Today we welcomed about 50 folks to the Hub from our Noosa Seniors community, for an Intro to AI presentation by Hub Director, Chris Boden. It was the launch of a workshop series aimed at helping seniors learn and feel confident using AI in their everyday lives.
Since starting our AI community workshops back in March, we have run six hands-on AI workshops at the Hub, and two at Noosaville and Cooroy Libraries, with many more to come.
The program began with three Getting the Most out of ChatGPT workshops held on 30 March and 10 April. Seventy locals attended, many of them beginner or occasional users. The sessions were open to all ages, with strong participation from those aged 60 and over.
Led by one of the Hub’s young entrepreneurs, Darcy Smith, the workshops covered key ChatGPT features including Custom Instructions, personalisation settings, Projects, and Voice, along with practical techniques for improving prompts and outputs. Building confidence with these tools also gives our community a solid foundation for exploring other AI platforms.
Feedback highlighted the value of the relaxed format, clear explanations, and an opportunity to experiment and learn in a supportive environment. Participants consistently reported they now have more confidence using AI.
Insights from attendees about topics of interest are shaping our next phase of AI workshops, with sessions also planned in partnership with Noosa Libraries and Noosa Seniors. Upcoming workshops will be held at Cooroy Library, Noosaville Library, Noosa Seniors on Wallace Drive, as well as the Digital Hub.
Our next workshop for Noosa Seniors will be on 24 June, 10.30am to 12noon, at their venue in Wallace Drive, Noosaville. Topic: Getting the Most from ChatGPT.
Our next Library workshops will be held on 11 June at Noosaville and 25 June at Cooroy. Topic: Advanced ChatGPT.
All workshops are free as part of the Hub’s Tokenizer program, thanks to multi-year funding support from Queensland Government’s Regional Enabler Program.
Peregian Digital Hub is a Noosa Council initiative to build a local technology sector.
