New AI center and lab opening in Greenwood

FOX23

By Fox23.com News Staff

TULSA, Okla. — A new AI center and lab is opening in the Greenwood District.

Black Tech Street, Microsoft, Tulsa Innovation Labs, the Tulsa Economic Development Corporation, and SeedAI partnered to bring the Greenwood AI Center of Excellence to Tulsa.

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The center, also known as G-ACE, is located inside the Greenwood Entrepreneurship at Moton building. The historic building is home to the Greenwood Cyber + AI Co-Innovation Lab and Black Tech Street’s headquarters.

“To have this open here, where it is, the way it opened, it’s the most monumental day in Black Tech Street’s history so far,” said Tyrance Billingsley II, Founder and CEO of Black Tech Street.

G-ACE will be a part of Black Tech Street’s ASPIRE program, which is focused on community-wide AI fluency, innovation, and economic readiness.

“We’ll be administering our ASPIRE program which will be able to help both kids and people in general become fluent in using artificial intelligence for tangible benefit. [The lab upstairs] will have state-of-the-art AI technology and Microsoft employees that can work with start-ups, community members, enterprises or whoever else to build AI solutions to help their companies scale, help the city solve problems, and help the education system,” said Billingsley.

Officials said the center will be a big step in solidifying Tulsa’s place in the AI industry.

“What Black Tech Street and Microsoft are doing here today solidifies our position and our promise to this community that we will be at the forefront of AI, cyber, and innovation for the long haul,” said Jennifer Hankins, Managing Director of Tulsa Innovation Labs.

Hankins added that G-ACE will be a physical place that Tulsans can experience AI, bringing it from conversation to reality.

“Tulsans should be able to expect access. No longer hearing about AI, worrying about AI—come and learn about it and engage with it, and build tools to drive your future forward. So it’s no longer a conversation, it’s now a place. A place that we can access these things and a place where we can innovate in a serious way,” said Hankins.

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