OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) — Hart Brown has spent decades advising governments and global enterprises on how to anticipate what comes next.
As president of AI and transformation at Saxum, he believes Oklahoma is approaching a rare economic inflection point — one that could reshape the state’s trajectory if leaders move quickly.
Brown points to national modeling that shows artificial intelligence could add $22 trillion to the U.S. economy. For Oklahoma, the math is straightforward and unusually compelling.
“In Oklahoma, what does that translate to? It gets us from 270 billion in GDP to about 455 billion in GDP,” he said. He frames the potential as both an opportunity and a practical response to a problem businesses already feel.
That problem is workforce capacity.
Employers across Oklahoma have operated for years in a tight labor market, one that leaves little room for expansion. Brown said the constraint is now fundamental.
“We are labor constrained both in the United States and here in Oklahoma with a really low unemployment rate,” he said. “It becomes very difficult for CEOs and owners of businesses to grow because we just can’t find the people.”
The urgency, he said, extends beyond state borders. In his view, countries are entering a short window that will determine global economic leadership for generations.
“Whoever wins in the next 4 to 5 years will be the economically dominant country for the next 75 to 100,” Brown said. “I need the productivity of all of the technology, and I need the productivity of all of the people.” He argues that replacing workers with AI undermines that outcome because it weakens long-term productivity, rather than accelerating it.
The pace of technological growth is already testing states’ preparedness. Data‑center expansion is creating new demands for energy and water, and Brown said those pressures will shape which regions can support advanced AI operations.
“The increases in energy are causing a bit of a concern because we haven’t had to build infrastructure that fast,” he said. “The increases in potential water use is a concern as well.”
Policy may determine the rest. Brown often notes that Delaware became the nation’s favored corporate home not through size or geography but through law. He believes a similar dynamic is forming around AI.
“Some state will become the next Delaware by writing AI legislation correctly to protect the companies that are going through this process and to protect the consumers at the same time,” he said. “Every company on the planet will want to domicile in that state.” He said Oklahoma has the ingredients to compete for that role if policymakers develop early clarity.
Legislators, he said, are interested but cautious as they work to understand both the technology and its implications.
“I need to learn more because I’m hesitant to write something that may in fact be wrong,” Brown said. “I need to understand the North Star, and I need to understand the technology. Let’s get the language right.” He views education as the primary barrier between Oklahoma and a stronger policy advantage.
Inside businesses, Brown expects the shift to unfold quickly.
“We will highly likely have 100 times the number of AIs working in our business than we do people,” he said. “We’re going to add 100 times the number of AIs in every business in 2030.” He describes the change not as a reduction in human work but a redistribution of what people spend their time on.
That redistribution could influence daily life as much as operations. Brown estimates that roughly 30 percent of current tasks will be automated by the end of the decade. “Do we actually go to lunch now? Do we go to coffee with friends?” he said. “I would hope we make more meaningful connections between each other.”
For Brown, the turbulence surrounding AI is not the story. The real story is what comes after, and whether Oklahoma positions itself to reach it. “At the end of the day, it may actually benefit all of us to become a bit closer,” he said.
