Start a Global AI Chapter

You’ve decided to start your own Global AI chapter – YAY!

We’re excited to have people like you join our growing community and want to help you get your chapter launched as quickly and painlessly as possible. If our experience is any indication, your first major event will galvanize and inspire the AI community in your area and create momentum for subsequent events, so it’s crucial to start things off on the right foot! To help you get started, we've put this guide together for starting your own Global AI chapter in your city.

The Global AI Community is your gateway into the global AI community!

Guidelines for Starting Your Chapter

When you start your own Global AI Chapter, you’ll be helping to build and grow a local AI community, through organizing events in your city. A Global AI Chapter is not meant for a one-time event or workshop. There is an expectation for ongoing community activities through your chapter, at least once every three months. Some of our groups hold events on a monthly cadence.
We require at least two organizers in your group to help share the workload and prevent burnout from any single organizer. When requesting a chapter, we ask that it be local and city-based. If an existing chapter already exists in your city, a second one may be allowed depending on circumstances.

Benefits for chapters

  • As a chapter in the Global AI Community, you get benefits to help you run your chapter.
  • Be part of a large vibrant community with 60.000+ members around the world!
  • A @globalai.community Microsoft 365 Business Basic licence.
  • A sponsored Meetup Pro subscription for your chapter under the Global AI Community Network.
  • Resources for branding, including banners for MeetUp, socials, events and your own Chapter Logo.
  • Ability to send digital badges to your attendees.
  • Ability to use our global channels like YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn to post updates about your chapter and stream your video content.
  • Contribute content to global initiatives like Global AI Weekly and Global AI Notes, to reach a global audience around the world.
  • Monthly office hours for chapter leads.
  • Support channel on Slack for chapter leads.

Role and Responsibilities of the Chapter lead

Be an active chapter
You will help organize or support co-organization of at least one meetup per three months. As an organizer, you are not necessarily expected to be the one creating content or giving talks or workshops. It is expected for you to invite local speakers and create opportunities for aspiring new speakers among your members.

Work together
We require at least two organizers in your group to help share the workload and prevent burnout from any single organizer. You will be responsible for notifying Global AI Community leadership of changes in your organizing team. For example, if you have new organizers, or if an organizer stepped down.

Be part of the Global Community
Participate in global initiatives, like the Global AI Bootcamp, Global AI Conference, live streams and newsletters, You may be asked from time to time to share any news from Global AI Community leadership team to your members. You will be asked to provide a report of your group activities once a year to the Global AI Community Leadership team.

Be inclusive to everyone
Have an open registration for events and free entrance.

Create a safe place
All Global AI events (Meetups, conference lunches, etc), online spaces (IRC, Facebook, etc) are beholden to the Global AI Community Code of Conduct. Every chapter is required to make the code of conduct public in some way.

Be the brand
Only use your @globalai.community email to communicate with your members. Once your chapter has been approved, you and your group agree to use your chapters @globalai.community email address to conduct your business. For example, for any email communications with your members, and for creating meetup and social media accounts.

Be authentic
Do not use the chapter for commercial activities, your events should be not for profit.

Process overview

Ready to become a chapter lead?

  • Prior to starting your own Global AI Community chapter, please first join our Slack Community, and head to #new-chapters channel. We encourage you to seek mentorship from experienced chapter leads, and for you to ask questions about starting your own chapter.
  • Once you’re ready to start your own group, please fill in the form.
  • We review new chapter requests once per month. Your request will be reviewed in the following month after you file your request. For example, if you filled in the form in March 2024, it will be reviewed in April 2024.
  • If we approve your request, we will send you a welcome package with your groups @globalai.community email address credentials and guidance on how to set up your Meetup account and other related social media account, like Twitter, Facebook, etc.
  • Please do not purchase domains or setup email addresses; we will do that for you! We need to maintain accounts (both for trademark and administrative purposes).

Frequently asked questions

Question: How much does it cost to be a chapter lead for Global AI Community?
Answer: There is no cost to the Global AI Community for being a chapter lead. The global AI Community is run by volunteers.

Question: Are all applications accepted?
Answer: No, not all applications are accepted, but don't worry that does not happen a lot. A few reasons of not being accepted are: Having one organizer. There is already an active chapter in the city

Question: Can I convert my current meetup/usergroup to a chapter.
Answer: Yes, it is possible to rebrand your current meetup/usergroup to a global ai chapter.

Question: What kind of activities does a chapter do?
Answer: Organize MeetUps (Small local events), organize virtual meetups (Teams / Youtube), run discussion groups

Question: Can the Global AI Community provide sponsorship in the form of food and cash to my events.
Answer: No, the Global AI Community does not provide financial support to events.

Question: Where does Global AI Community get its funding?
Answer: Global AI is funded through sponsors. Look at the sponsor page to see the current sponsors and read about how you can become a sponsor of the Global AI Community.