Nashville, Tenn. – The AI Tennessee initiative kicked off its inaugural AI Tennessee Summit on Wednesday in Nashville. The event convened senior federal and state officials, industry executives, and university leaders to discuss how national artificial intelligence priorities are being implemented at the state level. Speakers and panelists explored best practices for integrating AI into K-12 classrooms, universities, government processes, and business workflows.
AI Tennessee is led by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) to promote the state’s unique strengths and opportunities in artificial intelligence, positioning Tennessee as a powerhouse of AI innovation and impact. Vasileios Maroulas, Director of AI Tennessee and Associate Vice Chancellor at UTK, spoke to how AI is projected to affect 500,000 jobs in the state and the importance of reskilling and upskilling Tennessee’s workers so they can excel in new high-impact careers.
“Unlike many states now scrambling to respond to federal AI initiatives, Tennessee is not starting from scratch. We have been deliberate, proactive, and exceptionally well-prepared with assets few states can rival,” said Maroulas.
“We’ve got to think radically different,” said Donde Plowman, UTK Chancellor. “This Summit is such a great example, it’s such a great start, but the real challenge starts when we leave here. Changing the world starts with changing Tennessee.”
These discussions follow recent White House actions outlining objectives to advance AI capabilities, expand the AI workforce, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness. Ethan Klein, the U.S. Chief Technology Officer for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), traveled from Washington, D.C., to offer more insight on the national AI agenda.
“If America is to win the AI race, we will need more states like Tennessee,” said Klein. “The AI race will be won in our states, in our cities, in our universities, by delivering the benefits of this technology for American workers, American industries, and American communities.”
Ethan Klein speaks to the AI Tennessee Summit crowd. Photo by Steven Bridges
Attendees also heard from Lynne Parker, Former Principal Deputy Director of the White House OSTP, about Tennessee’s advantages in winning the AI race.
“The AI race will not be won by who builds the biggest systems. It will be won by who learns to use AI well—across institutions, across sectors, and across communities. And that is a race Tennessee is uniquely positioned to win,” said Parker. “What truly differentiates Tennessee is not just what we have, but how we work together. Collaboration across academia, industry, government, and communities is our competitive advantage in the AI era.”
Tennessee Commissioner of Finance and Administration and AI Advisory Council Co-Chair, Jim Bryson, and Deputy Governor and Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), Stuart C. McWhorter, spoke to the state’s alignment with federal AI strategy—particularly around workforce development.
“AI should support, not replace our people. It will replace processes and replace tasks, but we need to know how to up-skill and improve the value of our people,” said Bryson. “So far, about 5,300 of our state employees have taken AI training.”
“AI is not one industry. It is the infrastructure of every industry,” said McWhorter. “If we want to recruit the companies shaping the future, we have to be shaping ourselves.”
The AI Tennessee Summit will reconvene Thursday morning with additional reflections about upskilling and advancing Tennessee’s AI talent pipeline, job opportunities, and the benefits the state offers to AI startups. For more information, contact Rachel Anderson at randerson@piper-communications.com.
The AI Tennessee Summit was hosted by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), The University of Memphis (UM), the Tennessee AI Advisory Council, Vanderbilt University, and the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE).
About AI Tennessee
AI Tennessee’s mission is to make lives better through artificial intelligence research, education, and application. AI Tennessee is led by the University of Tennessee, promotes the state’s unique strengths and opportunities in artificial intelligence. AI Tennessee’s goal is to position Tennessee as a national and global powerhouse for AI innovation and impact.