Mid-South Momentum on Display as Nearly 200 Gather for AI + Cybersecurity Conference 2026
Leaders from industry, government, higher education, and research came together at the FedEx Institute of Technology to move the conversation from AI’s possibilities to its real-world impact
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how organizations work, compete, and prepare for the future. Last week, nearly 200 people gathered at the University of Memphis to explore an increasingly important question: How can the Mid-South turn this moment of technological change into lasting opportunity?
The 2026 AI + Cybersecurity Conference, held Aug. 27 at the FedEx Institute of Technology (FIT), brought together leaders and experts from business, government, higher education, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, technology and research for a full day of conversations about artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the infrastructure and partnerships needed to support both.
Hosted by FIT and 901 AI, the third annual conference centered on the theme “Mid-South Momentum: Accelerating the Mid-South’s Competitiveness in the Global AI Economy.”
With approximately 200 attendees, this year’s conference reflected both the growing interest in artificial intelligence and the expanding community of people and organizations working to position Memphis and the Mid-South for what comes next.
Moving AI from Possibility to Practice
Rather than focusing simply on what artificial intelligence may eventually be able to do, the conference explored what organizations are experiencing now—how AI is being implemented, where it is creating value, what barriers remain and what businesses and communities need to prepare for its continued growth.
Throughout the day, panelists brought perspectives from multiple sectors to conversations about practical AI deployment, cybersecurity, infrastructure and computing capacity, workforce needs, healthcare and regulated industries, research collaboration and regional competitiveness.
That diversity was intentional.
AI is no longer solely a technology issue. Its impact increasingly extends into how companies operate, how researchers make discoveries, how healthcare is delivered, how products are manufactured, how governments serve citizens and how employees across nearly every profession approach their work.
Bringing those perspectives together allowed attendees to hear not only about individual applications of AI, but also about the common challenges organizations face as adoption accelerates.
Building a Regional AI Research Ecosystem
The conference also placed a spotlight on collaboration among universities across the Mid-South.
During a session focused on the Mid-South AI Research Consortium, Dr. Jasbir Dhaliwal, executive vice president for Research & Innovation at the University of Memphis; Dr. Jessica Snowden, vice chancellor for Research at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center; and Dr. John Higginbotham, vice chancellor for Research and Economic Development at the University of Mississippi, discussed how institutions across the region can combine research expertise, talent, technology and industry partnerships to build a stronger AI innovation ecosystem.
The conversation underscored an important theme of the conference: the Mid-South’s ability to compete in the rapidly expanding AI economy will depend not only on technology and infrastructure, but also on the strength of the partnerships connecting universities, industry and government.
By working across institutional and state boundaries, the region has an opportunity to expand research capabilities, attract and develop talent, pursue larger collaborative initiatives and translate new discoveries into economic and societal impact.
Innovation, Trust and the Future of Healthcare
One panel brought the AI conversation into healthcare, medical devices, and other highly regulated environments, where the potential benefits of innovation must be carefully balanced with safety, privacy, trust and regulatory requirements.
Experts from organizations including Medtronic, Baptist Health Sciences University, Epicenter Memphis, and Sware, along with additional industry expertise, explored what responsible AI adoption looks like when technology is being introduced into environments where the stakes are especially high.
The discussion reflected a challenge facing organizations across sectors: moving quickly enough to take advantage of AI innovation while putting the appropriate safeguards, governance and human oversight in place.
For healthcare and medical technology in particular, AI offers significant opportunities—but realizing those benefits requires maintaining confidence in the systems, data and decisions behind the technology.
A Statewide Perspective on What's Next
The day culminated with keynote speaker Kristin Darby, Chief Information Officer for the State of Tennessee, who brought a statewide perspective to the opportunities, challenges and infrastructure shaping the future of artificial intelligence.
Her participation connected the day's discussions in Memphis to the broader work underway across Tennessee as government, higher education and industry consider how AI will affect services, workforce needs, technology investments and economic competitiveness.
The keynote reinforced one of the conference's central messages: preparing for an AI-driven future will require collaboration.
No single company, university, government agency, or community can build the necessary research capacity, workforce, infrastructure and responsible-use frameworks alone. The opportunity lies in connecting those strengths.
Creating Connections Beyond the Conference
Perhaps the clearest measure of the conference's success was the breadth of the community assembled in one place.
Researchers sat alongside technology executives. Healthcare and manufacturing leaders exchanged ideas with AI specialists. Government representatives joined conversations with university faculty, entrepreneurs, students and industry partners.
Those connections are an important part of the conference's purpose.
The FedEx Institute of Technology serves as a bridge between the University's research and innovation capabilities and the broader community. Events such as the AI + Cybersecurity Conference create opportunities to bring those communities together—not simply to discuss emerging technology, but to identify potential collaborations, share expertise and develop relationships that can continue long after the event concludes.
With nearly 200 people participating this year, the response demonstrated the appetite for those connections and for practical, cross-sector conversations about AI's rapidly evolving role.
It also reflected something larger happening across the region.
Memphis and the Mid-South are home to growing AI infrastructure, research expertise, industry investment, and a workforce increasingly engaging with emerging technologies. The challenge now is connecting those assets in ways that create broader opportunities for research, innovation, workforce development and economic growth. The 2026 AI + Cybersecurity Conference demonstrated what can happen when those communities come together.
The technology may be moving quickly, but so is the Mid-South.
If you are interested in being a part of next year’s event, contact us at fedex@memphis.edu.