Tyrone D. Taborn is Chairman and CEO of Career Communications Group and founder of AI NEXTGEN America.
For over 40 years, Career Communications Group has worked where technology, education, workforce development, media, and employer engagement meet.
Taborn regularly publishes and speaks on topics such as tech careers. Artificial intelligence is often in the news, but many people are still unsure how it will affect their lives.
Speaking with STEM City USA, Taborn pointed out that most conversations about AI happen among tech companies, corporations, government, and universities.
"AI NEXTGEN America is AI for the People," Taborn said. "We are bringing ordinary citizens into a conversation about artificial intelligence that has largely been dominated by industry, government, and academia."
Unlike most tech conferences that focus on the technology, AI NEXTGEN puts people at the center.
Taborn said his "AI for the People" seminar will include public education, workforce development, career exploration, technology demos, talks about responsible AI, and chances for ongoing learning.
The conference aims to help people answer a key question: What do ordinary Americans think about AI when they can interact with it directly?
Workers are hearing mixed messages about how AI will affect jobs. Which skills will be most important?
For parents and students, what should kids learn to get ready for an AI-driven economy?
How do people feel about AI shaping healthcare, education, hiring, government services, and other parts of daily life?
How can we make sure education, training, and opportunities are available to everyone, so AI does not make existing inequalities worse?
We’re talking about jobs, education, privacy, cybersecurity, careers, and the skills people will need in the future.
“We’re talking about jobs, education, privacy, cybersecurity, careers, and the skills people will need in the future,” Taborn said. “This isn’t just experts talking among themselves. It’s experts connecting with the public. Baltimore is the perfect place for this, bringing together government, universities, employers, tech groups, workforce organizations, and communities. We hope what starts in Baltimore will inspire a national conversation.”
At the conference, Taborn will lead discussion about how artificial intelligence can create opportunities, support communities, and help build a more inclusive future.
While Silicon Valley creates AI, companies use it, and government and universities debate it, the public’s voice is often left out.
AI NEXTGEN America gives workers, parents, students, veterans, educators, employers, community groups, elected officials, and tech leaders a place to talk about questions that matter to millions of Americans: Will AI take or change my job? What should my children be learning? Can I trust AI? Is my personal information safe? Where will new jobs come from? What skills should I learn now?
AI NEXTGEN is a public event meant to help people understand how artificial intelligence affects their jobs, children, education, privacy, communities, and future.
Taborn stressed that AI NEXTGEN America is meant to last beyond the conference itself. The event introduces people to new ideas, technologies, careers, and learning opportunities.
“This is not another conference where experts talk to experts," Taborn said. "People are hearing every day that AI may change their jobs, their children’s education, their privacy, and their future. They have questions. They deserve answers and a chance to be involved. AI shouldn’t just happen to people. People should understand it, ask questions, learn how to use it, and have a say in what comes next.”
For over forty years, Career Communications Group has worked where technology, education, workforce development, media, and employer engagement meet.
AI NEXTGEN, a public-focused AI conference, will bring together workers, students, educators, employers, and technology leaders to explore what AI means for jobs, education, and daily life.
“AI NEXTGEN America is a first-of-its-kind, public-focused AI event centered on public education, workforce preparation, and citizen participation.”
AI NEXTGEN brings people together and Career Communications Group's ASCEND learning model supports ongoing learning.
Career Communications Group's STEM City USA metaverse gives participants a digital space to stay involved, while ASCEND Knowledge on Demand offers ongoing education, courses, and career paths.
CCG’s Collins AI helps make information easy to access. AI NEXTGEN brings the community together and ASCEND supports learning all year.
This makes AI NEXTGEN more than just a yearly conference; it is a year-round community for AI education and workforce development.
The University of Maryland Global Campus, as the main academic partner, strengthens the conference’s focus on education and helps connect public AI awareness with ongoing learning, job preparation, and career growth.
AI NEXTGEN is organized by Career Communications Group, the Foundation for Educational Excellence, and the University of Maryland Global Campus, its founding academic partner.
“AI will affect almost everyone. The real question is whether people will just watch these changes or take part in them. AI NEXTGEN America is about giving people that chance.”
This event isn’t just for AI experts. It's for workers worried about their jobs, parents thinking about their children’s futures, students deciding what to study, and ordinary people wanting to understand how AI will affect their lives.
It brings people together to ask important questions and push for action in areas like education, training, jobs, responsible AI, and public understanding. Click here to register.
