Executive Summary
Mississippi launched the AI Innovation Hub (the Hub) to answer a question facing every state: how
can government adopt artificial intelligence responsibly and at scale when the expertise, data,
business knowledge, and workforce required are scattered across many organizations? Rather
than fund another isolated pilot, ITS built a standing, cross-boundary operating model. Led by ITS
and joined by AWS and the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network (MAIN), the nation’s first
statewide AI initiative, the Hub connects state agencies, universities, and student teams around
real agency problems. Agencies contribute operational use cases; universities organize and
supervise student teams; AWS provides technical mentorship; MAIN provides connections to
Mississippi’s broader AI ecosystem and higher education partners; and ITS supplies a secure cloud
sandbox, governance, and coordination.
The model lets an agency test an AI solution in a 6-8 week sprint instead of committing to a costly,
multi-year procurement before a concept is proven, while building an AI-ready workforce and
giving Mississippi graduates a reason to build their careers in state government. A statewide AI
inventory had already shown adoption emerging unevenly (98 entities responded; roughly half
reported at least one AI use), creating real risk of duplicated pilots and inconsistent safeguards.
The Hub converts that risk into a governed pipeline that aligns governance, cybersecurity,
procurement, privacy, and workforce goals.
The Hub’s first proof-of-concept (PoC), Procurii, shows the pathway end to end: a student-built
procurement-knowledge tool that ITS is now moving into production, with the original students
hired as contractors. That progression illustrates the Hub’s core value: it is not merely a showcase
model; it is a bridge between ideas and operational modernization. It allows Mississippi to identify
promising solutions, validate them with agency partners, and create a path for continued
development when a concept proves useful. Since its February 2026 launch, the Hub has engaged
17 student teams from three institutions across 10 use cases from six agencies. The result is a
repeatable, public-private model that strengthens government capacity, workforce readiness, and
responsible AI adoption at the same time through one integrated, statewide public-private
collaboration.
