In-person ChatGPT and Claude training in Austin

Open Door Learning teaches in-person, hands-on AI training in Austin, Texas, where Jonathan Malkin works beside you as you use ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot or Gemini on a real task from your own week. Most sessions run ninety minutes, and the methods carry across all four tools.

I’m Jonathan Malkin, an AI educator and builder in Austin. I teach owners, executives and their teams on their own work, not on made-up examples.

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Do you teach ChatGPT or Claude?

Both. I teach with the one that fits the task and what you already have, and the methods carry across ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini.

You use the AI tool you already have.

What is an in-person AI class like?

Laptops open. A short explanation, then working time on one real task of your own. I move between tables, and if you get stuck I sit down next to you.

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

What will I build?

It depends on the workshop. Each hands-on build workshop ends with something you can use on your own work.

  • Put Your Business Knowledge to Work

    You leave with a shared reference your team and your AI can both use.

  • Build One Useful AI Workflow

    You leave with a repeatable method for one recurring task, tested on the real thing.

  • Build Your Personal AI Assistant

    You leave with an assistant set up for meeting preparation, next steps and a daily brief.

  • Hand Off Your First Task to an AI Agent

    You leave with one recurring task running under your own approval rules, and a short list of what an agent may and may not do for you.

Do I need AI experience?

No. First-timers are welcome. Sessions are set to the room’s starting point, and if you have used ChatGPT a few times, that is plenty.

What do I need to bring?

A laptop with an account for the AI tool you use, and one task that comes back every week, such as preparing for meetings, a recurring report or the follow-ups after a call.

Can I join an in-person Claude class in Austin on my own?

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.

Otherwise, most sessions are booked by a company or a group for its own people.

Sign up on the SBDC site

Is my business information safe?

It depends more on your plan than on the tool. On business plans (ChatGPT Business and Enterprise, Claude Team and Enterprise), OpenAI and Anthropic say they do not train their models on your content by default. On personal plans (ChatGPT Free, Plus and Pro; Claude Free, Pro and Max), your chats can be used for training: ChatGPT does this unless you turn off “Improve the model for everyone” under Settings > Data controls, and Claude asks you to choose, which you can check or change under Settings > Privacy. On any plan, don’t paste in passwords, card or bank numbers, Social Security numbers, health records, or client documents you’ve promised to keep confidential.

Two more things to know. A thumbs up or down on a response can send that whole conversation to the provider for training, even after you opt out on a personal plan. And a ChatGPT Temporary Chat or a Claude incognito chat isn’t used for training. I work with the tools you already use, and in a workshop I show you where these settings are. Checked against OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s policy pages in October 2026.

Is there an online option?

Yes. Online sessions are shaped for a call rather than a room, so the format and content differ from the in-person workshops. Tell me who would be on the call and what you want them to leave with, and I will suggest what fits.

Ask about hands-on AI training

Tell me which tool you use, who would be in the room, and what you want it to do.

I reply by email, usually within two business days.