Axios Live: Atlanta businesses are pushing to keep up with AI's evolution; students may be the answer

ATLANTA – Businesses in the area are racing to implement AI, but some are struggling to define their own playbook, said Joe Sutherland, executive director of the Center for AI Learning at Emory University.

Why it matters: With artificial intelligence comes the promise of efficiency, but the cost, pace of change and talent pipeline challenges are forcing businesses to rethink how they operate.

Axios' Kristal Dixon and Nathan Bomey hosted conversations with Sutherland and Rebecca Godecke, senior vice president of online at The Home Depot. The April 29 event was sponsored by Western Governors University.

What they're doing: Sutherland's AI center is helping students get real-world AI experience through businesses, while also helping businesses figure out how to transform their job functions with AI.

Sutherland said AI's 12- to 18-month evolution cycle leaves students in four-year programs with outdated skills.

"So how do you keep up with that? And the answer that I have is through workforce development and experiential learning programs," he said.

AI is costly – and sometimes having humans do the work can be cheaper – but Godecke said it's all about balance.

"We think about AI internally and for our customers: improving the decision quality with confidence and then improving the velocity in which we can move," she said. "So AI is really an 'and' for us, not an 'or.'"

Content from the sponsor's segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, Paul LaForge, VP and dean of the department of computer science, software, AI and data at Western Governors University, shared that they are launching a new bachelor's degree in AI engineering to better prepare students for a rapidly changing workforce.

"This is not just for those who want to use models, but those who want to build models and the systems that support AI."