About this Event
Description
Most of us are using AI now. Almost none of us have integrated it into how our companies actually run. That gap is organizational, not technological, and it is the reason for this day.
Metabolizing AI is a one-day summit for founders, executive leaders, and board members of closely held Oregon companies, and the CPAs, attorneys, and advisors who serve them. Not a vendor showcase. Not a technical conference. Plain-spoken guidance from people who have done the work, for leaders deciding what to do next.
The morning: Human Adaptation
The AI moment we are all adjusting to. Tamara Lechner, Chair of AI for Human Flourishing at Harvard's Human Flourishing Program, on how people flourish when technology and work change together. Then the thesis itself: why the gap between using AI and integrating it is organizational, and what closes it. Then a fireside panel on how the next generation is already building, with student builders from QuackHacks and the University of Oregon.
The afternoon: AI Adoption
Metabolizing AI in practice. Three short keynotes from operators who have done it: enterprise adoption translated for companies your size, a live demonstration of how to get AI engines to recommend your business, and why AI pilots stall before they reach production. Then a fireside panel with practitioners and the professionals who advise companies like yours, followed by roundtables at your own table on the one thing you are stuck on.
The closing
Every attendee leaves with a self-assessment and a 90-day plan. Not a summary of the day. A first move.
The room
130 seats at hosted tables of 10, so the people at your table are part of the program. Breakfast and lunch included. Every speaker is briefed to the same standard: what you built, what it saved, and what did not work.
Why now
76% of small businesses report using AI. 93% of those see a positive impact. Only 14% have integrated it into core operations, and 73% say they need more training and resources to get there. The Oregon AI Coalition exists to close that gap, in Oregon, with the people who run its companies.
The AI moment is here. How will you and your company metabolize it?
Source: Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices, March 2026.
Event venue & nearby stays
The Nines, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Portland, United States
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