Northwest Ohio spent three days this week talking about artificial intelligence — and training for it for free. Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz proclaimed the week of Nov. 10 “Toledo AI Week” for the second consecutive year as Great Lakes AI Week opened at Bowling Green State University, according to the event organizers’ announcement released through EIN Presswire.
The week, produced by the Enterprise Technology Association (ETA) with JobsOhio as headline partner and Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo as host partners, ran Nov. 10 through Nov. 12 and brought together more than 120 speakers, university presidents, employers and community leaders, the announcement said. Attendance earned credit toward AI Ready Ohio certificates, with a goal of training and certifying more than 1,000 Ohioans during the week.
The pitch behind the event is pay. Jobs that require AI skills now advertise an average 62% wage premium and are growing almost eight times faster than the overall job market, according to PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer, cited in the organizers’ announcement. Yet while 89% of workers say they already use AI on the job, only about one in three have received AI training from their employer, according to a 2026 Study.com survey cited in the announcement.
“AI skills pay, and most workers are being asked to use AI without ever being trained on it,” Zack Huhn, the Enterprise Technology Association’s chief superintelligence officer, said in the announcement. “Toledo AI Week puts free, practical training in front of anyone who wants it, whether you’re starting your career, changing careers or leading a team.”
The three days were aimed at three audiences, the announcement said: a Nov. 10 leadership summit at BGSU’s Bowen-Thompson Student Union for managers guiding teams through AI adoption; a Nov. 11 community day at One SeaGate in downtown Toledo with hands-on workshops, office hours and a live coding session with Toledo Codes for residents, job seekers, students and small business owners; and a Nov. 12 AI for business summit at the University of Toledo’s Lancelot Thompson Student Union, covering AI in defense, engineering, healthcare and manufacturing.
The certificates stack as skills grow, and all three are free for attendees, the announcement said: AI Explorer (two credit hours) for foundational literacy and responsible use, AI Empowered Professional (four credit hours) for applying AI in everyday work, and AI Empowered Leader (eight credit hours) for strategy and governance.
Northwest Ohio is where AI Ready Ohio began: the statewide training and certification initiative, powered by JobsOhio and ETA, launched as a pilot at Great Lakes AI Week 2025 and has since expanded to Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and online, with thousands of Ohioans earning credentials, the announcement said. What happens next is the year-round version of the same offer — free online courses continue at aireadyohio.org, and the organizers said next year’s program is expected to add certifications focused on tool-based, role-based and industry-based applied learning.
Photo: MrJacon000, CC BY-SA