September is only a shoulder season for tourism; for business conventions and conferences, late August (featuring the Alaska Oil & Gas Association’s annual convention) ushers in a plethora of B2B gatherings, a corporate-minded season of networking, keynote speakers, and decent-to-really-good lunches (our own Top 49ers Luncheon, taking place October 1, is of course fantastic).

Late this month Anchorage is hosting (at least) two AI conventions: the AI in Alaska Leadership Summit and the UA Statewide AI Symposium.

The AI in Alaska Leadership Summit wants to prep attendees with concrete information. As the organizers put it, “Rather than focusing on theory, AI in Alaska is built around real-world application. Sessions will cover responsible governance and ethics, organizational readiness, and practical AI use.”

The three-day UA Statewide AI Symposium has three areas of focus: all of day one is statewide programming on “what artificial intelligence means for Alaska”; day two is geared toward what AI means for the University of Alaska system; and day three comprises a strategy session for the statewide AI advisory council.

There could be another twenty AI conferences this year and there would still be topics to cover and specific audiences to engage with. AI will have the same effect on business operations as the internet did. Does everyone have to engage? No. But for that matter, there are still small businesses around the state that don’t have, want, or need a website or social media or—for a hardy handful—even an email address.

But the many ways that AI tools can be applied to ease corporate pain points, and at a rational price point, is unprecedented. Not all jobs, not all tasks, and not all processes are suited for AI—but many are. In this issue we feature an article on AI in customer service that clearly emphasizes that replacing people with AI in customer service is a recipe for disaster; using AI to streamline customer service activities is a game changer.

Good luck, everyone, as we all try to walk the line.