Kampgrounds of America Inc., in collaboration with Georgia State University (GSU) and AI platform provider Airia, announced the completion of a graduate innovation program focused on applying artificial intelligence (AI) to complex business challenges across the outdoor hospitality industry.
As part of GSU’s graduate-level Special Projects course, more than 30 students across six teams worked directly with KOA and Airia to design, build and evaluate AI-powered agents aimed at solving everyday business challenges. The eight-week course culminated in a final presentation where students shared their findings with KOA leadership, Airia representatives and university faculty.
This type of collaboration offers a new model for how companies can explore emerging technologies thoughtfully, tapping into new perspectives while testing practical applications of AI in a controlled environment, KOA said. For KOA, it means accelerating insights that can enhance operations, improve the camper experience and inform future technology investments.
Using KOA’s AI tools and data alongside the Airia platform, student teams conducted stakeholder interviews, built prototypes, tested use cases and presented recommendations grounded in real business needs. The projects were designed to mirror enterprise-level decision-making, requiring students to balance technical feasibility with strategic value.
“Real AI innovation requires context rooted in actual business problems. By collaborating with GSU students on these tangible challenges, we’re testing new solutions while gaining fresh perspectives from the next generation of technology leaders. Partnerships like this advance not just our competitive advantage, but the entire outdoor hospitality sector’s maturity with AI adoption,” said Brian Elsmore, chief information officer at KOA.
Graduate students primarily from GSU’s Computer Information Systems program, many of whom are working professionals, came together to collaborate across technical and business disciplines during the course. Each team was tasked with delivering a working prototype and executive-ready recommendations tied to defined success criteria.
“This course is about giving students the chance to wrestle with real problems using tools that are reshaping entire industries,” said Dr. Denise McCurdy, instructor of the Special Projects course at Georgia State University. “Partnering with KOA and Airia gave our teams something a classroom alone can’t, which is real stakes and the kind of feedback that turns a prototype into something useful. Watching them rise to that challenge has been the best part of the semester.”
For GSU, the partnership represents a growing emphasis on bridging academic learning with hands-on industry experience. For KOA, it underscores a continued commitment to innovation and forward-thinking solutions that support both campground owners and campers across North America, the company said.
