Connecticut

Concerned about potential hacking, a key legislative committee voted Monday for a bill prohibiting Connecticut towns and state agencies from purchasing Chinese and Russian-made drones in the future.

A bill on the future of artificial intelligence in Connecticut is nearing its final form — a top priority of Democrats in the Senate — to focus on consumer protections and job creation with the evolving technology.

A proposed piece of legislation would have the Connecticut State Department of Education select an AI tool for educators and students to use, and create a professional learning program to teach them how to use it.

Almost everyone has heard of ChatGPT. But Jeff Brown, CISO for the state of Connecticut, shares his concerns on some of the other “dark side” apps that have emerged with generative AI.  

Michael Simeone joins the city from Bendett & McHugh, P.C., where he was CIO for nearly nine years. The new chief technology officer will help guide and align tech work and strategy for New Haven and its board of education.

The Legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee approved a bill requiring scrutiny of a proposed data center — and any data center proposed in the state that would bypass the electrical grid. The bill heads now to the full state Senate.

Plus, stakeholders continue to push for more ACP funding as the program winds down, Connecticut releases $41 million for broadband, and San Antonio is supporting small businesses with digital skills training.

Concerned about foreign spying and hacking, legislators are considering a bill that would ban public agencies in Connecticut from buying “any small unmanned aircraft system assembled or manufactured” in China or Russia.

The Affordable Connectivity Program provides $30-a-month subsidies and requires Internet providers to offer packages as low as $30 a month to those households to make it more affordable to needy families.

A key legislative committee this week approved a framework for regulating the nascent artificial intelligence industry in an attempt to make the technology more transparent and accountable.

Red light and speed cameras in the Constitution State are heavily regulated — but automated license plate readers are not. Proponents highlight their role in finding vehicles and people, but critics raise concerns about privacy and surveillance.

Unless Congress acts, the program that currently puts 23 million American households online is expected to run out of money in April. The program stopped accepting new applications this month.

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.

A spokesman for the private liberal arts college did not say why it took nearly a year to announce that a data breach had exposed Social Security numbers and other information for an unspecified number of people.

The state's Artificial Intelligence Task Force may recommend proposed legislation to enhance transparency and accountability in AI, plus new training programs and the criminalization of AI-generated porn.

During a meeting of the task force this week, lawmakers highlighted the importance of notifying people when they are interacting with artificial intelligence. The group is likely to propose new legislation to that effect.

Connecticut's AI Task Force shared a report from the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering that said universities will likely need a centralized, high-powered computer center with financial support from the state.

In that state, about 180,000 low-income families have benefited from the federal funding, including $100 discounts on device purchases, such as laptops and tablets, and subsidized monthly charges for access.