A privacy expert is working on phone service that protects your identity. Anonymous phone service, eh? Talk about an issue screaming for legislative action. @wired
Data centers in space. No permits necessary.
AI ambassadors
“MIT Sloan professor and 2024 Nobel laureate Simon Johnson has been appointed as an AI Ambassador to the United Kingdom, alongside business and government leaders, under the U.K. government’s new plan to harness artificial intelligence to drive economic growth and innovation.” @mitsloan
1st state to buy bitcoin
Name the first state to buy bitcoin. I’ll give you a hint. It starts with T and ends in “exas.” At the end of November, the state purchased $5 million in bitcoin, valued at $87,000 per coin at purchase, through a Blackrock administered exchange. The state has allocated a total of $10 million for its bitcoin reserve.
Data center boom & traffic safety
Louisiana is home to a Hyperion data center project by Meta. The project is located in a rural portion of the state and since it began “has coincided with” a 600% spike in truck crashes on the two lane rural roads.
A highway safety researcher at LSU sums it up as “I think it’s incumbent of them to be a good steward of the public trust.”
New Mexico’s quantum powered telecom
The country’s first quantum powered telecom system will be in New Mexico. The state is positioning itself to be a leader in quantum technologies. Fast Company says quantum is the key to energy efficient AI.
Task reallocation away from AI
Let’s learn a new phrase: task reallocation. Basically, it is when AI is used for its best use and humans are used for their best use.
In @mitsloan words, “ when only a small number of tasks within a role can be reallocated to AI, workers can actually benefit: They gain the capacity to focus on work at which humans excel, such as critical thinking and ideation, and hiring for their role may increase.“
AI Executive Order
@wired says that the President is considering an executive order to limit state AI laws. Working title: Eliminating State Law Obstruction of National AI Policy.
“A draft of the order viewed by WIRED directs US Attorney General Pam Bondi to create an “AI Litigation Task Force,” whose purpose is to sue states in court for passing AI regulations that allegedly violate federal laws governing things like free speech and interstate commerce”
AI Personhood legislation
Ohio Legislature is considering HB469 that “bars AI systems from getting married, but it also prohibits them from holding a decision-making role within a company or owning property.”
How did we get here? A person in Japan allegedly wed an AI spouse. The Ohio author of the bill fears that criminal liability may be passed onto AI.
Industry is opposed. According to TechNet, “Existing product liability law already covers negligent or defective design. And HB 469’s new, AI-specific liability structure would only increase uncertainty and litigation risk.”
Ohio Capital Journal | What’s in Ohio’s proposal banning AI personhood
Economic boon from data centers
New Mexico’s Economic Development Department division Director said that data centers have been an economic boon for the state. The economic benefit directly stems from the population growth, increased tax revenue and brought benefits to other businesses near data centers.
Gov Tech | New Mexico Lawmakers Consider Impacts of Data Centers