Mardi Gras season has been well underway in the Pelican State and much of what we have to offer has been on display, from amazing food to the joie de vivre that fuels the festivities of the parades. When the beads stop flying, Louisiana remains an amazing state both rich in tradition and prepared for the future. Determined innovators are hard at work to ensure that Louisiana is able to benefit from and contribute to the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) landscape.

In New Orleans, tech entrepreneur Matt Wisdom is tackling an experience any New Orleans native is all too familiar with: potholes. His app, ChatNOLA, uses AI to organize and respond to community sourced reports of infrastructure issues. ChatNOLA uses public project information and algorithmic finesse to empower users to report issues, like potholes, that they observe. Increased efficiency means that the City of New Orleans has access to hard data and the real time concerns of the community. In an interview with NOLAnews, the creator of the app credits AI as the source of the apps advantage over more traditional systems: “Wisdom said his team started building ChatNOLA using traditional software but soon turned to AI as the ‘only way to understand all the city data and communicate effectively with citizens.’”

Ochsner Health, which began in New Orleans and now serves much of the Gulf South, has embraced the innovations of AI to enhance the patient experience. After identifying the disproportionate amount of time doctors and nurses were spending on transcribing visits, Oschner incorporated DeepScribe. The technology uses AI to assist in the administrative side of the patient/doctor relationship. The increased accuracy and efficiency that DeepScribe brings allows medical professionals to focus their talents and care on what matters most, the patient. Hospitals around Louisiana are using DeepScribe and empowering the healthcare system in the process.

In CenLA, known to locals as the area extending from Alexandria, Louisiana, Roy O. Martin Lumber is experimenting with AI to streamline the manufacturing process and identify areas of improvement. Praised in Manufacturing Today as an “industry leader,” the local company collaborates with SmartTech to ensure that productivity and quality are maximized. Recently garnering more national recognition in an interview with Government Technology, LSU professor Andrew Schwartz praised Roy. O Martin’s approach, “If you go to (lumber company) Roy O. Martin up in Alexandria, they’re even experimenting with AI around about forestry and forestation. What trees should they cut down? When should they cut them down? How should that work?” Roy O. Martin is setting a powerful example for other older industries, by embracing new technologies to improve outcomes.

The innovation and resilience of Louisiana is something worth celebrating, Mardi Gras season or not. With an ever growing number of AI restrictions and regulations proposed in state legislatures, it’s vital to recognize the technology for what it is: a powerful tool with wonderful potential. Rather than hampering progress in sectors from health to forestry, lawmakers should look to already existing legislation and the wisdom of the free market to reign in issues when they arise.

Links to Learn More:

These Smart Cameras Spot Wildfires Before They Spread – WSJ

Super Bowl AI – Pelican Policy

AI and Public Health Series: Introduction – R Street Institute