AI Horizons Highlights | Bakery Square, Pittsburgh

September 16, 2025

At the AI Horizons Summit, held last week at Bakery Square, leaders across technology, energy, finance, healthcare, and public policy came together to showcase why Pittsburgh is leading the charge in the AI revolution. With all the right components along Penn Avenue, now commonly referred to as AI Avenue, we're embracing AI and all that it has to offer.

This year’s summit wasn’t just a gathering of thought leaders — it was a live demonstration of how AI is being deployed right now to create jobs, transform industries, and shape the future of our economy. It also answered the question: why Pittsburgh?

From major announcements and visionary keynotes to startup pitches and technical panels, here’s a recap of the conversations, collaborations, and commitments that made this year’s event one for the history books.

Kicking Off With Innovation: The Forge AI Pitch Competition

On Wednesday evening, seven finalists took the stage for the Forge AI Pitch Competition. Each team pitched their deployment-ready AI solutions to a panel of Pennsylvania’s top industry leaders, competing for a $100,000 prize to help scale their ideas.

The grand prize, announced by Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, went to Surface Design Solutions, whose innovative technology is set to change the game for applied AI innovation and industrial growth in Pennsylvania.

Public and Private Leaders Align to Drive Growth

One of the major themes of this year’s summit was the alignment between public investment and private innovation.

Governor Josh Shapiro joined Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian, BNY CEO Robin Vince, and Westinghouse Electric Company CEO Dan Sumner for a dynamic conversation about positioning Pennsylvania as a global hub for AI.

Governor Shapiro highlighted how deliberate investments are already paying off:

AI access is expanding to all qualifying state employees after pilot programs saved an average of 95 minutes per worker each day.
The state is laying the groundwork for AI-driven economic growth, from data center infrastructure to workforce training programs.
Recent collaborations have brought “the largest capital investment in the history of Pennsylvania” into play — a testament to Pittsburgh’s growing influence in the tech world.

As Governor Shapiro put it,

“The revolution that is coming with AI is going to be a revolution much like others — agriculture, industrial — and its roots are firmly planted right here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Major Announcements: Big Moves from Industry Titans

Several high-profile announcements underscored just how much momentum AI is generating in Pittsburgh:

BNY revealed a $10 million agreement with CMU to launch the BNY AI Lab, combining world-class research with practical applications to accelerate AI deployment in the financial sector.
Google Launches Pennsylvania AI Accelerator for Small Businesses - Governor Shapiro joined Grow with Google to announce a statewide program offering free AI resources for small businesses. This includes:
- Hands-on AI workshops
- Google AI & Prompting Essentials courses
- Google Career Certificates to upskill teams
- The program kicked off with 50 participating businesses and is poised to expand across Pennsylvania.
Westinghouse Electric Company announced new ways it’s using AI to accelerate next-generation nuclear energy solutions, a move critical to powering the data-driven future.

From Research to Real-World Deployment

A subject discussed a lot throughout the summit was bridging the gap between groundbreaking AI research and real-world deployment.

Carnegie Mellon University remains at the forefront of this effort, with leaders like Zico Kolter, Head of Machine Learning at CMU, emphasizing how AI can be leveraged to enhance science, medicine, and education.

Panels throughout the event highlighted this transition:

“From Research to Deployment” featuring Andrew Moore (CEO, Lovelace AI) and Zico Kolter (CMU).
Physical AI in Robotics & Mobility Systems with Skild AI Co-Founders Abhinav Gupta and Deepak Pathak, alongside Martial Hebert, Dean of CMU’s School of Computer Science.
Discussions on AI and advanced manufacturing, featuring leaders from Alcoa, Gecko Robotics, Wabtec Corporation, and J.P. Morgan Commercial Banking.

These conversations reinforced a clear message: Pittsburgh isn’t just building AI technologies — it’s actively deploying them into industries that drive the global economy.

Healthcare Innovation: Transforming Patient Care

Pittsburgh’s status as a world-class hub for medical research and healthcare innovation was on full display.

Breakout sessions explored how AI is revolutionizing drug discovery, disease research, and patient care.

A special fireside chat with Dr. Shiv Rao, CEO of Abridge, and Jacob Effron of Redpoint Ventures explored how startups and venture capital are scaling AI-driven clinical solutions, improving documentation, and creating a better experience for both providers and patients.

The takeaway? AI is optimizing workflows and changing lives.

Energy, National Security, and Infrastructure

Leaders from defense, energy, and policy sectors shared how AI is reshaping their fields:

Defense & National Security - Experts from Booz Allen Hamilton, Carnegie Robotics, and the Pennsylvania National Guard discussed how AI and autonomous systems are transforming modern warfare and military care.

Energy Resilience & Sustainability - Leaders like Joe Mastrangelo (Eos Energy Enterprises) and Dave Carroll (ENGIE) emphasized the role of AI in strengthening energy storage and grid resilience.

Data Centers & Connectivity - With the rise of hyperscale AI data centers, Pittsburgh is emerging as a key player in digital infrastructure — a necessary foundation for AI-powered growth.

Venture Capital & Funding the Future

The summit also brought together some of the biggest names in venture capital to discuss where AI investments are headed.

We were excited to host Ivo Stivoric (GoogleX), Shawn Hoyer (Bank of America), and Sunil Wadhwani (SWAT Capital), who stated that AI is the most competitive sector in the world right now, and Pittsburgh has the talent, resources, and industrial legacy to attract and deploy transformative funding.

In fact, over the past six months, Pittsburgh’s newest AI unicorns have generated more than $13 billion in venture-backed valuations.

Key Takeaways: Why Pittsburgh, Why Now

The summit closed with powerful insights from Senator Dave McCormick and University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel, who reinforced the region’s vital role in AI deployment and energy innovation.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from AI Horizons Pittsburgh 2025:

AI is Here to Stay - From healthcare to finance to energy, AI is already reshaping industries and creating new opportunities.
Collaboration is Essential - Public and private sectors must work together to compete on a global scale — especially as other nations invest heavily in AI.
Pittsburgh is the Blueprint - Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania offer what others can't — direct access to the toughest real world problems in energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and defense. Problems worth solving. With our legacy industries, world-class universities, and collaborative spirit, we have everything needed to lead the next wave of innovation.

As Governor Shapiro stated,

“This is a generational change … this is our next chapter in innovative growth.”

Pittsburgh Powers the Future of AI: Highlights from the AI Horizons Summit 2025