Opinion: Maine is forged by nature, not AI. Let’s keep it that way.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 18, 2026

At the annual Maine Tourism Conference recently held in Rockport, keynote speaker Janette Roush, chief AI officer and SVP of innovation at Brand USA, spent 45 minutes attempting to convince the room that using AI to improve productivity is the way of the future. Roush said that the environmental problem with using AI is that companies aren’t overseeing the use of AI for efficiency. AI doesn’t improve efficiency, it replaces jobs, ruins skill sets and your memory. In Maine, we work on old boats, protected land and historic landmarks in addition to screens; we “touch grass” and get dirty. They say “forged by nature” — not AI. ~ Amanda Pleau, Bath