Published August 10, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. CT by the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network.
Dr. Kollin Napier, Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer for the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network, spoke to the Ocean Springs Rotary Club last week about what MAIN has built across the state and what it is working on next. The discussion ranged across education, workforce development, industry, and economic opportunity.
MAIN is Mississippi’s statewide AI initiative, anchored at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. It works across K-12 and higher education, the public sector, industry, and community access.
Why Mississippi runs this statewide
Napier’s case to the club was structural. Any single district, college, agency, or employer can buy AI training, write an AI policy, and run a pilot on its own. When everyone does that separately, the state pays for the same work many times over, quality varies by whoever happened to procure it, and the resulting credentials do not transfer anywhere.
MAIN was built to cut that duplication. It develops training that partner institutions deliver, publishes governance material any Mississippi organization can adapt, and brings education, government, and industry participants into the same conversation.
Ten free AI courses, open now through MGCCC
The most concrete thing MAIN has produced is a course catalog that costs nothing to enroll in. Ten options are open for FY27 through Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College: six short MAIN AI Foundations courses and four Industry AI Courses delivered on the Coursera platform.
The Foundations courses are built around sectors that actually employ people in Mississippi. NVIDIA Generative AI, AI for Manufacturing, AI for Healthcare, AI for Business, AI for Cybersecurity, and Intel AI for Educators (K-12). The Industry courses cover Microsoft 365 Copilot, the Google AI Professional Certificate, ChatGPT Foundations for Teachers, and Claude: Real-World AI for Everyone. Each awards a micro-credential on completion.
Teachers have a specific pathway. Intel AI for Educators (K-12) carries 0.2 CEUs per verified module and up to 2.4 CEUs across all twelve modules, issued through MGCCC. The educator page covers the claim process and deadlines.
Policy templates for organizations deciding how to adopt AI
MAIN also publishes AI policy and guidance templates written for particular sectors, including K-12 education, higher education, healthcare, business, finance, state government, local government, and nonprofit and community organizations.
They are drafting aids. A board or leadership team should expect to argue with the language and change it before adopting anything. MAIN is vendor-neutral and does not certify, endorse, or evaluate AI products, and naming a tool in a MAIN document says nothing about whether MAIN recommends it.
Industry partnerships and the economic case
Talent capability determines whether AI investment in Mississippi produces Mississippi jobs. That is the connection between the training catalog and economic development, and it is why MAIN treats workforce readiness and industry engagement as one effort rather than two.
MAIN’s partner network includes Intel, NVIDIA, and Amazon Web Services, alongside state entities such as the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, AccelerateMS, and the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges.
Expanding delivery beyond one campus
Napier told the club that the next phase is distribution. MAIN AI Foundations courses currently run through MGCCC, with rollout planned to additional participating partner institutions so access stops depending on how close someone lives to one campus.
Writing after the visit, Napier said the conversation “covered everything from education and workforce development to industry, economic opportunity, and what AI leadership can look like for Mississippi in the years ahead.”
Civic clubs have become a regular stop for this work. The Ocean Springs visit follows MAIN’s presentation to the Rotary Club of Hattiesburg in April.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network?
MAIN is Mississippi’s statewide artificial intelligence initiative, anchored at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. It coordinates AI education, workforce development, policy guidance, and industry engagement across the state.
Are MAIN’s AI courses free?
Yes. Ten AI course options are open at no cost for FY27 through Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, and each awards a micro-credential on successful completion.
Can Mississippi K-12 teachers earn CEUs through MAIN training?
Yes. Intel AI for Educators (K-12) is the primary CEU pathway, carrying 0.2 CEUs per verified module and up to 2.4 CEUs across all twelve modules, issued through MGCCC.
Does MAIN endorse specific AI vendors or products?
No. MAIN is vendor-neutral. Naming a tool, platform, or company in MAIN material is not an endorsement, recommendation, or certification.
Can MAIN speak to my organization or civic club?
Yes. MAIN takes speaking requests from Mississippi organizations, civic clubs, school districts, and employers. Details are on the AI speaker page, or email main@mgccc.edu.