AI skills class to show how to pump up Tri-Cities economic competitiveness
Tri-City professionals looking to sharpen their repertoire with generative artificial intelligence (AI) skills should learn a good chunk at a new WSU Tri-Cities’ workshop.
The campus’ Cougar Tracks professional development program will host “Generative AI Essentials: Workplace Applications and Ethical Use” at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18.
Registration for the three-hour course will cost attendees $149, with limited seats available. It will be in the Elson S. Floyd Building.
The workshop will be led by a frequent STEM keynote speaker and advocate for women in tech, Neelam Chahlia, who works as a senior technical project manager at T-Mobile.
The Tri-Cities region is “on the cusp of transformative growth” if it embraces the new tech, says Michelle Hrycauk Nassif, director of Cougar Tracks.
“As industries adopt AI, our workforce must be ready to use these tools and use them wisely. By building AI fluency, we strengthen the region’s economic competitiveness,” Hrycauk Nassif said in a statement.
The workshop is open to professionals in business, education, human resources, compliance, marketing, project management and other sectors, according to a news release from the university.
Attendees of the in-person course will receive hands-on training in selecting AI tools — including Microsoft Copilot and ChatGPT — conducting prompts, addressing ethical considerations and creating organizational AI codes of conduct.
“AI is no longer a future skill, it’s a now skill,” Chahlia said in a statement. “Professionals who integrate AI strategically and ethically will be the ones driving innovation in the coming decades.”
Cougar Tracks is WSU Tri-Cities’ workforce training and continuing education program for students, organization leaders and small business owners.
It offers multiple courses on business fundamentals, viticulture, enology wine business management, and developing service skills.
