Guest commentary: Santa Barbara’s Coastal Intelligence is redefining tech community
By Starr Hall
In a world where most AI conversations occur behind screens, in data centers, or on Zoom calls, a new wave of collaboration is quietly unfolding in Santa Barbara, marked by handshakes, laughter, and genuine eye contact.
Coastal Intelligence, founded by longtime community builders Jim Sterne, Mark Sylvester, and Mike Wald, is creating something rare: a real-world gathering place for exploring artificial intelligence, not just its capabilities, but its consequences, curiosities, and most importantly, its community.
At first glance, it looks like a networking group. But stay for a session and you’ll realize this is something else entirely: part fireside chat, part open-source salon, part educational hub. Local entrepreneurs, technologists, academics, and creatives sit shoulder to shoulder, exploring AI’s impact on business, ethics, art, and life itself.
“My hope is that in five years, we’ll look back and see Coastal Intelligence not just as a gathering place, but as the beginning of a true Santa Barbara AI collective- a new center of gravity in the AI revolution, focused on community, human understanding, and inclusion,” said co-founder Mark Sylvester.
A LOCAL ANSWER TO A GLOBAL QUESTION
Santa Barbara isn’t trying to be the next Silicon Valley, and that’s precisely what gives Coastal Intelligence its edge. Instead of chasing unicorns and IPOs, the group is cultivating curiosity, accessibility, and shared learning.
They host AI Discovery Clinics, where local businesses can bring real-world problems and see how AI tools might provide solutions- live, unfiltered, and participatory. They run AI 101 evenings that invite the uninitiated to learn foundational concepts without intimidation. They publish thoughtful newsletters and curate panels with local and national voices alike.
One thing the founders love most about what they’re building is how it continues Santa Barbara’s deep legacy of innovation.
This region has long punched above its weight in the tech world, we were one of the original ARPANET nodes that helped create the internet, a hub for material science innovations like coatings for the Space Shuttle, and the birthplace of the blue laser.
Today, we’re home to the California NanoSystems Institute, Amazon’s generative AI teams, and the descendants of Wavefront, the first motion-picture-quality computer animation software, still in use more than 20 years later. Coastal Intelligence is simply the next chapter in a city that’s always been quietly at the forefront of transformative technology.
Their collective of experts offering hands-on support for businesses looking to understand and implement AI is just one part of a larger vision. With plans for conferences, public memberships, and themed gatherings centered on education, innovation, and ethical integration, the initiative is quickly becoming Santa Barbara’s go-to brain trust for all things AI.
“There’s no velvet rope here,” said Jim Sterne, author of multiple books on digital analytics and AI. “We want the CTO and the high school teacher in the same room, asking questions that matter. That’s how the future gets built responsibly.”
THE BRAINS (AND HEARTS) BEHIND IT
The founding trio brings deep experience and soul to the mission:
- Jim Sterne is a recognized pioneer in AI and analytics, with a global speaking and writing legacy.
- Mark Sylvester is a TEDx Santa Barbara founder and tech entrepreneur, known for turning conversations into community-building.
- Mike Wald is a strategist and connector with deep ties to both the business and creative scenes in Santa Barbara.
Together, they’ve attracted a growing lineup of local AI leaders, founders, data scientists, product designers, and civic advocates who are contributing time, knowledge, and energy to make Santa Barbara a place where AI isn’t just built, but understood and discussed.
TECH WITH A HUMAN TOUCH
What makes Coastal Intelligence stand out isn’t just its programming; it’s the mood. It’s the way someone explains a GPT prompt over a glass of wine.
It’s the moment when a small business owner gets a spark of an idea from an AI demonstration. It’s the ripple effect of giving people tools and context instead of jargon and fear.
It’s AI, with humanity at the center. “We’re creating a culture where AI isn’t this mysterious force ‘out there,’” said Wald. “It’s something we all get to shape together, in community.”
A MODEL FOR OTHER CITIES?
Coastal Intelligence isn’t just a Santa Barbara story, it’s a blueprint. As towns and regions across the country grapple with how to understand and integrate artificial intelligence, this community-led, human-first approach may be just what others need to replicate. For now, Santa Barbara gets to lead the way, surfboards, sunsets, and all.
To learn more about Coastal Intelligence and all the events it hosts, visit coastalintelligence.ai.
Starr Hall has over 25 years in PR, branding and marketing, working for/with Fortune 100 companies. She is the founder of Starr Hall Media in Santa Barbara.
