Polls show voters are turning sharply against data centers and several bills to regulate the facilities are advancing in the California Legislature. Utilities and tech companies, meanwhile, are spending millions lobbying state officials.

Kaiser Permanente said its “Digital Automated Screenings” that it has used for three years in initial “e-visits” is not AI and is not used to diagnose patients or make treatment decisions.

Though the report names six high-risk systems in use today, California state agencies have used some for several years.

The Steyer brothers' relationship makes some advocates optimistic. Lawmakers and advocates for tech regulations said they expect Jim Steyer not to be shy about his policy views with his brother, candidate Tom Steyer.

California State University’s $17 million contract with ChatGPT’s maker OpenAI is up for renewal. Some students and faculty say equal access to AI is important for preparing students for the workforce. Others the implementation of AI tools has been confusing and opens the door to cheating.

Meta says its new AI Support Assistant will transform its approach to content enforcement, more accurately finding and removing severe content violations like scams and illegal content.

Leaders from the AFL-CIO, representing 2.3 million nationwide members, say Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to focus on the technology’s harms to win support for her presidential run.

The announcement by Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Jonsen appeared only on his LinkedIn page and was paired with an AI recording of a song he wrote. A week earlier he announced an upcoming memoir with its own accompanying full soundtrack of songs with lyrics written by the sheriff.

Since 2016, California enacted more AI regulations than any other state. The president’s new order against such laws worries state officials.

Artificial intelligence and its growing demand for data centers are putting new pressure on California’s electric grid. In San Jose, supporters see jobs and investment, but a key ratepayer advocate worries customers could end up paying for upgrades.

California’s independent legislative analyst is warning that the state faces a nearly $18 billion deficit.

Most plans to regulate data centers died in the state’s Legislature this year, despite a nationwide backlash. Two surviving bills aim to promote disclosure of energy and water use.

Judge Amit P. Mehta said Google must hand over some of its search data to rivals, falling short of the sweeping changes proposed by the government to rein in the power of Silicon Valley.

A secretive appropriations process in the California Legislature killed or reined in three bills regulating the use of pricing algorithms, although some AI regulation survived the legislative axe, including a bill that would outlaw pricing software algorithm use in contracts.

San José now has 91 venture-backed AI companies valued at approximately $6 billion. The four winning companies are among 23 AI startups worth $1.3 billion in downtown San José.

Goodbye to the age of consumer websites and mobile apps, as some observers say the impact of AI shifts innovation’s epicenter away from San Jose.