Brand Stories

Bridging Blocks hosts conversation on the impact of art

Published

1 day ago

July 16, 2025

A debate was sparked over the topic of artificial intelligence in art. Some advocated in favor of it while others argued against it.

“But just sitting here today, I learned about, you know, the broadness of the subject,” said Robby Wierman, 65, a retired resident of Wayne. “This AI discussion that came up I think is so interesting and so topical in today’s environment. And I learn a lot from other people.”

She said this was her second Bridging Blocks event and that she was looking forward to attending more.

“We know that a lot of people feel alone right now,” Wierman said, adding that it is important “to be able to have these kind of opportunities to come together and share values.”

Thomas Gibbons, 70, from Devon, ignited controversy among attendees. The retired medical publisher and playwright shared how he approaches his craft and the ways it differs from other artists.

“What struck me is just encountering other people’s perspectives about the [purpose and value] of art,” Gibbons said. “It’s energizing and sometimes infuriating, but unsurprising and ultimately engaging, to hear other people’s opinions.”

This was his first Bridging Blocks event. He said he plans to attend more with his wife.

Mary Johnston, 74, a retired nurse from Norristown, said the conversation about AI gave her a “stomachache” and that she was “disturbed” about the acceptance that other artists had for the technological advancement.

At first quiet, Johnston responded to Gibbons’ opinions and shared examples of how AI could be harmful.

“I want to protect the arts and individuals making art,” Johnston said. “It just didn’t occur to me that AI was impacting that so hard.”

Regardless, she said she felt the event was a “space space” and was happy that people could openly disagree with each other “without being attacked for it.”

The next Bridging Blocks event will be Sept. 4 at Henrietta Hankin Branch Library in Chester Springs, discussing how “green spaces” impact the community.

Bridging Blocks is a WHYY and Free Library partnership fostering civil dialogue and understanding between diverse households. It is made possible thanks to the generous support of Fred and Barbara Sutherland.

Source link

Related Topics:Artificial intelligence bridging blocks

Up Next

New Ohio Law Requires Policies for AI and Cellphones in Schools

Don't Miss

This Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Has Quietly Outperformed Nvidia All Year

Vida Lashgari

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Brand Stories

Google AI Mode is getting a bigger AI brain from Gemini

Published

2 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Eric Hal Schwartz

Google has upgraded its AI Mode with the advanced Gemini 2.5 Pro
AI Mode has also added Deep Search, which can now run hundreds of background searches
A new calling tool built into Search lets Google call businesses on your behalf

Google is continuing to try to get you to use its AI Mode when searching online with new and enhanced AI tools. The conversational search tool has made Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model available in AI Mode, along with the long-form report writing tool Deep Search.

Google AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. who are also part of the AI Mode experiment in Search Labs will now see an option to choose Gemini 2.5 Pro when asking tough questions as well.

This is the same heavyweight model behind Google’s most advanced AI tools. They’ll also have the option of using Deep Search, a feature available in the regular Gemini app that can simultaneously run hundreds of searches and will write up a report piecing together the information.

The more profound changes, though, are in how Search itself is evolving. Gemini 2.5 Pro doesn’t just fetch answers. It reasons. It explains math in full steps. It even writes code and tells you what that code is doing. And when paired with Deep Search, it can essentially conduct a research marathon on your behalf.

AI calling in

The new call feature for Search is something entirely different. It connects your search for information about a store to a phone call with AI. As Google shows in a demo, you can type “pet groomers near me” and ask for information not immediately accessible.

Instead, you can tap “Have Google call for you,” which will prompt Google to call local shops, ask about availability or rates, and then text or email the results directly to you. If that sounds like Google Duplex, that’s because Google’s Duplex technology powers it.

Of course, all this comes with a few asterisks such as having to pay for a subscription. Free users still get some limited AI call attempts, but the advanced AI Mode tools are reserved for paying customers.

Google’s advantage over other AI developers is the sheer size of its Search database, so even as OpenAI and others attempt to produce similar products, Google might have a lasting edge. Still, there’s a learning curve.

AI that does too much too fast can lead to problems. You don’t want your research assistant skipping over credible sources in favor of a Reddit thread with 38 upvotes. And you certainly don’t want your AI calling the wrong person to schedule a colonoscopy.

Source link

Brand Stories

Teachers gather to talk artificial intelligence in the classroom

Published

4 hours ago

July 18, 2025

Nicki Marker

HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — Our world is constantly evolving, and lately, a lot of that evolution has been in the form of artificial intelligence.

“This is the future,” Kala Grice-Dobbins said. “It’s not going away, and we want our teachers to be informed, but also our students to be informed.”

Woman facing animal cruelty charges after 29 dogs were seized from Lauderdale County home

Grice-Dobbins is a cybersecurity teacher with the Madison County School System.

Thursday, more than 150 teachers from across North Alabama gathered to talk about AI and the use of it in the classroom.

“It’s clearly a novel technology– new for kids, new for teachers, and they’re trying to figure out how to use it,” Randy Sparkman said. “So we’re just trying to bring resources and bring these, Madison County districts, particularly, together to talk about strategies for using AI in the new school year.”

Sparkman is a part of Mayor Tommy Battle’s AI task force. They put on the AI in education event.

Gov. Ivey announces more than $3.7 Million in Rebuild Alabama Funding for local road projects across Alabama

Grace-Dobbins said she uses AI for help with things like lesson plans and recommendation letters.

“All of us use templates every day,” she said. “Why can’t it be our template to start with, and then we edit it because nothing’s perfect when it comes out.”

She said it’s easier than you think to spot students plagiarizing by using the tool.

“It’s not going to be your top of the line type paper,” she said. “It’s not going to be written in their kind of language. It’s not going to have their kind of thoughts involved, and so the more you know your students, you’re going to know this is not you.”

Angela Evans is also a teacher. She said she’s already been using AI in her classroom for years.

She has a message for those who may be skeptical. What she’d tell people.

“Don’t be scared because change is nature,” she said. “We are going to progress our humanity. Our intelligence is going to continue to progress.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com.

Source link

Brand Stories

Virginia Is First State to Use Agentic AI for Regulatory Streamlining

Published

5 hours ago

July 17, 2025

PYMNTS

Virginia is launching a pilot program that will use artificial intelligence (AI) agents to streamline regulations — the first such effort in the country — and reinforce the state’s standing as a friendly place to do business.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued an executive order to deploy AI agents to review and streamline Virginia’s regulations. The tool will scan all regulations and guidance to identify areas where there are conflicts with the statute, as well as redundancies and complex and unclear language.

“We have made tremendous strides towards streamlining regulations and the regulatory process in the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a press release. “Using emergent artificial intelligence tools, we will push this effort further in order to continue our mission of unleashing Virginia’s economy in a way that benefits all of its citizens.”

The new executive order adds to two other 2022 orders, which had mandated Virginia agencies to streamline regulations by at least 25%.

To date, state agencies have already streamlined regulations by 26.8% on average and cut 48% of words in guidance documents.

The new executive order is expected to help agencies struggling to hit the 25% regulatory reduction goal and give a further boost to those that have already met or exceeded requirements. The goal is to ensure the streamlining is done “to the greatest extent possible,” according to the governor’s office.

See more: Tech Giants Seek 10-Year Freeze on State AI Rules

All States Now Have AI Bills or Laws

The launch comes as Congress removed a 10-year ban on state AI regulations that was part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”

At present, states are accelerating AI regulation. All 50 states plus D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands introduced AI legislation in 2025, with more than half enacting measures covering areas such as algorithmic fairness, transparency and consumer protections, according to a blog post by the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.

In California, major bills include SB 420, which will establish an AI bill of rights, and SB 243, which aims to protect minors from chatbot manipulations. There’s also AB 1018, which seeks to ensure AI systems exhibit fairness in housing and hiring decisions, according to Brownstein.

In New York, SB 6453 has passed both chambers to be the first state law to restrict “frontier” or advanced AI models, according to Brownstein. In Connecticut, SB 2 is a comprehensive AI bill that awaits final votes.

Texas, Colorado, Utah and Montana have already enacted AI laws, and uncertainty about their enforceability has been lifted, the law firm said.

Meanwhile, California’s Judicial Council is considering requiring all 65 courts to adopt policies governing generative AI use unless they ban it outright, according to Reuters. If adopted, it would be the largest court system in the country with an AI policy.

Other states where court systems already have an AI policy include Illinois, Delaware and Arizona. States considering adopting an AI policy for their courts include New York, Georgia and Connecticut.

Read more:

Source link