Labor Day was not just a break from
work. For me, it was a time to reflect on the values that brought my family to
this country — hard work, opportunity and community — and how we must pass
those values forward through innovation and inclusion.

Wake County stands at a crossroads.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a buzzword. It is a tool being used in
local government, healthcare, education and small business. What we do now will
shape whether this technology strengthens our communities — or leaves people
behind.

Morrisville: A model for smart innovation

Right here in Wake County, Morrisville
is showing what’s possible. Our town has been nationally recognized with the CIO 100 and IDC Smart Cities North America Awards
for smart city leadership. Earlier this year, an international delegation
visited our Town Hall to learn from CIO Rick Ralph’s team and our
approach to innovation.

We’re now deploying generative AI to
help staff search documents more efficiently. And we are planning to introduce Morris the Cricket, a generative AI
chatbot that improves customer service by answering resident questions in
real-time.

This kind of smart city innovation
should not remain isolated. We need a framework to share best practices across municipalities and scale what’s
working. Wake County is uniquely positioned to lead the nation in regional AI
implementation  — and now is the time.

The AI moment is already here in
North Carolina

Across the state, AI is moving from
promise to practice:

•       
NC State University is embedding AI into educational
curricula.

•       
Atrium Health is using AI to improve early cancer
detection.

•       
School systems are piloting AI to enhance student
safety.

And while large companies are
leading the way, only 5.1% of small businesses currently use AI.
That figure is expected to rise. But AI isn’t wiping out jobs. It’s
transforming them —and we need to prepare workers to take on new roles that
require digital fluency and AI literacy.

As former Cisco CEO John Chambers
put it: AI success will depend on
common-sense strategies and strong leadership.

Leadership matters: Meet the people moving
us forward

We’re fortunate to have leaders
right here in the Triangle who are building the infrastructure—physical,
digital, and educational—for an inclusive AI economy.

Mark Hinkle
– Founder, Peripety Labs

Mark is building bridges between AI
entrepreneurs, enterprise users, and educators. His focus on open source innovation and practical workforce development ensures
that AI adoption benefits everyone—not just those in tech hubs. His Artificially Intelligent Enterprise
newsletter and work through the All Things AI community have helped thousands of
professionals navigate the AI transition.

Tom
Snyder – Executive Director, RIoT

Tom’s work through RIoT is critical. He’s scaling the
innovation economy beyond Raleigh and Durham by accelerating startups and
advocating for rural inclusion. RIoT’s incubators and workforce training
programs are helping new businesses grow and helping workers prepare for AI,
IoT, and automation-driven jobs.

John
Holden – Smart Cities Manager, City of
Raleigh

John’s regional vision is essential.
Through efforts like the Connected
Triangle Summit (next on Oct. 14),
he’s helping municipalities work together, not in silos. Raleigh’s smart city
strategies—and Holden’s focus on university, government, and private sector
collaboration—serve as a blueprint for how AI can be scaled regionally.

🗓️
Learn more about the Connected Triangle Summit.

These leaders remind us: the path
forward isn’t top-down or bottom-up. It’s collaborative.

Training is the foundation of the AI
economy

Technology moves fast. Workforce
training needs to move faster. A few priorities:

1. Rapid Upskilling and Reskilling

Wake Tech and NC State
must continue expanding programs that meet workers where they are. That means stackable credentials, bootcamps, and micro-certifications that quickly turn skills into jobs.

2. Align Local Action with Statewide
Strategy

Governor Josh Stein’s Executive Order No. 24
created the AI Leadership Council,
backed by a new AI Accelerator
inside the Department of Information Technology. Wake County should align
closely with this council to ensure our programs directly connect to state
strategy—and our residents get first access to new jobs.

3. Cross-Sector Collaboration

Regional forums like the Connected Triangle Summit allow
employers, schools, and government to coordinate. These meetings help translate
policy into programs, and training into employment pipelines.

4. Build Ethical, Community-Centered
AI

AI adoption must be grounded in
trust. Data privacy, algorithmic fairness, and access to tools shouldn’t be
afterthoughts. Ethics needs to be built into every program, pilot, and
platform.

A personal reflection

This work is personal to me. 

My daughter Sonia Rao, a
journalist at The New York Times, and
my son Rayan, studying biomedical engineering at NC State, remind me daily why
this matters. Their futures—and the futures of all North Carolinians  —depend on the investments we make now.

As the child of immigrants, I know
what opportunity looks like. I’ve lived it. And I want to make sure every resident, regardless of background, has
access to the tools, training and mentors to succeed in this next era.

Looking ahead: A challenge for Wake
County and North Carolina

We don’t need to wait. We need to
act. Here’s where we begin:

•       
Expand
workforce access to AI training across all ages and
experience levels—students, veterans, mid-career professionals, and public
sector workers.

•       
Partner
with the Governor’s AI Council to integrate local and state
training systems.

•       
Ensure
every AI pilot or program centers people. Not just efficiency, but equity, access, and upward mobility.

The future won’t be coded in silicon.
It will be built by people

Wake County’s future in AI won’t be
written in code. It will be built by our neighbors, our students, our educators
and our leaders.

Let’s make it smart. Let’s make it
inclusive. Let’s make it ours.