At a recent economic development conference, attendees heard from Technology Futurist Jack Shaw, who provided a glimpse into the rapidly changing technology world. Technology has advanced so fast that many of us cannot fathom what will happen in the next few years. Not in 20 or 30 years but in three, five, and 10 years. Many of us have heard of the coming changes but brushed those ideas aside because we thought it would only affect future generations. Wrong. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will transform most aspects of our life. Autonomous vehicles, replacement of routine tasks and jobs with automation and robotics are here and moving rapidly into the workplace. Shaw said two of the major impacts would come about as a result of 3D Printing Technology and Blockchain.

Infrastructure is a word tossed around a lot these days, but nowhere is it more important than here in Southwest Louisiana. With our area leading the nation in industrial growth and job creation, the pressure on our infrastructure is growing daily. It’s becoming a crisis situation and our region deserves priority from the state and federal government to help us solve these issues. We have been overlooked for too long.