We’re excited to introduce the Mississippi AI Collaborative - a community-driven partnership dedicated to revolutionizing the way we learn, teach, and do business in our state through artificial intelligence.

Our mission is simple yet bold: to equip Mississippians with the AI fluency needed for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We believe in a future where every student, educator, and entrepreneur has the tools to innovate and excel.

About the Solution

The state of Mississippi stands at a pivotal juncture, confronted with the pressing need to integrate artificial intelligence into its educational framework. In higher education, the state loses half of its college graduates to brain drain annually. Further, 99.3% of Mississippi businesses are small businesses with limited resources, which puts them at a disadvantage to fully learn and benefit from new technology such as generative AI. The state and its workforce would benefit from an integrated approach to generative AI skilling that bridges the gap between education and industry.

The Mississippi AI Collaborative is a multi-stakeholder project—spanning across K-12 public schools, higher education, non-traditional education platforms, and small businesses—to develop an ecosystem of leveraging AI in the state of Mississippi. The ecosystem intervention includes an intensive educator accelerator for K-12 public school teachers across the state. We are hosting a “Skill-AI-Thon” to develop AI capabilities statewide for all residents of Mississippi. Finally, we have developed an apprenticeship program, where Jackson State University students work with small businesses and nonprofits to leverage AI tools to boost their efficiency, online presence, and to craft more engaging communication with their customers.

Leading with Localism

This ecosystem intervention recognizes that there is not one organization or sector that can achieve this full-scale generative AI skilling approach alone. Through its partnerships approach, the organization is building a sustainable career pipeline, starting with educators in K-12 education, advancing to higher education and boot camps, and driving small business opportunities. Furthermore, this intervention understands the importance of making generative AI training accessible to all populations across Mississippi. This inclusive approach is mission-built to serve and uplift Mississippi’s entire community.