Tulsa Entrepreneur Speaks Before Congress On AI Technology

A Tulsa entrepreneur is sharing his expertise on tech and artificial intelligence with lawmakers in Washington D.C.

The founder of Black Tech Street is back home after testifying at a U.S. Senate hearing on how AI will affect the workplace. The discussions in D.C. come as President Biden signs an Executive order requiring safety and security standards on Artificial Intelligence.

Most people have heard of AI systems like chat GPT that can create an endless list of content seemingly out of nowhere.

Tyrance Billingsley, founder of Tulsa's Black Tech Street, says this is just the beginning with AI on a fast track to change the world.

"Anytime a new technology comes out, it's like 'oh, I got a new tool' Imagine if the quote-on-quote tool was a brain that can think as well as you can or maybe even better," says Billingsley.

AI is creating as many questions as it’s answering right now, and that's why Billingsley was invited to testify at a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on how AI will affect the workplace.

"You don't have very many times to get it right before it becomes a serious problem, so, ya know, the reference and initial framework is more important than it's ever been," he says.

Billingsley says more important than the technology itself, is the social implementation of it, especially as it relates to people of color.

"AI is just going to pour gasoline on everything we already are, so if we've got broken social systems and dynamics, it's just going to shatter everything, but if we've got things built the right way, it's going to lead to an abundance of prosperity."

His time in Washington made Billingsley realize how important this work is.

"Being in that room showed that this isn't for glitz and glam, this a Manhattan project level type of thing that we have to tackle, and we have to tackle it pretty quickly," he says.

Billingsley says he'll soon be hosting an event here in Tulsa to help demonstrate the many uses of AI and how people can get involved.