Author Archives: Tessa Zavala

George Slover, senior counsel for competition policy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, says that surveillance pricing, or bespoke pricing, ” inverts, or you might say perverts, the assumptions at the very foundation of the justification for the free market.” Governing | What Is ‘Surveillance Pricing’ and Is It Causing Increased Prices?

Did you know that online retailers have the ability to cull data and determine a personalize price for you based on how much their algorithm thinks you will pay for an item? Yep, hello surveillance pricing. An FTC order this week is looking into the situation, and is expected to take action with states are […]

Utah created an AI Office this year when it enacted SB 149 (UT | 2024). Utah’s AI Office is housed inside the state’s Department of Commerce. The state has a lack of accessible mental health care providers. The office will work to create a framework for what AI chatbots are and are not allowed to […]

Los Angeles School district has an AI project that is said to allow for chat functions in 100 languages. The goal of the AI chatbot is  to improve student English and math proficiency, attendance, and graduation rates while improving communication between students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Sound too good to be true? Maybe. The AI chat messaging […]

We’ve been talking about how quantum computing is the next big thing that is going to occupy policymakers time. To that end, a group of MIT researchers partnered with Accenture to develop an AI  decision-making toolkit. “The framework asks leaders to consider two conditions: feasibility (meaning whether a quantum computer exists that is sufficiently powerful to […]

Politico calls California State Senator  Thomas Umberg,  California’a Chief AI Gatekeeper. Policy issues that are at the forefront for the AI Gatekeeper: developing clear definitions for terms like “artificial intelligence,” “transparency,” “bias” and “privacy” to craft effective policies; ensuring that policymakers have “extensive consultation with experts across various sectors to ensure regulations are well-informed and effective;” […]

 California is using AI enabled cameras to detect wildfires before the 911 wildfire calls begin. California uses a system of cameras to monitor backcountry land 24 hours a day. The cameras are part of an “interlinked technology network that is redefining the scope of fire prediction, prevention and response.” According to Science.org wildfires have tripled in frequency and […]

Texas Public Policy Foundation believes Texas should avoid woke AI use, including AI programs that use DEI in their analysis.  “So a big part is making sure the information that is training these systems is reflective of truth, and that’s something that Texas will promote,” says David Dunmoyer, Director of the Better Tech Campaign at the […]

States are passing social media limitations for minors. There’s a litany of legal challenges associated with these bills. Enter regulatory parameters for minor use of social media as the surgeon general is recommending warnings for social media use by minors. @abcnews

California Senate passed a bill, AB 2370 (2024 | CA), to prohibit the use of AI to teach community college courses. The bill simply requires that courses be taught by a person. The bill’s author said, “While there is room for artificial intelligence to contribute to community college classrooms, human faculty remain best suited to […]