products and announcements that offer real value to our readers.

The AI Collective is a community of volunteers, made for volunteers. All proceeds directly fund future initiatives that benefit this community.

About Noah Frank

Noah is a researcher, innovation strategist, and ex-founder thinking and writing about the future of AI. His work and body of research focus on aligning governance strategies to anticipate transformative change before it happens.

About Joy Dong

Joy is a news editor, writer, and entrepreneur at the forefront of the emerging tech landscape. A former educator turned media strategist, she demystifies complex systems to make AI and blockchain accessible for all. Joy is on a mission to explore how decentralized technology and artificial intelligence can be leveraged to build a more innovative and transparent future.