California

The legislation would set mandatory AI safety testing requirements before training or market release and would mandate an internal fail-safe be included in all AI systems to trigger an immediate shutdown if issues are detected.

Plus, Alabama announces $188 million for broadband; California sees digital discrimination legislation introduced; Phoenix opens a digital skills training center; and more.

California’s largest state employee union fell victim to a ransomware attack last month that likely exposed Social Security numbers, home addresses, birth dates and other sensitive information.

California’s leading climate regulator added performance metrics to a $200 million plan proposed by the nation’s largest public electric vehicle charging network Thursday.

The state’s Department of Health Care Services is also working with K-12 districts to make the Soluna and BrightLife Kids digital mental health apps available on school-issued devices and in school wellness centers.

Mass layoffs at the Los Angeles Times are pulling focus back to legislation that would force companies, like Google and Meta, to pay for the news published on their platforms. The bill stalled last year amid stiff opposition.

The Affordable Connectivity Program that helped millions of households across the country — and 2.8 million in California — afford Internet access is ending, without additional funding from Congress.

Míocar, a nonprofit car-sharing platform, is expanding its reach across the rural California Central Valley, bringing electric vehicles and expanded transportation options to low-income communities.

A new report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation found that the economies of producing green hydrogen at scale will be difficult to overcome as the government and the private sector search for non-fossil fuel energy sources.

The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration is looking for a solution capable of using generative AI to generate potential responses to taxpayers via telephone and live chat.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta joined 25 other top state attorneys to ask the federal government for an inquiry into how AI technology could make it more difficult to protect consumers from illegal scam calls and texts.

A Sacramento manufacturing plant could stand to benefit from the $3.1 billion federal grant awarded last month to revive an over-budget and overdue high-speed rail project between Merced and Bakersfield.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a $291.5 billion budget this week that proposed resolving a roughly $37.8 billion shortfall with cuts, delayed and deferred funding and by withdrawing $13 billion from state reserves.

Plus, a new fact sheet from the FCC looks at the future of the ACP; California launches a website to track infrastructure investment; the White House puts $80 million toward wireless innovation; and more.

The California Department of Transportation, teaming up with other state agencies, is asking technology companies to propose generative AI tools that could help reduce traffic and make roads safer.

Assemblymember Damon Connolly, of San Rafael, has proposed a state law that would ban individuals under 16 years old from riding class 2 electric bicycles. The state prohibits minors from riding the speedier class 3 e-bikes.

In response to the state's unmatched growth in artificial intelligence, a state senator has introduced the California AI Accountability Act to ensure state agencies promote safeguards and consumer protections.

After California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on AI in September, California lawmakers have introduced a raft of legislation that sets the stage for more regulation in 2024.