California

At an upcoming meeting, the Watsonville City Council will vote on whether to expand its contract with Flock Safety, which provides automated license plate readers to the city.

The state’s integrated digital approach to providing emergency services in one online location, following this year’s fires, is unprecedented. It is intended, officials said, to serve as an example in future disasters.

By crafting statewide standards, California officials hope to help districts adopt AI in ways that support learning, respect privacy and keep educators at the center of decisions that affect classrooms.

The inaugural NextTech Kern conference at Cal State Bakersfield in October, intended to be a community event, will explore how artificial intelligence is set to affect education, businesses and digital safety.

The California Prison Industry Authority has wrapped part one of an enterprise resource management refresh. The new system lets incarcerated workers use software they might find upon re-entering the job market.

Nearly 23 miles of “high-capacity middle-mile broadband infrastructure” have been built, after a 2021 state bill provided $3.25 billion in funding. The endeavor will connect thousands of residents in the Hoopa Valley area.

Jeffrey Marino, director of the state Office of Data and Innovation, talked about how leaders are working to quantify the challenges they face at the recent State of Technology — California Industry Forum.

New agreements with Google, Microsoft, Adobe and IBM aim to integrate AI training, tools and curriculum support across the state’s community colleges and CSU system.

Telecommunications giant AT&T, which was stymied last year by state regulators in its bid to drop landline service to its California customers, is now taking its case to the Legislature in Sacramento.

Sixty-three projects funded by the California State University system are experimenting with generative AI, from single-course pilots to full program overhauls, and producing open resources for others to consult.

The California Council on Science and Technology has launched an educational initiative for elected officials and state legislative staff. It is intended to provide support for navigating the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

The executive order directs the Government Operations Agency to work with two state departments in areas including enhancing customer experience. The council, the California Breakthrough Project, had its first meeting in June.

Replika, Kindroid and Character.AI are marketed as entertainment apps or ways to help people develop emotional wellness. But some research shows prolonged interaction can lead to increased feelings of loneliness.

The complaint argues that the Constitution does not give the executive branch power "to unilaterally refuse to spend appropriations that were passed by both houses of Congress and were signed into law."

Though the sheriff's office has employed drones over the past decade, this new model will be remotely launched from a substation to respond to active crimes and emergency incidents over the next year.

California’s statewide power grid operator is poised to become the first in North America to deploy artificial intelligence to manage outages, MIT Technology Review has learned.

The "first-in-region public safety and data operations hub" will provide up-to-the-minute information and is funded by a $4.4 million grant from the state aimed at reducing retail theft.

The California State University Chancellor’s Office will use $3 million to fund various projects incorporating artificial intelligence into instruction and professional development, selected from over 400 proposals.