Cincy AI Week Day Three Recap | AI Conference and Workshop in Cincinnati, OH
Cincy AI Week 2026 · Day Three Recap
Three Summits, Five Awards, and One City All In on AI
Thursday, June 11, 2026 · Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati
Cincy AI Week 2026 closed the way it opened: at full capacity. More than one thousand attendees joined us across three concurrent summits on day three, the Cincy AI Community Summit, the Claude Summit, and the RAISE Summit, alongside a full day of keynotes, workshops, and the Cincy AI Week Leadership Awards Luncheon.
01Three summits, one community
Day three split the energy of the week across three stages. The Cincy AI Community Summit brought together the builders, operators, and civic leaders who make this region's AI ecosystem run. The Claude Summit went deep on agents and applied AI, headlined by the Claude Code live build, where attendees watched a working agent take shape on stage in real time. And the RAISE Summit, hosted by the University of Cincinnati, delivered responsible AI workshops built for STEM leaders navigating what comes next.
02Keynotes that landed
Todd James took the main stage with a keynote on AI agents that gave leaders a clear-eyed look at what agentic AI means for how organizations will actually work. Paired with the Claude Code live build, day three made the case that agents are no longer a preview of the future. They are here, and Cincinnati is building with them.
03The 2026 Leadership Awards
The week's most anticipated tradition returned at the Leadership Awards Luncheon, where each award was presented by its 2025 winner, passing the torch to this year's honoree. Congratulations to our 2026 winners:
- Cincy Catalyst Award Kendra Ramirez Presented by 2025 winner Nate Sowder
- Future Builder Award Tyler Mantel Presented by 2025 winner Kris Jones
- Guardian of Good Award Dr. Josette Riep Presented by 2025 winner Dr. Kelly Cohen
- AI Rising Star Award Kerry Oslund Presented by 2025 winner Madhavi Najana
- Inclusive AI Award Eric Frayer Presented by 2025 winner Shanah Legree
Congratulations as well to every 2026 finalist. The strength of this year's nominee pool is its own measure of how far this community has come.
04What comes next
Cincy AI Week 2026 is a wrap, but the work it represents is just getting started. The conversations, the certifications earned, and the connections made this week all continue through the Enterprise Technology Association and AI Ready Ohio, where leaders across the state are building skills, programs, and partnerships year round.
Keep the momentum going
Join the Enterprise Technology Association to continue the conversation, and get involved with AI Ready Ohio to bring AI education and enablement to your team, your organization, and your region.
