Maryland

The state has issued a new cybersecurity policy that calls for a move to zero-trust principles during the next 18 months. The new policy replaces "trust, but verify," according to officials.

Ensuring a smooth transition, the comptroller told a state Senate committee, is “absolutely of the utmost importance” to efficient revenue collection funding state operations.

As debate over data centers grows statewide, a Baltimore County councilman on Monday introduced legislation aimed at slowing any potential development until the county weighs the impact.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and advocates in Maryland is worried that one of the governor’s recent vetoes — the Data Center Impact Analysis and Report bill — was a critical mistake.

People are less worried about AI taking humans’ jobs than they once were, but introducing bots to the public-sector workplace has brought new questions around integration, ethics and management.

A new multi-agency effort is intended to bring AI tools to residents, to simplify access to benefits, reduce child poverty and improve housing access. The endeavor will let staffers embed AI in daily workflows.

Officials have extended the availability of Google’s Gemini platform to nearly 43,000 state employees. So far, around 12,500 are actively using its generative AI features in government work.

Through the new Vulnerability Disclosure Program, state officials invite ethical hackers and residents to help identify and report online vulnerabilities. The initiative covers a range of agencies and partners.

As data centers drive a surge in power demand, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers in Maryland are pressing the operator of the region’s null to ensure residents aren’t left footing the bill.

The state has opened grants to cover electric school buses and charging infrastructure through mid-December, with preferences for districts in low- to moderate-income communities.

Maryland’s General Assembly is set to consider bills concerning the misuse of AI in various industries, its application in schools, the potential invasion of consumer privacy and the spread of misinformation.

Grants through the Maryland Department of Labor will support programs at colleges, nonprofits and other training providers to prepare workers for both technical and non-technical jobs in cybersecurity.

The Cyber Maryland investment aims to support organizations that invest in workforce development via the Cyber and AI Clinic, which will train residents for careers in this field and offer security services.

Plus, Maryland has brought Internet access to Smith Island; Hawaii has launched a Digital Navigator Program; students in El Paso, Texas, will receive digital and AI skills instruction, and more.

The Innovative, Immersive Training Program in Synthetic Biology and Biomanufacturing is intended to prepare juniors at Hood College for careers in the biotechnology workforce, according to a press release.

The Social Security Administration will stop issuing paper checks to beneficiaries on Sept. 30, which concerns former Social Security Administration commissioner Martin O’Malley.

The state has bolstered its effort to attract quantum researchers and companies by opening a Microsoft-backed research center with the University of Maryland. Backers of the tech said it could be more disruptive than AI.

Veteran technologist Alison Deigan, who spent two decades in federal service and oversaw a $150 million technology portfolio, has been appointed the county’s new IT director. The role, she said, has personal significance.