Van Jones set to host 19th AI Academy in Atlanta

The weekend of June 19 in Atlanta, the opportunity to celebrate black liberation, will be further enriched by a summit on artificial intelligence (AI). Adding a little sparkle to all the festivities, this event is a testament to the progress and potential of the Black and Brown community in the field of AI.

Renowned political commentator and CNN host Van Jones is hosting the 15th AI Summit on June 15 at the Loudermilk Conference Center in Atlanta. The one-day event is free and open to the public and aims to equip Black and brown students, young and established professionals, small business owners and others with the tools needed to be at the forefront of the revolution of artificial intelligence and leading the future of technological innovation. Hosting it in Atlanta was a no-brainer, as Jones considers the southern city a veritable Wakanda.

“We’re trying to get the most creative people in the world, which is Black people, to actually start using the most powerful creative tools, which is AI,” Jones said in an interview with Ebony.

He continued: “We are trying to start a movement to make Wakanda a reality. And we’re not kidding. We don’t mean this metaphorically; we mean it for real.

Jones believes there is an incredible opportunity for Black creatives, innovators and entrepreneurs to leverage this technology to advance their ideas and passions. Based on Black ingenuity and their influence on previous technology trends, the use of AI is a natural next step in advancing the Black community’s contribution to the world.

“Black people took two turntables, a microphone and a lamppost and created the hip-hop culture that took over planet Earth. And it’s bigger now than rock and roll, country music and all other forms of music combined,” Van explained. “Twitter (now X) would have been nothing without Black Twitter. We take things and we bring them to life in a way that no other culture does. And so, I think we should get there first, dominate it, control it, own it, move it forward.

The one-day event will be an immersive experience, providing attendees with unique opportunities to learn and network. They will have hands-on interactions that they can use to advance their ideas. Workshops will include AI Filmmaking and Storytelling, AI Economics and Big Business, AI and Music, and learning how to create your own ChatGPT. Industry experts from Amazon, Microsoft, McKinsey & Co., Meroxa, Path.AI and Seed.AI will lead the sessions, providing an opportunity to learn from the best in the field.

Interested parties can register for the event here. At the end of the day, participants will have the chance to attend a Juneteenth block party with food and drinks.