The world is struggling now to keep up with Artificial Intelligence. Here on the Eastern Shore businesses are also trying to understand this transforming technology. Delmarva Public Media's Kevin Diaz took a look at one gathering to explore this new world:
Kevin Diaz:
They're in the barrel room at Evolution Brewing in Salisbury, about two dozen people from local businesses, nonprofits and government agencies, but they're not just here for the craft beer. IPA. The drinks are flowing, but so are conversations about artificial intelligence, which is not just sweeping the country, but also the Eastern Shore.
Kathy Hanna:
I do use it a little bit, but I want to delve deeper into it and find out the tricks and get tips and that kind of thing.
Kevin Diaz:
That's Kathy Hanna from Sante', a Crisis Services organization on the Eastern Shore.
Kathy Hanna:
What I'm using it for now is make this concise, clean this up, go through this email list, eliminate the duplicates, that sort of thing. But I want to get more into it and see how it could fit into what I do.
And I'm curious personally as well.
Kevin Diaz:
The meetup is for a demonstration by BDK an IT services company in Easton. One of their executives, Allison Shellhamer, explains how local businesses can use their company's AI tools to improve efficiency and productivity.
Allison Shellhamer:
I wouldn't necessarily say it's different here on the eastern shore, but the needs are different for all businesses. And so with us being on the Eastern shore and having customers long based here, we have an understanding of what their business needs are.
Kevin Diaz:
These kinds of presentations like AI itself are multiplying across the region with local companies like BDK and D-3 Corp in West Ocean City.
Allison Shellhamer:
Originally, really the low hanging fruit in the AI agent world were insurance companies, places with large customer call centers, but now we see use cases really all over the place. Sales, marketing, procurement, looking for business insights.
Kevin Diaz:
A big part of it, Shellhamer says, is overcoming the natural reluctance to change the way people think of AI.
Allison Shellhamer:
So that's really the mindset shift that we're trying to get people to see, and I think a lot of people are saying, oh, I know I need to use, AI is everywhere. It's all the buzz. You can't listen to the news or be plugged in at all and not hear about ai, don't know what to do with it. They don't know the capabilities, what the uses are. There's a lot of tools out there. So who do you trust?
Kevin Diaz:
The Eastern Shore, a rural region removed geographically from the nation's urban tech centers might not seem like fertile ground for a major technological revolution, but today's tech environment can't be avoided.
Bill Chambers:
There's two camps right now on the Eastern Shore, the camp of, I'm afraid of AI and I'm afraid it'll hurt me. And then there's the camp of I'm embracing AI because I want AI to benefit my business.
Kevin Diaz:
That's Bill Chambers president and CEO, the Salisbury Chamber of Commerce.
Bill Chambers:
And I think those other businesses will catch up. The ones that are a little fearful of it will catch up
Kevin Diaz:
Help in the form of research and innovation is not far away. The University of Delaware has opened its First State AI Institute and Salisbury University recently received a $380,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, specifically to spread the gospel of AI to rural areas like the Eastern Shore.
Dr. Clifton Griffin:
But really we're about reaching out to various industry sectors around say, Delmarva.
Kevin Diaz:
That's Dr. Clifton Griffin, Salisbury University's Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.
Dr. Clifton Griffin:
Oftentimes, when you have these kind of advances in society, does the rural community have access to the same kind of depth and capacity that you might see in more urban areas?
Kevin Diaz:
Griffin sees part of the Rural AI Solutions and Engagement Project as a way to demystify the new technology.
Dr. Clifton Griffin:
We're about demystifying, but also deglorifying ai. I mean, hey, if you do a Google search, you're using an AI tool these days.
Kevin Diaz:
Ready or not, AI is here. There's no hiding from it. For Delmarva Public Media, this is Kevin Diaz.
