First annual conference and Futurist Awards will connect employers, talent and training systems at the Baltimore Convention Center
(BALTIMORE — August 3, 2026) — Artificial intelligence is changing how America works. Now, a major new workforce conference is coming to Baltimore to help ensure that employers, educators and workers are prepared for what comes next.
The inaugural AI NEXTGEN America Conference and Futurist Awards will take place October 9–10, 2026, at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Presented by Career Communications Group and powered by STEM City USA, the two-day gathering is projected to attract more than 1,000 attendees, 50 exhibitors and leaders from industries shaping America’s AI economy.
Its message is direct: The Future Is Hiring.
AI NEXTGEN America is designed to be more than another technology conference. It is a workforce execution platform connecting employers, talent and training systems to accelerate hiring, reskilling and workforce mobility.
“Technology is the catalyst. Workforce is the focus. Hiring is the outcome.”
Artificial intelligence is transforming the structure of work across nearly every industry. While much of the public conversation has focused on the technology itself, AI NEXTGEN America is turning attention toward the people, skills and workforce systems required to compete in this rapidly changing economy.
The challenge is no longer simply whether organizations will adopt artificial intelligence. The challenge is whether America’s workforce will be ready.
Connecting Workforce Strategy to Hiring
The conference will bring several interconnected programs under one roof.
The National Workforce Summit will feature executive-level sessions examining employer demand, workforce strategy, talent pipelines, skills development and national competitiveness.
The Demand-Side Hiring Forum will give employers an opportunity to define their actual workforce needs—including hiring priorities, emerging occupations and required skills. Those needs can then be connected directly to educators, training organizations and talent-development systems.
For job seekers, students, veterans and professionals, the National Career Expo will provide direct access to employers and workforce partners. The goal is to move beyond conversation and create opportunities for recruiting, hiring and long-term pipeline development.
The Innovation Festival will demonstrate how emerging technologies are being applied across major industries while highlighting the skills workers will need to participate in those industries.
Together, these components create a coordinated platform that moves from identifying workforce demand to training, talent engagement and hiring.
Expected outcomes include activated hiring pipelines, better-aligned training pathways, direct employer-to-talent engagement and workforce-development partnerships that continue well beyond the conference.
Building Talent Across Critical Industries
AI NEXTGEN America will focus on sectors driving technological advancement, economic growth and national competitiveness, including:
- Advanced manufacturing and robotics
- Energy and infrastructure
- Cloud computing, AI infrastructure and semiconductors
- Healthcare and life sciences
- Financial services and FinTech
- Cybersecurity and digital systems
- Maritime, defense and shipbuilding
- Media, entertainment and digital production
The broad industry focus reflects a central reality: artificial intelligence is not limited to technology companies. It is changing healthcare, banking, energy, manufacturing, defense, media and virtually every other part of the economy.
That transformation makes workforce readiness a national imperative.
Recognizing the Leaders Shaping the Future
The conference will also host the first AI NEXTGEN America Futurist Awards, featuring 18 honors recognizing individuals and organizations advancing innovation, workforce development and national competitiveness.
The program’s top distinctions will include Futurist of the Year and Technologist of the Year®, honoring exceptional leadership at the intersection of technological advancement, workforce impact and national competitiveness.
Additional awards will recognize achievement in industry, education, community development, workforce advancement and emerging innovation.
Nominations are now being accepted for leaders and organizations helping define the future of work in the AI economy.
Baltimore at the Center of the Conversation
Hosting AI NEXTGEN America in Baltimore places the city at the center of one of the most important economic and workforce conversations of this generation.
Baltimore and Maryland are home to leading universities, healthcare institutions, defense operations, cybersecurity organizations, government agencies, manufacturers and technology companies. The conference offers an opportunity to connect those assets to a broader national strategy for AI workforce development.
Founding support for the first annual conference and awards has been provided in part by the Maryland Department of Labor, Bank of America Charitable Foundation and Steward Family Foundation.
The initiative has also received generous support from Linda Gooden and Laird Lott; Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski III and Jacqueline Hrabowski; Dr. Lydia Thomas; and William Albright.
Employers, educators, workforce-development organizations, students, veterans, professionals and community leaders are invited to participate.
Attendees can register for the conference, organizations can explore sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, and the public can nominate deserving leaders for national recognition.
This is more than an event decision. It is an investment in the workforce, economic mobility and America’s future competitiveness.
AI NEXTGEN America Conference and Futurist Awards
October 9–10, 2026
Baltimore Convention Center
Baltimore, Maryland
Presented by Career Communications Group
Powered by STEM City USA
For registration, sponsorship, exhibiting and award-nomination information, click here.
The Future Is Hiring. Building America’s AI Workforce.
