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FAQ

Common questions about AI workshops

The questions we hear most about AI Foundations, the formats, what is and is not safe to put into AI, and how to bring training to your team.

What is AI Engines?

AI Engines teaches practical, human-centered AI to individuals and groups, K-12 and higher ed faculty, small businesses, churches, and nonprofits across Indiana and beyond. We are a veteran-owned company with a home base in Marion, Indiana. People-first AI training to upskill, reskill, and land your next role. Indiana and online. Teams and organizations, too.

Is AI Engines veteran-owned?

Yes. AI Engines is veteran-owned. Founder Mike Jones is a U.S. Army veteran who served as an M1 Abrams turret mechanic during Desert Storm, and he leads every training session.

Where does AI Engines offer AI training?

In person across North and Central Indiana, from our home base in Marion. That includes Marion, Muncie, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Kokomo, Wabash, Fishers and Carmel, and surrounding communities. We bring training to your site: travel is free within 20 driving miles of Marion, and the price calculator adds it for longer trips. One-on-one coaching and the 3-hour short course also run live online from anywhere. See every Indiana city we serve, or read AI training in Indiana: how to choose.

Can I take AI training online?

Yes. One-on-one coaching and the 3-hour Focused Short Course both run live online. The full-day AI Foundations Workshop is onsite at your location.

What AI tools do you teach?

We train on the AI tools your team already uses or asks for, such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Google Gemini. A 3-hour short course focuses on one of them, and coaching is built around the tools you use.

What training formats does AI Engines offer?

Same curriculum, several ways to learn: a full-day, hands-on AI Foundations Workshop at your location for groups of 2 to 20; a 3-hour Focused Short Course on one tool (Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini or another), onsite or live online, for 2 to 20 people; one-on-one coaching in person or online, built around your goals and schedule; and AI upskilling, reskilling, and career transition support for individuals and HR teams. Larger custom programs are priced after a call. See all the formats, or price any of them.

Can AI training help me land a new job or change careers?

It can help you prepare. Our upskilling and reskilling work helps you use AI to land your next role or create one: AI basics done safely, a job search tool, a resume engine, and mock interview practice built with you. We don't promise job placement. The search belongs to you, and we make sure you are ready for it. One-on-one coaching for career changers. If you were laid off in Indiana, see where to get AI reskilling training.

Do you train schools, churches, nonprofits, and small businesses?

Yes. We train K-12 and higher ed faculty, small businesses, churches and ministries, nonprofits, healthcare teams, and individuals. Before we open any tool, we name the rules that already apply to your work, such as FERPA, HIPAA, donor privacy, and customer data.

Are there free AI meetups in Indiana?

Yes. AI Engines hosts the free Marion AI Meetup, which meets monthly. The next meetup is Thursday, November 12, 2026, 8:00 to 9:30 AM Eastern, at 312 S Washington St, Unit B, Marion, IN 46952 (use the circled entrance). There is also AI & Coffee, a free community meetup every Friday, 8:00 to 9:30 AM, at Launch Fishers (12175 Visionary Way, Fishers, IN 46038), hosted by Launch Fishers and AI Launch Pad. No AI experience is needed. See the events page to get notified about later Marion dates or to sign up to present.

How do I get started with AI Engines?

Book a free AI Readiness Call (15 or 45 minutes), or use the price calculator at aiengines.work/readiness to see your price in about a minute. You can also call 765-293-9292 or email [email protected].

Who leads AI Engines trainings?

Mike Jones, the founder and a U.S. Army veteran, leads every training session. He is the author of the HUMAN-HEART AI Resilience Framework, a Level 3 Certified AI Agent Developer (MindStudio), and has onboarded 250+ faculty and staff to AI. James Weaver, a Java Champion, JavaOne Rockstar, and Quantum Developer Advocate who has taught thousands of developers at conferences worldwide, joins as co-trainer for groups of 13 or more. Read the full instructor bios.

What is the AI Governance Jump Start?

The AI Governance Jump Start is a short course that helps teams put guardrails around AI use. In one hands-on, 2-hour session, in person or online, your team learns the fundamentals of AI governance and uses a free tool to generate a starting policy framework matched to your regulatory environment. You leave with a draft you can adapt and hand to your cybersecurity and legal counsel for review. See AI governance training.

What does the AI Foundations workshop actually cover?

The workshop runs in three movements. First, AI literacy from zero: how the model works at a working-knowledge level, what it is good at, and what it is not. Second, framing prompts using CRAFT (Context, Role, Action, Format, Tone) so you get useful output without trial and error. Third, building a working AI tool for a task you repeat, in the AI tool you already use. The day ends with everyone holding a tool they understand because they built it.

How much does AI training cost?

It depends on the format, your group size, and travel. The price calculator gives you an exact estimate in about a minute, including travel and optional lunch, and you can email it to yourself. Materials are always included. One-on-one coaching is for adults 18 and older and starts with a 3-hour session, or 2 hours if you already know the basics. Groups of 21 or more and custom programs are priced after a short call.

Do I need an AI background to attend?

No. We assume zero prior experience and scaffold from first principles. By lunch you have the vocabulary and judgment to evaluate AI tools. By the end of the day you have built a working tool yourself. If you can write a text message, you can build a working AI tool. You don't need technical skills either: if you can write an email, you can learn to use AI well.

How long is the workshop?

The in-person Workshop is one day, seven hours total: three hours of morning instruction, one hour for lunch, three hours of afternoon build time. The short course is three hours on one tool, like Gemini. One-on-one coaching starts with a 3-hour session (2 hours if you already know the basics), then 2-hour blocks on your calendar.

Why choose an in-person workshop over a remote option?

Both formats deliver the same curriculum and end with the same kind of working AI tool. The right choice depends on your situation. In-person works best for full-day immersion with nothing competing for attention, hands-on coaching in the room, the team energy you only get in person, and one-and-done scheduling. Remote works best when travel or schedule constraints rule out a full day, when one person wants coaching on a flexible schedule (one-on-one coaching), when three focused hours fit better than a full day (the short course runs live online too), or when learners live outside North and Central Indiana. When in-person is logistically possible, retention is higher because nothing competes for attention. When it is not, coaching and the short course deliver the same outcome on a different rhythm.

Is it safe to use AI with student records, patient information, or other regulated data?

Free consumer versions of AI tools, such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, are not appropriate for FERPA, HIPAA, PII, or contract-protected data. We teach the boundaries clearly. Workshop participants build with clean, hypothetical, or anonymized data. If your organization has an enterprise agreement with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, Google or another AI vendor, that tool may permit real data entry through your approved channel. That call belongs to your compliance, IT, or legal counsel, not to us. The regulatory floor your work already sits inside caps how AI can be used. See AI training for healthcare staff. Read our full AI disclaimer. For classrooms, see AI training for teachers and faculty.

What is a working AI tool?

A working AI tool is a small helper you set up once inside the AI tool you already use, such as Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok or Gemini, so it handles a task you repeat. Past participants have built an email reply assistant tuned to a specific office, a single-paragraph-to-a-week social content generator, a customer-message tone analyzer, and a student services email assistant. See working examples on our Samples page.

What is the difference between a working AI tool, an AI agent and an agentic workflow?

Three scales of AI use, same fundamentals underneath. A working AI tool is a single helper you build inside the AI tool you already use (an email assistant, a tone analyzer, a content generator). You drive each request and see each output. An AI Agent is an AI you have authorized to take actions on its own across a defined set of tools. You set the goal and the guardrails; the agent decides which steps to take inside them. An Agentic workflow chains multiple agents and tools together to handle a multi-step process from start to finish, with the AI making choices along the way. Most everyday work belongs at the single-tool scale, where you stay accountable for each output. Agents and Agentic workflows require more guardrails, audit trails, and human-in-the-loop checkpoints. AI Foundations starts you at the single-tool scale and builds the judgment you need before going further. Custom engagements scope into Agent and Agentic territory when your team is ready.

Can I bring my whole team?

Yes. We bring private training to your team, from 2 to 20 people. Price is set by group size, and you can see yours in the price calculator. Groups of 21 or more are priced after a call. Use the group intake form.

What if I have to miss part of the workshop?

For the in-person Workshop, the full day is sequential. Missing the morning makes the afternoon build harder. We work with you on a case-by-case basis. Read our cancellation policy for the formal terms.

How do I bring AI training to my school district, business, or organization?

Start with the price calculator. Pick the format that fits: one-on-one coaching, a 3-hour short course, a full-day onsite workshop, or a custom program. Then send yourself the estimate, and we follow up within one business day. For schools, see AI professional development for teachers.

What is the HUMAN-HEART AI Resilience Framework?

HUMAN-HEART is Mike Jones's instructional design framework for AI-resilient teaching. It starts with governance: what policy, privacy and access allow. HUMAN then names what the learner must stay responsible for, with five modes: Hone (work independently), Use (direct AI as an intern), Mediate (check and correct), Align (justify within rules) and Navigate (govern the workflow). HUMAN is a set of choices, not a ladder. HEART shows how teaching and assessment reveal that responsibility: highlight the outcome, examine AI vulnerability, assign the HUMAN mode, refocus assessment design, and test for integrity and transference. See the HUMAN-HEART framework.

What is the CRAFT prompt framework?

CRAFT is the prompt habit we teach in every format: Context, Role, Action, Format, Tone. You give the AI the context, tell it what role to play, say what action you want, describe the format of the answer, and set the tone. It works the same way in Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini and other AI tools. See the CRAFT prompt framework.

Do you offer AI upskilling for employers in Indiana?

Yes. AI upskilling is our first focus for HR teams and owners: we train the people you already employ to use AI safely in the work they do today. Sessions run in person across North and Central Indiana, including Marion and Grant County, or live online, for one person or groups of 2 to 20. Employers can also add career transition support to severance or outplacement.

Is there hands-on AI training in Marion, Indiana?

Yes. AI Engines is based in Marion and brings private, hands-on AI training in Marion, Grant County and across North and Central Indiana. Formats include a full-day workshop, a 3-hour short course and one-on-one coaching. We also host the free Marion AI Meetup, which meets monthly.

How is this different from a free AI intro workshop?

Free intro workshops, like the Google AI Essentials sessions Ivy Tech runs around Indiana, are a good first step. Our training is the hands-on next step: it runs on the tool your team already has, uses your own real work, names the rules that apply to you first, and ends with a working tool each person built.

Can a state grant help pay for employee AI training?

Some employers fund training through WorkOne or Indiana DWD programs. Check with them about eligibility.

What are your business hours?

Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern. Call 765-293-9292 or email [email protected], and we reply within one business day.

Question we did not answer?

Send it through the contact form. We respond within one business day.

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