AI+Frnds Events
AI + Frnds is not a conference. It is not a summit. The name says it all — AI plus friends. Founded by Sid Haldar and co-organised by Shaurya Bahl, the events are free, informal, and designed for people who have never built anything before. The first AI + Frnds event in Dubai was held at GEMS Modern Academy, sponsored by Sid's platform Emergent (emergent.sh) — a Y Combinator-backed AI development platform with 3M+ users worldwide.
The Mission
Make AI accessible. Not "accessible" in the corporate sense where a company says it and charges $500 for a ticket. Actually accessible. Free events where curious people -- students, parents, anyone -- can walk in and learn how to build things with AI tools.
The core thesis is simple: what took me years of coding classes, crash courses, and trial and error, AI can now do almost instantly. The barrier to building is gone. The only thing left is showing people the door.
What Happens at Events
AI + Frnds events bring together students, curious builders, and people at various stages of their journey. The format is hands-on and informal. No lectures. No slides with corporate logos. Just people figuring things out together.
Real examples from the community:
- A friend built a homework tracker in 40 minutes
- Another built a gym log app and started charging his gym friends -- at 15
- My mother (42, never coded a day in her life) learned to build a website and automations in 2 hours, replacing $3,000/month in developer costs
These are not hypotheticals. These are things that happened because someone showed up to an AI + Frnds event and learned what was possible.
Working with Sid Haldar
Sid Haldar is the person who took AI + Frnds from a local Dubai thing to something with real reach. He runs Emergent (emergent.sh), a platform for shipping ideas using AI, and our philosophies align perfectly.
Together we co-produce the AI + Frnds YouTube channel. Content like "I showed my school friends how to build their first app with AI" captures the whole thesis. We have done:
- Livestream events on Luma and YouTube
- Pre-recorded sessions -- one ran over an hour
- Shortform content with scripts and thumbnails designed by Manav Chawla
Sid pushed me to understand that content IS the community. You can host events all day, but if you are not creating things people can find and share online, the community stays small. He pushed the thinking toward YouTube, shortform, and reaching people who will never come to a physical Dubai event.
The Lab
In early 2026, Sid and I co-organised The Lab -- a community event bridging AI + Frnds with his Emergent platform. It had its own WhatsApp group, its own Luma page, and brought together builders interested in AI-powered creation. The Lab represented the evolution of AI + Frnds from standalone events to an interconnected community ecosystem.
The Global Scope
AI + Frnds is positioned as a global community series, not just a Dubai meetup. The online components -- YouTube, livestreams, the Emergent platform -- mean the reach extends far beyond any single city. The intent is to build something that scales beyond local events and makes the "anyone can build" message available everywhere.
The Reel Scripts
Part of the AI + Frnds strategy is content that tells real stories:
"This is my mom. She runs a business. She was paying developers $3,000 a month. For a website. And some automations. That's it. I sat with her for two hours. Showed her how to use AI to build the whole thing herself. She's 42 years old. Never coded a day in her life. AI isn't taking jobs. It's helping your mom automate them."
That is not marketing. That is a true story. And those true stories are what make people show up.