Tennessee Tech to host statewide AI conference focused on turning research into real-world impact
Tennessee Tech University will host a statewide gathering of leaders in artificial intelligence this spring, bringing together experts from academia, industry and government for a day focused on accelerating innovation and economic growth.
The conference, titled “From Lab to Market: Accelerating AI Innovation,” will be held May 19, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Tech’s Ashraf Islam Engineering Building. The event is free and open to the public, with registration required.
Hosted in collaboration with the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and Launch Tennessee, the conference will convene faculty researchers, entrepreneurs, students and policymakers from across the state. Programming will highlight applied AI use cases, research-to-commercialization pathways, startup and talent showcases, and opportunities for industry-academic collaboration.
“Attendees will gain practical insight into how artificial intelligence is being applied, commercialized and scaled in Tennessee today,” said Michael Aikens, acting vice president for research and economic development at Tech. “The conference highlights real use cases, startup activity and industry-academic collaboration, giving participants tangible examples of how AI research turns into businesses, workforce opportunities and economic growth.”
Featured speakers from Tech include Aikens and Tony Skelljum, professor of computer science and director of Tech’s Advanced Scalable Computing, Extreme Networks & Data (ASCEND) Center.
They will be joined by leaders from across Tennessee’s growing AI and innovation ecosystem, including Anne Ho of AI Tennessee; Jenny Vipperman of ORNL Federal Credit Union; and founders and executives from emerging companies such as Xuron, Pangea, 9+1AI and Authentrics.ai.
The event is part of a broader statewide effort led by AI Tennessee’s Industry Innovation Consortium and AI TechX, with support from Launch Tennessee’s Tennessee Technology Advancement Consortium. Organizers say the goal is to strengthen connections between research institutions and industry while accelerating the deployment of AI-driven solutions that address real-world challenges.
A leader in AI innovation and research, Tech is set to launch a bachelor’s degree in AI this fall—the first of its kind in the state—and is home to the Machine Intelligence and Data Science (MInDS) Center, an on-campus hub launched in 2024 to address a national focus on AI education and workforce development.