Lafayette built this.
You can too.
Show up with a laptop and a curious idea. Leave at the end of the night with something you actually made, using AI, alongside your neighbors. No experience required.
#LafayetteBuiltThis is the story we will tell together. Share the event, what you make, and what happens next.
That word isn't invited. The tools will teach you everything else you need.
- Date
- Thu, November 12, 2026
- Time
- 5–8 PM Central
- Where
- Opportunity Machine
314 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA - Cost
- Free · pre-registration required
- Seats
- Limited: first come, first served
Save your seat for November 12. We’ll see you at Opportunity Machine, 314 Jefferson St, Lafayette.
Downtown Lafayette photo by TheLionHasSeen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized; displayed with a color overlay.
Not a lecture. Not a hackathon.
Not a sales pitch.
#LafayetteBuiltThis is a hands-on community build night. A room full of neighbors, friends, families, and CGI Federal experts spending an evening building small, useful, personal things together: a recipe website, a family photo organizer, a homework helper, a fantasy football draft tool, a small-business inventory tracker, a bedtime-story generator for your kids. Whatever you want to build.
You do not need to be technical, know how to code, or understand AI before you arrive. This is a safe place to learn by trying. Patient human helpers will sit with you, explain each step in plain language, and help whenever you get stuck.
The goal isn't to make you a developer. The goal is to help you get past the word can't.
You've heard about it, maybe tried ChatGPT once
↓ you'll leave withA friendly on-ramp, a real project you built yourself, and confidence that you can do this.
You use it occasionally, but haven't built anything
↓ you'll leave withThe next level: learn to make AI do work for you, not just answer questions.
You're already solving problems with AI
↓ you'll leave withNew patterns, new tools, and a community of builders in your city.
You already know your way around
↓ you'll leave withThe chance to pay it forward: help someone next to you cross the line from "I can't" to "look what I built."
Starter templates. Plain-language instructions. Your call.
We'll have approachable, useful examples you can open and follow one step at a time, with a real person nearby to help. Pick a rough idea, then narrow it to one useful thing you can finish tonight.
Recipe & cookbook site
Searchable, shareable, yours.
Family photo organizer
That actually understands what's in your photos.
Homework helper
Tuned to your kid's grade and style.
Small-business helper
Inventory, invoices, customer notes.
Bedtime-story generator
Starring your kids, by name.
Fill-in-the-blank
Bring your own idea: we'll help you start.
"The word can't needs to leave your lexicon. The tools are there. The tools can guide you through it. You just have to get past can't." - The whole event, in one sentence
CGI Federal AI experts circulate the room all night, ready to unstick you, answer questions, and help you take the next small step. No judgment. No jargon: or if there is, we'll explain it. No sales pitch. We're not selling anything. We're building alongside you.
Anyone who wants to demo what they built gets 90 seconds and the mic. We’ll make room to share ideas and keep the conversation going. Refreshments and any after-event plans are TBD.
What to bring
- Your laptop: Linux, Mac, Windows, or Chromebook.
- A charger.
- An idea: or come without one, we've got plenty.
- Personal AI access. Attendance is free, but free tiers of commercially available AI services probably will not support a full evening of working on your idea. Plan to use your own personal entry-level paid plan. Provider costs and terms vary. We know that adds a little cost to a free event, but it should be money well spent. We can send setup guidance before the event or help you choose a tool; just reach out by email. We cannot provide loaner laptops, AI accounts, or API keys.
- Curiosity. Other than a little AI, that's the only real prerequisite.
Manifest
Thursday, November 12 · 5–8 PM Central. Our planned evening follows the original Built This build night; individual session times may shift a little.
| Time | What's happening | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 5:00 PM | Doors open | Check-in · Get your AI set up · Meet the room |
| 5:15 PM | Welcome | What we're doing tonight, and getting past can't |
| 5:30 PM | Pick your project | Pair up or work solo, then choose a starter template |
| 5:45 PM | Build | CGI experts circulating to help · refreshments TBD |
| 7:30 PM | Show & tell | Anyone who wants to demo: 90 seconds, totally optional |
| 7:50 PM | Wrap | Optional group photo · closing thoughts · what's next |
| 8:00 PM | After the event | Optional nearby meetup for anyone who wants to keep talking; details announced at the event |
Built in Lafayette. Shared with Acadiana.
Opportunity Machine
Lafayette, LA 70501
314 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501
November 12, 5–8 PM Central
Built by this community, for this community
CGI
CGI is hosting Lafayette’s first friends and family AI build night, sharing practical expertise with the community and workforce around us. AI is creating an extraordinary technology shift. We believe the best way to help our neighbors meet it is to lean in together, share practical expertise, and build side by side until the word can't leaves our collective vocabulary.
Opportunity Machine
Opportunity Machine helps early-stage technology and innovative startups gain momentum through education, mentorship, connections, and workspace. As our Lafayette co-host, OM brings that spirit of shared learning to a night for friends, families, and curious neighbors across Acadiana.
Come build something.
Prove to yourself you can.
RSVPs are open for Thursday, November 12, 5–8 PM Central. Join us at Opportunity Machine, 314 Jefferson St, Lafayette. When available seats fill, we’ll keep a waitlist. More questions? Check the FAQ or email events@builtthis.ai
RSVP for build night →