Louisianans Leverage AI
The largest headlines about artificial intelligence (AI) in Louisiana center around the multi-billion-dollar AI data centers transforming our economy. More quietly but of no less significance, the schools, local governments, and hospitals of our state are using AI to shape their practice and expand opportunities for Louisianans. Here are just a few of the end-of-summer stories across our state.
Louisiana State University recently announced that it will offer a free AI literacy online course, open to the general public. This announcement comes on the heels of the school adding the state’s first Bachelor of Science degree in AI. The course signals an appreciation for the growing importance of AI to all sectors. Increased literacy, even of a general manner, is a widely applicable skill and one which can prepare students and beyond to participate in the modern workforce.
August reporting from Axios covered the increase in Louisiana agencies’ use of AI. Many of the examples are works in progress, and their implementation has and will continue to be a refining process, as local and state officials work to leverage the technology on behalf of the people they serve. Interestingly, some of the newer additions to the state’s toolkit of AI strategies are public safety oriented. For example, the Louisiana Department of Safety and Corrections (DPSC) uses AI transcription for prisoners’ phone calls (with the exception of calls between the incarcerated person and spiritual advisors, attorneys, or doctors.) The technology is able to collect data from these calls in order to flag threats to public safety or the callers themselves.
One of the first high-profile uses of AI in Louisiana was that of Mary-Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s introduction of AI-powered scanning technology to streamline the patient experience, the first in the world. Since then, the medical schools and hospitals of Louisiana have embraced and pioneered more breakthroughs. In late spring of this year, Woman’s Hospital announced that it would be among the first in the United States to test a wearable device that uses AI to detect postpartum hemorrhages. This month, Ochsner Health announced a partnership with Paradigm Health, an AI-based clinical trial research company, to expand access to clinical trials for Ochsner’s patients.
These are hardly the only instances of Louisiana’s schools, government agencies, and hospitals using AI to increase efficiency and impact. They are snapshots of the last few months. To read more about how Louisianans are using the technology as a tool for their businesses and communities, visit our AI in Louisiana page.
