This year we’re breaking it down into three different tracks:
BLAM 101 focuses on AI for productivity, leveraging Gemini across Google Workspace and more.
BLAM 201 is specifically created for scientists where time will be spent focusing on deep research, science productivity tools, running domain-specific AI models on LRC and more.
BLAM Coder is AI for programming, dipping our tech toes into Claude, RooCode Extension and discussing cost management for AI
Each week, in addition to the three tracks, we’ll feature some interesting reading/listening/watching for all Blammers about where AI is going, how AI is changing and may change our lives (and not necessarily in good ways). We’ll also be featuring a cutting-edge AI science application at the Laboratory each week as well.
Before we start we recommend the following for all levels:
Add yourself to the the Google Chat group, and review the Chat group details. This is where people will post their work from the weekly challenges and ask questions
Add the BLAM calendar to the Google calendar, so you won’t miss any of the webinars
Sign up for email reminders about BLAM! during the week.
BLAM! AI Readings: Shifts, Signals, and Side Effects
AI and Robotics:
This NPR article explores the latest advancements in robotics, where machines are learning to perform complex household chores, such as laundry, by observing human actions. It also examines the ongoing debate among researchers regarding the true nature of this learning and whether it indicates a meaningful level of "self-awareness" in AI systems.
AI and the workforce:
Stanford Graduate School of Business just came out with an article on how AI is reshaping the workplace by enhancing decision-making and automating routine tasks, but its success depends on people who can integrate it responsibly rather than just deploying the technology. Effective implementation requires organizations to redesign workflows for human-AI collaboration, establish clear governance, and ensure that human judgment remains central to ethical and strategic oversight.
AI at the Lab:
Berkeley Lab’s AI for Science program has a monthly discussion series called AI for Science Collaboration on how AI is being used at the Lab. This month featured Kristin Persson, Anubhav Jain, and Patrick Huck from the Materials Project who led a discussion on how they built a multi-disciplinary AI research team that merges scientific domain expertise with computational and data science know-how. You can watch the full video here.
BLAM 101
Theme: What’s next in AI tools
Learning Goal: This week, we’re looking ahead at the near future of AI and the tools likely to shape how we work over the next year. In fact, last week, Google just announced at its Google Cloud Next '26 conference in Las Vegas several new AI capabilities that we’ll discuss in this week’s webinar and feature in resources. They are so new that a lot of these new AI tools aren’t even available yet, but we’ll discuss its potential impact and let you know the ones to watch that will be part of your tool set this year and beyond. We’ll also focus on ways to weave together the full power of the Google AI ecosystem.
Resources:
Introducing Google Workspace Intelligence One of the biggest announcements for productivity to come out of Google’s Next ‘26 is Workspace Intelligence. It is an underlying AI system that provides Gemini with a real-time understanding of your work across Google Workspace. Think of this as a new, deep "semantic layer" that sits underneath all of your Google apps (Gmail, Drive, Chat, Docs, etc.)
10 more announcements from Google Workspace at Cloud Next ‘26 is a great article highlighting additional AI tools coming out this year from Google.
The agentic enterprise: Google Workspace & Gemini Enterprise video. Listen to Google executives, Maryam Gholami and Yulie Kwon Kim discuss how Google Workspace and Gemini Enterprise work together to enable productivity. NOTE: Start at 9:00 mark.
Go to the BLAM home page to add these meetings to your calendar or better yet subscribe to the BLAM calendar!
This week’s webinar:
Wednesday, April 29th at noon with Adam Stone and Luis Corrales will discuss different AI tools that will become available to you in the upcoming months, featuring demos and a Q&A session. You can add it to your calendar from the BLAM home page.
Office Hours:
Thursday, April 30th at 9:30AM with the Collaboration team. You can add it to your calendar from the BLAM home page.
Weekly Challenge:
Design an event for your own division (e.g., LabTech‑style, brown bag, mini‑series) and use AI + Google tools to plan, promote, manage registrations, and follow up.) Incorporate the following tools:
Gemini in Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail, Chat. Examples of ways to use it include:
Summarizing Docs: you can ask the sidebar to "Summarize the main points from the 'Q4 Strategy' Doc in my Drive and put them in a Google Sheet."
Email Tracking: you can ask, "Find all recent emails from 'Project Manager' regarding budget updates and list the dates and amounts."
Chat summaries: you can ask, “Take the chat with X and turn it into a list of action items with dates knowing the event is on X date.”
Slide Creation: you can ask, “Create a slide deck for speakers based on this Google Doc.
Gems to help manage communications such as:
Creating Email Templates: Quickly generate responses to vendor inquiries, speaker outreach, or sponsor pitches without needing to rewrite the brand voice every time.
FAQ Generation: Feed it the event details, and ask it to create an FAQ document for attendees.
Studio & Flows to create special flows to manage email communications
Concept of a flow: “New registration → confirmation email.”
Show a single confirmation email drafted with Gemini.
Optionally show a quick reminder email pattern.
BLAM 201
Theme: AI Model cost optimization for Science
Learning Goal:
This week focuses on how to evaluate and optimize the cost of using AI models in scientific workflows. Rather than choosing the most powerful model by default, researchers will learn to measure cost relative to performance across tasks like coding, data extraction, and scientific reasoning. By comparing accuracy, speed, and compute cost, scientists can select the right model for the job—maximizing research impact while managing budgets and scaling AI use efficiently across projects.
Go to the BLAM home page to add these meetings to your calendar or better yet subscribe to the BLAM calendar!
This Week’s Webinar: This Week’s Webinar: Wednesday, April 29 at 1:30 with Andrew Schmeder. You can add it to your calendar from the BLAM home page.
Discuss and think about the cost optimization for any potential AI projects you have planned for this year. Share your opinions about the pros and cons of each result with the Google Chat Group for 201.
Theme: How to put your Web app on the Web a.k.a. how to control GCP with Claude Code
Learning Goal: This week’s goal is to learn how to take your web app from your laptop to the internet by using AI coding tools to manage cloud infrastructure. We’ll explore how tools like Claude Code can help you interact with Google Cloud Platform (GCP)—from setting up services to deploying your app—using natural language instead of complex commands. By the end, you’ll understand the basics of hosting, deployment, and how AI can simplify the process of getting your app live and accessible to others.
Go to the BLAM home page to add these meetings to your calendar or better yet subscribe to the BLAM calendar!
This week’s Webinar: Wednesday, April 29th at 3:00 pm Tim Fong, who will walk you through the demo of how to put your Web app on the Web. You can add it to your calendar from the BLAM home page.
Weekly Challenge: Try to put your Web app on the Web! You got this!