News/Policy
Trump’s coal-powered AI plan faces data center opposition
President Trump's fossil-fueled AI agenda is putting state and local governments in a challenging position as they balance federal energy directives with community opposition to data centers. The administration's push to power AI infrastructure with coal and other fossil fuels conflicts with local climate goals and growing resident activism against energy-intensive data centers, potentially complicating government AI initiatives. The big picture: Trump's administration is actively promoting coal and fossil fuels as the primary energy sources for AI infrastructure, dismissing renewable alternatives despite their lower costs and scalability. At a cabinet meeting on August 26, Trump stated: "Whether we like it...
read Sep 5, 2025New Orleans high school launches AI ethics program as 60% of teachers use AI
Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans has launched a comprehensive AI ethics and literacy program, with engineering teacher Rebecca Gaillot leading a team of educators to explore artificial intelligence applications in the classroom. Backed by NOAI, a local technology group, the initiative addresses the growing challenge of AI integration in education, where 60% of teachers used AI tools last school year and nearly half of students ages 9-17 have used ChatGPT recently. The big picture: Schools nationwide are struggling to develop AI policies, with less than a third having written guidelines according to federal data, leaving educators to navigate...
read Sep 5, 2025Following Roe v. Wade protest, activist conducts hunger strike outside Anthropic HQ
Activist Guido Reichstadter is on day three of a hunger strike outside Anthropic's San Francisco headquarters, demanding the AI company halt its development efforts. The protest reflects growing grassroots opposition to artificial general intelligence (AGI) development, with activists arguing that the current AI race poses existential risks to society and threatens to eliminate human employment on a massive scale. What you should know: Reichstadter is protesting as part of the activist group StopAI, calling on Anthropic to "immediately stop their reckless actions which are harming our society." He posted his statement on LessWrong, a forum founded by AI critic Eliezer...
read Sep 5, 2025Tesla proposes new $2T pay plan for Musk tied to ambitious milestones
Tesla is asking investors to approve another substantial pay plan for CEO Elon Musk that would grant him over 423 million additional shares across 12 tranches tied to ambitious milestones over the next decade. The proposal would also increase Musk's voting control over the electric vehicle and robotics company, addressing demands he has made publicly since early 2024. What you should know: The compensation structure requires Tesla to nearly double its current market cap to $2 trillion while hitting aggressive operational targets. Musk would receive 1% equity for each half-trillion dollars of market cap growth, plus meeting production and delivery...
read Sep 5, 2025San Jose pilots AI to fix 90% dwelling unit permit rejection rate
San Jose has announced a new AI pilot program launching this fall to streamline the building permitting process for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), targeting the state's ongoing housing crisis. The initiative aims to reduce the 90% rejection rate for ADU applications due to missing information, potentially cutting approval times by weeks while freeing up city staff resources. What you should know: The Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department will pilot AI software to help customers verify ADU application completeness before submission. Currently, 90% of ADU applications are returned to applicants for missing information, creating weeks-long delays in the permitting process....
read Sep 5, 2025Germany puts “Jupiter,” Europe’s first exascale supercomputer, in orbit. So to speak.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz inaugurated the Jupiter supercomputer at the Juelich research centre, marking Europe's first Exascale-class supercomputer and the world's fourth-fastest computing system. The milestone represents a strategic push by Germany and Europe to compete with the United States and China in AI development and high-performance computing capabilities. What you should know: Jupiter represents a major technological achievement for European computing infrastructure and research capabilities. The supercomputer can perform one billion times one billion calculations per second, equivalent to the power of about 10 million standard notebook computers. It was assembled through a collaboration between Nvidia (the chip manufacturer),...
read Sep 5, 2025Sen. Hawley wants to end Big Tech’s legal shield over AI training data
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called for the complete repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the legal shield protecting tech companies from lawsuits over user-generated content, during a Thursday speech at the National Conservatism Conference. The Missouri Republican specifically targeted AI companies' use of copyrighted material to train large language models, arguing that tech firms should face legal liability for unauthorized use of creative works. What they're saying: Hawley emphasized the massive scale of unauthorized content ingestion by AI systems and its impact on creators. "The AI large language models have already trained on enough copyrighted works to...
read Sep 4, 2025NSF launches national AI research operations center to scale pilot
The National Science Foundation has launched a solicitation for proposals to establish the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource Operations Center (NAIRR-OC), a community-based initiative designed to create a comprehensive management framework for national AI research infrastructure. This represents a critical step in transitioning the successful NAIRR Pilot program into a sustainable, scalable national resource that could significantly accelerate AI research capabilities across the United States. What you should know: The NAIRR-OC will serve as the organizational backbone for America's national AI research infrastructure, building on the foundation established by the current pilot program.• The center will develop overarching frameworks, management...
read Sep 4, 2025Leaning into lean: Smarsh cuts support staff from 20 to 5 with Salesforce AI agents
Smarsh, a compliance and surveillance technology company serving over 6,200 customers including 18 of the top 20 global banks, has deployed Salesforce's Agentforce platform to power AI agents for customer support. The deployment represents a strategic shift for the company, which specializes in creating AI agents for compliance monitoring but is now leveraging Salesforce's expertise to enhance customer service operations while achieving significant efficiency gains. What you should know: Smarsh has implemented multiple AI agents through Salesforce Agentforce to automate various customer service functions, starting with knowledge base creation and expanding to customer-facing support. The company replaced its traditional customer-facing...
read Sep 4, 2025Melania Trump urges treating AI development “like our own children”
Melania Trump hosted the White House Task Force on AI Education, urging members that "we must manage AI's growth responsibly" and treat artificial intelligence "as we would our own children." The event signals the administration's focus on establishing educational frameworks for AI development while emphasizing careful stewardship of the technology's advancement. What you should know: The First Lady's remarks emphasized a parental approach to AI governance, suggesting the need for nurturing yet careful oversight of artificial intelligence development. What they're saying: Melania Trump drew a direct parallel between AI management and child-rearing during her address to the task force.• "We...
read Sep 4, 2025US job cuts surge 66% as DOGE and AI reshape workforce, northeast corridor most affected
U.S. job cuts surged 66% year-over-year through August, reaching 892,000 announced layoffs—already exceeding 2024's total and marking the highest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative has driven massive federal workforce reductions, while economic uncertainty and AI adoption continue reshaping employment across tech, finance, and retail sectors. The big picture: Government cost-cutting through DOGE has become the primary driver of job losses, with Washington D.C. seeing cuts triple to 294,696 positions this year. California leads states in private sector cuts with 135,241 layoffs, representing a 24% increase from last year. "After the impact...
read Sep 3, 2025AI meets AARP as Social Security’s rushed phone bot frustrates 74M beneficiaries
The Social Security Administration's newly deployed AI phone bot is frustrating callers with glitchy performance and canned responses, leaving vulnerable Americans unable to reach human agents for complex questions. Former agency officials say the Trump administration rushed out technology that was tested but deemed unready during the Biden administration, prioritizing speed over functionality for a system serving 74 million beneficiaries. What you should know: The AI bot handles nearly 41% of Social Security calls but frequently provides irrelevant responses to specific inquiries. John McGing, calling about preventing overpayments for his son, found the bot would only provide generic answers regardless...
read Sep 3, 2025North Carolina launches AI Leadership Council to guide state tech adoption
Governor Josh Stein has signed a new executive order establishing North Carolina's AI Leadership Council, designed to guide the state's responsible adoption of artificial intelligence technologies. The initiative positions North Carolina to harness AI's potential while implementing safeguards against security risks and ensuring ethical deployment across state operations. What you should know: The executive order creates a formal governance structure for AI implementation across North Carolina's government agencies. The AI Leadership Council will serve as the primary advisory body for artificial intelligence strategy and policy development within the state. The council's mandate focuses on balancing AI adoption with risk management,...
read Sep 3, 2025NSF launches national AI research center to scale America’s computing power
The U.S. National Science Foundation announced a new solicitation to establish the National AI Research Resource Operations Center (NAIRR-OC), marking a pivotal transition from the successful NAIRR pilot program to a sustainable national AI research infrastructure. This initiative directly supports the White House's AI Action Plan and aims to expand access to critical AI resources for researchers and educators across the country, addressing a significant gap in computational tools needed for AI innovation and training. What you should know: The NAIRR-OC represents a strategic investment in scaling America's AI research capabilities through a community-based operational framework. The solicitation invites proposals...
read Sep 3, 2025California launches statewide AI education workgroup for K-12 guidance for use by mid-2026
The California Department of Education has launched its first statewide Artificial Intelligence in Education Workgroup to develop guidance for safely integrating AI into K-12 public schools. This legislative initiative, stemming from Senate Bill 1288 passed in 2024, positions California among the first states to take a comprehensive, mandated approach to AI in education policy. What you should know: The workgroup is tasked with creating both guidance and model policies for AI use across California's school districts by mid-2026. At least half of the workgroup members are current classroom teachers, ensuring educator perspectives drive policy development. The group includes students, administrators,...
read Sep 3, 2025Congress proposes US priority access to Nvidia’s AI chips
Congress is considering legislation that would force Nvidia and AMD to prioritize sales of their most powerful GPUs to US customers before exporting them to foreign markets, including China. The GAIN AI Act of 2025, now included in the Senate's draft of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2026, aims to address supply shortages that leave American businesses, startups, and universities waiting months for critical AI chips while these same processors are sold abroad. What you should know: The legislation would establish a "right-of-first-refusal" system for US customers seeking the most advanced GPUs needed for AI development. Nvidia and AMD...
read Sep 3, 2025Google avoids Chrome breakup but must share search index data
US District Judge Amit Mehta has ruled that Google can keep Chrome and continue paying browser developers for default search placement, but must share search index data with competitors at marginal cost. The decision, stemming from Google's antitrust case, represents a significantly lighter penalty than the Department of Justice had sought, with the judge citing AI search engines as a growing competitive threat that could naturally erode Google's market dominance. The big picture: Mehta's 230-page ruling reflects his belief that generative AI companies are already better positioned to compete with Google than traditional search engines have been in decades. "The...
read Sep 2, 2025Virginia colleges embrace faculty-led AI policies over campus-wide bans
Virginia colleges are adopting diverse approaches to artificial intelligence education, with most institutions allowing faculty to develop their own classroom AI policies rather than implementing campus-wide restrictions. This decentralized strategy comes as U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, Virginia's Democratic senator, recently warned local university presidents about potential job disruptions that AI may cause for college graduates, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive AI literacy programs. What you should know: Most regional institutions are taking a faculty-driven approach to AI integration rather than blanket institutional policies. Randolph College requires instructors to establish their own rules on generative AI use in their courses,...
read Sep 2, 2025Why an AI president remains legally impossible (and certifiably unpopular) under US law
An AI president remains legally impossible under current U.S. constitutional requirements, which mandate that presidents be natural-born citizens, at least 35 years old, and 14-year residents. The concept highlights growing questions about AI's role in governance as the technology integrates deeper into political decision-making, particularly with the Trump administration's sweeping AI Action Plan positioning artificial intelligence as a national security asset. Constitutional barriers: The U.S. Constitution's citizenship requirements create insurmountable legal obstacles for AI presidency. Any change would require redefining fundamental concepts of citizenship and personhood, alterations so massive they would transform American democracy itself. Even hypothetical legal changes couldn't...
read Sep 1, 2025China invests $84B in SCO countries as Xi pushes against “Cold War” attitudes
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for strengthened artificial intelligence cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members while rejecting "Cold War mentality" at the largest SCO summit to date in Tianjin. The gathering, featuring over 20 foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, represents China's broader effort to position itself as a global peacemaker amid ongoing tensions with the United States and various international conflicts. Key financial commitments: Xi announced that China has invested $84 billion in other SCO countries and pledged support for 10,000 students to participate in Beijing's "Luban" vocational education program. The...
read Sep 1, 2025AI detects consciousness in coma patients 4-8 days before doctors
Researchers at Stony Brook University have developed an AI system called SeeMe that can detect signs of consciousness in comatose patients by analyzing microscopic facial movements invisible to doctors. The breakthrough technology spotted consciousness in patients an average of 4-8 days before clinicians could identify these signs, potentially transforming how medical teams approach treatment decisions and rehabilitation timing for brain injury patients. What you should know: The AI system tracks facial movements at the level of individual pores to identify responses to simple commands like "open your eyes" or "stick out your tongue." SeeMe detected eye-opening responses in 30 of...
read Sep 1, 2025China mandates AI content labels across social platforms WeChat, Weibo and more
Major Chinese social media platforms including WeChat, Douyin, Weibo, and RedNote have begun implementing mandatory AI-generated content labels to comply with new legislation that took effect Monday. The law, drafted by four government agencies including China's main internet regulator, aims to help users identify AI-generated material across text, images, audio, video, and other content types amid concerns about misinformation and "AI slop." What you should know: The labeling requirements are now being enforced across China's largest social platforms, with each implementing slightly different approaches. WeChat requires users to proactively apply labels to their AI-generated content and prohibits removing, tampering with,...
read Sep 1, 2025Mexico’s Supreme Court rules only humans can hold copyright protection
Mexico's Supreme Court has ruled that works created exclusively by artificial intelligence cannot be granted copyright protection, establishing that authorship belongs solely to humans. The unanimous decision creates a significant legal precedent for AI and intellectual property in Mexico, clarifying how the country will handle the growing intersection of AI technology and creative rights. What you should know: The Supreme Court determined that Mexico's Federal Copyright Law reserves authorship exclusively for humans, rejecting the idea that AI-generated works can qualify for copyright protection. The court ruled that automated systems lack the "necessary qualities of creativity, originality and individuality that are...
read Sep 1, 2025Landlocked in: Kazakhstan makes AI mandatory for 390,000 university students
Central Asia's Kazakhstan has made artificial intelligence a mandatory subject across all universities, with 93 institutions already integrating AI into their academic programs and 20 universities launching 25 new educational tracks. This nationwide initiative positions Kazakhstan to compete with leading AI-adopting countries like China, Finland, and the United States while preparing students for an AI-driven economy. Key implementation details: The Aisana project will be included in university curricula starting this academic year, giving every student hands-on experience with AI technologies. So far, 390,000 students have completed specialized AI courses, with 3,000 earning official certificates. Deputy Minister of Science and Higher...
read