Events / Phoenix

Free AI: Round 2! What You Can Build for $0 as a Developer in 2026

Evening build night at HeatSync Labs in Mesa where GDG Phoenix/PHX Android and Ruby::AZ co-host a hands-on session on using $0 local AI tools instead of paid APIs.

Fri, Sep 18, 2:00 AMHeatSync Labs · Mesa · AZ

Why it matters

Practitioners get direct help running local models and shipping a real project the same night, useful signal for what a working session versus a talk actually produces.

The tokenmaxxing angle

The event frames itself around developers tired of waiting for paid API tokens to replenish, and teaches running Ollama and LM Studio locally as a zero-dollar alternative to hosted APIs.

From the organizers

Page names Ollama and LM Studio for local AI and Cloudflare, GitHub Pages, and Google Cloud for zero-cost hosting; hosted by Sheldon McGee with 3 confirmed RSVPs.