Artificial intelligence has moved quickly from curiosity to reality. For community leaders, the uncertainty is real. Is AI a threat to local jobs? An opportunity for entrepreneurs? Or something leaders assume will matter somewhere else before it matters here?
The answer is simpler and more urgent. AI is already here. The only real choice is whether communities learn the way into it or react after the fact.
The first step is mindset. Communities need to build AI literacy before they attempt to build AI strategy. Too many leaders want a plan before they understand the terrain. That order doesn’t work. The goal isn’t expertise, it’s familiarity. Leaders, business owners and educators need shared understanding grounded in practical examples, not abstract.
Second, leaders should learn directly from innovators already using AI. In every community, there are founders and operators quietly using AI to move faster, make better decisions and stretch limited resources. These people aren’t outliers. They reflect where the market is already moving. Pulling them into the conversation early replaces fear with facts and speculation with experience.
Third, leaders need to use AI themselves, not as a technical exercise, but as a daily tool for drafting communications, summarizing reports and preparing for decisions. Firsthand use changes perspective and improves understanding.
Finally, communities should encourage small, visible experiments that are easy to start and easy to stop. For example, hands-on sessions that help small-business owners use AI for marketing or customer communication or encouraging local economic-development organizations to use AI to improve research and drive operating efficiency. These experiments lower risk, build confidence and turn individual learning into shared learning. The most important question afterward is simple. What did we learn?
Taken together, the message for community leaders is straightforward. This moment doesn’t require perfection or bold proclamations. It requires curiosity, participation and a willingness to learn. The emergence of AI will reward communities willing to learn and strain those that wait.
John Moore is a principal with Momenteum Strategies, an Upstate-based consulting firm specializing in helping communities and their economic development organizations build thriving, impactful innovation ecosystems.
