On Monday morning, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce hosted its first ever Kentucky AI Summit in Lexington, making it clear that AI summits are no longer only for the EU and Silicon Valley.
Presented by Deloitte, a multinational professional services firm, the summit brought together business leaders, policymakers, as well as academic and industry experts on AI to bring stakeholders up-to-speed on the emerging technology. The morning included a presentation titled “AI 101” by Tom Quaadman, demos, and panels on the implications and opportunities presented by the technology for both policy and the workforce. Spectrum News 1 reported that that the event was sold-out.
Regarding the motivation for hosting this unprecedented event, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President Ashli Watts told WKYT, “We know that it’s part of our world, but there’s a lot of questions about what does this mean for everyday lives.”
State representative Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, who attended the summit as a panelist, has acknowledged the tranformative nature of AI. Rep. Bray has been at the forefront of policy regarding AI in Kentucky, advocating for both understanding and safe adoption of the technology, frequently citing the AI system Skynet from the Terminator franchise.