The Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network, or MAIN, is the nation’s first statewide AI network, and, as of January 2025, the only one. MAIN was established to address the rapid emergence of AI and its transformative impact on Mississippi’s workforce. 

Led by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, MAIN was formed through strategic partnerships with AccelerateMS, the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges, the Mississippi Community College Board, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, and global tech leaders Intel and Dell Technologies. The extensive network includes all 15 Mississippi community colleges as well as public and private colleges and universities, K-12 education, businesses, and industry associations.

Partnerships enable MAIN to deliver advanced workforce training, technical expertise, infrastructure support and industry alignment. MAIN’s influence extends across both public and private sectors, forging essential alliances with the Mississippi Cyber Initiative, state government, military partners, and agencies such as the Mississippi Department of Education, Institutions of Higher Learning, and the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services. 

MAIN’s Primary Goals

• To provide statewide leadership in addressing AI needs for education and the workforce Mississippi
• To attract and grow AI and advanced technology industries and employers
• To meet the AI training needs of K-12, community and technical colleges, colleges and universities, and the businesses of Mississippi.

With funding from AccelerateMS, MAIN is establishing AI labs at partner institutions across Mississippi. By revitalizing existing courses and supporting new programs and degree pathways, these labs offer students, educators and members of the workforce access to cutting-edge facilities and technology. MAIN AI labs support skill development for Mississippi’s workforce and also position postsecondary institutions as hubs of technological advancement, aligning with Mississippi’s goals for economic growth and AI leadership.

MAIN offers free, self-paced AI courses developed, utilizing Intel’s AI for Workforce curriculum, such as Introduction to AI, Generative AI, AI for Manufacturing, Applied Ethics for AI, AI for Cybersecurity and AI for Sustainability, with additional courses forthcoming. Adapted into the Canvas Learning Management System, these courses are available to all Mississippi residents. Participants earn professional development certificates and Credly badges upon completion, while K-12 teachers receive continuing education units and K-12 administrators earn School Executive Management Institute credits, all at no cost.

Each course offers 64 hours of content across 16 modules, structured over a 16-week period. The courses support active learning through slides, videos, discussions, quizzes and assignments, allowing participants to engage at their own pace and gain practical experience with essential AI concepts.

As of October 2024, MAIN’s Introduction to AI course has enrolled over 1,500 K-12 educators, awarding more than 650 free continuing education units and School Executive Management Institute credits, equating to over 6,500 hours of AI education. 

In addition, MAIN has made AI curriculum accessible to tens of thousands of higher education professionals and enrolled hundreds of members of the workforce from diverse sectors. 

Through courses, workshops and events, MAIN has delivered over 15,000 cumulative hours of free AI education. 

References

Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network. (2025). https://mgccc.edu/MAIN  

Free Workforce AI Courses for Mississippi. (2025). https://mgccc.edu/programs/community-education/workforce-ai-courses/

Upskilling the Magnolia State Workforce (2024). Magnolia Tribune. https://magnoliatribune.com/2024/10/30/upskilling-the-magnolia-states-workforce/

Mississippi’s AI Network: Bridging Education and Workforce Innovation, Accelerate MS. July 24, 2024. https://acceleratems.org/mississippis-ai-network-bridging-education-and-workforce-innovation/

Mississippi AI Network Is Partnering to Lead Statewide initiative has trained thousands of educators (August 13, 2024). Southern Regional Education Board. https://www.sreb.org/blog-post/mississippi-ai-network-partnering-lead