Pennsylvania is a top AI state
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Duolingo in East Liberty is just one of Pennsylvania's large companies growing with AI. Photo: Justin Merriman/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Keystone State has the keys to unlocking AI's potential, a new report says.
Why it matters: Pennsylvania has the power to fuel the AI boom, and the state's leaders are hungry to ensure that happens here.
Driving the news: National nonprofit Code for America has named Pennsylvania one of the top three states for AI usage, training and capacity building in their governments, according to an assessment the group released this month.
- "In Pennsylvania, leaders have aggressively pursued workforce capacity building through training partnerships with Carnegie Mellon and InnovateUS," reads the report.
- New Jersey and Delaware are the other top AI states, according to Code for America.
What they're saying: Jennifer Thom, Code for America's senior director of data science, tells Axios that Pennsylvania is on a path that could make delivering government services more efficient with AI.
- "Pennsylvania really invests in state capacity building," she said. "It has implemented ChatGPT use for state employees. That hands-on nature is something that stands out."
Between the lines: Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn said in April that AI has been "hugely transformational" in helping his Pittsburgh-based language-learning app grow.
State of play: The state has already attracted massive amounts of investment in AI data centers and the power plants needed to fuel them, and local tech companies are thriving.
- $90 billion in investments from about 20 companies in Pennsylvania's energy and tech sectors was announced at this week's Energy and Innovation Summit.
- Amazon announced in June it would invest $20 billion for data centers in the eastern part of the state.
- North Side-based Gecko Robotics inked a deal this week with a large defense contractor to use its robotics and AI platform to inspect U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines, according to a press release.
- Abridge, an AI medical documentation platform based in Pittsburgh, will partner with Allegheny Health Network, Abridge CEO Shiv Rao said Monday.
Zoom in: Two Pennsylvania metro areas are poised to lead in the emerging AI economy, according to a new Brookings report.
- Philadelphia is ranked as a Star Hub by Brookings, with more than 3,500 AI job postings.
- Pittsburgh is ranked as an Emerging Center, with more than 1,400 job postings.
Yes, but: Allentown, Erie, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading, Scranton and York have only about 1,000 AI job openings between them.
The bottom line: AI use is speeding up, so Pennsylvania cities that are behind will likely be forced to catch up.