In AI We Trust?
AI Literacy Series Ep. 14: Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and Heartland Forward President Angie Cooper
In AI We Trust?
•December 2, 2025•47 min
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In AI We Trust?•Dec 2, 2025
Key Takeaways
- •Chattanooga launches AI Literacy Initiative to empower communities
- •Mayor Kelly uses AI for traffic, broadband, workforce development
- •Heartland Forward created bipartisan AI Caucus targeting 20 Heartland states
- •Surveys show 68% want AI learning, Gen Z usage high
- •AI-driven traffic lights use LiDAR, cameras, V2X pilot projects
Pulse Analysis
In this episode of In AI We Trust, Equal AI’s Miriam Vogel introduces the AI Literacy Initiative, a three‑pronged effort to demystify artificial intelligence for citizens, educators, and local leaders. The program gathers global best‑practice resources, conducts interviews with innovators, and launches a traveling event series that spotlights how midsize cities can become AI‑ready. By pairing community‑driven conversations with concrete tools, the initiative seeks to transform fear into informed opportunity, positioning AI as a catalyst for economic growth and social equity.
Mayor Tim Kelly of Chattanooga explains how his entrepreneurial background drives a competitive, market‑oriented approach to public service. Leveraging the city’s municipal fiber network, his administration has deployed AI‑powered traffic management, real‑time congestion reduction, and emissions cuts, illustrating how smart‑city technology can boost productivity and quality of life. Parallel to these municipal advances, Heartland Forward’s President Angie Cooper details the bipartisan AI Caucus, which unites state and local leaders across twenty Heartland states to align broadband infrastructure with AI policy, ensuring that the region’s third‑largest economy can compete nationally. Their combined focus on infrastructure, policy alignment, and workforce development underscores the strategic importance of AI for regional competitiveness.
Survey data discussed in the conversation reveal a rapid shift in public sentiment: 68% of respondents now want to learn more about AI, while 40% of Gen Z users engage daily with tools like ChatGPT, yet only a fraction receive formal education. Both guests stress the urgency of integrating AI curricula in schools and employer training programs, arguing that without proactive education, a generation risks being left behind. The episode highlights practical examples—from LiDAR‑enhanced intersections to V2X vehicle communication pilots—demonstrating how tangible AI projects can serve as templates for other mid‑size and rural communities aiming to bridge the digital divide and foster inclusive economic growth.
Episode Description
From November 11-12, 2025, EqualAI and Heartland Forward organized a convening with Mayor Tim Kelly of Chattanooga, Tennessee focused on AI in education and the workforce. The event brought together approximately 60 leaders from the City of Chattanooga and across the State of Tennessee to examine how AI is reshaping the education and jobs landscape and discuss the risks and opportunities of integrating AI into schools and workplaces. In Chattanooga, EqualAI President and CEO Miriam Vogel sat down with Mayor Kelly and Heartland Forward President Angie Cooper for a podcast recording of In AI We Trust? During the discussion, Mayor Kelly discussed real-world examples of how the City of Chattanooga is using AI in practical ways to help improve everyday quality of life for city residents, and Angie shared about how her organization, a “think-and-do-tank,” has launched the first-ever Heartland AI Caucus. Learn about all this and much more in this latest episode!
Show Notes
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