FIU’s AI 305 Conference brings tech leaders together to examine how artificial intelligence is changing business, healthcare, transportation and other sectors. FIU Business’s second annual conference brought executives from Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Meta and Amazon Web Services to campus alongside industry experts and university faculty.
The sold-out event centered on the theme “AI for Good: Profit, Performance and Social Impact.” Speakers discussed new capabilities alongside the risks and responsibilities of wider adoption. At the opening, Karlene Cousins, chair of FIU Business’s Department of Information Systems, said the central question had moved beyond what AI can do to how people choose to use it.
Conference Brings Tech Leaders Into a Debate About Work
The event opened with robotic dogs dancing onstage to a live cellist. Luka, a bipedal humanoid robot developed by VaultBots, also appeared. Maher Nana, CEO of AI robotics security firm Orimus, told attendees, “Live the moment. This is the time to start your adventure.”
VaultBots CEO Gary Khachatryan described possible roles for robots such as Luka in hospitality, restaurants, elder care and medical offices. He said businesses could use them to reduce costs and address staffing needs. Khachatryan also described a path in which restaurants and hotels expand into public locations and events as their operations become more defined.
From robotics, the program moved to AI’s effect on productivity and business operations. Google account executive Trey Johnson was asked what the technology can do today that seemed unrealistic two years ago. “Twenty-four months ago, AI was a chatbot,” he said, adding that it can now “simulate new dynamic worlds with one sentence” and contribute to scientific discovery.
Panelists also raised financing, data and workforce challenges. Ana Simoes, principal specialist for Gen AI Frameworks at Amazon Web Services, said organizations need stronger leadership to build from the ground up and extract value. She said growing access to AI is increasing productivity and freeing talent to redesign work.
Conference Brings Tech Discussion to Jobs and Skills
An audience question about entry-level jobs brought employment concerns into focus. Rich Chambers, Microsoft’s director of Cloud Solution Architecture for State & Local Government and Education, emphasized developing skills to work alongside AI. “AI isn’t going to take your job. For people using AI, new jobs are on the way,” he said. “You have to be better. You will be better with AI.”
In his keynote, Fred Voccola, CEO of Simpro Group and a member of FIU’s Board of Trustees, discussed how AI is changing organizational structures and employees’ work. He described digital workers taking on responsibilities previously handled by employees and performing tasks faster and more efficiently. That could allow organizations to rethink how work gets done, he said.
Voccola said businesses must be ready to adapt as AI capabilities develop. “Organizations have to be comfortable with change, good at pivoting, good at adapting.”
AI Applications in Transportation and Engineering
Conference panels also examined current uses in aerospace, aviation and transportation. A session moderated by Ziyi Zhao, an assistant professor in FIU Business’s Department of Information Systems, brought together executives from NASA, Brightline, Miami International Airport and FEAM Aero.
The panel discussed using AI to improve operational efficiency, analyze data, identify problems and strengthen safety while keeping people involved in decisions. At NASA, the technology is helping engineers accelerate technical analysis and identify corrective measures. Edsel Sanchez, associate director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Engineering Directorate, said the team could analyze the bend ratio of a liquid hydrogen design and provide corrective action within hours.
FIU Business lists the AI 305 Conference account among its news coverage. The discussions connect with other Smartech Daily reporting on AI adoption and work, AI operations and robotics, and business AI deployment. The conference’s industry sessions showed how organizations are weighing those opportunities against practical questions about people, safety and implementation.
