Yes, AI is coming for our region—Let’s embrace it

San Antonio is no stranger to innovation. From aerospace to biotechnology, San Antonio’s core industries demand technological advancement to drive operations and accelerate growth.

That’s why it should come as no surprise that businesses across San Antonio are using AI as a tool for innovation. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our lives, local businesses are using it to streamline tasks and enhance efficiency.

As a hub for the military, industry and academia, Port San Antonio and its large customer base of leading names in aviation, cybersecurity, space research, industrial robotics and various applied industries have a significant stake in the AI revolution. Jim Perschbach, CEO of Port San Antonio, views AI as a tool—one that, like past technological advancements, we can utilize to improve lives and create new career and entrepreneurial opportunities for our region.

Practical applications

While, like all transformative technologies, AI will require significant adaptation, Perschbach believes AI will create key advantages for many industries, including aerospace—one of the core industries on Port San Antonio’s campus.

One of AI’s strongest capabilities is pattern recognition. By detecting patterns in vast amounts of data, AI can slow actions down to human reaction time. This is an essential function for aerospace, where even the slightest miscalculation can put lives at risk.

Thus, AI will be a critical tool for many of the industries on the Port campus, says Perschbach, as the organization works with an array of industry, academic and public-sector partners to position itself as a leader in Advanced Air Mobility. Site work is currently underway at the Port to construct what will soon be the world’s first functional vertiport: a designated area for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft  (eVTOLs).

eVTOLs are effectively large drones able to transport people and large cargoes within urban environments and surrounding areas. As the technology continues to evolve and state and federal authorities develop the necessary operational frameworks before the so-called “air taxis” become part of everyday life, Perschbach believes that AI will be integral to the safety of this transformative mode of transportation.

AI also offers tremendous value to the healthcare industry. Today, medical professionals increasingly use AI for various tasks, including spotting abnormalities in routine health screenings, providing critical insights to help form diagnoses and developing effective, highly customized treatment plans that are already saving lives. AI, says Perschbach, can also help better predict the spread of disease to help inform containment strategies in future pandemics.

Job growth

Like all technological revolutions, such as the advent of personal computing not too long ago, growing bodies of research indicate AI will create more jobs than it will replace.

The World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs Report 2025” estimates that the global labor market will see a net increase of 78 million jobs by 2030, as AI is expected to drive business transformation more than any other technology over the next decade. In addition to the jobs that will be created, many will not easily be replaced, including trade jobs like electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, and professions that involve soft skills, such as teachers, doctors, and social workers.

In Perschbach’s view, other jobs are AI-proof because AI is not actually “thinking”; instead, it is simply processing information at a much faster rate than human beings. Therefore, while AI is useful as a search engine and knowledge accretion tool, it won’t replace the uniquely human capability of using data and insights to inform strategy.

Automation has revolutionized the nature of work, transforming our economy in new and unforeseen ways. Yet, Perschbach points out, we aren’t seeing widespread unemployment—even as jobs of the past, like stenographers and flight engineers, are gradually phased out by automation. Alternatively, new jobs are constantly being created, particularly in the fields of science, technology and manufacturing as people are needed to maintain and operate new systems and technologies.

AI in education

While some are concerned about AI’s impact on their careers, Perschbach believes the bigger concern lies with our education system. According to him, we need to adapt this system to the changing job market, shifting away from menial labor and focusing instead on curricula and training that emphasize lifelong learning and our inherent human skills.

Our educational landscape is already starting to shift as educators look to prepare students for the jobs of the future. In the last two years, the University of Texas at San Antonio and Texas A&M University-San Antonio have announced AI degree pathways and programs; meanwhile, Port leaders are partnering with educational enrichment programs, such as the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology (SAMSAT) to gear up to demonstrate the applications of AI in cybersecurity and engineering to local students.

As AI continues to reshape industries, San Antonio has a unique opportunity to position itself as a leader in this technological revolution—and it all starts with education. By enriching our educational system with AI-related programming and collaborating with private-, public- and academic-sector partners, the world of career and entrepreneurial opportunities made possible by this new, evolving technology will become ever clearer.