Artificial Intelligence

The latest annual report by the State Educational Technology Directors Association highlights AI’s growth alongside gaps in funding, teacher support and cybersecurity.

Gov. Jeff Landry has written U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, asking if remaining Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grant money could go to “state-led initiatives” in artificial intelligence and elsewhere.

OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, says it will roll out parental controls in October. When that happens, school officials such as family coordinators may be needed to help parents understand and use them.

Professors at Central Connecticut State University worry that reliance on artificial intelligence tools is already changing student behavior — less thinking abstractly, less engagement and potential cognitive decline.

In the first meeting of the White House Task Force on AI Education, officials and ed-tech leaders emphasized AI literacy, workforce training and public-private partnerships as central to U.S. competitiveness.

The new plan includes revised policy informed by the nearly 40 AI pilot projects already underway. The city will also be hiring a new AI leadership position to implement the updated plan.

Commissioners have called for a moratorium on data center development in the city – recommending it to the Board of Aldermen. The city’s mayor said she is supportive of a temporary pause.

The city’s series will offer community members training about AI, data privacy, and other digital skills through hands-on learning opportunities. The first workshop is scheduled to be held Oct. 8.

Funded in partnership with the Bank of New York Mellon, the BNY AI Lab will support faculty-led research and comprehensive multi-disciplinary projects as well as mentoring and internship opportunities for students.

Conflicting messages of “AI gets you in trouble” and “AI is the future” complicate the technology’s presence in college students’ lives, be it in class, on an internship, or in the dorm.

By pooling GPUs and cloud resources across institutions, the NRP lets students and faculty run advanced AI workloads without the high costs of individual infrastructure and maintenance.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly ingrained in both the public and private sectors, government has a chance to lead the way on how to supplement meaningful, mission-driven work with tech.

Plus, Baltimore’s new AI computer lab aims to bring digital skills to the community, stakeholder groups have submitted comments to the FCC on the state of U.S. broadband deployment, and more.

A regional trash hauler is seeking 25-year pickup contracts from cities and counties in the southeastern area. It is also finalizing negotiations with a disposal company that uses AI and robotics to sort trash.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has released a legislative framework that would let AI developers waive some regulations in an effort to advance new technologies, but experts warn there are privacy and security risks.

A handful of Pennsylvania universities were among the inaugural members of the Google AI for Education Accelerator, which provides students, faculty and staff with free access to AI training.

In January, New Jersey awarded $1.5 million in grants to fund artificial intelligence education and new AI-related career programs in public schools. Some school districts are also investing their own money in AI tools.

A partnership between Intel, NWN and the city of Baltimore aspires to bridge digital equity gaps by giving community members access to new computers and hands-on AI training.