September 17-18, Bakery Square, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania September 14, 2026 | Read online [1] AS AI DEBATE ERUPTS NATIONALLY, AI HORIZONS BRINGS GOVERNOR SHAPIRO, FEDERAL REGULATOR & TOP AI LEADERS TO PITTSBURGH September 17-18, Bakery Square, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania _Two-day summit tackles AI safety, trust, jobs, autonomous vehicles,_ _education and ethics -- from a Pittsburgh neighborhood where AI_ _companies are expanding in real time_ As the national debate intensifies over the acceleration, security, and real-world impact of artificial intelligence, AI Horizons 2026 [2], an initiative of the AI Strike Team, brings 1,000 technology, government, and corporate leaders to Pittsburgh on Thursday and Friday, September 17-18. Given the urgency and rapidly evolving nature of the national conversation around AI, we have expanded capacity for AI Horizons. The summit convenes at Bakery Square--the anchor of Pittsburgh's expanding "AI Avenue"--to address enterprise adoption, physical robotics, workforce disruption, and federal policy. REGISTER NOW [3] "We started this three years ago because we believed Pittsburgh had to be at the center of this next economic epoch--not watching it happen from the sidelines," said Joanna Doven, CEO of the AI Strike Team. "Now the national conversation around AI is moving at a dizzying pace, and Pittsburgh has exactly the people who should be helping make sense of it--from one of the world's leading minds in AI safety building Gray Swan here, to Skild AI pushing the frontier of physical AI, to PPG and Wabtec putting AI to work in the real economy. We can't choose between being responsible and being competitive--we have to figure out how to do both. That's what AI Horizons is about: putting the builders, the adopters, the policymakers and even a Catholic monk in the same room to wrestle with what this technology means for our economy, our workforce and ultimately, for us as humans." Joanna Doven, CEO, AI Strike Team AGENDA SNAPSHOT 20 cross-sector AI discussions -- full agenda here [4]. Thursday, Sept. 17: Trust, Policy & The Physical Economy 9:00 AM -- AI ACCEPTANCE: TRUST IS HOW WE GROW Focus: Cybersecurity, model safety, and enterprise deployment as prerequisites for economic growth. Speakers: Leigh-Ann Russell, CIO & Global Head of Engineering, BNY; Andrew Moore, CEO, Lovelace AI; Zico Kolter, PhD, Co-Founder & Chief Scientist, Gray Swan AI (Head of Machine Learning Department, Carnegie Mellon University); Sharon Goldman, Founder & Journalist, Ground-Level AI; Joanna Doven, CEO, AI Strike Team. 11:30 AM -- CITIES THAT THINK: PUTTING AI TO WORK FOR COMMUNITIES Focus: Municipal AI integration across infrastructure, public services, and urban management. Speakers: Corey O'Connor, Mayor, City of Pittsburgh; Jumbi Edulbehram, Global Business Development, Smart Cities, NVIDIA; Joe Depa, Global Innovation & Technology Leader, EY. 1:20 PM -- THE ROAD TO AUTONOMY Focus: Federal regulatory structures and safety frameworks for autonomous transportation. Keynote: Jonathan Morrison, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 2:30 PM -- THE JOBS BEHIND AI: ROBOTS, ENERGY & THE PEOPLE WHO POWER IT Focus: Power generation, physical infrastructure, and skilled labor supply chains backing AI development. Speakers: Jake Loosararian, Co-Founder & CEO, Gecko Robotics; Toby Rice, President & CEO, EQT Corporation; Shawn Steffee, Business Agent, Boilermakers Local 154; Moderator: Salena Zito, National Political Reporter, _Washington Post_ / _New York Post_. 3:45 PM -- PENNSYLVANIA BUILDS Focus: Pennsylvania's industrial baseline and state-level policy in the next era of technology. Keynote: Josh Shapiro, Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Friday, Sept. 18: Physical AI, Compute & Education 9:00 AM -- THE "CHATGPT MOMENT" FOR ROBOTS Focus: Physical foundation models, commercial deployments, and autonomous hardware scaling. Speakers & Remarks: Dave McCormick, U.S. Senator (PA) (Special Message); Abhinav Gupta, Co-Founder & Chief Scientist, Skild AI; Sarthak Vaish, Partner, McKinsey & Company. 11:30 AM -- WHO GETS TO BUILD AI? Focus: Compute allocation, capital intensity, and open-access innovation models. Speakers: David Meaney, PhD, Vice Provost for Research, University of Pennsylvania; Abby Smith, President & CEO, Team Pennsylvania; Samuel Reeves, Founder & CEO, FORT Robotics. 12:00 PM -- SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: PENNSYLVANIA CREATES Focus: Statewide technical literacy initiative positioning K-12 students as AI builders and developers. Speakers: Dr. Carrie Rowe, Secretary of Education, Pennsylvania Department of Education; Steven Butschi, Director of Education, Google; Bodong Chen, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania; Gregg Behr, Executive Director, The Grable Foundation. 1:20 PM -- CAN WE TEACH AI WISDOM? Focus: Technical alignment, machine ethics, and moral framework integration in advanced reasoning systems. Speakers: Ben Levinstein, PhD, Research Scientist, Anthropic Alignment Team; Yaser Sheikh, PhD, CEO, Sooth AI (Former VP, Meta Reality Labs); Fr. Paul Taylor, O.S.B., President, Saint Vincent College; Moderator: John P. Slattery, PhD, Executive Director, Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law, Duquesne University. MEDIA ACCESS & B-ROLL OPPORTUNITIES 35+ Live Robotics & Physical AI Demonstrations: Active deployment of autonomous systems, hardware inspection tech, and industrial robotics throughout Bakery Square. Executive Working Session (Thursday, 1:00 PM): Closed-door briefing with enterprise CIOs and CTOs led by Keith Ferrazzi, Founder & Chairman, Ferrazzi Greenlight (Pool still photography and camera access). Pennsylvania Creates Interactive Labs: K-12 students and developers collaborating in real time on software builds. [5] Update your email preferences or unsubscribe here [6] (c) 2026 AI Strike Team Suite 200 5500 Walnut Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1523, United Stat Powered by beehiiv [7] Links: ------ [1] 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Monday, September 14, 2026
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Navigating Federal and Provincial Sport Funding: Barry Healy’s Fight for Local Recreation in BC, Canada - sorta like PPS needs
Barry is pushing for a group to form to consider local recreational needs in Salmon Arm, BC, Canada and has called for a meeting on October 1 at the local university.
In a similar front, but different setting, Mark Rauterkus, is pushing the reformation of the Athletic Reform Task Force in Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Follow along as these stories unfold. None of us know what to expect and what happens next.
In episode #114 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, we launch a new Substack too, 1Shuswap.Substack.com and give a boost to Barry Healey's efforts in BC, Canada. We discuss building an athletic reform task force, navigating government roadblocks, and a clever way to fund a new public park. We also take a quick look at the VASA trainer’s retirement and its impact on swim training.
Learn:
- How to design and launch a city‑wide athletic reform task force from scratch.
- Strategies for getting provincial and federal sport funding when councils push back.
- The “case of beer” pitch that secured a $13‑per‑household‑per‑month park funding plan.
- Engaging schools and universities in community sports development.
- Updates on the VASA trainer’s retirement and alternatives for swim‑ERG training.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Fwd: Last Chance to Dive In! 🏊♂️ Register for the East Coast Open Water Festival!
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ISCA Hall of Fame Tribute video for IU's Ray Looze
ISCA Coaches Hall of Fame honored Ray Looze, Indiana University, in the class of 2026. Episode #113 show the tribute video.
Saturday, September 05, 2026
Wilburn’s Black Appalachian book got an award
Mark.Rauterkus@gmail.com 412-298-3432 New Books at SwimISCA.com
Thursday, September 03, 2026
ISCA Hall Of Fame Tribute -- Heavy Or Not, episode #112 -- Matt Kredich of Univ of Tennessee
The video is a ISCA Hall of Fame tribute built around Matt Kredich, Tennessee swimming, team culture and an ISCA interview segment. I’m checking the captions now so the description reflects his actual themes instead of relying only on the visuals.
The caption pass is taking longer because the tribute uses cinematic letterboxing and several different layouts. I have already confirmed Matt Kredich, the University of Tennessee program and ISCA Hall of Fame framing; I’m narrowing the pass to the caption region for the remaining wording.
Letter sent to Pittsburgh's Controller, and a few other people
Rachael Heisler
City Controller
City of Pittsburgh
Dear Controller Heisler:
Thank you for issuing *Parks Trust Fund Follow-Up: Challenges and Opportunities at Year Five*. Your report gives Pittsburgh a timely opportunity to strengthen the planning, oversight and public accountability surrounding the Parks Tax.
I support your call for a Parks Tax Commission. I also encourage you, Mayor Corey O’Connor and City Council to place that commission within a larger civic structure: a reconvened Athletic Reform Task Force.
The Athletic Reform Task Force should serve as Pittsburgh’s umbrella coordinating body for athletics, aquatics, recreation, public facilities, youth programming, coaching, workforce development, school partnerships and community investment. The Parks Tax Commission could operate within the Task Force as a standing commission with a focused financial and accountability mission.
The distinction is significant. The Parks Tax is one funding instrument within a much larger financial puzzle. Pittsburgh’s parks, pools, fields, courts and recreation centers are supported through city and county appropriations, school funding, state and federal grants, foundations, philanthropy, corporate sponsorships, program revenue, joint-use agreements and institutional partnerships. The city needs a structure capable of seeing and coordinating the entire system.
The Athletic Reform Task Force can function much like an Olympic committee. It can provide the larger table where different sports, institutions, facilities, coaches, program operators, public agencies and community partners coordinate their work. Specialized commissions and working groups can then carry out defined missions within that structure.
The Parks Tax Commission would be one of the most important of those missions. It could establish scoring criteria, develop long-term financial plans, examine the balance between capital and operating expenditures, submit unified budget recommendations, hold public meetings and publish regular reports and open data. The City Controller would bring essential financial oversight and accountability expertise to this work.
The full Athletic Reform Task Force would connect those financial decisions to public use. It could inventory facilities and programs, study participation, gather input from young people and families, assess staffing and coaching needs, develop school and neighborhood partnerships, and identify opportunities for immediate implementation.
A renovated pool produces greater public value when it is open, staffed and filled with lessons, practices, teams, fitness programs and community events. A repaired field produces greater value when young people have coaches, transportation, leagues and schedules that allow them to use it. Facilities are the hardware. Programming is the software that makes them come alive.
Your report identifies overestimated revenues, allocations that have exceeded collections, increasing operating expenditures and the absence of a clearly defined long-term plan. Those findings make the need for coordinated leadership even more urgent. Pittsburgh should begin with the public mission and then organize its money around that mission.
I recently completed *Coach Mark’s Public Policy Playbook for Pittsburgh’s Aquatics & Recreation, Yinzer Alpha Edition*. The book includes a detailed Meta Play calling for the Athletic Reform Task Force to be reconvened. It proposes a six-month public review, a broad inventory of facilities and programs, hundreds of community conversations, controller involvement and an action-oriented structure capable of advancing multiple missions.
I would be glad to provide you with a copy of the book for your review. A print copy can also be ordered through https://SwimISCA.com.
I welcome an opportunity to meet with you and discuss how the Parks Tax Commission could become a standing mission within the Athletic Reform Task Force. Your report supplies an important financial and accountability play. The Athletic Reform Task Force can provide the larger team, structure and public mission needed to carry it forward.
Thank you for putting this proposal into Pittsburgh’s civic conversation. I hope we can connect these ideas and begin the work.
Sincerely,
Mark Rauterkus, Publisher, Author and Coach
*Coach Mark’s Public Policy Playbook for Pittsburgh’s Aquatics & Recreation*
4Rs.org
SwimISCA.com
Mark@Rauterkus.com
412-298-3432 = cell
Fwd: Summer Times Newsletter: Policy Developments, Upcoming Events, News You Can Use, & More!
Date: Thu, Sep 3, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Subject: Summer Times Newsletter: Policy Developments, Upcoming Events, News You Can Use, & More!
To: <mark.rauterkus@gmail.com>
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