News

Braun says AI can help Indiana businesses, launches new initiative

WFYI Public Media | By Benjamin Thorp

Published April 29, 2026 at 3:14 PM EDT

Gov. Mike Braun on Tuesday, April 28th, at the Indiana Statehouse. He is speaking into a microphone behind a podium. He is a white man with gray hair and glasses wearing a dark jacket and light blue shirt. Three men stand behind him next to the U.S. and Indiana flags. — Gov. Mike Braun announced an AI initiative for the state Tuesday, April 28th, at the Indiana Statehouse. The effort aims to help businesses integrate AI into their workflows.

The launch of a new AI initiative aims to help integrate artificial intelligence into Indiana businesses.

Gov. Mike Braun said the plan is to make sure the state doesn't get left behind in adopting the new technology.

Braun gathered with state business leaders to announce efforts to make artificial intelligence part of Indiana's economy. He cited numbers that show some productivity gains for companies that embraced the technology.

The Governor pitched the Indiana AI initiative, dubbed IN AI, as a way to create jobs and increase wages for companies.

Across the country, some experts have warned that AI could lead to workforce reductions. At the same time, Fortune reported that few companies are reporting any real productivity gains after adopting the technology.

Braun acknowledged that the state and businesses have to work to understand the technology first and that's why this push is important.

"I think that is the way I look at it, as an opportunity," he said. "Anything new you've got to, maybe not embrace it without question, but if you avoid it, you might regret it down the road."

Indiana's Secretary of Commerce, David Adams, echoed the Governor and called the state's AI initiative "human-centered."

"This is about equipping people, not replacing them," he said.

The new program aims to help businesses identify places where AI can improve operations and will involve roadshows, workshops and virtual information sessions.

During the event, Chad Harter, the CIO of furniture manufacturer Jasper Group, spoke about how the company was already integrating AI. He said the company has a lot of engineering data and used AI to consolidate existing documents and image files into the system.

"Using AI, we're now able to extract all the information from these documents with 90% accuracy," he said. "This saves us five months of manual work that nobody really wants to do."

Braun was repeatedly asked about funding for the initiative and did not provide a clear answer.

Contact Government Reporter Benjamin Thorp at bthorp@wfyi.org