Indiana is a pioneer in AI. Let’s keep it that way.
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Did you know that Indiana is home to several AI-powered healthcare startups that are leading the way in improving patient outcomes and reducing costs? In November of last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded $2.3 million in funding to researchers from Indiana University to develop AI tools for brain imaging.
Did you know that AI is also revolutionizing the way Indiana students learn? Thirty-six public schools are participating in a pilot program from the Indiana Department of Education, exploring ways AI could complement the work of teachers, like personalization of each student’s learning experience, virtual tutors to provide immediate assistance, and automated grading so teachers can do more teaching.
However, AI’s biggest challenge is uniformed and often hyperbolic rhetoric about its dangers. At its heart, AI is an accelerated expression of data analytics – something businesses have been employing for decades. But, by mimicking how the brain learns, we can sift through exponentially more data faster than ever before, enabling a “human assist” to find insights and connections previously overlooked or obscured. It might unlock answers to some of the most difficult problems such as degenerative and terminal diseases, or poor access by many children to healthcare and education.
This has created an undercurrent of anxiety among leaders who may be torn between an urgency to embrace AI and fear of the unknown. Linda Hill of Harvard Business School says it this way, “The biggest challenge to [AI, digital transformation] is not technology, it’s people.” I agree with her. The benefits of AI are only possible if first we understand how AI works, and our state’s leaders continue our supportive business environment for innovation.
Historically we make policy in Indiana that fosters the growth of tech-based businesses, such as Elevate Ventures, which provides venture capital to local startups to help them thrive. Companies like Indianapolis-based Stellar, a startup that helps customers integrate generative AI into their business models, benefit from being based here. Indiana Wesleyan University’s Eleven Fifty Academy offers AI workshops and certificate programs to educate people on the fundamental concepts of AI. As we’ve helped start several progressive AI-based companies, it’s always best to lean into new technologies when some instincts may say otherwise.
But all this contribution to the economy could be hindered by regulatory challenges. Our legislature must be clear and responsible with any guidelines for safe adoption of AI without stifling its growth. By maintaining our tech-friendly attitude, our state can create new job opportunities and attract more business, and avoid reacting foolishly to hype that is better suited to generate clickbait than policy decisions.
AI shifts the way we approach complex problems – and Indiana is at the forefront of this change. Our rich history of innovation and a thriving tech ecosystem is already a conducive environment for AI companies to flourish. Let’s keep it that way.