Time magazine didn’t declare artificial intelligence itself 2025’s “person of the year” (that honor went to its architects), but it sure could have, as this was the year AI officially passed the Turing test. The question now, writes retired firefighter Daniel DeLong, is how it will take us out.
artificial intelligence
Posted inPolitics & Policy
California tax revenue getting a boost from AI boom — but for how long?
As talk of a possible artificial intelligence bubble grows, so does uncertainty around an important source of California tax money.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Trump’s new order against AI regulation hits California especially hard
Since 2016, California has enacted more regulations on artificial intelligence than any other state. President Donald Trump’s new order against such laws worries California officials.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
With Pie Fi, Pleasure Pizza owners seek to build local hub for AI development
Having navigated the restaurant business after buying Pleasure Pizza in 2023, Sol and Erica Lipman opened Pie Fi around the corner in downtown Santa Cruz, a physical location for working, learning and meeting, a digital platform for building artificial intelligence projects and an accelerator program all in one.
Posted inLatest News
Can an AI-guided robot help a California city resist sea-level rise and sequester carbon?
A San Rafael startup proposed a sci-fi solution to raise areas facing the twin threats of land subsidence and sea-level rise. Some officials and experts are skeptical.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Tech prophet Jaron Lanier, now a Santa Cruz local, returns to a primary passion – music
Jaron Lanier is known for both his accomplishments in high tech and his criticisms of its effects. But he also maintained a rigorous career as a musician. Back in Santa Cruz, he’s returning to his musical roots with a show at Kuumbwa and a new composition to be performed by the Santa Cruz Symphony.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Movement against police use of Flock Safety cameras gains momentum in Santa Cruz County
As Watsonville weighs renewing its Flock Safety camera contract, a new coalition is urging local cities to cut ties with the surveillance vendor, citing immigration risks and civil liberties concerns.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
A Boulder Creek tech startup is using drones and AI to detect the next big wildfire
Ember Flash Aerospace is developing and testing an AI-powered system of sensors, cameras and drones aimed at taming California’s intensifying fire seasons, an effort that grew from regular meetings of a group of Boulder Creek residents in the aftermath of the CZU fire.
Posted inEducation
Santa Cruz County teachers confront AI’s growing influence over the classroom
Some local teachers are changing up assignments and returning to handwritten work as artificial intelligence tools threaten students’ critical thinking development. But Santa Cruz County educators also see opportunities for AI to help students and teachers alike.
Posted inLatest News
Cal Fire rolled out an AI chatbot. Don’t ask it about evacuation orders
The bot that’s part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push to improve government efficiency with artificial intelligence fails at some basic questions about fires, CalMatters found. Cal Fire says it is working on fixes.