The president of the University of Wyoming wrote an article in 2023 arguing that AI is going to change everyone’s daily lives, impacting every business and educational institution in the state. He’s not the only one who’s come to this conclusion.
In 2018 the state’s ENDOW initiative (Economically Needed Diversity Options for Wyoming) released a 153-page report detailing its 20-year economic diversification strategy. Looking broadly towards the year 2038, this strategy offers recommendations that state government and business leaders can use to help ensure the state’s economy remains healthy and prosperous long into the future.
Chief among these is a call for leaders to embrace disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, machine learning, and autonomous vehicles.
ENDOW advocates for the long-term development of home-grown talent able to serve as interlocutors between the latest advancements in disruptive technologies and the industry sectors that will benefit from that new tech – agriculture, healthcare, mining, and tourism.
The stage is set. Stakeholders across the board are eager for talent who can navigate the burgeoning field of AI. As we speak, schools across Wyoming are moving to develop AI degree programs.
Driverless Shuttles Hit the Roads in Yellowstone National Park
Autonomous shuttles operating under the acronym TEDDY –The Electric Driverless Demonstration in Yellowstone– couldn’t be a better example of a project that shows how Wyoming is embracing novel technology to improve what is already one of its key strengths: tourism.
Yellowstone is an unforgettable natural gem that draws millions of tourists every year.
It’s one of Wyoming’s greatest assets. In addition to its natural beauty, each year the park generates over half a billion dollars of economic benefits and supports over 6,000 local jobs.
However, the natural beauty that underpins Yellowstone’s appeal could easily become a victim of its own success. As the park gains in popularity more people bring more vehicles that displace more animals, create more waste, amp up the noise, and add to air pollution.
TEDDY is a futuristic answer that can accommodate growing numbers of tourists while simultaneously reducing the number of vehicles on the road, preserving a sense of Yellowstone’s natural awe. It’s starting out in a National Park Service trial with 3.5 miles of routes.
The technology behind the TEDDY shuttles starts with a vehicle body that’s 3D-printed. 12 Cameras are mounted to give image recognition software a 360-degree view that’s augmented with multiple lidar and radar inputs.
Next comes a command system that uses AI to sense and predict changes to the shuttle’s environment. After repeated trips the software uses machine learning to detect patterns in data that it can incorporate into future trips, making them even safer. It’s all powered with a high voltage rechargeable battery.
Add wheels and you get an innovative solution where everyone wins.
TEDDY is just one example of what you can accomplish if you apply the skills you learn in an AI degree program.
AI Jobs in Wyoming
AI is going to touch every one of Wyoming’s major industries, from tourism and mining to education and healthcare.
Jobs in these fields are already competitive. But if you can bring AI skills to the table then you’ll find a lot more doors open.
AI jobs tend to follow population concentrations, so you’ll find the most opportunities in places like Cheyenne and Casper.
Artificial Intelligence Jobs in Yellowstone and Statewide
The company behind the TEDDY shuttles in Yellowstone is Beep. Its team of engineers are the ones who develop autonomous driving technology using know-how related to in-vehicle and cloud-based systems.
Looking at the skills Beep values in its engineers gives a good sense for what you need to learn if you want to oversee autonomous vehicle development. These include experience with the following:
- Cloud or datacenter architecture
- Building infrastructure with Amazon Web Services (AWS) using Terraform or Ansible
- Designing projects in the Agile/Scrum development environment
- NoSQL and RDBMS databases
- Automation and development with Python
- Microservice architecture
- Git/GitHub requests
Mining is big business in Wyoming, and jobs in this sector are most definitely going to be affected by AI. In fact, they already are.
Right now AI is being used to improve the odds of surface strikes and underground ore detection. One method mining companies use is to design predictive software models based on vast quantities of geological data. Companies that are smart can find tons of publicly available data if they know where to look.
If you combine a foundation of knowledge in AI with skills in archive research or software model development, you could be worth your weight in gold to mining companies that operate in Wyoming.
AI Companies in Cheyenne
The ability of AI to use neural machine translation is giving its human counterpart language translators a challenge. Cheyenne’s Language I/O can instantly translate between 150 languages and integrates with the most popular online platforms. It’s an ideal tool for any company that needs multilingual customer service.
What’s the best way to combat hackers that augment their attacks with AI tools? A cyber security application that uses AI to augment its defenses. That’s where Cheyenne-based BlackFog comes in. It offers solutions for privacy protection, ransomware prevention, and data exfiltration preemption.
BlackFog’s tools use AI to recognize patterns that signify someone is stealing your data, and it uses behavioral analysis algorithms to detect system vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers.
Healthcare is a major sector in Wyoming. The CFO of Gillette-based Campbell County Health gave a 2023 interview in which he was asked what most excited him about the future of healthcare. His response: AI. More specifically, the amazing possibilities that AI is going to make possible in healthcare.
He noted AI’s ability to process huge amounts of data that can help better identify high-risk patients. It can also help to develop customized patient care plans that go a long way towards mitigating risk.
If you have skills in AI, the future is bright with companies in sectors like healthcare and insurance.
AI Salary in Cheyenne and Statewide
2022 salary statistics from the US Department of Labor track computer and information systems managers. Using these as a stand-in for AI professionals is a way of comparing salaries based on location across the state.
In Cheyenne, the average annual salary for AI professionals is $113,210.
Statewide that figure is $123,970, while in rural eastern Wyoming AI professionals earn an average of $116,360.
AI salaries at the high end of the spectrum, those in the 90th percentile, came in at $220,000 statewide; $183,060 in Cheyenne, and $171,140 in rural eastern Wyoming.
The autonomous vehicle company Beep advertises the pay for its principal engineers starting between $130k and $150k.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Master’s Degree and Certificate Courses in Wyoming and Online
Wyoming’s universities are stepping up to new opportunities brought on by developments in AI.
Right now, the University of Wyoming’s School of Computing is in the final stages of hiring new faculty who specialize in applied AI, big data, and machine learning.
Its College of Business also offers an introductory course in AI designed for executive leadership.
In addition to AI programs offered in Wyoming you can also find plenty of online options hosted by schools across the nation.
AI Robotics Degree and Certificate Options in Cody and Powell
There is computer hardware, and then there is metal hardware. The latter is applicable to Northwest College’s undergraduate certificate in welding robotics technology.
AI Computer Science Degree and Certificate Options in Laramie, Cody, Powell, Rock Springs, and Casper
The University of Wyoming offers a BS in computer science with concentrations available in either computers and business or big data.
At the graduate level you can find both an MS and Ph.D. program in computer science offered at the University of Wyoming.
AI Engineering Degree and Certificate Options in Laramie
Engineering is particularly relevant if you plan to go into robotics or virtual system-cloud design. Two main branches in this field are offered at the University of Wyoming as BS programs: electrical engineering and computer engineering.