How to capitalize on AI is one of the challenges facing businesses, educators and government leaders.
During an IDEA Week panel Wednesday, TayCo Brace CEO and Founder Gavin Ferlic said AI is currently the dominant topic for his business. “We’re utilizing it in marketing, some of our business intelligence, but it’s also interesting, right? How do you, with a physical product, use AI as a tool?” Ferlic asked.
It’s also a topic explored by higher education. South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership President and CEO Bethany Hartley said the Lilly Endowment is making funding available to help colleges prepare students for AI, while Notre Dame has gotten funding to study AI ethics.
“The reality is this is here, this is now, and how do you make opportunities out of it?” Hartley added.
But the data centers that make AI possible continue to draw concern from some residents and local officials. This week, a South Bend Common Council member called for a 12-month moratorium, and the Marshall County Commissioners expanded their moratorium into an outright ban.
Marshall County Plan Director Nicholas Witwer said data centers require lots of land and power, but don’t bring many jobs or other benefits. “From a planning perspective, these things are moving way too fast, and there are just too many unknowns to properly write an ordinance for them right now, for our county and for, I guess, kind of the wishes of the citizens of the county,” Witwer told the commissioners during Monday's meeting.
But at Wednesday’s panel, South Bend Mayor James Mueller said communities can’t replace the revenue potential that data centers offer. "Now, we think there’s this menu of options, but we’ve got to be realistic about what those options are," Mueller said. "And data centers and AI are going to be a driving force of the future economy."
Mueller noted that data centers are experiencing growth, while many other industries aren’t. “So if we don’t seize the moment, we’re saying no to future jobs,” he added.
The mayor said the resources that come with data centers could even help South Bend make progress on its climate plan. The city’s Office of Sustainability saw a 70-percent budget cut this year, due to Indiana’s property and income tax reform, along with the end of some federal programs.
“There is no necessary correlation between these data centers and an issue with reaching our climate goals,” Mueller told WVPE.
He said he’d like to see more state and federal regulations to ensure the use of clean energy.
Still, many people wouldn’t want a data center in their backyard, raising the question of where it is they should go. Mueller said it’s probably a balance: close enough to be economically useful but far enough to avoid disrupting residents’ daily lives.
"We can’t throw all these resources and infrastructure away from all the people, but they shouldn’t be right on top of people," Mueller told WVPE. "Just like any sort of industrial use shouldn’t necessarily be right on top of a neighborhood."
During Wednesday’s panel, Mueller said he sees tremendous opportunities with AI. He thinks it could democratize knowledge the same way social media has democratized communication. But he admits there are also potential pitfalls. He hopes to see more guardrails from the federal government.
