When a group of leaders from some of the state's most notable organizations, from health care to tourism to manufacturing, gathered online last week to talk about emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, there was one core consensus: it is changing the way nearly everyone does business.
The panel was part of the online 2026 Economic Outlook and Jobs Solutions Summit, hosted by the Florida Chamber Foundation. Panelists included Visit Florida CEO Brian Griffin; First Coast Manufacturers Association President Lake Ray, based in Jacksonville; Lindsay Shaw, associate administrator at Mayo Clinic, also based in Jacksonville; and Boeing senior manager of state and local government operations Mike Farrow.
A sampling of the comments and perspectives from the panel includes:
- Shaw believes AI will "transition in 2026 from being something that is more purely an experimental endeavor to something that is more defaulted and embedded in our everyday." She’s already seen AI applied in ways that minimizes administrative burdens for staff, allowing them to focus on clinical workflows and patient care instead and eliminating capacity constraints that have long plagued the industry. “We really need to think through innovations, whether that’s AI or not, and innovations that really demonstrate measurable and real value for our patients, and not just a technological promise,” Shaw says.
- Griffin says the ability to harvest more data online will transform the way the tourism industry uses its marketing dollars to attract more visitors to the nation’s top domestic tourism destination. The organization is already working with several partners to increase its online presence while also tracking how marketing campaigns influence its audience. It's also reached out to its local partner agencies and county tourism bureaus throughout the state to share its data mining abilities in a sort of “co-op opportunity,” Griffin says. For him, advanced AI technologies are serving more of an accountability role for his profession.
“The public funds our activities and we are accountable to the public to bring them economic activity and the benefits of tourism,” Griffin says. “We want to make sure that we’re utilizing the latest technology to be as accountable as possible, as responsible as possible and as effective as possible with our marketing dollars.”
- Ray, like many others in many other fields says the biggest challenge coming with AI is the unknowns. “It’s going to be a very exciting time, and it’s going to be a very challenging time,” Ray says. “It’s going to be challenging to our manufacturers in terms of, how do you use these platforms? And then you’ve got the secondary part, which I think is of equal concern, and that’s the workforce itself.”
New developments like 3-D printing, adds Ray, have all but eliminated the need for many manufacturers to order specific parts or materials and wait for them to arrive in the mail. Now they can be rendered with the push of a button, bringing more certainty to the supply chain.
The flip side: with new advancements comes the need for new regulations, Ray says. For 2026, the federal government has issued 450,000 new regulations for manufacturing, he says.
- Aerospace and engineering companies, says Farrow, should expect to be flexible in the coming year when it comes to investing in new technologies, especially in areas like autonomous flight. “If we want to continue to be prepared and we want our industry to continue to grow we have to look at these emerging opportunities and make sure we’re at the forefront,” he says.
