The recent Lehigh Valley Internship Summit explored the growing use of artificial intelligence in business and education, how employers are leveraging AI in the workplace, and the skills that today’s students bring to the table. 
Held at DeSales University on July 23, the summit was presented by Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) in partnership with the Lehigh Valley’s colleges and universities.
One of LVEDC’s top priorities is building partnerships to create strategies that develop talent for the region’s employers. That work includes connecting educators with employers to foster internships.
The Internship Summit included a series of panel discussions and speakers who offered advice and shared first-hand experiences for the about 150 people who attended, a record audience for the event.
One of the panel discussions was, “Interns and AI: Navigating the Future.”
Panelists were Dr. Mooi Choo Chuah, a Professor at Lehigh University; Ron Bracalente, President and CEO of Bracalente Manufacturing Group in Trumbauersville; and Amit Parmar, CEO of Cliquify in Bethlehem.
The panel was moderated by John Bloys, a strategic advisor on AI and emerging technologies.
Bracalente said Pennsylvania is in a good position related to artificial intelligence, with its universities and other resources.
“I think Pennsylvania is becoming the Silicon Valley of AI,” he said.
Bracalente said his company - which provides precision manufacturing for industries including defense, aerospace, construction, agriculture, and medicine - uses AI for data security, among other tasks.
Bracalente Manufacturing encourages interns to consider how AI could be applied during their time with the company, in operations ranging from industrial engineering to finance and human resources.
“We want to stimulate that. We want to encourage the curiosity. We want to encourage the thought process,” Bracalente said. “What are their thoughts and ways to apply it?”
Cliquify works with companies to ensure their branding and messaging is cohesive and on target for their audiences. It uses AI to test software, which allows employees to perform other tasks such as coding, Parmar said. AI also is used to gather comments about companies that are placed by consumers on sites such as Glassdoor and Reddit.
“There's massive, massive ROI in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, quality of that data,” Parmar said. “We just did this for a major credit card company … They spent $80,000 working with an agency to get that kind of data. It took six months to do. Our AI did it in two hours for about $10,000.”
Internships are a tool to scout for talent, and employers should consider whether interns have the skills to perform in roles that use AI, he said: “How adaptable is this individual to learn the AI models? How eager are they?”
Lehigh University is preparing all students to graduate with skills in AI, even those in fields that are not related to computer science, by offering a variety of courses at different levels, Chuah said.
She said professors develop guidelines for when students can tap the technology, and Lehigh University staff are creating tools to help students use it for personalized learning.
One example of that is helping students with math.
“We customize ChatGPT so that it doesn't provide you with solutions, but it provides you with leads and guides you to come up with a reviewing process so that you can answer the question on your own,” Chuah said.
Bracalente said businesses must be careful when implementing AI to make sure it does not change their culture, which is based on people.
“You have to definitely be thinking about your competition and new and different ways of using this tool,” he said. “However, think about what got you where you're at. Don't be afraid to continue to promote and develop that and find ways for people to interact, socialize.”
The Internship Summit also included:
- A keynote address by Carly Chase, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School and a Vice President at U.S. News & World Report, who shared information about what interns are seeking from their internship experience.
- A panel discussion about managing internships.
- A presentation on how large businesses can grow internship programs.
- A presentation to help small businesses create and grow an internship program.
- Roundtable discussions on key topics for successful internship programs.
More details about those sessions will be shared in future articles.
Crayola was Presenting Sponsor of the 7th Annual Internship Summit. DeSales University was Host Sponsor. Moravian University was a Gold Sponsor. Silver Sponsors were Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania; Muhlenberg College; Northampton Community College; St. Luke's University Health Network; Univest Financial; and Victaulic.
LVEDC’s talent work is made possible by the generous support of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Summit participants received the latest edition of the Internship Resource Guide, published annually by LVEDC to share information about internship programs, how to create and evaluate a program, and current trends in programs. It includes a directory of the region’s colleges, universities, and career and technical schools.
(Photos by Marco Calderon Photography)