Bentonville, Arkansas, hosts a tech summit every year, and this year, it was all about Artificial Intelligence, or AI. I was able to attend, so that’s what I want to talk about today.
The Artificial Intelligence Conference in Bentonville, AR, is part of the Tech Summit series held yearly. They have three installments this year focused on Artificial Intelligence, AI, and how it impacts businesses and the economy. The first installment included people from Walmart and Microsoft.
AI has impacted so many people lately, and some might say that’s a negative thing. However, it can also be used for good. Stick around to see what the conference is about and ways you can attend later this year.
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What Is a Tech Summit?
A tech summit is a professional conference that allows attendees to network with other tech professionals to advance technology. They include masterclasses, breakout sessions with top tech speakers in the industry, and workshops.
The benefits of attending a tech summit are immeasurable and include the following:
- Learning cutting-edge developments
- Finding a research partner
- Gaining funding from a large sponsor
- Finding a mentor
Tech summits are held worldwide, including in Northwest Arkansas. This year’s focus has been on Artificial Intelligence. But before we talk about the upcoming conference, let’s look at the past two AI tech summit installments and what we learned.
Past AI Tech Summit Installments
So far, there have been two AI conferences held in Bentonville this year. The first conference was held on April 27, 2023, and the focus was on how generative Artificial Intelligence is transforming businesses and organizations.
Conference attendees had a chance to learn about generative AI and its capabilities. They then learned about the best practices of how to integrate generative AI into a business as well as the impact of AI on various industries.
Keynote speakers included:
- Karen Kilroy, author of several books about AI and the blockchain technologies
- Kendra Anthony, Principal Product Manager of Walmart Global Tech
- Evan Wagner, Founder of HackNWA
- Jarrod Ramsey, Industry Practice Lead from Microsoft
- …and several others at the top of their industries
The second conference was held on June 1, 2023, with a focus on Security, Privacy, and AI. Experts within the computer security industry provided answers to certain questions, such as the following:
- Online data security
- Protection against personal and organizational cyber attacks
- The ethical implications of AI and how it affects privacy
AI can be a real threat for several reasons, so protecting yourself and your organization is becoming a stark reality. Keynote speakers came from several industry leaders in privacy and security, including the following:
- The US Navy and NSA
- Forge Institute
- Arvest Bank
- ICS Cybersecurity at Mitre
- …and several others
Both of these conferences are part of a three-part series on Artificial Intelligence, and they are a great introduction to how this new advancement in technology affects us and our future. Bentonville is on the cutting edge of technology, and because of that, so many large companies are moving to Northwest Arkansas.
If you’re into technology and want to know more about the tech summit, or want to attend the last AI conference of the year, keep reading.
Upcoming Artificial Intelligence Conference Details
The third installment of the Artificial Intelligence conference will be held on September 21, 2023, with a focus on how AI is fueling creative pursuits such as art and writing. While AI can’t replicate emotion and the human experience, it can do a lot of things within the arts.
Nevertheless, AI for the arts is here, and it’s going to be around for a long time. This conference installment will discuss the emergence and creative powers of AI and will show you all of the possibilities it can open.
The speakers for this conference will come from Walmart and Walton College of Business from the University of Arkansas.
They will demonstrate how AI 3D rendering can work for large enterprises, and then there will be a discussion panel about “Creativity for all with AI.” It promises to be a great conference, so if you’re even remotely interested in how AI can be used to create whatever your heart desires, you should attend. You won’t be disappointed.
Attendance Details
If you want to attend the last AI conference of the year, it’s located at:
Bentonville Community Church
220 NW A Street
Bentonville, Arkansas
Date and Time:
Thursday, September 21, 2023
5 PM to 8 PM
The tickets cost $25 per person. There will be light refreshments and networking when you arrive at 5 PM, so I highly recommend you get there on time, especially if your business involves AI and the creative arts.
Session one starts promptly at 5:30 PM, so if you don’t want to network, you can show up at that time. But it would definitely be worth your time to arrive by 5 PM.
Conclusion
The great thing about Bentonville is that they are very focused on cutting-edge technology, which attracts new businesses. Northwest Arkansas, in general, is experiencing a large growth trend due to the area embracing trends and new technology.
We have some of the biggest companies in our area, and we’re leading in some parts of Artificial Intelligence because of retail and logistics.
But if you’re in Bentonville and you want to check out the AI Conference, I promise you that you won’t be disappointed.
