Everett Symposium at Troy Dothan Tackles Ethical AI Use as Leaders Urge Built-In Safeguards

DOTHAN, Ala. — Business executives, military and law enforcement professionals, state technology officials and Troy University students gathered on the university’s Dothan Campus last month to wrestle with one of the biggest questions facing organizations today: how to use artificial intelligence ethically, and who is responsible for setting the rules.

The Terry and Barbara Everett Symposium on Emerging Technologies, held Sept. 18 in Sony Hall, focused this year on the ethical use of generative and agentic AI in business, government, education and daily life. It was the second event funded by the late Wiregrass congressman and his wife, and organizers say it is quickly becoming a regional forum for technology issues that once seemed distant from southeast Alabama.

The Everett Symposium at a glance

• Event: Second annual Terry and Barbara Everett Symposium on Emerging Technologies
• Date and place: Sept. 18, Sony Hall, Troy University Dothan Campus
• Theme: “Ethical Use of Generative and Agentic Artificial Intelligence for Public and Private Organizations”
• Organizer: Ed Fulford, director of Troy’s Center for Applied Innovation and Cybersecurity
• Funding: A fund established by former U.S. Rep. Terry Everett and Barbara Everett through the Troy University Foundation
• Cost: Free, with advance registration; attendees received certificates that could be submitted for possible continuing education credit

A congressman’s concern for what was coming

The symposium exists because of the Everetts’ belief that the communities of their former congressional district needed to be ready for rapid technological change.

Terry Everett, a Republican, represented Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District from 1993 until he retired in 2009. Born in Dothan in 1937 and raised largely in Dale County, he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1955 to 1959 as an intelligence analyst with the 6901st Special Communication Group. He later worked as a reporter for the Dothan Eagle, owned newspapers across south Alabama with Barbara and ran farming, home-building and land development businesses in Enterprise before entering Congress.

In the House, Everett served on the Armed Services Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he was the first chair and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He died in March 2024 at his home in Rehobeth at age 87.

Barbara Everett said the symposium carries forward something her husband cared about deeply.

“This symposium is very important to me because I know he would have been very pleased with this,” she said. “He retired nearly 20 years ago, and someone mentioned that he couldn’t talk about what he knew from those committees. But he knew this was going to happen, and he was passionate about trying to provide some kind of preparation for our community.”

From cybersecurity to AI ethics

The first Everett-funded event, held on the Dothan Campus in April 2025, focused on cybersecurity, including the work of the Alabama Fusion Center in fighting cybercrime and the online dangers facing residents of southeast Alabama. This year’s program broadened the lens to emerging technologies, with artificial intelligence at the center.

“We intentionally made this symposium content-rich because we wanted to bring together a group of people who could address a range of subjects,” Fulford said. “Everything focused on the ethical use and expansion of generative artificial intelligence in business, the public sector, education and everyday life. We explored how these technologies are changing the world around us and how life may continue to change as a result.”

Generative and agentic AI, explained

Generative AI refers to systems that produce new content, such as text, images, computer code or audio, in response to a prompt. Chatbots and image generators are the best-known examples. Agentic AI goes a step further: these systems are designed to take actions on a user’s behalf, such as completing multistep tasks, using other software tools or making decisions within limits that people set.

That shift from producing answers to taking actions raises new questions for organizations. Who is accountable when an automated system makes a mistake? How much should an algorithm’s recommendation weigh in a hiring, lending or law enforcement decision? How do organizations protect sensitive data and keep humans in control? Those questions shaped the day’s agenda.

Speakers and topics

• Eddie Sorrells, CEO of Dothan-based DSI Security Services: “The 2026 AI Regulatory and Legal Landscape: Building Public Trust”
• Jay Claiborne, professor of practice in information systems at Troy: “From Red Flag to Real Consequence: How Much Should AI Influence Decisions”
• Anna Grace Du Noyer, of Electus Global Education: “Raising AI: The Formative Years”
• Klint Walker, a cybersecurity adviser with the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: “Algorithmic Homeland: How AI is Reshaping Cybersecurity and Homeland Defense”
• Edward Fulford: “The AI Ethics are in the Output: A Cybersecurity, Governance, and Digital Innovation Perspective for Government & Business Leaders”
• Aaron Wright, Alabama’s chief artificial intelligence officer: “Human Judgment as Critical Infrastructure: Preserving Critical Thinking in an AI-Assisted World”

The program closed with a panel discussion titled “Maturing AI Ethically and Responsibly: Governance, Trust and Growing Pains.”

‘We have to build our own ethical standards’

Sorrells, a Troy alumnus, said some of the most valuable conversations of the day came from talking about AI with fellow professionals and with the Troy students in the room.

“Some of the challenges students are grappling with today are different from those I faced, but thankfully, Troy University is creating opportunities through events like this symposium to explore those challenges,” he said. “It was valuable to hear from other leaders in the field and consider how I can take those insights back to my company. It also helped me think about how to address the legal and regulatory challenges we’re seeing.

“It’s up to us, as individuals and businesses, to establish those safeguards in real time rather than relying solely on government agencies or regulators,” he added. “We have to build our own ethical standards into what we do, make sure we’re doing things the right way and not wait for someone else to address these issues down the road. Overall, it was a great event and another step toward figuring out the AI conundrum.”

His point reflects the current state of AI governance. Rules for artificial intelligence are still taking shape at the federal and state levels, leaving many businesses to write their own policies on how employees may use AI tools, how customer data is handled and how automated decisions are reviewed.

Students make connections

Adam Claar, AI technical lead in the Alabama Office of Information Technology, said the depth of the sessions surprised him, and so did the students.

“The sessions were very well-informed and went much deeper than I expected. It was really good and very informative,” he said. “Three or four students from one of the computer science clubs approached me, and they’re going to reach out about possibly doing some things together, talking with students and sharing my life experience. I worked in the private sector for 30 years before switching to state government, so I’m hoping I can help out.”

Those connections matter for a region that has long sent technology talent elsewhere. Southeast Alabama’s economy includes Fort Novosel and a large defense and aviation sector, along with health care, agriculture and manufacturing, all fields where AI and cybersecurity skills are increasingly in demand.

Building integrity into new tools

Barbara Everett said the response to both events has encouraged her.

“The participation in both seminars has been very good. The feedback I have heard after the first seminar and this one has been encouraging,” she said. “We need to learn how to manage these technologies and build integrity into how we use them. I understand that aspects of these technologies have been around for many years, but as we begin to use them more extensively, we have to build integrity into the process.”

About Troy University Dothan

Troy University’s Dothan Campus serves students across the Wiregrass with undergraduate and graduate programs. The university’s Center for Applied Innovation and Cybersecurity, directed by Fulford, organized this year’s program, which was free and open to the public with advance registration. Information about future Everett symposiums will be posted by Troy University.