Generative AI to take center stage again at Synapse Summit

As artificial intelligence (AI) solutions become increasingly prevalent tools used in daily operations across industries, this year’s Synapse Summit will continue to spotlight the burgeoning technology, this time focusing on real-world business use cases for Generative AI.

Synapse Florida, a non-profit with a mission to connect and catalyze Florida’s innovators across industries, technologies and communities, has been hosting its annual Synapse Summit since 2018. This year’s conference will be held at Tampa’s Amalie Arena Feb. 28 with a jam-packed agenda of presentations from notable business leaders and entrepreneurs, networking opportunities and immersive experiences aimed at propelling tech and industry leaders reach their goals in the year ahead.

“We elevate voices in our Florida innovation community that should be heard. Sometimes they’ll get a chance at the literal mic, and we also create space where you can more easily connect with people who have shared goals and values. We create this space so that people can find what they need and share what they’ve created,” said Lauren Prager, CEO of Synapse Florida. “There’s no shortage of information out there, but paring back and getting to skills, tools and real experiences from people who are doing the work, who can share what’s worked well and what hasn’t, is really essential right now. We have an amazing community of experts right here in our own statewide backyard.”

Several prominent companies are set to return to this year’s summit, including industry heavyweights like Duke Energy, Florida Power & Light, Jabil, Tampa General Hospital, and Verizon. Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and TGH Cancer Institute recently worked with Synapse Florida to put out a call for innovative solutions to address the unmet need for cancer care in rural communities. Prager said 75 applications came through with innovative solutions aimed at reducing cancer mortality for rural residents, and the finalists will present their solutions at the Synapse Summit.

When it comes to innovative tech solutions, many are looking at artificial intelligence as the key to accelerating growth, increasing efficiency and building capacity. Prager said this year’s summit will not only explore the big-picture of AI but dig into the nuts and bolts of how to effectively and safely integrate Generative AI into business operations, help attendees understand the differences between the most popular platforms and show how companies are already using AI solutions on a daily basis.

“We’re living in a time of lightning-speed new technology at our fingertips, and we have to know how to use it and integrate it into our businesses to keep our companies and our communities safe, thriving and connected,” Prager said. “A lot of what we’re sharing at Synapse Summit will be the tools to help business leaders succeed and navigate this new world of emerging technology, whether that’s through generative AI, cybersecurity, the fast pace of health tech and healthcare or thinking about how we’re building our small businesses into growing businesses with real tangible tools.”

Synapse Florida’s annual Synapse Summit hosts speakers, presentations, awards, breakout sessions and networking opportunities to highlight and promote Florida’s growing innovation community.

More than 150 sponsors and exhibitors will be traveling from across the state to attend, including startups, entrepreneur support organizations and nonprofits, bringing awareness to the region and state’s innovators and offering opportunities to leverage the convergence of industries brought together by the event.

“So many of the components that we need to build successful businesses are right here. We know that getting access to that sort of expertise is really critical. Meaningful connection is fundamental to the experience we create, like helping people find new partners to apply their solutions or creating visibility and new pathways so that corporate innovation leaders have the opportunity to connect with Florida-based businesses that may have a solution for their needs. Creating visibility connectivity and pathways to growth between those partners is really important to create a stronger ecosystem and stronger businesses for all of us.”

A Synapse Summit agenda, list of speakers and link to purchase tickets are available here.