Mike Gilliland
Building AI systems, communities, and businesses from a small town in the BC interior.
Founder · Builder · Podcaster
About
I'm the founder of Design Spore, an AI services studio, and co-creator of Future Thinkers, a podcast with 130+ episodes exploring technology, society, and human potential. My background spans filmmaking, design, branding, media, and technology — but these days I spend most of my time building real AI systems and the communities that use them.
I'm building Portal.Place, a flagship smart village prototype near Wells Gray Provincial Park in the BC interior — a living laboratory for off-grid systems, AI-assisted community governance, and resilient rural living. It's where I test everything I build.
I'm not theorizing about AI. Every tool, system, and platform I build is deployed, used by real people, and tested against real constraints. If it works in an underserved, resource-constrained environment, it works anywhere.
Ventures
Design Spore
AI services studio — chatbots, automation, websites, and launches.
designspore.co→
Future Thinkers
Podcast exploring technology, society, and human potential. 130+ episodes.
futurethinkers.org→
Portal.Place
Smart village prototype on land near Wells Gray Provincial Park.
portal.place→
Wells Gray Resort
Golf & RV resort with custom booking system and channel management.
wellsgrayresort.ca→
Speaking
Available for keynotes, panels, and workshops on AI adoption, regenerative communities, and practical technology for a resilient future.
Re:Build Festival
2021Future Thinkers Smart Village
Online festival of regenerative village builders — presented the Portal.Place smart village model.
The Stoa
2020Future Thinkers Smart Village
Presented the smart village vision and practical approach to intentional community design.
Future Thinkers Summit
OngoingTechnology, Consciousness & Community
Host and speaker at Future Thinkers community events exploring the intersection of AI, systems thinking, and human potential.
Collective Sapience Retreat
2023AI & Regenerative Communities
Co-facilitated multi-day retreat exploring AI-assisted community governance and resilient rural living.
This Week
mikegilliland.ca
Building this portfolio site — dark, minimal, all projects in one place.
2026-04-11
Projects
Design Spore
Mission Control
activeUnified business dashboard — Kanban task management, CRM with Gmail import, and an AI agent fleet manager with cost tracking.
Government AI Consulting
activeAI readiness briefings, policy frameworks, and implementation support for local and regional governments.
Clearwater AI Meetups
ongoingRegular AI-for-business education events making practical AI accessible to local business owners and decision-makers.
Portal.Place
Wells Gray Resort
CampSync
buildingSelf-hosted booking channel manager syncing availability across Checkfront, Airbnb, HipCamp, Pitchup, and Booking.com.
Get in Touch
Mike Gilliland · 2026