Great Lakes AI Week 2026 will bring business, technology and community leaders from across the Midwest to northwest Ohio from Nov. 10 to 12, with programming split between The University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University, UToledo News announced Oct. 26. The three-day event is focused on practical, real-world applications of artificial intelligence rather than hype, according to the university’s announcement.
UToledo describes the gathering as the Midwest’s largest AI leadership summit, produced by the Enterprise Technology Association. Attendees will hear from executives, founders and hiring managers from across the Midwest, take part in hands-on workshops and make connections the university says can shape students’ careers, UToledo News reported.
"Every employer our students will interview with is working out what AI means for their business right now. Great Lakes AI Week puts them in the room while they grapple with those questions," Grace Bochenek, UToledo’s vice president of research and innovation and one of the event speakers, told UToledo News.
Bochenek also told UToledo News that employers are looking for graduates who can think critically about AI and use it well, and that the week is a chance for students to walk away with connections and skills employers are asking for right now. Eventbrite’s listing for Great Lakes AI Week likewise describes programming built around real use cases, practical playbooks and conversations about AI adoption, implementation and business impact, with Bowling Green State University listed at 1001 East Wooster Street in Bowling Green.
The conference also offers a credential path at no cost. According to UToledo News, attendees can earn professional AI credentials through the AI Ready Ohio certification initiative, powered by JobsOhio and the Enterprise Technology Association, earning credit hours toward AI Ready Ohio certificates for attending qualifying sessions. JobsOhio says in its own releases that hours can also be earned online with approved training partners and that the hours stack together.
For northwest Ohio, the split-campus format puts Toledo and Bowling Green at the center of a statewide workforce conversation. JobsOhio has described AI Ready Ohio, launched in November 2025, as free and open to Ohio residents, with in-person training expanded this year to the Toledo area among other regions — context that makes a Toledo-Bowling Green summit a local on-ramp for students, job seekers and employers alike, according to JobsOhio.
UToledo says anyone interested can find out more and reserve tickets through the Great Lakes AI Week 2026 website linked in its announcement. With sessions spread across two universities over three days, organizers are presenting the week as a place for businesses testing AI, workers building new skills and students preparing to interview to meet in the same room.
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