AI Leadership Takes Center Stage (and Street) at Columbus AI Week 2024
Industry experts and business leaders gathered to discuss ethical AI, scaling solutions, and innovation in Ohio's growing tech landscape.
Since the late 19th century, more and more sophisticated inventions such as the telephone, electricity, the airplane, the automobile and the internet have come to redefine our daily lives.
The “next big thing” just might be artificial intelligence- or AI.
Hilliard’s WatersEdge Event & Conference Center hosted Columbus AI Week Sept. 17-19 and the Hilliard Beacon was there!
The three-day event, presented by the Enterprise Technology Association, was just the second stop of a 12-city tour that launched in Cincinnati and will move on to Austin next and then other cities.
Enterprise Technology Association is an ecosystem of thought leaders, industry experts, vendor companies, and executive change agents focused on AI, cyber security, information technology, software development, and emerging technologies, according to its website, https://www.joineta.org/
Columbus AI Week- and events like it in other cities- are designed to “create a spotlight on local communities in the area of AI and cyber security. We want to showcase exactly what is being done in this backyard. Instead of saying ‘Hey, go to Las Vegas to an event there we’re saying ‘No, this stuff is going on in your backyard and you should know the people that are doing it’,” said Summer Crenshaw, CEO of the Enterprise Technology Association.
The 12 selected cities targeted as what Crenshaw described as “flyover cities,” or those between the East and West coasts of the United States, but also include a few large cities such as Boston and Washington D.C. so as to connect them to the other cities such as Columbus and Austin.
”We think with AI, the playing field has been evened and now is the time for the rise of other communities across the nation and we hope to speed that up,” Crenshaw said.
“The bigger cities out there don’t know what we’re doing in the Midwest, that’s not okay. They don’t know that amazing innovation in going on in Hilliard, Ohio, and they should,” Crenshaw said.
After the dozens of panel and speakers each of the three days, vendors and those in attendance visited Hilliard businesses, including Hilliard City Lab, adjacent to Converge Technologies. Each is an incubator for start-up, technology-based businesses.
Hilliard Development Director David Meadows said the event provided “the opportunity to show off Hilliard.”
“We have had some great sessions and (the speakers) have had the opportunity to see downtown Hilliard and see some hands-on things we’re doing at City Lab and Converge,” Meadows said.
Speakers from across the United States led panel discussions during each of the three days.
Day 1: Responsible AI, AI readiness, and governance. Key discussions revolved around building ethical AI frameworks and preparing the Midwest for AI integration.
Day 2: Executive leadership, AI for organizations, and hands-on AI implementation. Scaling AI and collaboration were emphasized.
Day 3: AI innovation, education, and research. Ohio's AI research hubs and education initiatives were showcased, alongside innovative startups.
Alexandria Boomershine, an economic development specialist, explained how Hilliard came to host Columbus AI Week after a Hilliard City Lab tenant, Big Kitty Labs, attended Cincinnati AI Week and suggested to Crenshaw that she consider Hilliard as the host city.
A little more than 1,000 people registered for the event.
“We’ve been very thankful for it. Some of our start-ups (at Hilliard City Lab and Converge Technologies) have participated…. And we showed off (WatersEdge)… all of our hotels are booked (in part because of the event). Hopefully, we will host it again next year,” Boomershine said.
Crenshaw confirmed the event will return to Cincinnati next June, and again next September in Columbus.
“Our anticipation is we will likely stay in this area,” Crenshaw said.