BALTIMORE - Marylandian -- Artificial intelligence is transforming every sector of the American economy. From healthcare and finance to defense, education, and government, AI is reshaping the skills workers need to compete.  The challenge is no longer simply adopting new technologies; it is preparing people for the jobs those technologies are creating.

To help address that challenge, Career Communications Group announced the launch of AI NEXTGEN America Conference & Futurist Awards, a new national workforce transformation conference to be held October 9-10, 2026, at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Built around the theme "The Future Is Hiring," AI NEXTGEN America is designed to connect employer demand with workforce preparation through a demand-driven hiring and training model. Rather than beginning with existing educational programs, the conference begins by asking employers what skills they need, what occupations are growing, and how education, training providers, workforce organizations, and government can prepare people for those opportunities.

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"Artificial intelligence is changing the nature of work across every industry," said Tyrone D. Taborn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Career Communications Group. "The question is not whether jobs will change. They already are. The question is whether we are preparing workers, students, educators, and employers to succeed in this new economy. AI NEXTGEN America is about building those pathways."

The conference reflects a growing recognition that many students and professionals have had limited formal exposure to artificial intelligence or next-generation technologies, even as employers increasingly seek those capabilities. AI NEXTGEN America expands Career Communications Group's longstanding workforce development mission by incorporating the legacy and leadership of the Women of Color STEM Conference and Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology into a broader national initiative focused on workforce readiness for the AI era.

Over two days, participants will engage in signature programs including the National Workforce Summit, Demand-Side Hiring Forum, National Career Expo, Future Skills Institute, Teacher Workforce Institute, Veterans Workforce Forum, Innovation Festival, and the Futurist Awards, highlighted by the presentation of the Futurist of the Year and the Technologist of the Year, the conference's highest honors.

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Industry forums will examine how AI and next-generation technologies are reshaping workforce needs across healthcare, financial technology, cybersecurity, energy, data centers, advanced manufacturing, maritime and shipbuilding, digital infrastructure, and entertainment technologies.

Maryland was selected to host the inaugural conference because of its concentration of world-class universities, federal laboratories, cybersecurity leadership, healthcare institutions, defense industries, technology companies, and innovation ecosystem, positioning the state to lead the national conversation on workforce transformation.
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