Manufacturing program takes ‘AIM’ at promoting jobs that use artificial intelligence

MOULTRIE – Students in southwest Georgia got a look at where cutting-edge technology is today and where it could take them tomorrow when the Georgia AIM Mobile Studio rolled into Colquitt County last week.

The studio brought stations with displays of virtual and augmented reality, a 3D printer, training stations and even a robotic dog.

The inaugural Georgia AIM (Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing) Week brought the traveling studio to several locations throughout the state, with a Thursday stop at Colquitt County High School.

“We want to make manufacturing cool again and to show that manufacturing today is different than it was 20 years ago,” Donna Ennis, co-director of Georgia AIM, said. “We’re really focused on manufacturing: technology and AI on one end. On the other end we’re trying to develop the work force.”

Funded by a $65 million federal Economic Development Administration grant, Georgia AIM launched in September 2022 and connects 16 projects across the state, all working to develop a manufacturing work force skilled in smart technologies and to deploy innovation in the manufacturing industry. State, public and private donations have doubled the initial amount.

The purpose of the tour was to highlight the use of AI in manufacturing and how it can transform communities and jobs.

As part of the program, the Colquitt County School System received funds to purchase three virtual trainers: an Anatomage Table, a Fire Science Simulator and a Heavy Equipment Operator Simulator. The Georgia AIM Mobile Studio also will be onsite.

“We’re here to be out in our rural communities,” Ennis said. “We’re really focused on underrepresented, underserved communities, rural areas, people of color and veterans. But we serve everybody.”

A lot of news about AI recently has been about how it could eliminate jobs, and dispelling some “myths” about those reports is another reason for the tour.

“We want to show that automation will actually help upscale our work force,” Ennis said. “Many new jobs are being created. We’re creating jobs that didn’t exist 10 years ago. We’re focused on training workers for jobs that exist today and in the future.

“Our kids, they’re just really interested in this kind of stuff. This is their world.”

Staff Photo: Alan MaudinAlanMauldin[email protected]
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