Hands-on AI workshops in Austin

Open Door Learning, run by Jonathan Malkin in Austin, Texas, teaches hands-on AI workshops for owners, executives and their teams. Each person works on a real task from their own week, on their own laptop, and leaves after ninety minutes with something that works.

I’m Jonathan Malkin, an AI educator and builder. I spent more than twenty years in enterprise technology, eight of them at Automation Anywhere, getting people to actually use what they bought. Workshops run in person in Austin, and online sessions are available too.

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Who are the AI workshops for?

Owners, executives and their teams who have tried AI and want it to do real work in the business. First-timers are welcome: if you have used ChatGPT a few times, that is plenty.

The same gap exists in a twelve-person company as in a twelve-thousand-person one; the smaller company just has less cover. There is also a technical workshop for IT departments, developers and technical staff.

What happens in a hands-on AI workshop?

You bring one real task, build it yourself with help beside you, and leave with something that works: a working tool or workflow, a skill applied to your own work, or a clear decision about where to start.

  • You bring one real task.

    Before the session I ask what people do all week. In the room, each person picks one task of their own. Nobody works on a made-up example.

  • You build it yourself, with help beside you.

    The method carries across ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini. If you get stuck, I sit down next to you. If you finish early, there is a next step waiting.

  • You leave with something that works.

    You also leave with the materials, so you can repeat what you did on Monday without me in the room.

Which AI workshops can I bring to my team in Austin?

Three kinds of rooms: hands-on build workshops, leadership sessions, and a technical workshop for IT and technical teams. Most run ninety minutes.

  • Hands-on build workshops

    Laptops open. Each person brings one real task from their own week, builds on it with help beside them, and leaves with something that works. Ninety minutes. Put Your Business Knowledge to Work. Build One Useful AI Workflow. Build Your Personal AI Assistant. Hand Off Your First Task to an AI Agent.

  • Leadership sessions

    No laptops needed. The owner and the people who run the business work through where AI fits, what it may and may not do, and what to start first. You leave with decisions written down. Ninety minutes. Then the team gets hands-on in a build workshop. See Where AI Could Help Your Business. Set Your Team’s AI Direction.

  • For IT and technical teams

    For the people who run systems and build things inside the business. Technical and hands-on, on real files and real tools. Ninety minutes, or a half day for a team that wants to leave with it running. Give Your AI Agents a Map.

Who can I hire to run an AI workshop for my company’s team in Austin?

Jonathan Malkin of Open Door Learning teaches AI workshops for company teams in Austin, in person, and online for teams elsewhere. Send a message about who would be in the room and what you have tried; I ask a few questions first, then suggest where to start.

Before the session I ask what people do all week, so each person works on a task of their own. For a hands-on session you provide a room with a screen and reliable wifi, a rough count of who is coming, and a laptop per person with an account for the AI tool they use. Hands-on works best with about ten to thirty people.

Tell me about your team

Do you help small businesses in Austin with AI beyond a workshop?

Yes. I teach owners and their teams to solve real business problems with AI, and I build solutions when needed. Some problems need more than a workshop, and that starts with a conversation about the problem.

Before founding Open Door Learning in January 2026 I spent more than twenty years in enterprise technology, including eight years at Automation Anywhere, helping large companies actually use what they bought.

How to make AI useful in your business

Is there a public AI workshop in Austin I can join?

Yes. Build Your Own AI Chief of Staff is an in-person workshop on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 10 AM to 12 PM, at the Texas State University SBDC, Austin Office. Sign up on the SBDC site.

A hands-on, in-person workshop. You set up a personal assistant on your own laptop with the Claude desktop app, connected to your own email and calendar: a daily brief, meeting preparation and follow-up drafts you approve before anything sends. The registration page lists what to bring.

Sign up on the SBDC site

Are the free SBDC and SCORE AI classes enough, or is a private workshop worth it?

For many owners, a free class is the right first step. The Texas State University SBDC and SCORE Austin both run AI classes in Austin, many of them free, and both offer free one-on-one business advising or mentoring; I teach one of those classes myself, Build Your Own AI Chief of Staff, at the SBDC Austin office on November 3, 2026. A private workshop is worth it when your whole team needs to work on its own tasks, tools and rules together, in one room, with the session shaped around your business.

A public class is a mixed room on a set topic. A private session starts with what your people do all week. Plenty of owners do both: a free class to see what is possible, then a session for the team.

Texas State University SBDC workshops SCORE Austin workshops

Can a chamber, association or peer group in Austin host one?

Yes. I bring hands-on sessions to chambers, associations, peer groups, co-working communities and portfolios of companies, so each member works on their own business and leaves with something they can use.

Bring a workshop to your members

Bring a workshop to your team

Tell me who would be in the room and what you have tried so far. I will suggest where to start.

I reply by email, usually within two business days.