Timely conversations about the use, responsible development, and benefits of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace drew business leaders to the PA Chamber’s inaugural AI Summit last week at Harrisburg University.
Presented in partnership with Deloitte and Google, the program included several engaging topics about the use of AI, policy development, and its impact and growth across industries with experts from the technology, education, and healthcare, along with members of the General Assembly, the Governor’s Office, and the U.S. Chamber. The event also included hands-on and interactive AI demo stations, including a robot named “Pepper” that could engage with event attendees and answer questions; healthcare virtual reality tools; CFO GPT; a Deloitte digital marketing prototype, CreativEdge; Call Center AI; and more.
PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein kicked off the event by describing the widespread use of AI and its success as an efficiency tool now and in the future. Deloitte Consulting Director Chad Firestone expanded upon the critical value of the technology in the future of work and its role in economic development, the transformation of our workforce, and improving a company’s operations.
U.S. Chamber Senior Vice President of the Technology Engagement Center Jordan Crenshaw dispelled AI myths, stating that every company is an AI company and can benefit from its use. He noted the particular benefits for small businesses, which may lack the time and resources to invest in financial management, communications, and research, and cited a study which concluded that 91 percent of small businesses that are using AI say it’s helping them grow. He made note of several federal policies the U.S. Chamber is pursuing in favor of AI’s steady and ethical growth and stressed the need for partnership from chambers of commerce, elected officials, and educators to continue fostering responsible innovation.
The “AI Within the Workforce” panel featuring leaders from Deloitte, Google, WellSpan Health, Carnegie Mellon, and Gov. Shapiro’s office focused on issues including how AI will transform industries by increasing productivity and spurring new ideas; who is going to be utilizing and deploying AI In the workforce; holistic solutions for the public and private sectors to work together and bring AI to the next level; and how AI is helping certain industries save time and focus on other key priorities (specifically, HR and legal).
NVIDIA leader Shane Shaneman urged the audience to empower their workforces by educating about AI. NVIDIA, an AI development and deployment leader, is launching its first AI tech community in Pittsburgh as an innovative, multilateral public-private partnership across Pittsburgh’s innovation ecosystem. The company works across K-12 education, higher education, and workforce development to drive AI innovation standards. Shaneman said we are in AI’s industrial revolution, and children are already using AI tools like ChatGPT. He said every school in Pennsylvania should have an AI strategy and that different industries will be able to change their operations due to this technology. Ignoring AI risks being left behind. Shaneman stressed that NVIDIA’s goal is for Pennsylvania to be one of the leading AI states, and our energy supply presents a major competitive advantage as company’s look to invest in and deploy the technology.
The “Emerging AI Policy in Pennsylvania” panel featuring state Sen. Tracy Pennycuick, Rep. Napoleon Nelson, Penn State’s Daren Coudriet, and Deloitte’s Jamia McDonald highlighted early AI policy victories, including a new law to combat AI-generated pornography. The lawmakers warned against overregulating the industry and “knee-jerk reaction” policies that are not crafted with consideration to how the technology will evolve in coming years.
Coudriet said AI will be in everything, including how we power our electricity, and it’s up to us to determine how to thrive in an AI-driven world. He recommended that the path forward be in regulating AI applications, not their development. The panelists also spoke to addressing interpreting and working to eliminate biases in AI and improving AI across government applications.
Coudriet also stressed the need for business leaders to be proactive and invest in opportunities related to AI, as Pennsylvania needs to support the innovation and resources that will enable AI to thrive. He said that it “hasn’t even reached the transformational stage,” and hypothesized that in five years at this same summit, the conversations will be centered around autonomous roles, including digital employees and how they’re treated – adding that the key word he would tell any business is “adaptability.” Optimistically, Coudriet wrapped up the discussion saying he believes AI will encourage humans to be human again – allowing for less data entry, disconnecting us more from our computers, and enabling us to be proactive.
The PA Chamber thanks our sponsors, Deloitte and Google, for their partnership on this information-packed day of networking and hands-on learning. We look forward to seeing you at several in-person and online events statewide throughout 2025. You can view the full calendar of next year’s events here.
For a photo album from the PA Chamber AI Summit, click here.