Intersection of Rural Life and AI Text Models
Thank you Mary for the introduction, and thank you to the 3 Rivers board of Trustees. It’s an honor to be here today at the 3 Rivers Telephone Cooperative Annual Membership Meeting to talk about a few things that are very close to my heart: the importance of community, the power of high-speed internet, and the potential for AI such as ChatGPT in rural communities.
I’m deeply invested in the Choteau community, and I have the honor of serving as president of the Choteau Chamber of Commerce and the Choteau City Council, as well as being involved in several other community organizations.
Today, I want to talk about the incredible potential of rural communities like ours, and how we can harness the power of high-speed internet with the immense potential of Artificial Intelligence to build a brighter future for everyone who calls this place home.
As you heard from the kind words of Mary’s introduction, I’ve been involved in a variety of community organizations and initiatives in Choteau, which gives me a broad and unique perspective of rural life in the Golden Triangle. One thing that I’ve learned from my time serving these diverse organizations is the incredible power of community.
When we come together to support one another, to share resources and ideas, and to work towards a common goal, we can achieve great things. Whether it’s building a new dog park, supporting local businesses, or investing in our community’s infrastructure, we can make a real difference when we work together.
One of the great things about rural communities is that we tend to know our neighbors and be closely connected to the people around us. But as we all know, this kind of closeness can also lead to a certain degree of insularity. We may feel like we know everyone in our town, but we may not always have a great sense of what’s happening outside of our immediate circle.
That’s where high-speed internet comes in. With access to high-speed internet, we can connect with people from all over the world and engage with a wide range of perspectives and ideas. We can learn about different cultures, access educational resources, and connect with other rural communities facing similar challenges and opportunities.
And even within our own communities, high-speed internet can help us connect and engage in new and exciting ways. We can use social media and other online platforms to share ideas, organize events, and support local businesses. Just a few years ago in Choteau when the Gunther apartments burned down, the Choteau Yardsale Facebook Group was able to serve as a gathering point of information for the community to support the displaced residents.
We can also collaborate on community and regional projects and work towards common goals, even if it is difficult to physically meet up in the same place.
All of this adds up to a more connected, more engaged rural community. And that’s something that benefits everyone who calls this place home.
As we look towards the future, we’re also seeing the rise of new technologies that have the potential to transform our communities in ways we never thought possible. One such technology is AI, or artificial intelligence, and specifically, AI language models.
These models have the ability to understand natural language and generate human-like responses to a wide range of questions and prompts. And they have the potential to be incredibly valuable resources for rural communities like ours.
For example, imagine a ChatGPT-powered virtual assistant that could help local farmers and business owners access new markets and opportunities that were previously out of reach. With the power of high-speed internet and AI, we can connect with customers and clients from around the world and expand our horizons in ways we never thought possible.
These are just a few examples, but the potential for AI such as ChatGPT in rural communities is truly vast. It could help us automate routine tasks and streamline processes, freeing up time and resources that we can invest back into our communities. It could help us communicate more effectively with people from different backgrounds and cultures, breaking down barriers and building bridges. And it could help us stay connected and engaged with one another, even as our communities continue to grow and change.
So what does all of this mean for our community here, and for rural communities across Montana and the country? It means that we have an incredible opportunity to build a brighter future for ourselves and for the generations that come after us.
By staying connected, investing in our community’s infrastructure, and embracing new technologies like high-speed internet and AI, we can unlock the full potential of our community. We can attract new investment. We can create new jobs, and we can build stronger, more vibrant communities that can thrive for generations to come.
And I truly believe that we have everything we need to make this vision a reality. We have a strong sense of community, we have a deep love of this place that we call home, and we have a willingness to work hard and innovate in the face of new challenges.
So let’s embrace this moment. Let’s work together to build a brighter future for our community and for all rural communities across Montana and the country. Thank you, God bless you, and God bless Montana.