Business owners across the Kansas City metro who are tired of hearing about artificial intelligence without knowing what to actually do with it have a full day set aside for them next month. Apply AI: A Practical Seminar for Business runs October 27 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Mazuma Credit Union Headquarters in Overland Park, and it is built specifically for business owners, leaders, marketers, and professionals looking to move past the hype cycle.
The event, first announced by the KC Chamber
on X, will be led by Maliha Khan, described as a nationally recognized speaker and Bronze Stevie Award recipient. That award is not a minor credential: Khan has been recognized with a Bronze Stevie Award in the Women in AI Leadership category, as noted by the
Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
, which also highlights her recognition.
An Eight-Phase Framework, Not Just a Prompting Class
Organizers are careful to frame the seminar as something more substantial than a course on writing better prompts. The curriculum is structured around an eight-phase framework, covering Understand, Prompt, Explore, Choose, Protect, Build, Improve, and Apply, and the goal is to help people retain human judgment when using artificial intelligence, per the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce event listing. Attendees will learn how to communicate with AI more effectively, but the seminar is designed to go further, with practical instruction and examples.
The day will also address deciding where AI fits, what should remain human, protection, and repeatable processes, according to the seed announcement from the KC Chamber. The stated aim is to help attendees put AI to work with greater purpose, rather than simply experimenting without a plan.
Who Khan Is and Where She Comes From
Khan's strategy-first marketing consultancy is called Khanect the Dots LLC. Her local educational footprint includes work with the Missouri Small Business Development Center at UMKC.
That track record includes a hands-on masterclass called Content Creation with AI that Khan led through the Missouri SBDC at UMKC on August 4, covering tools such as ChatGPT, Canva, and Descript for $79 per participant, per the Missouri Small Business Development Center at UMKC. Regional interest in practical AI training is evident: more than 200 people attended an event where conversations included business owners, marketers, educators, and leaders, according to a Khanect the Dots LLC Facebook post.
Part of a Bigger Regional Push
The October 27 seminar does not stand alone. It fits into a broader, multi-month effort across Greater Kansas City to move local businesses from AI curiosity toward actual operational use. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Foundation partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in April for the nationwide Small Business B(AI)sics initiative, which delivers accessible, in-person AI training for local entrepreneurs, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
The chamber has continued that push in the months since. Before the Apply AI seminar, it brought Google's national Make AI Work for You tour to Kansas City on August 11 at the Delta Athenaeum in KCMO, and it remains involved in the Small Business B(AI)sics initiative, per its own announcement.
Pricing, Timing, and What Comes Next
Registration for Apply AI has an early-bird deadline of September 26, after which the price rises. Attendees looking to continue their education afterward may find additional options.
Whether framed as a single day of practical instruction or as one stop in a longer regional campaign, the message from Khan and the chamber organizers is consistent: the goal is not to chase every new AI tool, but to build workflows that hold up over time while keeping human judgment and brand identity intact.
