PITTSBURGH — A group of industry and economic development leaders have joined forces to form the AI Strike Team, a 24-month initiative focused on making strategic asks for the region.
The group will be led by executive director Joanna Doven, who had been heavily involved in the AI Avenue initiative in Bakery Square and the AI Horizons Pittsburgh Summit that took place there last year. Other members include RIDC CEO Don Smith, Lovelace AI CEO and former Google AI Cloud director Andrew Moore, Magarac Venture Partners Founder Jay Katarincic and Nvidia Federal Senior AI Strategist Shane Shaneman.
“It feels like the decision makers, business leaders, government and industry are all drinking from the fire hose and more than ever have to be nimble and adapt and have their ears to the ground and really have to cooperate together,” Doven said. “The cooperation could not be more important than in 2025 when economies are rapidly changing, when regions who win and lose are being written in real time.”
The team is planning key initiatives, including an “Operation Stargate Pittsburgh,” an effort to prepare sites and resources for possible data centers. Despite not having an immediate direct connection to the $500 billion Stargate initiative announced by Softbank and President Donald Trump last week, Doven said the group is “focused on being ahead of the puck” to potentially secure future investment. Other focus areas include planning a second AI Horizons Summit and a nationwide recruitment drive to bring businesses to the city.
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