By Kieran Smith,
Sage Policy Group
New generations tend to adapt and embrace new technologies faster than their predecessors. Generation X, for example, understood the power of home computers and the Internet, and helped usher in the computer age that reshaped the American economy. Millennials understood the potential of social media and mobile technology, creating social networks and developing the applications that connected one another through smartphones. Enter Generation Z. This generation is at the forefront of a revolutionary technology: artificial intelligence (AI). As these young men and women find new uses for the technology, they’re upsetting the status quo, and redefining what it means to compete in this new economy.
Unlike Gen Xers and Millennials, who spent part of their lives without the Internet, Generation Z is the first true online generation. Numbering approximately 70 million Americans born between 1997 and 2012, they watched their parents get smartphones and wondered why they spent so much time looking at their Facebook and Instagram profiles. The Internet, social media, and instant access to information are definitive features of this dynamic group of people. What truly sets them apart, however, is their unique relationship with AI. Whereas older generations, such as Gen X, view the technology as a new tool, Gen Z is more likely to embrace it as a natural extension of how they live and work. According to one study by Deloitte, roughly three out of four Gen Zers have used AI tools at some point in their lives, compared to 58 percent of Millennials and 36 percent of Gen X. This makes sense, as older generations are less likely to adopt and utilize the full potential of new technologies.
The Corridor’s Competitive Edge
The D.C./Baltimore region is at a particular advantage in attracting these new AI innovators. Positioned between two established economic metro areas, both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. are popular starting points for young men and women beginning their professional careers. One report by the Brookings Institution, a D.C.-based think tank, showed that two out of every three AI job postings were located on the East Coast. Additionally, the number of AI job listings in Washington, D.C. is slightly less than in San Francisco and San Jose. The Baltimore region is also attracting its share of tech startups. UpSurge Baltimore, an organization focused on growing the city’s tech economy, tracked nearly 500 technology startups in the region, in places such as Columbia, Annapolis, Towson, Fulton, and Ellicott City.
This influx of young professionals in Maryland’s workforce and in AI-related industries isn’t happening by accident. The Baltimore/D.C. corridor is already one of the most dynamic regions in the country in terms of AI growth. This is thanks, in part, to leadership in the state. In 2024, Gov. Wes Moore signed a statewide executive order, establishing an AI Subcabinet that would help develop and implement a comprehensive AI action plan involving state agencies. Moore stated, “This technology is already here, the only question is whether we are going to be reactive or proactive in this moment. Our administration will always choose to lead.”
Maryland’s Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), the state’s leading technology investment organization, has already thrown its funding behind a number of regional startups. For example, Baltimore’s IPGen uses AI to simplify the complex patent process. TechRow, a business also based in Baltimore, uses the new technology to power streaming services for organizations such as schools and community groups. Earlier this year, TEDCO funded the University of Baltimore’s first AI startup accelerator, which provided backing for businesses in industries ranging from healthcare to housing.
Gen Z and AI Working Hand in Hand
Robert Baldoni is a young innovator who sees the potential in the new technology, using AI to provide another set of eyes when it comes to assessing patients. His company, Dannce.ai, uses multiple cameras to capture how a patient moves during clinical testing. The technology then creates a 3D reconstruction of the patient, capturing thousands of data points that would not typically be observable with the human eye. Doctors and other specialists can then use that information in diagnosing certain conditions, such as Parkinson’s and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Moreover, since the technology can be used to track the patient’s movements they can be monitored over time to see if they deteriorate or improve.
As Baby Boomers get older, health becomes a larger concern, for the individual, those who take care of them, and the broader economy. An increase in the number of patients experiencing neurological disorders will increase the amount of time they’ll have to wait to see a physician. With wait times for some movement disorder specialists reaching anywhere between 9 to 18 months, technology like Dannce.ai can help alleviate that backlog. Moreover, AI helps shift the diagnosis from subjective assessment to data-backed analysis. Stories like Baldoni’s are becoming less of an exception and more of a pattern. I95
Kieran Smith is Editor-in-Chief at Sage Policy Group. An economist with degrees from Loyola University Maryland and George Mason University, he previously worked at the Cato Institute and Agora Financial.
Connect: www.sageecon.com
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