Last week we talked about agentic AI. Let’s peruse what the CEO of Signal (yeah… that Signal), Meredith Whittaker, says about agentic AI. She says we should be concerned about privacy. To do what it says it can do, it will need access to all aspects of your data- your contacts, your credit cards, your calendar… yeah, it will know you better than you know yourself. @growthforgeai
Selling DNA data
23 and Me DNA database of 7 million individuals will be sold off during its bankruptcy proceedings. Odds on legislation to protect DNA data? @techcrunch
AI for public benefits
A recent survey by Salesforce shows that 87% support AI as a tool to access public benefits. We’re talking everything from SBA loans to Medicare. It’s not generative AI but rather agenicAI which is an adaptable form of AI that learns from its interactions with customers/clients/applicants.
Route Fifty | Majority of applicants say they’d use AI agent to navigate public benefits processes
Legislating magic money (AKA Cryptocurrency)
22 states are passing legislation to legitimize cryptocurrency. State strategies range from bitcoin reserves to permitting institutional investment in cryptocurrency. Arizona is allowing state funds to be invested in crypto through their pension system in proposed Senate Bill 1373.
Route Fifty | ‘Magic money’: Arizona Republicans advance bills to legitimize cryptocurrency
AI and Labor Law
SB 7 (2025 | CA), known as the “No Robo Bosses Act,” would prohibit employment decisions from being made by AI. Specifically, employers could not make decisions solely by using artificial intelligence tools to make hiring, promotion, discipline, or termination decisions without human oversight.
AI legislation: state oversight committee
Illinois lawmakers are considering AI reforms that would create statewide committee to establish guidance for the use of AI in public education. HB2503 and SB1556 (2025 | IL). School districts would have to include AI use in their annual reports to the state board of education.
25 states have guidance on AI use in public education.
Route Fifty | Illinois lawmakers weigh new proposal to set guardrails around AI
Data privacy bill: tech v. community groups
New Mexico is considering competing data privacy bills. HB 410 (2025 | NM) came from the state Attorney General and is supported by tech companies while SB 420 (2025 | NM) is supported by community groups. The House author of HB 410 says the bill will “specifically empowers New Mexicans to take legal action if their information is unlawfully transferred to third parties by the likes of Elon Musk and his DOGE employees.”
Route Fifty | Big Tech lobbies New Mexico for AG-backed bill
AI preemptively hacking
Meet Armur AI , a company that proactively simulates attacks using AI-driven penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities before hackers do. They call it AI driven offense. “In the future of cybersecurity, the most vigorous defense will belong to those who hack first.”
Entrepreneur | Cybersecurity’s New Frontier: AI That Thinks Like a Hacker
82% of schools have been hacked
The Center for Internet Security “found that 82% of K-12 organizations suffered what it called a “cyber incident,” based on an 18-month study of 5,000 institutions.” 45% of these cyber incidents involve humans through phishing or other social engineering methods. A friendly reminder to educate your people about phishing techniques.
Route Fifty | 82% of schools suffered recent cyber breaches, report says
Open AI: Define fair use
Open AI’s contribution to the U.S. government’s “AI Action Plan,” is to push for a definition of fair use. Open AI likens the best fair use definition to the U.S. copyright strategy that “[preserves] American AI models’ ability to learn from copyrighted material.”
Tech Crunch | OpenAI calls for US government to codify ‘fair use’ for AI training