What's next for AI in Alabama?

Yahoo

02-05-2025

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Artificial intelligence is just the beginning of a boom that is predicted to change life as we know it.
From Siri and Alexa, facial recognition on your phone, or GPS and navigation apps you use to get around. It wasn't long ago that AI was the stuff you would see in a science fiction movie. But it's prevalence and impact are growing at astounding rates.
Dr. Rubin Pillay is the chief innovation officer at Heersink School Of Medicine, and he sees AI as a game-changer. Not only for UAB, but for healthcare as a whole.
'I think there is an appreciation across the UAB ecosystem that AI is going to be transformative for us. Not just in medicine, but in healthcare, both clinical and non-clinical,' Pillay said.
Dr. Carlos Cardenas is the director of AI research and development at UAB's Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation. He showed CBS 42 an example of the aid AI provides for diagnosing diseases and allowing hospitals, like UAB, to do more with less.
'I think AI offers the tremendous opportunity in terms of improving the way that we manage patients. I think that's going to be the low-hanging fruit is just becoming more efficient, reducing costs, but also elevating the quality of care,' said Cardenas.
Another area where Dr. Pillay is optimistic about AI is in the development of drug discoveries.
'I think another really exciting space is AI-driven drug discovery, UAB has set up a unit to focus on that. And once again, I think the outcome of that is going to be a move towards personalized drugs and medication.'
Shegun Otulana is a founder who sold a company he started for more than a billion dollars. He's all in with AI.
'Very. And still in the early stages. In the same way that computers have permeated every aspect of our lives, AI is that next thing that's going to totally permeate every aspect of our lives,' he said.
After the sell of Therapy Brands in 2021, Otulana was looking for what's next. He landed on Copysmith AI, a company that offers a collection of AI-powered products. It helps companies produce high quality content across multiple communication channels.
'It is at the core of it. It's literally the whole business,' Otulana said.
Otulana is an alum of Birmingham Incubator Innovation Depot. CEO Brooke Gillis has seen an accelerated trend toward AI being an integral part of the DNA of the startups that call the depot home.
'I would say a year ago, you probably only had a handful of people actually using AI. Now it's a foundational thing that if you aren't using AI, you're gonna be left behind. It's essential,' said Gillis.
Austin Senseman is the co-founder of an AI community group called 'Birmingham AI.' A group that has seen an explosion of interest in the past six months. Senseman says the new reality is, having an AI component to start your start up is crucial to attracting investors.
'If you;re not talking about AI in your startup pitch, it's actually hard to raise money. So you see a lot of people finding ways to talk about AI and that's where the money is to be made the next few years,' Senseman concluded.
If you need more evidence on the future impact of AI here locaclly, UAB is offering a master's of science degree in artificial intelligence in medicine. UAB says the new offering is in direct response to the rapid increase in health care-related technological companies in Birmingham, and the state of Alabama.
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