Free AI classes aim to narrow growing digital knowledge gap

As artificial intelligence evolves faster than most people can keep up, Tim Haines is trying to help others keep pace.

“I just believe very strongly that the change that’s occurring is being driven at such a rapid pace that the more I can do to create awareness of how the tools actually work, the better,” Haines says.

Haines leads free, hands-on workshops at Bamboo Grand Rapids, a newly opened co-working space and entrepreneurial hub. The space is part of a statewide network focused on collaboration, innovation, and growth for entrepreneurs, startups, and creative businesses.

His sessions help people understand and use AI tools in practical ways. Each month, his “Crash Course” workshops walk participants through real applications, from building websites to using AI agents. 

“We’re not talking about it conceptually,” he says. “We’re up on the screen, and here’s how to make something.”

One reason he gives his time to this effort is his concern that the technology gap is getting wider.

“It’s really about knowledge access,” Haines says. “I worry about the growing gap between those who have that access and those who don’t.”

That concern comes from his own life. He grew up in a neighborhood where premium education was a privilege – one he was fortunate enough to enjoy. Now, he says, rapid technological change is making that gap easier to see.

“We were literally not designed for the speed of change that’s occurring right now,” he says. “Everybody needs a nap.”

He offers free monthly sessions open to all, in person or online.

“Anyone who feels excited about AI and wants to learn will come,” he says. “Anyone’s welcome.”

Bamboo builds a community

That open access fits within the broader vision of Bamboo, where Matt Gira is working to build more than a coworking space.

Gira is a graduate of Hope College, where he began building connections in the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. He later spent about five years at Yale University, leading student entrepreneurship efforts. There, he helped build programs and systems that brought together creators, founders and innovators from different disciplines into one collaborative environment.

He says he hopes to bring that same energy to Bamboo by creating a space where people from diverse backgrounds can connect, share ideas, and grow businesses together.

“It’s really building a hub for entrepreneurship and creators,” Gira says. “How do we build the community in the hub we want it to be?”

At Bamboo, the workshops are one piece of a broader effort: bring people in, connect them, and create opportunities to learn from each other.

“People can just drop in and be part of it,” Gira says. “We’re doing a ton of free events. The goal is not just to drive profit. It’s to build the hub and really build a strong community.”

Participants say Haines’ sessions help cut through the noise.

“When Tim says, ‘Hey, I want to teach something,’ I say, ‘Hey, I want to learn it,’” says James Tock, a Holland resident, who drives into Grand Rapids to attend sessions at Bamboo.

Tock says Haines focuses on what is useful, not just what is new.

“He synthesizes it down to, like, OK, that was cool, but it’s not doing anything for me,”  Tock says.

That focus helps participants decide how to spend their time.

“Time matters. You’re trying to figure out what is worth investing your time in right now,” Tock says. “And Tim’s already kind of done that.”

‘Rising tide’ of knowledge

Haines says each session condenses hours of research into a short format, but he cautions that it is not a shortcut to mastery.

“Each hour-and-a-half session, I’m compacting probably 30 to 40 hours worth of my own learning,” he says. “It will be an accelerator, but it won’t change day and night what you know.”

Tock says the sessions are most useful for people who already have some familiarity with AI and a goal in mind.

“These are people who understand that AI can add value,” he says. “I wouldn’t say it’s for someone who’s never used it at all.”

Even so, he says, people can adapt what they learn.

“You can take what he shows and transfer it to what you want to accomplish,” Tock says. “It’s inspirational teaching like, ‘Oh wow, I didn’t even know that was possible.’”

The sessions also stress responsible use of AI, especially as the tools become more common.

“You just need to learn how to verify the research, make sure you don’t have egg on your face,” Tock says.

Haines says the goal is to help people use the technology to improve their day-to-day lives.

“It’s a rising tide,” he says. “I want people to be able to make their lives a little better.”

Bamboo donates space for the session.

Gira says that kind of activity is exactly what Bamboo is meant to support.

“We want people who really care to help build a space,” he says. “Because that’s what we’re doing. We’re building a community.”