NE North Dakota News

The University of North Dakota (UND), in collaboration with IEEE-USA, hosted the Innovation, Workforce and Research Conference (IWRC) on AI & Autonomy at the Memorial Union in Grand Forks. The event, held on September 10, brought together leaders from government, industry, and academia to discuss the evolving role of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems in defense, industry, and society.

A highlight of the summit was a Fireside Chat between UND President Andrew Armacost and Phillip Smith, program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office. According to Wikipedia, DARPA has contributed to numerous technological advancements including GPS, drones, stealth technology, voice interfaces, personal computers, and the internet.

During their discussion, Smith addressed the challenges of designing autonomous systems that align with human intent. “Machines are supposed to be serving humans, and humans don’t even know what they want — that’s a really hard thing,” Smith said. Armacost emphasized UND’s position as a center for aerospace and technology innovation by connecting research efforts with workforce development to meet national strategic needs.

The conference agenda included remarks from U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer about North Dakota's involvement in national defense and technology policy. Eric Lam from the Air Force Research Laboratory spoke about collaborative research initiatives spanning hypersonics, microelectronics, energetics, and space domain awareness. Panel discussions covered topics such as air and space autonomy; ground autonomy; education and workforce development; and small business issues. Experts from organizations like MITRE Corporation—a nonprofit managing federally funded research centers—Kratos Defense, Grand Farm, Northrop Grumman, and the Small Business Administration participated in these panels.

Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski highlighted local efforts to build an AI-focused ecosystem during his address at the event.

In recognition of automation’s growing significance for economic development in North Dakota—including sectors like agriculture—the state officially designated September 8–13 as Autonomy Week. The IWRC summit served as its main event. Attendees were also invited to Autonomous Nation 2025 hosted by Grand Farm on September 11 focusing on agricultural uses of autonomous technology.

Participants represented small businesses; federal agencies; research universities; major industry players such as Northrop Grumman; and startup accelerators like gener8tor 1889. Conversations centered not only on technological advances but also on workforce training opportunities for engaging small businesses in AI-related fields.

Mark Askelson—UND associate vice president for Research — National Security—closed out the summit by stating: “By bringing together stakeholders from government, industry and academia, this summit will spark new partnerships, shape national policy and prepare the workforce for an AI- and autonomy-driven future.”

IEEE is recognized as one of the largest technical professional organizations dedicated to advancing technology globally.