Explore Spring AI & RAG

Hi,

I’m very happy to invite you to our first meetup, which is being organized in collaboration with the Łódź branch of EPAM. We have two AI-related talks planned: Java RAG: Build Your Own Black Box and Spring AI.

Important note: this meetup will start at 17:30.

Spring AI

Transforming your existing Java applications into intelligent, AI-driven systems no longer requires a PhD in Data Science or switching to Python. In this session, we explore how Spring AI brings the familiar power of the Spring ecosystem - portability, modularity, and POJO-based design - directly into the world of Artificial Intelligence. We’ll move beyond basic API calls to show how you can harness Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI and Google Gemini using the same @Service and dependency injection patterns you use every day. We will provide an overview of the major capabilities and also dive into the latest Spring AI v2 milestones that position Java at the forefront of the agentic AI wave. By the end of this talk, you’ll see how Spring AI acts as a bridge that allows Java developers to build production-ready, intelligent features without reinventing the wheel.

Dzmitry Sidarenka

Dzmitry has nearly 20 years of experience specializing in systems built with Java. He is passionate about building and testing robust APIs and is known for thriving in high-pressure production incident troubleshooting. His work focuses on designing reliable, maintainable services and improving system resilience through pragmatic engineering practices.

Java RAG: Build Your Own Black Box

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) often feels like a magical black box. But once you start experimenting with it yourself, it quickly becomes clear how powerful the combination of information retrieval and generative AI can be.

Key topics:

• What is Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)?
• Why should you consider using it in your own projects?
• Key RAG components and how the workflow operates
• How to build your own RAG solution using Java
• Live demo of a Java-based RAG project and ways to extend and improve it

Ahmed Samy

Ahmed is a Senior Software Engineer at EPAM Systems. As he jokes, he often feels like a junior at work - mostly thanks to his constant curiosity and desire to keep learning new things.

In his daily work, he actively uses AI as a learning companion, exploring new ideas by experimenting, testing different approaches, and working with various pieces of code.

About the partner

EPAM is a global leader in AI transformation engineering and integrated consulting, serving Forbes Global 2000 companies and ambitious startups. With over thirty years of expertise in custom software, product and platform engineering, EPAM empowers organizations to become AI-native enterprises, driving measurable value from innovation and digital investments.

Disclaimer for the meetup registration

By registering, I consent to photos taken during the Java User Group Meetup in Łódź on March 31, 2026 being used for promotional purposes by Java User Group Łódź and

EPAM Poland.