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As ‘smart cities’ tools grow nationwide, so do privacy and ethical concerns
After nearly a week of searching for a suspect in the hit-and-run death of an 81-year-old St. Helena, California woman this summer, police found and arrested a man with the help of license plate reading cameras that registered him near the scene. The police department used information from FLOCK’s automatic license plate reading camera system, which monitors […]
Biden administration leaves ‘foundational’ tech legacy, technologists say
As he’s poised to leave office next month, President Joe Biden will leave a legacy of “proactive,” “nuanced” and “effective” tech policy strategy behind him, technologists across different sectors told States Newsroom. Biden’s term was bookended by major issues in the tech world. When he took office in early 2021, he was faced with an […]
How tech affected “the information environment” of the 2024 election
Advancements in AI technology, and the changing “information environment” undoubtedly influenced how campaigns operated and voters made decisions in the 2024 election, an elections and democracy expert said. Technologists and election academics warned a few months ago that mis- and disinformation would play an even larger role in 2024 than it did in 2020 and 2016. What […]
Department of Labor releases AI best practices for employers
The U.S. Department of Labor released a list of artificial intelligence best practices for developers and employers this week, aiming to help employers benefit from potential time and cost savings of AI, while protecting workers from discrimination and job displacement. The voluntary guidelines come about a year after President Joe Biden signed an executive order to assess […]
As AI takes the helm of decision making, signs of perpetuating historic biases emerge
In a recent study evaluating how chatbots make loan suggestions for mortgage applications, researchers at Pennsylvania’s Lehigh University found something stark: there was clear racial bias at play. With 6,000 sample loan applications based on data from the 2022 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the chatbots recommended denials for more Black applicants than identical white counterparts. They also […]
Budget restrictions, staff issues and AI are threats to states’ cybersecurity
Many state chief information and security officers say they don’t have the budget, resources, staff or expertise to feel fully confident in their ability to guard their government networks against cyber attacks, according to the new Deloitte-NASCIO Cybersecurity Study of officials in all 50 states and D.C. “The attack surface is expanding as state leaders’ […]
Where exactly are all the AI jobs?
The desire for artificial intelligence skills in new hires has exploded over the last five years, and continues to be a priority for hiring managers across nearly every industry, data from Stanford University’s annual AI Index Report found. In 2023, 1.6% of all United States-based jobs required AI skills, a slight dip from the 2% […]
AI will play a role in election misinformation. Experts are trying to fight back.
In June, amid a bitterly contested Republican gubernatorial primary race, a short video began circulating on social media showing Utah Gov. Spencer Cox purportedly admitting to fraudulent collection of ballot signatures. The governor, however, never said any such thing and courts have upheld his election victory. The false video was part of a growing wave […]
States strike out on their own on AI, privacy regulation
As congressional sessions have passed without any new federal artificial intelligence laws, state legislators are striking out on their own to regulate the technologies in the meantime. Colorado just signed into effect one of the most sweeping regulatory laws in the country, which sets guardrails for companies that develop and use AI. Its focus is mitigating consumer […]
IT glitch caused delays in flights, business operations in Virginia and across the globe
Air travel, banking, media and hospital systems were just some of the industries affected by a bug in a software update that scrambled business operations for many globally on Friday. Many of those who use Microsoft Windows likely experienced a “blue screen of death” or an error page. The issue was due to a single […]