Santa Clara officials said they’ve used ChatGPT at two public meetings, sparking concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to inform decision makers. Artificial intelligence tools have been growing in popularity as cities like San Jose use it to improve road safety or translate public meetings. But the technology is still plagued with misinformation problems,...
Silicon Valley lawmaker wants to make it illegal for Trump to hawk crypto
President Donald Trump made tens of billions on paper by using his national profile to push meme cryptocurrency. One Democratic congressman wants to make sure other politicians can’t do the same. Silicon Valley Congressman Sam Liccardo introduced a bill Thursday that would bar Trump and other public officials from promoting stocks and cryptocurrency endeavors from...
San Jose mayor says AI driving Spanish speakers’ participation
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan says Spanish-speaking participation at city meetings has increased 300% through the use of artificial intelligence translation software. But critics are finding errors in the tool — and question if it’s really driving the increase. Mahan made the declaration in Miami, Florida Thursday during a discussion about AI in government at...
San Jose State students tackle academic shortcomings with AI
When a team of San Jose State University business students recognized the path toward academic counseling and course curriculum was complicated and messy, they turned to AI for a solution. Gabriel Castaneda, co-founder of CollegeBot.AI, said the students launched the artificial intelligence platform as a startup company to help students navigate through their class requirements...
San Jose could restrict use of AI tools to set rent prices
San Jose housing advocates say corporate property owners are taking advantage of the latest artificial intelligence tech to drive up rent prices — and renters are feeling the financial pain. Councilmember Peter Ortiz has proposed a policy to restrict the sale and use of “algorithmic devices” to set rents or manage home occupancy levels in the city....
AI companies see San Jose as a place for growth
Artificial intelligence lives and breathes thanks to tech innovators of the 1980s and 90s who saw Silicon Valley as the landscape to develop the more than trillion-dollar computer industry. Though AI only recently entered the public vocabulary — with the search term peaking in popularity just last month since Google began tracking the data in 2004...
Silicon Valley tech giants cut back diversity efforts
With a consequential presidential election less than 100 days away and the Supreme Court gutting affirmative action, Silicon Valley tech giants are reeling in diversity programs and practices meant to uplift people of color. Bay Area companies like Google, Meta and Zoom reportedly laid off workers focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies. Cost cutting...
San Jose uses AI to streamline government
San Jose is a beehive of artificial intelligence innovation, with the city continuing its integration of the technology into every day services to improve the lives of residents. Now that AI is more accessible than ever, Mayor Matt Mahan along with other city officials are using it to identify problems and strategize solutions. San Jose is already using AI to...
State bill threatens landline services in Santa Clara County
After public outcry across the Bay Area, state regulators this week barred AT&T from pulling out of a crucial lifeline for hard-to-reach residents in remote pockets of Santa Clara County: basic landline services. But on the eve of the California Public Utilities Commission’s Thursday decision, a state law proposal about horse racing was gutted and...
San Jose Xfinity stores first to offer deaf customers ASL services
Xfinity is rolling out a new service in San Jose to increase accessibility for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Xfinity, the national internet service provider for parent company Comcast, launched its in-store American Sign Language (ASL) translation services to the public this week. Xfinity will be the first in the country to...