Why We Shouldn't Hide from AI
The communities that succeed in the AI economy won't necessarily be those with the most technology. They'll be the ones that recognize the opportunity and bring people together to pursue it.
I often tell business owners to assume their competitors are using artificial intelligence.
Not because every competitor is using it effectively. Not because AI can do everything. And certainly not because every business should adopt every new technology that comes along.
I say it because the consequences of that assumption being wrong are relatively small. The consequences of assuming your competitors aren't using AI, when they are, could be enormous.
Think about a routine process in your industry. Something that every business has to do, every week, that takes an hour.
Now imagine your competitor figures out how to accomplish that same task in 30 seconds with AI.
That's 59½ minutes your competitor just gained.
And what might they do with that time?
They might spend it talking to your customers.
That's the competitive reality businesses need to understand. AI isn't simply another technology to experiment with when we have some spare time. It's changing how businesses operate, how quickly they respond, how effectively they compete and, increasingly, what their customers expect.
Different industries will adopt AI at different speeds. Not every use case will work. Some will fail. Others will raise legitimate concerns about reliability, privacy and the impact on employees.
But choosing not to understand the technology isn't a competitive strategy.
And what concerns me is that we're seeing a similar problem at the community level.
AI Is an Economic Development Issue
When communities discuss artificial intelligence today, much of the conversation revolves around data centers.
That's understandable. Data centers raise significant questions about land use, energy, water, infrastructure, tax revenue and community benefits. Those questions deserve serious public discussion.
But data centers aren't the whole AI economy.
In fact, if that's the only AI conversation happening in a community, I would argue that the community is missing the bigger opportunity.
What about the existing businesses that could become more competitive through AI?
What about the entrepreneurs who suddenly have access to tools that previously required substantial technical resources or financial investment?
What about the students who are learning to build applications and develop business ideas at an age when previous generations were still figuring out what computers could do?
What about the workforce, educational institutions and organizations responsible for helping businesses adapt?
And what about the AI companies of tomorrow that will be deciding where to establish themselves, find employees, build relationships and grow?
Those are economic development questions.
They're not simply technology questions.
The Importance of an AI Ecosystem
One organization I've followed very closely is the Kansas City AI Club.
They have taken this concept to the next level.
What began in 2023 as a local gathering of people interested in artificial intelligence has developed into an active community bringing together entrepreneurs, technical professionals, business executives, students and people who simply want to learn.
According to their web site, more than 5,000 people have attended nearly 40 of its events. That's a substantial number of people coming together around AI in one region.
I think that's enormously important.
Imagine you're launching an AI-related business.
You need people who understand the technology. You might need investors, advisors, software developers, potential customers or people who have already solved problems you're encountering.
Now imagine living in a community where you can walk into a room filled with people interested in exactly those things.
You can meet potential collaborators. Find someone with experience you don't have. Discover a customer. Make a connection that leads to another connection.
Yes, we live in a world where much of that can happen online.
But there's still something extraordinarily valuable about being able to walk into a room, shake someone's hand and begin a relationship.
That's how business communities have always worked.
AI doesn't eliminate the value of relationships. In many ways, it makes those relationships even more important.
And Kansas City isn't alone.
Over the past several years, I've encouraged chambers of commerce to take the lead in convening conversations about AI. Some have done exactly that, establishing regular AI roundtables that bring local businesspeople together to learn, exchange ideas and explore opportunities.
I've heard from chambers whose gatherings have attracted 30 to 35 participants in a month.
That may not sound like an enormous number, but think about what it represents: 30 businesspeople, entrepreneurs and community leaders who are interested enough in AI to come together regularly.
Think about the relationships that might develop in that room. The business owner who discovers a new way to solve a problem. The entrepreneur who meets a potential customer. The employee who learns a skill that opens up a new opportunity.
That's how an ecosystem begins to grow.
Now imagine the message an active AI ecosystem sends to a company considering where to locate.
We have people working with AI. We have educational institutions developing talent. We have entrepreneurs building companies. We have established businesses adopting the technology. We have places where you can meet people, exchange ideas and find support.
You won't be on an island here.
That's a powerful economic development message.
And it's something communities can begin building right now.
Who Is Responsible?
I've been telling chambers of commerce for several years that they need to be at the forefront of the AI conversation.
I still believe that.
Chambers have relationships with employers, educational institutions, policymakers, entrepreneurs and community leaders. They're natural conveners, and that's exactly what communities need.
But this responsibility doesn't belong to chambers alone.
It belongs to economic development organizations, universities, community colleges, workforce-development agencies, incubators, nonprofit organizations, business leaders, labor organizations and local government.
All of them have a role to play.
It might mean creating opportunities for people to learn and exchange ideas. It might mean bringing employers and educators together to discuss changing workforce needs. It might mean helping small businesses understand where AI can create a meaningful advantage.
It might mean supporting entrepreneurs who are developing solutions that wouldn't have been financially feasible just a few years ago.
I'm seeing this approach take shape in my own community.
As AI Specialist-in-Residence at Great Lakes Innovation District for Economic Empowerment - glidE², a business incubator in downtown Niagara Falls, I have the honor of helping to create opportunities for entrepreneurs and community members to explore how AI can support their ideas and businesses.
On October 20, we're hosting our first AI training session for incubator tenants and the broader community. I'm excited about what this can become—not simply another training program, but an opportunity to build relationships, encourage experimentation and help more people participate in the AI economy.
It's a relatively small step, but that's how these things begin.
Just as important is making sure these opportunities aren't reserved for companies with the biggest budgets or people who already understand the technology.
One of the most promising things about modern AI is how much capability it puts within reach of people who previously faced significant technical and financial barriers.
A person with a good idea can begin testing it without waiting for a large development team or securing substantial investment.
That doesn't guarantee success. Building a sustainable business still requires judgment, relationships, customers and plenty of hard work.
But it changes what's possible.
Communities should be helping people take advantage of that opportunity.
Engagement Doesn't Mean Blind Acceptance
None of this means we should accept every AI development without question.
There are legitimate concerns about the effect of AI on employment, privacy, accuracy, energy demand, public infrastructure and the future of entire industries.
Those concerns should be discussed openly.
But the purpose of those conversations should be to identify the best path forward, not to stop the conversation before it begins.
I have always believed that progress requires people with different perspectives to sit down together, understand the competing interests and find solutions.
That approach may not generate the most attention on social media, where the loudest arguments often receive the biggest audience.
But it's how communities solve difficult problems.
We need more of that thinking around AI.
A community can demand responsible development and still pursue economic opportunity. A business can be concerned about AI's limitations and still examine where it can help. An employee can have reasonable concerns about the future of work and still benefit from learning the technology.
These aren't contradictions.
They're the conversations responsible leaders should be facilitating.
Don't Wait for the Future to Arrive
We don't know exactly what the AI economy will look like five or ten years from now.
We don't know which companies will dominate, which technologies will become standard or how every industry will change.
But uncertainty has never been a good reason to stop preparing for the future.
We know enough today to recognize that AI is changing business operations, customer relationships, entrepreneurship, workforce needs and economic competitiveness.
Communities that understand this can begin building the networks, knowledge and relationships that will help them adapt.
Those that choose to sit out the conversation may find that the opportunities have developed somewhere else.
So my challenge to business and community leaders is straightforward.
Don't hide from AI.
Ask questions. Challenge assumptions. Demand responsible decisions. Bring people together. Create opportunities for education and collaboration. Help businesses and entrepreneurs understand what's possible.
Most importantly, make sure your community is participating in the conversation about its economic future.
Because the future won't wait for us to decide whether we're comfortable with it.