News/Policy
New Jersey teachers adopt AI with $1.5M in state funding
New Jersey teachers are increasingly embracing artificial intelligence as a classroom tool, with some educators creating AI-powered teaching assistants and interactive learning experiences for their students. This shift comes as the state has invested $1.5 million in grants to fund AI education programs, signaling a broader acceptance of the technology despite ongoing concerns about academic integrity and student safety. What you should know: Teachers across New Jersey are using AI platforms to create customized learning experiences and streamline classroom management. Erin Cutillo, a technology teacher at Memorial Elementary School in Howell, uses SchoolAI to create chatbots that act as teaching...
read Sep 11, 202547% of retail brands now use AI daily for business operations
Nearly half of retail brands now use artificial intelligence daily or weekly, marking a shift from experimental projects to embedded business operations, according to Amperity's 2025 State of AI in Retail survey. This mainstream adoption reflects retailers' focus on measurable outcomes like revenue growth, customer loyalty, and operational efficiency, with 97 percent planning to maintain or increase their AI investments this year. What you should know: AI integration is becoming seamless across retail operations, from customer data management to personalized marketing campaigns. "We have AI embedded across many parts of the business, which makes it feel seamless rather than experimental,"...
read Sep 11, 2025Seattle unveils responsible AI plan with 40 priority projects
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell has unveiled a comprehensive "responsible AI plan" designed to guide the city's artificial intelligence use while positioning Seattle as a leader in the AI economy. The initiative includes frameworks for AI deployment in city operations, employee training programs, and strategic partnerships with local tech companies to tackle urban challenges like permitting delays and traffic safety. What you should know: Seattle is leveraging its position as the second-ranked city for AI talent to create a balanced approach to AI adoption in municipal operations.• The city has identified 40 priority projects where AI could improve government performance and...
read Sep 11, 2025Beyond the ankle bracelet: Oklahoma considers AI to monitor parolees with facial recognition
Oklahoma lawmakers are considering a proposal from Montana-based Global Accountability to implement an AI-powered parole and probation monitoring system that would use facial recognition and fingerprint scanning for check-ins. The state could become the first in the nation to adopt the company's Absolute ID platform, which would cost approximately $2 million for a one-year pilot program covering 300 parolees and up to 40 officers. What you should know: The Absolute ID platform combines biometric identification (facial recognition and fingerprints), location tracking, and virtual boundary alerts to monitor people on parole and probation through smartphones and smartwatches. Users would scan their...
read Sep 11, 2025Study finds central banks only partially shielded from political influence
A new study using AI agents to simulate Federal Reserve meetings found that political pressure significantly polarizes central bank decision-making, even within institutions designed to be independent. The research by George Washington University academics suggests the Fed is "only partially insulated from politics," revealing how external scrutiny can fragment board consensus and increase dissent in monetary policy discussions. The simulation setup: Researchers created AI agents modeled on real Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) members using their historical policy stances, biographies, and speeches to replicate the July 2025 meeting. The AI agents processed real-time economic data and financial news to reach...
read Sep 11, 2025Albania appoints AI bot “Diella” as government minister to fight corruption
Albania has appointed an AI bot named Diella as a government minister to handle all public procurement contracts, marking what Prime Minister Edi Rama calls the country's first "virtually created" cabinet member. The move aims to eliminate corruption in government contracting, a persistent problem that has complicated Albania's bid for European Union membership by 2030. What you should know: Diella, which means "sun" in Albanian, will manage and award all public tenders where the government contracts private companies for various projects.• Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the appointment during his fourth term cabinet unveiling on Thursday, describing Diella as "impervious...
read Sep 11, 2025FDA to review AI mental health chatbots over safety concerns, unpredictability
The Food and Drug Administration will convene an expert advisory committee on November 6 to address regulatory challenges for AI-powered mental health devices, as concerns mount over unpredictable chatbot outputs from large language models. The move signals the agency may soon implement stricter oversight of digital mental health tools that use generative artificial intelligence. Why this matters: The FDA's focus on AI mental health devices comes as more companies release chatbots powered by large language models, whose unpredictable responses could pose safety risks to vulnerable patients seeking mental health support. What you should know: The Digital Health Advisory Committee (DHAC)...
read Sep 10, 2025RFK Jr. mandates ChatGPT for all HHS employees amid staff revolt
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has mandated that all Department of Health and Human Services employees begin using ChatGPT, according to an internal email sent Tuesday titled "AI Deployment." The directive comes amid significant backlash against Kennedy's leadership, with over 1,000 current and former HHS employees calling for his resignation in an open letter citing actions that "endanger the nation's health." What you should know: The ChatGPT deployment will be overseen by HHS's new Chief Information Officer Clark Minor, a former employee of Palantir, a data analytics company. Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill sent the email stating that "artificial intelligence is beginning...
read Sep 10, 2025Reddit, Yahoo and Medium launch new licensing standard for AI content
Major web publishers including Reddit, Yahoo, Medium, and People Inc. have adopted a new Really Simple Licensing (RSL) standard that allows them to set compensation terms for AI companies scraping their content. The initiative creates a structured approach for publishers to negotiate fair payment from AI firms, addressing the ongoing crisis in web publishing as artificial intelligence companies have historically used online content without compensation. What you should know: The RSL standard integrates licensing terms directly into the robots.txt protocol, the basic file that provides instructions for web crawlers. Supported licensing options include free, attribution, subscription, pay-per-crawl, and pay-per-inference models....
read Sep 10, 2025California and New York target frontier AI models with $1B damage thresholds
California and New York are poised to become the first states to enact comprehensive regulations targeting frontier AI models—the most advanced artificial intelligence systems capable of causing catastrophic harm. The legislation aims to prevent AI-related incidents that could result in 50 or more deaths or damages exceeding $1 billion, marking a significant shift toward state-level AI governance as federal oversight remains limited. What you should know: Both states are targeting "frontier AI models"—large-scale systems like OpenAI's GPT-5 and Google's Gemini Ultra that represent the cutting edge of AI innovation. California's bill passed the state Senate and requires developers to implement...
read Sep 10, 2025Could a new political party fill America’s dangerous AI safety gap?
The artificial intelligence industry is advancing at breakneck speed, with companies racing to develop increasingly powerful systems that could reshape society within the next decade. Yet despite widespread public concern about AI's potential risks—from mass unemployment to existential threats—the United States lacks a sustained political movement dedicated to ensuring these technologies develop safely. This gap represents both a critical vulnerability and a significant opportunity. While AI companies invest billions in capabilities research, government spending on AI safety remains minimal. Meanwhile, the competitive dynamics driving AI development create powerful incentives for companies to prioritize speed over caution, potentially leading to catastrophic...
read Sep 10, 2025Chinese brainiac AI runs 100x faster without Nvidia chips
Chinese scientists claim to have developed SpikingBrain1.0, the world's first "brain-like" AI large language model that mimics human neural firing patterns to reduce power consumption and operate without Nvidia chips. The breakthrough could challenge the dominance of traditional AI architectures like ChatGPT while offering China a path around U.S. semiconductor restrictions. How it works: SpikingBrain1.0 abandons the traditional "attention" mechanism used by models like ChatGPT and Meta's Llama, which processes all words in a sentence simultaneously. Instead of comparing every word to every other word, the model selectively focuses on nearby words, similar to how the human brain concentrates on...
read Sep 9, 2025EFF’s executive director steps down after 25 years of digital rights advocacy
Cindy Cohn announced Tuesday that she is stepping down as executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation after 25 years with the digital rights organization. The departure of Cohn, who has led EFF since 2015, marks the end of an era for one of the most influential voices in the fight for online privacy and digital freedoms during a critical period of tech expansion and government surveillance. What you should know: Cohn's tenure at EFF spans some of the most significant battles over digital rights in the internet age. She first gained prominence as lead counsel in Bernstein v. Department...
read Sep 9, 2025New tech, old world: Helsing and ARX partner to develop AI-powered defense systems for Europe
Helsing, an AI defense company, and ARX Robotics, a specialist in unmanned ground systems, have announced a strategic partnership to develop AI-based reconnaissance and strike systems for European defence forces. The collaboration aims to digitize and network land domain operations using artificial intelligence, drawing on battle-tested technologies from Ukraine to give European armed forces a technological advantage on the battlefield. What you should know: The partnership focuses on transforming Europe's fragmented and analog land warfare capabilities into a connected, AI-driven network. The companies will jointly develop reconnaissance and strike systems that enable armed forces to "act faster, more precisely, more...
read Sep 9, 2025California tax and fee bureaucracy launches $445K AI assistant to handle calls
California's Department of Tax and Fee Administration has launched an AI-powered virtual assistant to help its call center handle taxpayer inquiries, marking one of three state-funded AI initiatives under Governor Gavin Newsom's broader technology adoption effort. The $445,000 pilot program aims to eliminate the need to reassign workers during peak tax season when call volumes spike by over 50%, while potentially enabling the department to answer over 10,000 additional calls annually. The big picture: California is testing generative AI across government services while navigating labor concerns and public trust issues as the technology becomes more prevalent in public sector operations....
read Sep 9, 2025Fermi files for Nasdaq IPO to build nuclear-powered AI data centers
Texas-based data center developer Fermi has filed for an initial public offering on Nasdaq under the symbol "FRMI," less than a year after its founding by former U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry. The company aims to build the world's largest data-energy complex powered by nuclear, natural gas, and solar energy to support AI workloads, representing the first major nuclear-related investment since President Trump's executive orders to accelerate nuclear project approvals. What you should know: Despite generating no revenue yet, Fermi has secured significant funding and strategic partnerships for its ambitious energy infrastructure project. The company raised $100 million in August...
read Sep 9, 2025AI use hastened in states after Trump administration federal health system cuts
States across the U.S. are turning to artificial intelligence platforms to track disease outbreaks after the Trump administration withdrew from the World Health Organization and cut thousands of jobs from the CDC. Massachusetts now relies on an AI system called BEACON that scans news reports in local languages for early signs of threats like bird flu and Ebola, while Illinois uses AI-powered BlueDot and reports from Brown University's Pandemic Center to monitor infectious diseases entering through Chicago's O'Hare Airport. The big picture: Public health officials are scrambling to create makeshift surveillance networks as traditional federal and international disease monitoring systems...
read Sep 9, 2025Judge rejects Anthropic’s $1.5B copyright settlement as incomplete
A federal judge has rejected Anthropic's record-breaking $1.5 billion settlement for a copyright lawsuit filed by writers, calling the agreement "nowhere close to complete." Judge William Alsup expressed concern that class lawyers struck a deal that would be forced "down the throat of authors" without providing essential details about how the settlement would actually work. What you should know: The lawsuit involves around 500,000 authors who sued Anthropic, an AI company, for using pirated copies of their works to train its large language models. Authors were expected to receive $3,000 per work under the settlement terms. One of the lawyers...
read Sep 8, 2025Anthropic backs California’s first AI safety law requiring transparency
Anthropic has become the first major tech company to endorse California's S.B. 53, a bill that would establish the first broad legal requirements for AI companies in the United States. The legislation would mandate transparency measures and safety protocols for large AI developers, transforming voluntary industry commitments into legally binding requirements that could reshape how AI companies operate nationwide. What you should know: S.B. 53 would create mandatory transparency and safety requirements specifically targeting the most advanced AI companies. The bill applies only to companies building cutting-edge models requiring massive computing power, with the strictest requirements reserved for those with...
read Sep 8, 2025Tech companies race to prove hypersonic tracking for missile defense in “Golden Dome” project
Tech companies including Varda Space Industries, Anduril, and LeoLabs are conducting advanced demonstrations of hypersonic tracking technology as they compete for contracts in President Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defense project. The ambitious defense system would require capabilities to intercept fast-moving rockets and missiles that no military currently possesses, creating a lucrative opportunity for aerospace and AI companies to showcase cutting-edge solutions. What you should know: Varda Space Industries successfully demonstrated real-time hypersonic tracking capabilities in a May test that could be crucial for missile defense systems. More than 100 employees watched as the company tracked a capsule traveling at over...
read Sep 8, 2025AI transforms fertility care faster than regulations, societal contemplation can keep up
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming fertility care, offering new precision in IVF treatments while raising complex questions about human agency, privacy, and the meaning of parenthood. This technological shift is outpacing regulatory oversight, creating a landscape where patients may encounter AI-driven tools before clear protections are established. What you should know: AI applications in fertility range from personalized ovulation tracking to algorithmic embryo selection, each carrying distinct benefits and risks. AI-based fertility trackers now analyze heart rate, sleep patterns, and temperature data to create individualized fertility profiles, moving beyond the one-size-fits-all approach of traditional apps. In IVF clinics, AI systems...
read Sep 8, 2025National conservatives call for “holy war” against AI at NatCon
National conservative speakers at the recent NatCon conference overwhelmingly opposed artificial intelligence development, with some calling for a "holy war" against AI developers. The hostility was so intense that it prompted discussions about unlikely alliances with labor unions to resist technological change, revealing a significant ideological divide within conservative politics on AI policy. What they're saying: The rhetoric against AI was particularly harsh, with speakers attacking both the technology and its creators. Geoffrey Miller, a psychology professor at the University of New Mexico, called AI developers "betrayers of our species, traitors to our nation, apostates to our faith, and threats...
read Sep 8, 2025Authors sue Apple for using pirated books to train AI models
Two authors have filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of using their copyrighted books without permission to train its AI models. Grady Hendrix and Jennifer Roberson claim Apple's web scraper accessed "shadow libraries" containing pirated works, including their own, to develop Apple Intelligence—adding to the growing legal challenges facing tech companies over AI training data. What you should know: The lawsuit seeks class action status due to the vast number of books and authors potentially affected by Apple's alleged use of pirated content. The plaintiffs argue that Apple, despite being "one of the biggest companies in the world,"...
read Sep 5, 2025Nvidia fights GAIN AI Act that would prioritize US chip orders
Nvidia has criticized the proposed GAIN AI Act, arguing it would restrict global competition for advanced chips and harm U.S. economic leadership. The legislation, part of the National Defense Authorization Act, would require AI chipmakers to prioritize domestic orders before supplying foreign customers, mirroring restrictions from the AI Diffusion Rule that allocated computing power limits to different countries. What you should know: The GAIN AI Act would mandate that U.S. companies receive priority access to advanced AI chips before they can be exported internationally. Short for Guaranteeing Access and Innovation for National Artificial Intelligence Act, the legislation stipulates exporters must...
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