Artificial intelligence
How satellites and AI help fight wildfires today
COMMENTARY | Fire spotters used to watch with binoculars from forest towers. Now, technology can help forecast fire behavior, but human experience is still essential.
OpenAI debuts ChatGPT Gov for public sector use
The new chatbot brings the same capabilities from the public model to government-approved and secure cloud environments for federal workloads.
California is investigating OpenAI’s conversion to a for-profit company
The state’s attorney general asked the company how it plans to transfer assets out of its charitable nonprofit.
State governments seek to leverage AI’s promise while mitigating its hazards
Governments are experimenting with the technology and actively deploying it, but still must wrestle with policies governing its use and the potential fiscal impacts.
Data centers are booming in Texas. What does that mean for the grid?
As energy demand surges, largely due to crypto mining facilities, data centers and industrial electrification, Texas officials are looking at how to increase supply and shore up the grid.
Trump signs AI executive order
The order calls for the development of an AI action plan and sets up a process for revoking actions taken under President Biden’s previous AI executive order signed in October 2023.
AI could help mitigate lithium battery fires, study finds
Researchers have developed an algorithm that can detect when a lithium battery begins to overheat, which they say can help inform public safety efforts to mitigate fires.
California city taps AI to streamline government hiring
High vacancy rates have prompted Long Beach, California, to leverage artificial intelligence to give its hiring process a boost.
North Dakota lawmakers discuss adding computer-generated images to definition of child pornography
Possessing a computer-generated image of child pornography would be punishable as a felony in North Dakota under a bill discussed Monday by state lawmakers.
Trump axes Biden’s AI executive order
President Donald Trump vowed to repeal the order during campaigning and in his presidential platform.
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Fearing AI will take their jobs, workers plan a long battle against tech
At a landmark gathering in California, workers discussed defenses against artificial intelligence and surveillance technology.
Slow approach to law enforcement AI could combat errors and bias, experts say
Several police agencies across the U.S. are tapping AI to help draft police reports, but a new white paper from the American Civil Liberties Union points to the risks of its rapid adoption.
How to improve government efficiency — from the easy wins to the tough challenges
COMMENTARY | It’s about more than cutting costs. Governments must build systems that work better for their constituents, and allow their employees the chance to shine.
These bills would regulate high-risk artificial intelligence use in Virginia
Virginia lawmakers will weigh legislation to shape policy on AI authentication and developer responsibilities.
AI could help stop train wrecks
Researchers have found a way to use artificial intelligence and guided ultrasonic waves for detecting faults inside switch rails.
Generative AI in government: What to expect in 2025
2025 may be a major year for generative AI adoption across government.
As technology evolves, it becomes harder to tell ‘real’ AI from marketing
Technologists say the hazy definition of “artificial intelligence” leaves a wide opening for companies to over-promise or over-market the capabilities of their products – or even render “AI” more of a marketing gimmick than a real technology.
AI air pollution takes deadly health toll
COMMENTARY | Air pollution from AI is expected to result in as many as 1,300 premature deaths a year by 2030 in the United States, researchers say.
Prosecutors turn to AI for evidence management and analysis
Having one place to upload evidence from disparate sources and analyze it saves staff time and lets offices focus on seeking justice, rather than on administrative tasks.
Alaska uses cloud, AI to modernize dividend payouts
The state will streamline its Permanent Fund Dividend, a program that pays eligible residents a portion of oil and mining revenue but has been beset by aged technology and processes.
