Bakery Square will host policymakers and industry leaders this October for the inaugural AI Horizons Summit.
Walnut Capital, the developers behind Bakery Square, have pushed to transform the East Liberty area into an "AI Avenue." On October 14, the aforementioned policymakers and industry leaders, including Governor Josh Shapiro, will make the case that Pittsburgh, not just East Liberty, is "the best place for human-centric AI companies.
"Pittsburgh's AI companies are driven by a 'human-first' ethos that leverages this technology responsibly to solve the world's top problems," Joanna Doven, a strategy consultant "spearheading the effort," said in a prepared statement. "We must come together to communicate our story loudly and proudly and connect our greatest minds with national influences so that we can own this once in a generation growth movement."
Doven is part of the AI Avenue Working Group, a consortium aiming to "propel Pittsburgh onto the global stage as a powerhouse in AI innovation." The roots of the movement can be traced back to Google opening office space in Bakery Square in 2009.
"Pittsburgh is a city of makers and innovators, with a legacy of solving real-world challenges, so we're excited to see it emerge as a global AI leader," Google Pittsburgh site lead Michael Pohl said in a prepared statement. "The AI Horizons Summit showcases the incredible talent and character of Pittsburgh, so we're thrilled to play a role in this important effort."
Aside from the involvement of former Google VP of Engineering and current CEO of Lovelace AI Andrew Moore, it was not yet disclosed what that role the tech giant will play in the event. But Google is one of several companies involved in the AI Avenue Working Group, as well as Duolingo and UPMC Enterprises.
The event, which will also feature Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian and urban policy strategist Bruce Katz, will be moderated by veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Laurie Segall.
"It's a unique opportunity to bring together policymakers, technologist and the entrepreneurs at the forefront of AI innovation," Segall said in a prepared statement. "I've spent 15 years covering technology and I'm convinced some of the most interesting opportunities to shape policy and thought leadership around tech progress happen outside of Silicon Valley."
Shapiro's involvement is notable — while other regulators have struggled to keep pace with the implementation of AI, he's made multiple moves on the front, including an executive order regulating the technology for employees. HIs administration also became the first to partner with GPT developer OpenAI to provide a secured pilot program for state employees. AI regulation is shaping to be a key issue this election season, as both mainstream candidates have taken drastically different stances on the subject matter. Segall said in her statement that "a Pittsburgh-led movement that prioritizes human-centric AI innovation is crucial," noting the role that Pennsylvania will play as a battleground state.
