JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi is working to ensure its residents are not left behind in the AI revolution.
Technology leaders and educators gathered at Jackson State University (JSU) this week for the 2026 Southern Spark Conference. The focus was on how artificial intelligence is reshaping business and education across the state.
Crystal Chatman is the co-founder of Mississippi Ai Collaborative.
“This is an opportunity for us to bring in people from the community, and I really mean everyone, whether you consider yourself a technologist, whether you work in the tech field or the tech industry, whether you’re in the education business, or whether you’re really concerned about the use of AI or are afraid of the use of AI,” she said. “This is a space where such people can gather.”
One of the conference’s partners is a Mississippi-based AI organization.
The Mississippi AI Collaborative works to provide all Mississippians, including students, with the knowledge and tools to navigate an AI-driven world.
“They may have questions about how these tools work, who created these tools, and even the output they receive from these tools,” Chatman says. “And ultimately, all of this helps make them better users and better builders so they can continue to build really great things for the rest of us.”
Dr. Kayla Smith represented Gen AI, a company that helps businesses implement AI solutions.
Many people worry that technology will eliminate jobs. But Dr. Smith says the reality is quite the opposite.
“A lot of people think that AI is going to take away critical thinking, take away jobs, and just take away various human-like abilities. And that’s just not the case, because we’re learning to be critical thinkers. We’re the ones who make the AI work, not the other way around,” she said.
Spark hosts Zoom meetings on the third Tuesday of each month that are open to anyone who wants to learn how AI can benefit their lives and communities, organizers said.
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