Mississippi at US AI Congress: Building AI-Ready States and Regions
At US AI Congress in Washington, D.C., MAIN Director Dr. Kollin Napier joined a fireside panel on how states can build connected AI systems — not just one-off pilots.
Mississippi was part of the national AI conversation at US AI Congress in Washington, D.C. Dr. Kollin Napier, Ph.D., Director of the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network (MAIN), joined several sessions there. Each one looked at how states and regions are building around artificial intelligence.
US AI Congress: key takeaways
- Dr. Kollin Napier represented Mississippi in Washington, D.C.
- He joined a featured fireside discussion, “Building AI Ready States and Regions.”
- Fellow panelists represented Ohio (Payal Thakur), Georgia (Kwanza Hall), and Missouri (Amy Forsee).
- His main message was simple: “Pilots are easy. Systems are hard.”
- For Mississippi, the goal is one connected system across education, workforce, government, and industry.
Mississippi at US AI Congress
During the conference, Napier took part in a featured fireside discussion on “Building AI Ready States and Regions.” He represented Mississippi alongside leaders from Ohio (Payal Thakur), Georgia (Kwanza Hall), and Missouri (Amy Forsee). Together, the panel explored how each state organizes its AI education, workforce, and adoption efforts.
In addition, Napier shared how MAIN is leading statewide work. That work helps expand AI education, strengthen workforce readiness, and help Mississippi respond to AI in a practical way.
“Pilots are easy. Systems are hard.”
One point stood out during the discussion. States cannot afford for AI work to become a collection of disconnected pilots. Pilots are easy to launch. However, a connected, statewide system is much harder to build — and far more important.
Therefore, Mississippi is working to connect many groups at once. These include K-12, community colleges, universities, workforce partners, state agencies, industry, and local communities.
What an AI-ready Mississippi looks like
Building an AI-ready state also means creating real pathways for people. For example, workers, educators, students, small businesses, and public-sector leaders already see AI affect their work.
As a result, MAIN focuses on three things: coordination, execution, and access. In short, the goal is one connected system that reaches Mississippians wherever they are.
Frequently asked questions
Who represented Mississippi at US AI Congress?
Dr. Kollin Napier, Director of the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network (MAIN), represented Mississippi at US AI Congress in Washington, D.C.
What was the “Building AI Ready States and Regions” discussion about?
It was a featured fireside discussion on how states build coordinated AI systems. Napier represented Mississippi alongside leaders from Ohio, Georgia, and Missouri.
What is MAIN’s approach to building an AI-ready state?
First, MAIN connects education, workforce, government, industry, and communities. Then it focuses on coordination, execution, and access statewide, rather than disconnected pilots.
Finally, thank you to Zack Huhn and the Enterprise Technology Association for leading the discussion, and to the other panelists for a thoughtful conversation. More updates from the conference are coming soon.
Read more Mississippi AI news from MAIN.
Topics: US AI Congress, Mississippi, Mississippi AI, MAIN, AI Ready