Small, hands-on classes in the Cedar Valley for small-business owners and anyone curious. No experience needed: if you can send an email, you can do this. Every paid class ends with something you built yourself.
Founding classes start this winter. Dates and the venue go to the class list first.
What tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini actually are, in plain words
What's safe to type into them, what isn't, and a private option that runs on your own laptop
Live demos on real small-business tasks, including where they go wrong
How the paid classes work, and whether one is worth your time
You leave with
A clear picture of where AI could help you, and where it won't.
1
Level 1:Research That Remembers
Use AI to research your market the right way, with sources, then save what you find into your own searchable knowledge base so you can ask it questions months later, alongside a fresh check of today's web.
Business research with AI: customers, competitors, suppliers, grants and rules
How to make AI show its sources, and how to check them
Build your own searchable knowledge base (what techies call a vector database) two ways: in a free cloud notebook, and privately on your own laptop
Ask your saved research questions later, mixed with fresh results from the web, and catch what's gone stale
You leave with
Your own business research, saved in a knowledge base you can search and question.
2
Level 2:Pick the Right AI
Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Grok, Perplexity, Meta AI, local models and more: what each is good at, what it costs and what it does with your data. You'll hear Alex's opinions, then form your own.
Send one task to three AIs and compare what comes back
Strengths and weak spots of each major provider, honestly
Plans and prices: free, about $20 a month, team seats and add-ons like Copilot, and when each makes sense
Privacy settings that matter for a business, and when to run AI on your own computer
You leave with
Your own "which AI for what" card and a monthly cost plan that fits your budget.
3
Level 3:Put AI to Work
Pick one task that eats your week, like answering leads, sorting email or updating a spreadsheet, and set up AI to handle the first draft while you stay in charge.
Spot the jobs worth automating, and the ones that aren't
Turn a task into clear written steps an AI can follow
Connect the tools you already use with Zapier, Make, n8n or Microsoft's and Google's own tools, with your OK before anything goes out
Keep customer information safe, including a private option that runs on your own laptop
You leave with
One working automation for your business, with an approval step built in, and a plan for the next one.
4
Level 4:Build With AI
Build a small tool of your own with an AI coding helper. We set up the ThinkPad kit for this before class, so you skip the setup that stops a lot of people.
A tour of the kit: the code editor, the terminal and your project folder
Build a small tool for your business with an AI helper, one tested step at a time
Check the AI's work, save versions with Git and keep private info out
Free, paid and private AI helpers, and how to switch without losing your work
You leave with
A small working tool for your business, like a price-quote calculator, saved with Git on your own laptop.
For businesses
AI for your team
Any class can come to your business for 4 or more people, built around the tools your team already uses. Bring your team's laptops, or add a practice ThinkPad for each person so learning stays separate from company computers.
Price$49 per person, 4-person minimum. ThinkPad seats are $249.
Your first paid class plus a refurbished business-class ThinkPad, set up for you before class, that goes home with you. Bring it to every class after that; later classes are $49 each.
Founding-class prices. Every paid class includes the cheat sheet, the class recording and a follow-upcheck-in a week later.
Laptop included
The ThinkPad kit
A lot of people who want to build with AI get stuck on setup. So we do the setup for you, on a laptop you get to keep.
Business-class Lenovo ThinkPads (T-series, L-series and X1 Carbon), refurbished before they go home with you
We test every key, port, screen and battery, and write the battery health on the lid
We wipe it and set it up fresh with Linux Mint: free, secure and familiar if you've used Windows
You make your own account and password the first time you turn it on
Yours to keep, and bring to every class after
ThinkPad X1 Carbon · photo coming
01ThinkPad X1 CarbonPhoto coming
ThinkPad L390 · photo coming
02ThinkPad L390Photo coming
ThinkPad T570 · photo coming
03ThinkPad T570Photo coming
The keyboard · photo coming
04The keyboardPhoto coming
Set up for you before class
Linux Mint
VS Code
Git
Python
Node
Ollama
AnythingLLM
AI bookmarks
Starter projects
Why ThinkPads
Companies retire good ThinkPads every few years, and Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, so plenty of solid machines got shelved. We give them a second life.
Specs
Specs vary by machine (8 to 16 GB of memory, 13.3 to 15.6 inch screens). Each laptop gets a spec card so you know exactly what you're getting.
Recordings
Take the class once.Keep the recordings.
Every paid class is recorded. Students get lifetime access to the recordings of the classes they've taken, so you can rewatch the step you missed months later. Until the Lessons library has a student sign-in, you'll get a private link to each recording after class. “Lifetime” means for as long as Iowa AI runs the Lessons library, and if that ever changes, students get a way to download their recordings first.
We record the instructor's screen and voice, not the room. Recordings are only for students of that class. If you'd rather not be heard on a recording, tell Alex and we'll pause or trim it.
No. If you can send an email, you can do these classes. We go at the room's pace and nobody gets left behind.
Which AI will we use? Are you selling one?
We use several (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, local models and more), and no AI company pays us to recommend it. Level 2 is all about comparing them so you can choose for yourself. Alex will share favorites and why, but you'll form your own opinion. Full disclosure: our website assistant runs on Claude, using startup credits.
Is the laptop really mine to keep?
Yes. With the ThinkPad option, the laptop goes home with you after your first paid class. Before it does, we wipe it, test it and set it up fresh, and you create your own password the first time you turn it on.
Why Linux instead of Windows?
Some older ThinkPads can't officially run Windows 11, and Windows 10 no longer gets free security updates. Linux Mint is free, gets updates and looks a lot like Windows. If you need Windows 10 anyway, ask, and we'll explain the tradeoff first.
What should I bring?
A real question or task from your own work. That's what makes the class stick. Bring your laptop if you're using your own.
What happens to the recordings if I miss something?
Students keep access to the recordings of the classes they've taken, for good. Rewatch any step whenever you need it. If the library ever closes, you'll get a way to download them first.
Will I be on the recording?
Not on camera. We record the instructor's screen and voice, not the room, and recordings are only for students of that class. If you'd rather not be heard on a recording, tell Alex and we'll pause or trim it.
Can you teach my whole team?
Yes. Any class can come to your business for 4 or more people, built around the tools your team already uses.
What if a class isn't right for me?
Start with the free intro. It's there so you can decide before you spend anything, and Alex will tell you straight if a class isn't a fit for what you need.
Class list
Join the class list
Dates, the venue and open seats go to the list first. One or two emails a month, and you can leave anytime.