- The first of a 4-part series on AI in Mississippi shows the magnitude of artificial intelligence, its rapid transformation, and legislation needed to be at the forefront of ‘a new digital species.’
Chris Chism kicked off an AI presentation at the Capitol by jamming cell phones and disconnecting everyone from the Wi-Fi network.
“That’s usually an attention getter,” said Chism, a superintendent with Pearl School District. He demonstrated Flipper Zero, a device capable of scanning phones, intercepting car unlock signals and garage door openers, disrupting Wi-Fi networks, and impersonating them to capture data.
“It’s a little bit scary at first, especially when you see what these devices can do,” he added.
Chism was the first of eight speakers discussing AI implications to 18 lawmakers who comprise the Senate and House Technology Committees, along with several dozen interested participants, during two days of technology hearings held in mid-September.
“AI can be used the wrong way and the right way,” Chism said. “AI is coming like a freight train, and Mississippi can be on the front end of this movement.”
With Mississippi as one of 20 states yet to pass AI legislation, Senate and House Technology Committee Chairs are working to understand the implications.
“We can’t quite get our arms around AI yet,” admitted Senator Bart Williams (R), Chair of the Senate Technology Committee and owner of Security Solutions and Communications Inc. Williams lined up the technology hearings program. “Honestly, as we go forward, the greater minds that are at the table, the better legislation we produce. We want to be cautious as we go.”
Rep. Jill Ford (R-Madison), Chair of the House Technology Committee and a broker/realtor with Ford & Company LLC, said the range of perspectives from experts surprised her.
“While we all understand AI’s incredible potential, hearing concerns about its ethical implications, job displacement, and even its impact on privacy was eye-opening,” said Ford. “It’s clear we need to balance innovation with responsible governance.”
By using AI the right way, Chism has shaved 30 to 40 percent off his time in his superintendent role.
“By building ChatGPTs for the chores that take time, I get my work done extremely fast,” he explained. “For example, RFP drafting is usually a three-day process between my CFO and me. Now an RFP can be drafted in less than 10 to 15 minutes. I’ve created a grant writer that will seek out approved research grants, find a similar grant, and create a grant based on that. People just don’t realize how smart these programs are and the things they can do to make you more efficient, no matter what job you’re in.
“This is why I’m able to go out and do all these other things,” said Chism, who has given 88 AI presentations in the last 11 months. “I’ve got a fabulous board that understands the bigger picture.”
The evolution of AI began with rules-based systems in the 1950s In November 2022, ChatGPT became the first publicly available language model within AI.
“We’re on the precipice of the fifth generation of AI, which will have reasoning capabilities and can perform human tasks,” said Chism.
Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Inflection AI, and one of the 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024, predicted AI will become a new digital species.
“We’re at an inflection point that’s going to change humanity as we know it,” said Chism. “And I tend to agree with him. The question is why? They communicate in all languages. They have a working memory, a personality, creativity, and can formulate plans and act autonomously if we allow it.”
Artificial general intelligence, super intelligence, and self-aware AI, which would perform tasks quicker and more efficiently than humans, represent future AI evolution.
At what point could AI decide to eliminate humanity?
“They call it achieving singularity, where AI has perfect knowledge and can then take over the world,” said a high-ranking state official. “It really can’t. The thing we tend to forget is these computers can’t plug themselves in. All you do is shut the power off.”
Right now, 28 companies in the U.S. are working on self-driving vehicle technology, including Wabi, with an emphasis on the impact of delivery services and the use of drones. Also on the drawing board: extended cloud computing, virtual care interfaces (VCIs), enhanced 3D printing, biometric technology (no more passwords; facial recognition and retina scans instead), quantum computing, robotics, large language models (LLMs), and much more.
“When I went to Washington (DC) and spoke to people from all over the country, very few were using ChatGPT’s full capabilities,” said Chism. “Very few.”
What’s Chism’s end game with AI? “To do something we’ve never done in education very well: predictive analytics,” he said. “I want to take as many data points as possible for students, going back 12 years, and put them into a model. Track backwards, and we could script much improved individualized plans for schoolchildren, starting at the middle school level with better accuracy. Across the board of all industries, the possibilities for improved efficiency are limitless.”
At the hearings’ conclusion, the magnitude of the AI realm surprised Williams.
“We need to understand how to best embrace AI, how to create policy around it, and how to protect our people against it,” he said.
The second of a 4-part series on AI in Mississippi, slated to run on Sunday, Oct. 20, will explore AI legislation globally and domestically. The third part will focus on business input; the fourth part will cover potential legislative action for Mississippi in 2025.
Lynne Jeter
