Jack Francis

AI strategy • applied AI • national security

Hi, I'm Jack Francis

AI Solutions Director • Speaker • Builder

I lead AI strategy, build production-ready solutions, and help technical teams turn emerging technology into practical results. I also speak and lead workshops on applied AI, agentic systems, and rapid prototyping.

Ideas made useful

Speaking & Workshops

Talks, workshops, and panels on practical AI, leadership, national security, and building with emerging technology.

13 engagements
735+ attendees reached
4 formats: talks, workshops, presentations & panels
Workshop
Workshop Huntsville, AL

Practical AI for Business Leaders

Better Business Bureau of North Alabama • 50 attendees

Workshop to enable North Alabama business leaders with skills to use AI successfully. Covered AI landscape, how to identify business value, workflows / demos, responsible AI use, and developing a 30-day AI pilot.

Get Hired. Work Smarter. Stay Human
Presentation Huntsville, AL

Get Hired. Work Smarter. Stay Human

Spark Leadership Greater Huntsville • 30 attendees

Presentation to Spark LGH class of 30 college students. Focus on how to stand out with AI in the hiring process, how to use AI for interviewing, how to work well with AI, and how to stand out.

Agentic AI: From Tool Use to Autonomous Systems
Talk Huntsville, AL

Agentic AI: From Tool Use to Autonomous Systems

Cyber Huntsville / AI Huntsville • 70 attendees

Tech Tuesday presentation covering the evolution, use, and future of Agentic AI

Intro to OpenClaw
Talk Huntsville, AL

Intro to OpenClaw

Huntsville AI • 25 attendees

Presentation and led discussion on OpenClaw.

From Idea to Impact: A Leaders Guide to Rapid Prototyping with Replit
Workshop Huntsville, AL

From Idea to Impact: A Leaders Guide to Rapid Prototyping with Replit

Leadership Greater Huntsville Management Academy • 50 attendees

Hands on demo using Replit for rapid prototyping with non-technical teams.

Leadership Alabama - AI and Cyber Panel
Panel Huntsville, AL

Leadership Alabama - AI and Cyber Panel

Leadership Alabama • 50 attendees

Panelist for Leadership Alabama discussing AI and cybersecurity topics.

AI for Enhanced Productivity: Mastering Prompts and a Modern Toolkit
Workshop Huntsville, AL

AI for Enhanced Productivity: Mastering Prompts and a Modern Toolkit

AI Symposium • 60 attendees

Led workshop on effective AI prompting techniques and modern productivity tools, including DeepResearch, NotebookLM, and Replit.

How AI is Transforming National Security
Talk Huntsville, AL

How AI is Transforming National Security

NCMS Huntsville Chapter • 50 attendees

Presentation covering the rise of Generative AI and its implications for national security, specifically on the importance of compute and cybersecurity implications.

How AI is Transforming National Security
Talk Huntsville, AL

How AI is Transforming National Security

National Corporate Security Symposium • 200 attendees

Presentation covering the rise of Generative AI and its implications for national security, specifically on the importance of compute and cybersecurity implications.

HOPS Missile Defense Laydown Optimization - A Bayesian Optimization Approach
Presentation Huntsville, AL

HOPS Missile Defense Laydown Optimization - A Bayesian Optimization Approach

Space and Missile Defense Symposium • 80 attendees

Presentation on novel laydown optimization approaches for missile defense.

AI Tools Workshop
Presentation Huntsville, AL

AI Tools Workshop

Leadership Greater Huntsville • 20 attendees

Presentation covering AI tools for business leaders.

Artificial Intelligence Intro and Career Path
Talk Huntsville, AL

Artificial Intelligence Intro and Career Path

Cap and Gown • 25 attendees

Presentation on career paths for AI to high school students through Cap and Gown program.

Intro to Deep Research
Talk Huntsville, AL

Intro to Deep Research

Huntsville AI • 25 attendees

Presentation on deep research with ChatGPT and Gemini.

From idea to working software

Selected Apps

Personal applications that show how I prototype, ship, and maintain useful products.

NFL Game Dashboard preview
Personal

NFL Game Dashboard

Weekly NFL game tracking dashboard with automated scoring.

Built a live dashboard and GroupMe workflow that automate weekly scoring, game tracking, and standings for a friends' league.

ChoreBot preview
Personal

ChoreBot

A household chore tracker with smart scheduling.

Built a shared chore system that schedules recurring work, records completion, and helps a household stay accountable.

Longest Word Game preview
Personal

Longest Word Game

A daily word puzzle — find the longest word from random letters.

Built a daily multiplayer word puzzle with generated challenges, validation, scoring, leaderboards, and head-to-head play.

CFB Scoreboard preview
Personal

CFB Scoreboard

Live college football scores and schedules.

Built a real-time college football scoreboard that consolidates ESPN schedule and score data into a fast weekly view.

Professional summary

Hands-on leadership from strategy to production

I'm an AI Solutions Director and principal architect with six years of post-PhD experience developing AI solutions, leading high-performing technical teams, and shaping AI strategy for the national security sector.

My work spans generative and agentic AI, deep learning, MLOps, and rapid prototyping. I focus on earning executive alignment, mentoring technical talent, and directing the full lifecycle of complex AI/ML solutions from R&D through production.

Read My Resume
  • 50+ technical demonstrations delivered to senior defense customers
  • 30+ participants mentored through an AI Community of Excellence
  • PhD in Industrial Engineering from Mississippi State University

Let's work together

Invite Me to Speak or Collaborate

Looking for a practical AI talk, a hands-on workshop, or a collaborator who can help turn an idea into a working solution?