Oregon

Cities are no longer seeing their miles of streetscape as cheap parking spaces. Curbs are now considered some of the most in-demand pieces of urban real estate, and technology is stepping up to help manage them.

The devices came online Monday in the city’s Central Precinct. Plans are for all patrol officers to be wearing them by the end of July. They will turn on automatically when cars’ emergency lights come on, or when guns or stun guns are drawn.

The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles is using a new real-time customer management system known as Next in Line in 59 field offices, helping to improve wait times for more than 3 million.

Mark Decker, the current chief information officer and technology director, has a second role as county chief information security officer. To aid in the transition, he will remain in the latter position part time through August.

Gov. Tina Kotek addressed Oregon’s Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council Tuesday at its first-ever meeting. She created the council Nov. 28 by executive order; it has 12 months to deliver a final recommended action plan.

The Biden administration awarded Intel $8.5 billion in subsidies this week and promised it $11 billion in loans to go toward financing new semiconductor factories.

Unemployed Oregonians are lighting up online message boards and the state Employment Department’s phone lines with complaints about a new system that was recently launched for their benefits.

The department went live Monday with Frances Online, a claims processing solution replacing a COBOL-based legacy system. Officials acknowledged some callers have experienced long hold times but said the replacement is “working well” for most.

The Oregon Employment Department’s new technology system will go live March 4, about 15 years after the state received federal funding to replace its obsolete technology.

Jimmy Godard previously spent more than two decades with the bank, holding roles such as senior vice president of strategy and governance and senior vice president of program service delivery manager.

A new executive order mandates that a council of representatives with backgrounds in IT, artificial intelligence, racial justice and cultural change will create a plan that outlines how government workers can use AI in a fair, equitable and transparent way.

At a virtual event co-hosted by the National Governors Association and Results for America, the 2023 Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence was released, highlighting best practices in state data use.

One of the only two states to provide schools with official guidance on artificial intelligence so far, Oregon published an explainer on its website with tips, definitions, references and links to helpful resources.

For the time being, it will be up to individual professors to decide how they will tackle artificial intelligence in the classroom, from warning students about cheating to preparing them to be leaders in the field.

Energy-hungry cryptocurrency mining operations have caught the attention of state and federal lawmakers. While some welcome the operations, others are taking a more critical look at what they bring to the table.

The center will provide cybersecurity services to local government agencies, build a talent pipeline with high school and higher ed training options, and more.

House Bill 3127, currently awaiting Gov. Tina Kotek’s signature, would ban TikTok and several other apps from companies based in China. The bill also bans cybersecurity software from Russia-based Kaspersky Lab.

Legislation in the state aimed at restricting large data center climate emissions and ballooning tax breaks has failed. Data centers are among the state’s biggest energy consumers and largest tax break recipients.