Innovation Symposium focus: A.I.’s impact on work, education, society

The link brings together thought leaders, entrepreneurs, educators to explore issue

The link, the Nocatee area’s LEED Gold-certified innovation space, hosted a landmark convergence of innovation on March 26-28, combining its Innovation Symposium with a regional Youth Datathon, drawing more than 80 attendees and showcasing the depth of Northeast Florida’s emerging tech ecosystem.

Both events focused on the transformative role of artificial intelligence (A.I.) in productivity, education and the workforce, bringing together three distinguished thought leaders alongside 16 middle- and high-school teams competing to solve one of health care's most pressing challenges under the theme “A.I. for Good.”

Innovation Symposium, March 26

Joe Short, feature[23], brought a practitioner’s perspective on A.I.-driven digital transformation, including a live exploration of Claude, demonstrating how A.I.-powered tools are reshaping the way companies build, operate and compete.

Dr. Josh Gellers, A.I. faculty fellow and professor of political science, University of North Florida — one of the region’s foremost authorities on A.I. ethics and governance and author of “Rights for Robots” — explored the evolving intersection of technology, right, and society, offering a thought-provoking look at what A.I. means for the future of work, education and human agency.

Matt Berseth, NLP Logix, delivered a deep dive into agentic A.I. and vibe coding, illuminating how the next generation of A.I. systems is moving beyond chatbots into autonomous, action-oriented tools that will fundamentally alter how teams build and deliver value.

‘A.I. for Good’ Datathon: The Next Generation Takes On Health Equity

On Saturday and Sunday, March 27-28, the link hosted the Northeast Florida Youth Datathon — a remarkable showcase of student talent and purpose. Sixteen middle- and high-school teams from across the region used A.I. tools to develop data-driven solutions addressing the health equity gap among several ZIP codes in Jacksonville, analyzing neighborhood indicators for longevity and life expectancy.

Student teams presented to a high-profile judging panel that included Matt Berseth (NLP Logix), Michael Privat (Availity), Eric Hanson (Digital at The PGA Tour), Katie Bakewell (NLP Logix), Harikrishnan Muthukrishnan and Sarah Andres.

Dare2Dream, a middle-school team, was recognized winner in the category. Bolles High School took first place in high school category followed by Stanton High School in second and third place.

The Datathon at the link was organized in partnership with The King Tide Foundation, NLP Logix and the University of North Florida, with faculty and community leaders serving as mentors, including Karthikeyan Umapathy, Indika Kahanda and Raghu Misra.

The event reinforced a core truth: data science is a team sport — and Northeast Florida's next generation of innovators is more than ready to play.

“The energy in the room was electric — and that’s true of both events,” said Misra, founder of the link. “Watching high schoolers present A.I.-powered solutions to real health equity challenges, then turning to hear our region’s top tech minds tackle the same questions from a business lens — that’s the ecosystem we’re building. A.I. isn’t coming. It’s here. And Northeast Florida is ready.”

About the Innovation Symposium

The Innovation Symposium is a recurring program at the link designed to bring Northeast Florida’s most forward-thinking professionals into dialogue with emerging ideas, technologies and industries.

What’s Next at The Link

April brings a packed lineup:

• April 2 — Innovation Symposium: Vibe Coding / AI Agents

• April 9 — Innovation Symposium: HealthTech

• April 16 — Innovation Symposium: Student Pitch Competition

For full event details and registration, go to thelink.zone or email info@thelink.zone.

About The Link

The link is a LEED Gold-certified innovation space located in Ponte Vedra, serving the Nocatee region and greater Northeast Florida. Through programming in entrepreneurship, technology, education and community leadership, the link builds a connected ecosystem where innovators, businesses and changemakers thrive. Recurring programs include the Innovation Symposium series, Circle of Creation women’s leadership and acceleration program, youth STEM and culinary education, and community networking events.