Artificial intelligence
After months of debate, Virginia fails to pass data center clean energy requirements
The state will tax data center electricity but plans to reduce emissions at the facilities and secure environmental protections went nowhere.
The new trust challenge facing state and local government
COMMENTARY | Residents receive information through systems that sit between the publisher and public, like AI and search engines. Accountability, then, becomes harder to follow.
Lee County residents demand pause on North Carolina data center, claiming deception
Lee County residents demand pause on proposed data center, citing noise pollution, environmental impacts and a lack of transparency.
What Rhode Island lawmakers did — and didn’t do — on AI, crypto and data centers
Lawmakers passed limited AI rules for companion models and healthcare. Broader tech regulations, including data centers, largely stalled, although a cryptocurrency study commission is finally coming.
New York governor signs nation’s first moratorium on large data centers
Kathy Hochul said the one-year ban on hyperscale data centers comes alongside an effort to establish standards for their development and prevent residents footing the bill.
AI, once relegated to helping hackers with certain tasks, can now power every stage of a cyberattack
Researchers determined that AI was used in steps across entire cyber operations to identify security flaws, generate commands and carry out parts of intrusions, sometimes with little human oversight. Both U.S. and Chinese AI models have been involved.
AI’s real promise for government: Shortening the distance from data to decision
COMMENTARY | The speed of decision-making matters for those in charge of government programs. AI can change that process from months to days, hours or minutes.
Missoula County adopts temporary moratorium on data centers
The interim freeze would prohibit new or expanded data centers in the Montana county, excluding the city of Missoula.
The nation’s housing crisis needs more than AI to solve it, experts say
The technology is just one of many levers to effecting change in the housing landscape for states and localities, experts say.
Illinois governor signs major AI safety law
The legislation requires large developers to identify, disclose and mitigate risks, protects whistleblowers and — in a national first — mandates regular third-party audits.
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This permit, common for dry cleaners, is now being used to build AI power plants
Texas regulators are allowing AI data centers across the state to start up thousands of new pollution sources with no public notice or environmental reviews.
California has started to track AI-related job loss
While such insights can be helpful for protecting workers against negative impacts of the technology, decision-makers should proceed with caution when using such data, experts say.
How Texas modernized a ‘train wreck’ customer service center
The licensing division of the state’s Department of Public Safety left people on hold, sometimes for hours, until it modernized its systems and broke down siloes.
Clark County commissioners hear push for data center moratorium but take no action
Nevada residents have protested the number of data centers going up in their communities, but elected leaders did not lay out any specific plans or regulations.
How Kansas’ labor department’s tech became ‘built for tomorrow’
The state was reliant on 1970s-era systems that were exposed by COVID-19. Since then, it has moved to the cloud and embraced AI as part of a major modernization push.
How Virginia became the world’s data center capital and how it’s going
From AOL’s arrival in Ashburn to today’s AI-driven boom, Virginia became the backbone of the internet economy. Now lawmakers are debating how to manage the industry’s soaring energy demands and economic influence.
What California has learned from an AI-enabled early wildfire detection system
A public safety program in the state is using a sensor network and real-time data to suppress wildfires more quickly and gain insights on developing climate-related risks.
Where a small government should start on its AI journey
COMMENTARY | The fastest path is towards better operations, and over the course of a 90-day period, even a small team can embrace the tech and make big improvements.
Nevada official ‘cautiously optimistic’ about AI solution to reducing SNAP error rates
After launching a new data analytics program earlier this year, the Nevada Division of Social Services is seeing early gains in identifying erroneous or fraudulent SNAP payments.
In bipartisan fashion, PA lawmakers vote to repeal tax incentives for data centers
House lawmakers voted 197-5 on Thursday to pass a bill that would repeal sales tax incentives for data center owners and operators.
