AI Automation Workshop – Highlights & Lessons Learned

On 29 August, our colleagues at Swinburne University of Technology organised an AI automation workshop. The focus was on helping both technical and non-technical users explore how AI pipelines can be introduced into everyday research and professional workflows. We used n8n (open source) as the base for our workshop.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• The learning curve for building AI pipelines in n8n is manageable, even for first time users.
• Hands on workshops create far more engagement and impact than recorded seminars.
• Context matters: AI automation works best when pipelines are tailored to domain specific problems.
• Many participants left with practical ideas for bespoke workflows they want to implement in their future projects.
• Privacy and data security are central. Training must include discussion about use of secure open source models.

What stood out the most: participants didn’t just learn how to use n8n, they left imagining new ways to integrate AI automation into their own work.

A big thank you to Peter Vats, CIRES Postdoctoral Researcher Hui Yin, Nakul Nambiar, CIRES PhD Researchers Lufan Zhang and Luhan Cheng, Aishwarya Nambissan, and CIRES Affiliate Investigator Steve Petrie who joined and contributed to this conversation on AI Automation.

Curious: How is your organisation exploring AI automation today?