House Communications & Technology Committee discusses economic potential of emerging technologies in Pittsburgh
Southeast Delegation May 30, 2025 | 4:31 PM
HARRISBURG, MAY 30 – The newly formed House Communications & Technology Committee this week held a committee meeting in Pittsburgh which focused on emerging technologies’ benefits to the Pittsburgh region’s economy and how to make Pennsylvania a leader in the field.
“The visit to Pittsburgh offered us a vision of how the commonwealth can partner with these emerging technology companies to make Pennsylvania a leader in the field while ensuring that protections are in place so the state’s residents are protected from unethical uses of AI and other technologies,” Ciresi said. “One of the issues brought up was workforce readiness, which is an area that the legislature can support by expanding opportunities for educational and training opportunities in emerging technology fields. I am looking forward to advocating for legislation that will help Pennsylvania take the lead in the field of AI, robotics and the development of new technologies.”
At the committee’s informational meeting on May 27, the committee heard from expert faculty at the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University who provided an overview of developments in artificial intelligence and social media technologies and their public policy implications.
In addition, the committee held other discussions and heard from industry leaders on the impact of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and robotics, in creating jobs and economic opportunities in the Pittsburgh area.
On the topic of artificial intelligence, the committee met with Google at their office in Pittsburgh to learn about the company’s AI-focused initiatives and their presence in Pittsburgh, which has grown to over 800 employees since their Bakery Square office opened in 2009. The committee also met with industry leaders from Pittsburgh’s AI Strike Team, discussing opportunities for how the state can work to position itself as a leader in the AI economy and encourage innovation and investment in the state.
The committee also visited the following locations to learn about the research and job creation in robotics and other tech-focused industries happening in the Pittsburgh area:
- The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, which provides access to advanced research computing for university, government and industry researchers. The PSC is a joint project of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh and is one of the four operational national supercomputing centers funded by the National Science Foundation in 1986.
- Astrobotic Technology Inc., a Pittsburgh-based company which develops space robotics for lunar and planetary missions and has created hundreds of space industry jobs in Pennsylvania.
- The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, which is at the cutting edge of research in new applications for robotics technology, including in agriculture, disaster response and maintaining critical infrastructure.