Distinguished Seminar Series on AI-Driven Workforce and Business Development
Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are transforming businesses, reshaping education, and redefining the future of work. While AI provides enormous business opportunities such as increased effectiveness and work productivity, its accelerated adoption has raised critical questions about business sustainability, market dominance, cybersecurity, and reskilling of workers. Tennessee businesses and government agencies are not immune to the significant effects of advanced AI technologies. The proposed Distinguished Seminar Series will stimulate discussions and strategies to navigate the role of AI in business and workforce development where we must develop capacity to capture value and reduce risks simultaneously in an AI-driven business environment. The seminars will be organized by the PIs in partnership with AI Tennessee Initiative, Haslam College of Business, College of Emerging and Collaborative Studies, TN Department of Economic Development, TN Department of Labor, and TN Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Overall, we aim to accomplish the following objectives:
Create awareness for the TN business and government agencies about the scale of AI disruption to the business landscape and of the opportunities to increase efficiency, innovation and productivity.
Create a network of research and practice in TN to study the impact of AI on the local business operations in public and private sectors. Use this information to develop a map of skill transformation so that every Tennessean is equipped with knowledge and skills needed not only to survive but also thrive in the AI-driven business environment.
Create a resource hub for TN businesses and public agencies to develop capacity to effectively respond to the disruption caused by AI and other emerging technologies, meanwhile creating and capturing business value through technological innovations.
Our distinguished seminar series features leading experts on AI research, development, and applications tailored to help Tennessee businesses and government agencies navigate AI disruptions and foster sustainable workforce development. The seminars will include thought-provoking talks, practical strategies for adopting AI tools and business models, tutorials for professional upskilling, and panel discussions focused on talent management and reskilling.
We anticipate that the Distinguished Seminar Series will enhance our research collaborations, community involvement, and broader impacts by encouraging dialogue, partnership, and thought leadership. Through this series, we will gather insights and data from the community, which will inform the development of resources tailored to support Tennessee businesses and government agencies in effectively addressing the challenges posed by AI innovations.
AI is Reshaping the Federal Government… and the Federal Government is Reshaping AI
Abstract
If you look past the major political headlines, its easy to notice the very real and material ways AI is changing the Federal government. From massive staff reductions across most Federal agencies, comprehensive reskilling for the current workforce, strong and immediate leadership mandate to push AI adoption throughout every part of the bureaucracy, and the strategic pivot of the industrial base to usher AI into every business process, professional service capability, and operational framework of most Federal programs – AI is truly reimagining and reengineering the way the Federal government (the largest employer on the planet) does work. Such a tectonic shift creates both problems and possibilities – and also reimagines both the purpose and function of the Federal government, including its direct relationship to taxpayers.
In other, less obvious ways, the evolving needs and priorities of the Federal government are surreptitiously shaping the future of AI development, adoption, and investment – including for businesses in Tennessee. Even as Congress battles over if and how the Federal government should adopt a uniform national regulatory framework for AI, the Executive Branch is using both carrots (financial incentives, direct procurements, trade protection) and sticks (heightened security and compliance requirements, supply chain restrictions, and universal contract clauses) to shape the broader AI industry in meaningful ways. These policies can have ripple effects that can often require meaningful and costly changes to the foundational business operations of corporations across the country.
If, as the saying goes, almost every company is an AI company these days… this conversation will highlight how AI is transforming the government and how the government is materially altering the AI landscape. We will discuss some of the current trends in the use of AI in government and how agencies are rethinking skills and competencies in the public sector workforce. Additionally, we will examine how the policy priorities of the current Administration are changing not just the AI industry, but nearly every industry, around the country.
Biography
Matthew is the Managing Director at Workday Government, where he helps lead go to market strategy, communications, and planning for the world’s leading cloud-based HR software company. Prior to joining Workday, he served as a Senior Professional Staff Member for Chairman Gary C. Peters on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), covering a wide array of IT modernization, budget, appropriations, regulatory, and government operations matters. Before the Hill, he was the Executive Director of the Alliance for Digital Innovation (ADI) – a coalition of customer-focused commercial companies helping to shape government IT modernization efforts through effective advocacy and thought leadership. Cornelius also served nearly a decade in the Executive Branch as a Senior Advisor for Technology and Cybersecurity Policy at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and as the Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity to the Administrator of the General Services Administration. In addition to his role at Workday Government, Matthew also serves as an Adjunct Professor in Public Management at the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Rudy DeFelice Global leader focused on advanced tech and AI in the Legal sector.
Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:00AM
Haslam Business Building 102
Your Job Tomorrow: What History Teaches Us About The Future of Work
Abstract
Society is at the dawn of a new era, catalyzed by a transformational technology. There is no shortage of predictions about what that might mean for the future of employment. No one is sure which of those predictions is right. One thing we do know though, is that we are bad at predictions. However, we are pretty good at understanding history, and history tells us a different story than the dire warnings of many commentators about the future.
This conversation examines prior significant technology transformations throughout history to identify the economic and job market changes that followed. In each case, employment did not shrink; it expanded massively. It may be that all our jobs go away. However, there is no support for that in the arc of history.
However, the main drivers of economic value change after the introduction of a transformational technology. Consequently, while jobs are not likely to vanish, they are sure to change. This talk explores some of the new roles for humans in what is characterized as a Wisdom Economy, and how to position yourself to thrive in that future.
Biography
Rudy is an attorney and serial entrepreneur, having founded four technology companies with several successful exits. Two of his companies have been named to the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies in America.
Rudy is an early pioneer of AI in the legal industry. In his current role as Global Head of Harbor Labs, he leads a team of machine learning engineers, data scientists, designers and full stack engineers in developing cutting edge solutions for the most innovative companies in the world. Rudy speaks regularly at national technology conferences, has been interviewed on CNN, ABC, Bloomberg TV, The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets on technology issues, is a best-selling author, TEDx speaker and has advised or invested in a number of tech-related companies.
Ben Pring Vice President, Center for AI and the Future of Work, Jobs for the Future
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 5:30 PM
Science and Engineering Building, Room 307
What To Do When Machines Do Everything?
Biography
A widely recognized IT futurist, author and professional thought leader with a storied track record analyzing the cutting edge of business and technology, including the emergence and growth of Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering and Labor Arbitrage, whose work has been covered in major publications such as Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, London Times, BBC’s News Night, BCC World Service, PBS’s News Hour, NPR’s On Point, Drucker Report, and MIT Review. A winner of Gartner’s prestigious annual Thought Leader award, a Bilderberg Meeting participant, a member of the advisory board of the Labor and Work Life program at Harvard Law School. Named as one of the 30 leading management thinkers by Thinkers 50 and one of the 10 leading influencers on the future of work by Onalytica. Co-author of the best-selling and award-winning books, What to Do When Machines Do Everything (2017), Code Halos: How the Digital Lives of People, Things, and Organizations are Changing the Rules of Business (2014), Monster: Taming the Machines that Rule Our Lives, Jobs, and Future (2021) which was a Financial Times Book of the Month, and Certain Uncertainty: Leading With Agility and Resilience in an Unpredictable World (2023).
In this presentation, I explore how organizations can successfully adopt emerging technologies—particularly AI—by leveraging effective knowledge management practices. Drawing on technology management research, I outline key frameworks and approaches for implementing AI in modern organizations. I then share insights from an ongoing study examining AI adoption among supply chain professionals, highlighting practical challenges and opportunities. The presentation concludes with an overview of how the University of Florida is incorporating AI into its curriculum to better prepare the future workforce.
Biography
Janice E. Carrillo is the Judy A. Warrington Professor in the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida. She currently serves as Associate Dean for Specialized Master Programs and as Director of the MS in Business Analytics (MSBA) and MS in Information Systems and Operations Management (MSISOM) programs. Her research focuses on technology management, e-commerce, supply chain management, and sustainability, with particular emphasis on how organizations adopt and leverage emerging technologies. Her interest in technology management is grounded in her prior professional experience as an electrical engineer. Her work has been published in leading academic journals, including Management Science, Production and Operations Management, and Decision Sciences. She also serves as a Department Editor for Decision Sciences and a Senior Editor for Production and Operations Management.
AI has found success in a number of different application areas in recent years. One area that could benefit from a new paradigm brought forth by AI is small-molecule drug discovery. Traditional drug discovery methods based on wet lab experimentation have reached a saturation point with fewer and fewer new drug candidates produced despite ever larger lab-based efforts. In recent years, a number of attempts have been made to repurpose AI models developed for other goals toward drug discovery. Some examples include Large Language Models that had originally been developed for language generation and Diffusion Models that had been developed for image generation. We will review the to-date results of these approaches — sharing the limited new drug candidates that have come out of these efforts. We will, then, discuss the novel approach pioneered by Verseon, which combines novel AI model types with a breakthrough molecular modelling approach. We will discuss some specific recent results of our novel AI technology in predicting drug gene interactions.
Biography
Ed Ratner is the Head of Machine Learning at Verseon. He is also a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors since 2024. Verseon acquired Edammo Inc. where he was cofounder and CEO in 2022. Edammo has developed breakthrough AI technology and was chosen as one of the Top 10 AI solution providers by PharmaTech Outlook Magazine and as a Top 10 Predictive Analytics provider by CIO Applications magazine. Previously, Ed founded and served as the CTO of Lyrical Labs. Lyrical Labs was selected for the Cable Labs Innovation Showcase in 2012 for its innovative video encoding technology. Before that, in 2007, Ed co-founded Keystream Corporation, which was recognized with a 2009 Best of Business Award by the Small Business Commerce Association. He was the President, Research & Development, and led the creation of Keystream’s novel in-video ad insertion product. Additionally, he was the VP of R&D/Chief Scientist at Pulsent Corp., which pioneered a proprietary object-based video codec. His work has resulted in 40 issued US patents to date. Ed received his Ph.D. from Stanford University, where he was a Hertz Foundation Fellow. He also won the National Science Foundation and the National Defense Science/Engineering Fellowships. He received his B.S. in Physics from Caltech, where he received the Froehlich Prize for most creative junior, and was a high scorer on the Putnam Exam Competition scoring among the top ten juniors in North America. He has been a Senior Member of IEEE since 2004. In 2018, his paper received the Best Paper Award at ELM 2018 conference in Singapore. In 2022, he was chosen as one of the Top 100 Innovators and Entrepreneurs by the Top 100 magazine.
An AI-Native Approach to Simplifying How Businesses Run
Abstract
At WEX, AI is not simply a technology; or a standalone strategic initiative; it’s the foundation of our company’s strategy. We’re embedding it deep into the fabric of how we build, serve, and operate. This approach will empower us to fulfill WEX’s purpose of simplifying the business of running a business.
Our AI strategy is built on three core pillars: unlocking internal productivity, reimagining customer experiences, and empowering our employees. Powered by our rich proprietary data, we apply AI throughout our software development lifecycle and operations across all of our lines of business to accelerate product/service development and operations. For example, our Claims AI tool transforms a multi-day manual reimbursement process into a “Snap, Scan, Done” experience, and the Fleet Signal Hub turns raw data into actionable insights for fleet managers with automated decision-making and action-taking capabilities.
By investing in a scalable, reliable, and properly governed Data and AI platform with an integrated multi agent framework, we democratize AI applications among all the product development teams across the company at scale and speed. At the same time, we lift up the AI understanding and skills of our employees by both attracting high talents from the industry & universities and training our existing talents across all the roles. Through these efforts, we are actively growing WEX into an AI-native tech company, which will well position WEX in the market. We’ve made significant progress in this direction and are committed to continued investment.
Morgan Frank Assistant Professor at University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information
Friday, Oct 3, 2025, 10:00AM
Haslam Business Building 401
AI, Complexity, and the Future of Work
Abstract
Generative AI has wide ranging applications across sectors and the potential to disrupt education, jobs, and careers. While industry leaders warn of lost job opportunities, how can we prepare today’s students and workers for success? In this talk, I will explore why it’s hard to predict job loss from AI and how newly available career data offers a path forward. Using millions of resumes, I will show that workers engaged in the jobs most exposed to LLM automation have experienced salary decreases and job market frictions since the launch of ChatGPT, and that these impacts are most acute for recent college graduates. In the remainder, I will demonstrate how research into skills can illuminate labor market conditions that foster career mobility in the face of labor disruption.
Biography
Morgan Frank is an Assistant Professor at the School of Computing and Information at the University of Pittsburgh, a Digital Fellow in Stanford’s Digital Economy Lab, and a Fellow at Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute. Morgan is interested in the complexity of AI, the future of work, and the socio-economic consequences of technological change. While many studies focus on phenotypic labor trends, Morgan’s recent research examines how genotypic skill-level processes around AI impact individuals and society. Combining labor research with investigations into the nature of AI research and the social or societal implications of AI adoption, Morgan hopes to inform our understanding of AI’s impact.
