A foundational survey of AI's institutions, industries, workforce, infrastructure, and policy in the Palmetto State — for legislators, business leaders, journalists, educators, and the citizens whose lives the technology is reshaping.
South Carolina has more AI activity underway than is generally appreciated — across universities, agencies, manufacturers, hospitals, ports, farms, school districts, startups, and state-owned utilities — and the activity is accelerating. This report aims to make that picture legible: who is building, where, what risks and opportunities are emerging, and how the state's institutions and citizens can shape the transition. It is intended as a living document. As facts change, chapters will be revised; as new evidence emerges, sections will be added. Everything here is subject to correction by the people closer to the work, and SCAIO actively welcomes those corrections.
This is Edition 0.1 — a working draft published in May 2026. Chapters 00 through 06 are substantive first drafts; chapters 07, 08, and 09 are outlines that will be filled in over subsequent editions. The structure may change as the report matures and as readers respond.
SCAIO welcomes corrections, additions, and contributing fellows. If you are doing AI work in South Carolina and your institution or initiative is missing or mischaracterized, please reach out. The directory of organizations cited throughout the report is maintained at the SCAIO ecosystem map.