Working to strengthen Indiana’s businesses with artificial intelligence

By JACK RUSSELL
Guest Columnist

At the OneZone Chamber of Commerce, we aim to find innovative ways for our business community to thrive, especially regarding new technologies. We value positive change and strong business-centered initiatives here in Indiana.

Organizations like the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) have branded growth initiatives in Indiana to benefit the state’s digital innovation economy and impact local businesses. One of the most notable is their TechPoint initiative, which recently won stage one of the 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) for its plans to launch an AI innovator network for Indiana-based companies and organizations.

Many of our members have started utilizing AI technologies to increase efficiency and expand operations. As an example, AI has allowed small business owners to save money by identifying inefficiencies in their internal processes and reducing the costs and time needed for customer service requests.

They are not alone. TechPoint’s Vice President of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Chelsea Linder, noted that their internal research shows “rapid growth in exploration and adoption of AI in Indiana,” adding that she fully expects our community to be “part of the evolution of AI for business use.”

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Indiana was proudly home to more than 530,000 small businesses in 2022, employing close to 44 percent of Indiana’s workforce. Strengthening our small business community by embracing AI will be transformative for Indiana every Indiana resident and help support not just our current small businesses but future Indiana businesses and their teams.

Our chamber wants to foster an environment that supports and encourages small businesses to adopt cutting-edge technologies and practices. This approach will not only enhance the competitiveness of Indiana’s small businesses but also create new job opportunities and attract additional investments to the state. While small businesses continue to play a crucial role in Indiana, investing in innovation will ensure they remain capable of meeting the evolving needs of the market.

As a chamber, we host weekly community and chamber events that allow our community to utilize resources, connect with each other and drive solutions that are built during leadership opportunities. We are just one part of a broader movement that is driving meaningful change in order to create a thriving environment for everyone in Indiana. By working together and leveraging each other’s strengths, more people are recognizing that the success of our community is dependent on the businesses that allow it to prosper.

It’s critical that everyone here in Indiana understands the potential that AI tools hold for small businesses – the backbone of our country’s economy. We must come together and embrace AI for our futures.

Jack Russell serves as the President & CEO as OneZone Chamber.