Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Last week, Victor Foulk, the Vice-President of Emerging Technologies for CGI Federal, had a big idea.

What if CGI’s Knoxville office brought together people of all experience levels to use AI to create helpful tools for both personal and business challenges? One day later, he and his team, alongside 121 Tech Hub, built a website, scheduled an event, and started inviting community members to the first-ever Knoxville Built This: Community AI Build Night on Wednesday, July 22.

Attendees could pick a sample topic to test, or they could come with an idea of their own to receive support and feedback from CGI experts in the room. Then they had two hours to build, a chance to demo what they made, and the option to walk out with something useful.

For example, attendee Vinoth Arokiearh came frustrated with the overwhelming group chat response when planning who is bringing what for a potluck. During the two-hour session, he built a tool where people can sign up and populate a virtual table with the dishes they’re bringing. No more messages. No more duplicate meals. No more mess!

“We have people building everything from chore helpers to homework helpers. And we’ve got a lot of small business owners in the room who are looking to figure out how to use these tools to better run their business,” Foulk said.

Getting past the word “can’t”

Quinnipiac University released a national poll in March that showed how adults are leveraging AI day-to-day.

The poll surveyed 1,397 U.S. adults March 19–23 and released the report on March 30

• 27% of Americans volunteered that they have never used AI tools
• 51% have used it to research topics they’re curious about.
• 27% use it for school or work project efficiency
• And, 27% use it to analyze data.

For someone like Foulk, who has spent decades in the technology sector, the results were somewhat shocking.

“Just over a quarter of the population is leveraging this technology in a mission-driven way, where it can help improve their school and work output,” he said. “And 27% are not touching it at all. That’s concerning, especially considering the pace of technology today.”

He continued to say that this concern becomes relevant particularly when looking at workforce gaps and the risk of being left behind, economically and technologically.

“The genesis behind the idea for tonight was: let’s get the people that have never touched it in a room. Let’s teach them what it can do. And remove the mental roadblocks they may have with the technology, while also removing the word ‘can’t’ from their vocabulary,” he said.

Expanding the idea beyond Knoxville

CGI develops AI solutions from its Knoxville office, serving both commercial and federal clients. The company has developed partnerships with local-area organizations, particularly those with an interest in talent, workforce, technology skills, and innovation.

From Foulk’s perspective, Knoxville has a lot to offer as a technology destination.

“It’s a phenomenal up-and-coming tech community, growing by leaps and bounds, and we’re really privileged to be a part of it,” Foulk said. “To be able to do this even in a place like 121 Tech Hub, which is designed for startups, is pretty special. It’s exactly the right place where ideas can cultivate. And who knows, some of these attendees may turn their idea into a business in the coming months, which would be a pretty neat outcome.”

Foulk said discussions are already underway about doing the event locally again, in an expanded capacity. And beyond that, CGI would like to take the event on the road to the different markets it serves.

“CGI globally has a very strong ethos around investing in the community where we work and live, so we hope to take this very successful event in Knoxville and replicate it in our other markets, as well,” Foulk said.

If the event travels the way Foulk hopes, its real export won’t be the tools built in two hours. It will be a lot fewer people saying “can’t.”

Learn more about the event.

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