Mar. 28—MORGANTOWN — A single question vexed business leaders, political officials and educators Wednesday at the Focus Forward Conference.

"What we're all trying to figure out is, is it going to run our lives," Gayle Manchin, co-founder of the Focus Forward conference, said. "Or, are we going to run it? Is it going to be a combination somewhere in between?"

Over 500 guests registered for Focus Forward, which was held at the Morgantown Marriott at Waterfront Place to try and wrangle the topic. The conference, in its sixth year, was hosted by the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. This year's theme was West Virginia's digital destiny, and examined the role AI will play across various aspects of society.

Manchin, federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, said the big conversation right now is AI. Manchin said the legislature passes policies each year that affect education and the workforce, so keeping up with the latest conversations around digital workforce development, AI cybersecurity and others is important. The conference provided a place for experts on the subject to mingle, exchange ideas and network.

The answer to the question at the heart of each conversation around AI depends on the industry it is a part of, Manchin said. For example, within the health care industry AI can be a very important component in terms of research for new surgeries, implants or pharmaceuticals.

"This digital component is going to have a big impact and it will replace jobs," Manchin said. "So, when it replaces those jobs, what are the next jobs that take over? All of that is just critical discussion."

Fostering intellectual curiosity around the subject is one of the goals of the conference. Jen Giovannitti, president of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, said preparing for the future can only happen through discussion of what's coming next. This was not the first time the conference discussed AI. In 2019, the conference tackled machine learning, a subset of AI. This time, however, the discussion hinged more on the consequences of unleashing this technology on the world.

"Today, we're getting more specific around how that has really been impacting people in their daily lives, chatGPT, with education and other industries," Giovannitti said. "That is expanded into digital identity and the digitization movement. How do you future proof for these technological changes or opportunities, however you want to look at them?"

Ensuring West Virginia doesn't get left behind in this field is also an important topic for Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. She said that to participate in the economy of the future, states will need to be able to work with AI.

"Our destiny as West Virginians depends on us having an innovative, digital program for the state," Capito said. "You see universities everywhere, students from kindergarten and up participating."

Donna Peduto, executive director of the West Virginia Public Education Collaborative, said that six years ago when the conference initially tackled AI, most people were afraid the machines were coming for their jobs. This time, Peduto and Giovannitti focused on some of the benefits from the technology.

"People here today, from what I've heard out in the hall, are starting to think about the ways that it can streamline the workforce and the benefits for teachers," Pedutto said. "My takeaway is that we're seeing more opportunities than we did six years ago."

Giovannatti works in philanthropy. She expects AI to impact the organizations to which her foundation gives money. The Benedum Foundation's role is to convene discussions and foster shared intellectual learning. However, when it comes to the impact AI will have on her own organization, Giovannatti said the nature of the work the foundation does will most likely not be impacted by AI.

She disagreed with the notion that an AI could sift through applications and grant work better than her human staff, since much of the work in philanthropy involves hearing and meeting people face to face. It's not the 'Benedum Style,' she said.

Yet.

"I don't know if scare is the right word, but the pace in which it is becoming integrated into everything is what concerns me," Giovannatti said. "We need to really understand how we optimize it and don't let it lead us."

Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com