Pennsylvania

A handful of Pennsylvania senators have expressed support for legislation that would require student cellphones to be placed in secure lockable bags in all public schools during the school day.

Plus, $204 million is made available for Internet expansion in Pennsylvania, New York’s ConnectALL launches its County Partnerships program, and more.

A divided state House on Tuesday passed a bill that would have Pennsylvania do something all its nearby neighbors have done — ban the use of handheld cell phones by drivers.

The bill would prevent kids younger than 16 from creating a social media account without parental consent as well as compel social media companies to better monitor group chats with minors.

With the state Legislature back in action this week for the first time in months, there is considerable talk but little action on bills that could stymie harmful uses of artificial intelligence, or AI.

Pennsylvania Lottery upgrades also include test environments, communications networks and back-office systems, in a migration starting late Monday and lasting much of Tuesday. The purchase of many game tickets will be impacted.

Some universities have wholeheartedly embraced the technology, such as the University of Pennsylvania, which now offers an AI degree. Others like Penn State and Duquesne University leave it to the professors' discretion.

A $2 million grant will help launch a program that will use airborne drones to bring drugs and other medical supplies to rescue scenes and help emergency responders save more lives, officials said.

Plus, Pennsylvania announces millions of dollars in new broadband funding, the FCC aims to expand Internet choice for residents of apartment buildings, and more.

A partnership with Verizon is expected to bring high-speed Internet to four townships in Pennslvania’s Westmoreland County. The areas of the state’s second most populous county currently lack service.

A Pennsylvania police official can’t fully guarantee that data lost amid the Jan. 3 deletion of information on state government servers will not result in the withdrawal of charges in criminal cases for lack of evidence.

The role comes with a $210,000 salary and would report to the CIO. The CTO would focus on closing technical gaps and improving state systems.

The University of Pennsylvania will offers coursework in topics including machine learning, computing algorithms, data analytics, and advanced robotics, with electives in AI ethics and trustworthy AI.

The Pennsylvania court online operations have returned to normal following a disruptive cyber attack. The attack disabled access to online dockets, PACFile, PAePay and the Guardianship Tracking System, among other disruptions.

Following the lead of Nevada and other states, two state senators say they will introduce a bill giving the state CIO a seat at the cabinet table. The move comes amid growing concerns about cybersecurity.

Pennsylvania senators tried to take a deep dive into how data loss on state government computer servers occurred last month but were only able to ferret out a few more details from the governor on Wednesday.

In a hearing titled “Navigating the Future of Artificial Intelligence,” lawmakers heard testimony from experts at IBM, TechNet and Harrisburg University — as well as testimony directly from ChatGPT.

Lawmakers in the Pennsylvania state house recently met with representatives of municipal governments, industry and academia last week to discuss cybersecurity threats to vital systems and infrastructure.