09/25/2026
Last week, our Director of Business Development, Doug Campbell, had the opportunity to attend AI Horizons Pittsburgh at Bakery Square, two packed days showcasing the momentum Pittsburgh continues to build around AI, robotics, and emerging technology.
With leaders from Microsoft, NVIDIA, Google, Anthropic, BNY, Skild AI, Gecko Robotics, and many others, the conversations spanned physical AI and robotics, workforce development, energy, infrastructure, policy, and responsible innovation.
A key takeaway: moving AI from experimentation into practical business use takes the right foundation.
Organizations are looking more closely at where AI can improve a process, strengthen decision-making, or create a better customer experience, and what needs to be in place to make those applications successful. That means understanding the business problem first, having reliable and accessible data, establishing thoughtful governance, and choosing an architecture that can support the use case over time.
Those conversations closely align with what we’re hearing from organizations exploring AI with fivestar*. The strongest opportunities often come from identifying a specific challenge, understanding the data behind it, and determining where AI can create measurable value.
AI Horizons also highlighted Pittsburgh’s unique combination of technology, research, manufacturing, robotics, and business expertise. The region has a strong foundation for helping shape how emerging technologies move from research and experimentation into practical application.
Congratulations to Joanna Doven, the AI Strike Team, and everyone involved in bringing together such an impressive group of people and ideas.