# **Open-Source AI in Practice: Build and Evaluate Agentic Tools with OpenLLM** Join Coffee & Code Philadelphia and OpenLLM for a hands-on workshop focused on building, evaluating, and contributing to open-source AI tools. This session is designed for developers who want practical experience working with open-source models, agentic workflows, and the infrastructure required to operate AI systems reliably. Rather than spending the day on high-level presentations, we will focus on one technical theme, a live demonstration, and a guided exercise that participants can follow or adapt to their own projects. ## **What We’ll Cover** During the workshop, participants can expect: * A practical introduction to OpenLLM and the problems it helps developers solve * A live demonstration of an open-source AI model, tool, or agent workflow * A guided exercise to build or modify a small AI application * Techniques for evaluating agent behavior, reliability, and output quality * Discussion of safety, deployment, and operating open-source AI in real projects * Examples of how developers can contribute code, documentation, integrations, testing, and feedback * Open Q&A with the OpenLLM team and Philadelphia builders The exact technical focus and exercise will be announced closer to the event. ## **Who Should Attend** This workshop is intended for: * Software engineers * AI and machine learning builders * Technical founders * Researchers and students * Open-source contributors * Developers experimenting with AI agents, models, evaluation, or infrastructure Participants of different experience levels are welcome, but basic programming experience will be helpful for the hands-on portion. ## **What to Bring** Please bring: * A laptop * A development environment you are comfortable using * A GitHub account * Any installation instructions or prerequisites announced before the event You are also welcome to bring an existing AI or open-source project you are working on. ## **Why This Event** The goal is to give Philadelphia builders direct experience with OpenLLM and its broader open-source ecosystem while creating space for useful technical feedback and collaboration. This workshop may also serve as the starting point for future OpenLLM and Coffee & Code Philadelphia programming, including recurring workshops, contributor sessions, hackathons, and other open-source AI events. ## **About OpenLLM** OpenLLM is an open-source initiative focused on making it easier for developers to build, run, evaluate, and share applications powered by open models. Learn more at openllm.sh. ## **About Coffee & Code Philadelphia** Coffee & Code Philadelphia is a community of approximately 5,000 developers, founders, students, researchers, and technology professionals. Website: [https://www.codephilly.com](https://www.codephilly.com/) Meetup: [https://www.meetup.com/code-coffee-philly/](https://www.meetup.com/code-coffee-philly/) LinkedIn: [https://www.linkedin.com/company/code-coffee-philadelphia](https://www.linkedin.com/company/code-coffee-philadelphia) Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/coffeecodephilly](https://www.instagram.com/coffeecodephilly) Discord: [https://discord.gg/2ad8NmvC2](https://discord.gg/2ad8NmvC2) Linktree: [https://linktr.ee/codecoffeephilly](https://linktr.ee/codecoffeephilly) Substack: [https://substack.com/@codecoffeephilly](https://substack.com/@codecoffeephilly)
