The greater Fayetteville business community is invited to join the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal for our next Power Breakfast titled “Applied Intelligence; The AI Revolution in Business.”

This upcoming Power Breakfast event will be picking the brains of local and state recognized business professionals and their integration of Artificial Intelligence into their businesses, and its uses for education, research and cybersecurity. 

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more widely available for everyday use, it’s important for the public to learn what practical applications it can have, and where the balance lies between using it as a resource and using it to replace traditional labor.

“There’s no other technology that has progressed as rapidly as Artificial Intelligence. The biggest problem is that people are intimidated by it and rightfully so. But if we can focus on the many applications that are made possible in all aspects of life, and certainly in business, we can take advantage of this technology like we have done with all the others,” shared GFBJ Publisher Marty Cayton.

The Power Breakfast will feature four panelists who prioritize human-led utilization of AI in their everyday business, and who will break down what the implications are with this type of technology being used in their unique fields.

PANELISTS INCLUDE: 

KARLY PAVLINAC - Founder of More Customers

Karly Pavlinac Blackburn is an entrepreneur from Raleigh, North Carolina known for her bold ideas, creative hustle and ability to turn visions into viral moments. She founded WAAM, a fitness app that helped celebrity trainers monetize their social media presence. WAAM secured venture funding from Co-Founders Capital and was acquired in March 2021.

After the acquisition, Karly brought her entrepreneurial energy to a marketing agency where her idea of sending her resume on a cake to Nike went viral and landed her interviews with Good Morning America, The Today Show and The Drew Barrymore Show. 

Now, Karly runs a lead generation business, helping her clients do what she does best: get noticed—and get more customers. 

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to be a panelist for the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal Power Breakfast. I will discuss lead generation topics on how to find, speak to and convert leads into sales,” shared Pavlinac.

ASHLEE RUSSELL - Founder and Chief Learning Consultant at AI Learning Central

Ashlee Russell is an award-winning educator who has served as a teacher, instructional coach and district professional development leader for Cumberland County Schools. She is the founder and Chief Learning Consultant at AI Learning Central, where she provides AI literacy education and AI implementation support to schools and organizations, including the first AI integrated unit in the US Army at Fort Bragg. Ashlee has presented at a variety of state and national conferences including the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) and the Learning Revolution’s AI in Education Conference.

“The future belongs to those who can think critically, adapt boldly and collaborate with AI as a tool — not a substitute for thinking or learning. In education, business and healthcare alike, preparing people for that future starts now,” said Russell.

JARON CAYTON - Chief Revenue Officer, TeamLogic IT

Jaron Cayton is the Chief Revenue Officer at TeamLogic IT, where he helps businesses adopt technology securely and strategically. With over a decade in IT leadership, he focuses on aligning new technology and security with business outcomes. Jaron leads initiatives around secure AI adoption, internal automation and client-facing tools built on large language models within protected environments. His recent work focuses on the dual nature of AI in cybersecurity, highlighting both its potential to enhance defenses and the new vulnerabilities it introduces. He regularly speaks with clients about the opportunities and risks of AI for businesses.

“I’m excited to join this panel and discuss how AI is transforming the way we use technology. As someone deeply involved in helping businesses adopt technology securely and effectively, I see AI as both a powerful opportunity and a responsibility,” shared Jaron. “It’s not just about what AI can do—it’s about how we implement it thoughtfully to support people and protect data. I’m looking forward to sharing what we’ve learned at TeamLogic IT and learning from others who are navigating this fast-moving space.”

DR. SAMBIT BHATTACHARYA - Professor of Computer Science & Director of the Intelligent Systems Lab at Fayetteville State University

Dr. Sambit Bhattacharya is a tenured Full Professor of Computer Science at Fayetteville State University and is Director of the Intelligent Systems Laboratory. He works on use-inspired research in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning with a broad range of techniques and applications and with multidisciplinary teams.

His research has applications to cyber resilience, geospatial intelligence, computer vision with synthetic data for rare object detection and target recognition and more.

He has served as a faculty fellow in research labs of the DoD and was recently a visiting scientist with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA).

“On this panel, I’m excited to share how AI can actually help businesses grow and solve real problems. We won’t get lost in technical details—instead, we’ll focus on practical ways companies are using these tools to work smarter, serve customers better and find new opportunities. My goal is to leave the audience with clear ideas that can be used and tailored to specific challenges. AI isn’t about replacing people’s skills— it’s about giving teams better tools to do what they already do well. I look forward to cutting through the confusion and showing you what’s truly possible today,” shared Dr. Bhattacharya.

Associate Publisher and Editor of the Greater Fayetteville Business Journal Faith Hatton will be returning as MC for the event.

“At this point, it’s safe to say that AI isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Now, everything from email to social media to even kitchen appliances utilize some form of artificial intelligence to better serve users. But just because a company or business model utilizes AI, it doesn’t automatically mean the loss of jobs or that their positions will be completely taken over by robots. After meeting with our panelists and picking their brains, I’m excited to share with our community how to find just the right balance of usage to help, not hinder our business community,” shared Hatton.

Tickets are on sale now at fayettevillepowerbreakfast.com.