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.
artificial intelligence
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.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
State claims there’s zero high-risk AI in California government — despite ample evidence to the contrary
A state report provided to CalMatters says 200 agencies reported no automation around sensitive decisions. Some called the report befuddling.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Congress might strip Californians of protections against AI in health care, hiring and much more
House Republicans want to ban state regulations on artificial intelligence for 10 years. California leaders are alarmed.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Kids should avoid AI companion bots — under force of law, assessment says
With input from a Stanford lab, Common Sense Media concludes that artificial intelligence systems can exacerbate problems like addiction and self-harm.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Will AI make us dumber and asocial? Let’s brainstorm together at the Santa Cruz Night of Ideas
Jeanne Proust, who teaches public philosophy at UC Santa Cruz, is concerned about our relationships with artificial intelligence and the accelerated pace of adding AI to our lives. Is AI making our kids intellectually lazy? Is it pushing us to lose the messy unease of human interaction? Will we replace intimacy with connections with AI creations? Here, she makes the case for deeper public discussions about the impacts of rapid technological advances and invites us to participate in two free “Night of Ideas” events – one in Santa Cruz and the other in San Francisco – as part of a worldwide movement to elevate public philosophy and help us ponder our connections to each other and how to transform our thinking into action.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
AI can rip you off. Here’s how California lawmakers want to stop price discrimination
Artificial intelligence can help businesses charge you more based on how it evaluates your personal history and desires. California lawmakers want to end that price discrimination.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Artificial intelligence is bringing nuclear power back from the dead — maybe even in California
Energy demands from big tech, including for artificial intelligence, has elected officials giving an old power source a second look.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Santa Cruz’s Liza Monroy peers into the future and sees a complicated AI romance in ‘The Distractions’
Santa Cruz writer Liza Monroy’s new novel, “The Distractions,” is an uncanny and plausible look into the near future, in which she meditates on technology’s influence in the realm of dating, relationships and love. She’ll discuss it next week at Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Posted inEducation
California students want careers in AI. Here’s how colleges are meeting that demand
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent deal with Nvidia will boost artificial intelligence education at community colleges and open the door to similar deals for public four-year universities in California. Meanwhile, computer science programs are adding AI concentrations and majors to prepare students for a range of “blue collar” and technical AI jobs.