Chamber Goes “All In” on AI at the 155th Annual Dinner

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce held its 155^th Annual Dinner, presented by PNC Bank, on Wednesday, March 27, at the Scranton Cultural Center in downtown Scranton. Over 450 people attended, including Lackawanna County Commissioners Bill Gaughan and Matt McGloin. Shawn Kanungo, a disruption strategist, bestselling author, and former innovation expert for Deloitte, was the keynote speaker.

The event included a networking dinner followed by the Chamber program where board chair, Attorney Jerry Musheno offered remarks and had a little fun with generative AI. The Chamber, along with the help of member Posture Interactive, developed AI photos and videos for the night’s entertainment. Members submitted prompts that generated photos.

The Chamber’s President, Bob Durkin, stated, “The Chamber is blessed to have such strong support from our regional business community. The Annual Dinner is an occasion to salute all of our members and celebrate the efforts of our literally hundreds of volunteer leaders over this past year.”

Pete Danchak, northeast PA regional president of PNC Bank, offered remarks and introduced Shawn Kanungo, the keynote speaker. Kanungo is a world-renowned generative AI expert who gave an inspiring keynote on AI’s power in businesses.

Kanungo delivered a riveting challenge to the audience on AI and its power of influence on the world. AI can be a useful tool to help advance small businesses that don’t have the manpower but use the tool wrong, and the intent of AI can have a negative impact. Kanungo’s work with corporations has shaped their trajectory as they harness AI’s power to advance operations and lay a foundation of mining through data, creating social campaigns, and more. His presentation gave Chamber members a perspective on AI for their businesses and paved a path for future discussions.

The incoming board chair, Attorney Marianne Gilmartin, concluded the evening with remarks and looked to the upcoming 2024–25 program year. The Chamber’s success stems from its members and their growing businesses.