Mississippi, long shaped by economic and infrastructural challenges, continues to face one of the nation’s highest poverty rates, with about one in five residents living below the poverty line. Today, however, the state is positioning itself for revitalization through artificial intelligence (AI). Driving this effort is the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network (MAIN), the first statewide AI initiative in the United States. Big tech companies such as Intel, AWS, and NVIDIA have partnered with MAIN to upskill and reskill Mississippi’s workforce in AI. We asked Dr. Kollin Napier, Director of MAIN, about the background and goals of the initiative and the impact of these partnerships on the state’s economy.