Fort Mill launches NSF-backed AI internship for water utilities

By AI, Created 10:26 AM UTC, June 02, 2026, /AGP/ – The National Science Foundation and Delta Bravo AI announced a Fort Mill internship program that gives high school students supervised access to AI tools used in municipal water and wastewater operations. The effort starts in June 2026 and aims to train future utility workers while testing a model other communities can copy.

Why it matters: - The FutureFM Internship Program gives students direct exposure to AI tools used in critical water infrastructure. - The program is designed to build an AI-literate local workforce for municipal water and wastewater operations. - Water utilities may be able to use the Fort Mill model to train future workers inside the communities they serve.

What happened: - The National Science Foundation and Delta Bravo Artificial Intelligence, Inc. announced the FutureFM Internship Program on June 2, 2026. - The program is described as the first municipal high school internship in the United States to give students supervised, hands-on access to advanced AI systems supporting water and wastewater utility operations. - The inaugural cohort begins in June 2026 in Fort Mill, South Carolina. - Applications for the 2027 cohort open in March 2027.

The details: - FutureFM interns will work alongside municipal leaders and utility professionals. - Students will use Aquaspec, Delta Bravo AI’s NSF-funded Agentic AI Operating System for water utilities. - The internship will focus on regulatory compliance support, workforce readiness, infrastructure resilience and efficiency optimization. - Delta Bravo AI is headquartered in Fort Mill. - Aquaspec has received a $5 million NSF Phase II Award. - Aquaspec was also selected for the 2026 Imagine H2O Accelerator. - Water utilities and municipalities interested in replicating the program can contact Delta Bravo AI at more information.

Between the lines: - The program ties workforce development to infrastructure technology at a time when utilities face pressure to modernize operations. - The NSF backing gives the project added credibility and suggests the internship is meant to be more than a local pilot. - Fort Mill leaders are positioning the program as both an education initiative and a public-service tool. - Mayor Guynn Savage said the partnership is meant to strengthen the innovative culture of Fort Mill while benefiting the community. - Representative David Martin said the collaboration gives students career preparation and strengthens South Carolina’s technology and infrastructure base. - Delta Bravo AI is using the program to demonstrate that AI can be applied responsibly in critical infrastructure.

What’s next: - The first class of FutureFM interns starts in June 2026. - Delta Bravo AI will open applications for the next cohort in March 2027. - Other municipalities and water utilities may look to adopt or adapt the model if the program delivers measurable results.

The bottom line: - Fort Mill is turning a school internship into a live test of how AI can support essential public infrastructure while training the workforce that will run it next.