AI Insights

Artificial Intelligence series coming soon

Published

1 month ago

August 3, 2025

LIFELONG LEARNING

Join LifeLong Learning-San Marcos and Texas State University for an exciting new artificial intelligence learning series designed specifically for lifelong learners. The AI Learning Series kickoff event is free and will be at the San Marcos Public Library on August 19, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Zoom sessions in September and October will cover unique AI topics and the culminating event in early November will feature a hands-on workshop. Prior to the presentation at 5:15 p.m. on August 19, participants will complete a survey to help determine the day, time of day and content of the Zoom sessions.

Dr. Marianne Reese, Founder and Director of LifeLong Learning, conceived of the AI series due to its exponential growth and the need for the public to understand its uses and limitations.

“AI is a relatively new tool that is being used in ways the public is often unaware of,” Dr. Reese noted. “We all need to know more about this powerful technology, understand AI’s positive and concerning applications, and learn the skills necessary to scrutinize the information it generates. AI will become increasingly prevalent, so we need to be informed consumers as AI impacts politics, medicine, business, finance and other areas of our lives.”

The AI Learning Series will be led by Dr. Kimberly Conner, Digital Strategy Lead for Information Technology at Texas State. Conner’s role is to help demystify innovation and make technology approachable for students, staff and faculty. With a rare combination of expertise in law, education, and IT, Dr. Conner bridges the gap between complex digital tools and the people who use them.

Dr. Conner’s humancentered approach puts people first, ensuring that participants in the AI Learning Series can explore emerging technologies with clarity, confidence, and purpose. During each session, she will translate “tech speak” into everyday language and craft strategies that serve all learners, empowering all participants to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world.

Participants in the AI Learning Series do not need any previous knowledge of or experience with AI. All are welcome to participate. Please email lifelonglearningsm@ gmail.com for more information.

LifeLong Learning-San Marcos is a non-profit whose mission is to provide accessible no-cost/low-cost in-person and online experiences for San Marcos-area adults to explore, question, learn and engage with others.

Texas State University is a public, student-centered research institution guided by its unwavering belief in the power of education to transform communities, power economies and reimagine the world. TXST’s 40,000+ students choose from over 200 degree programs and each student finds the support and opportunities they need to succeed beyond the classroom.

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AI Insights

General Counsel’s Job Changing as More Companies Adopt AI

Published

47 minutes ago

September 11, 2025

The Editors

The general counsel’s role is evolving to include more conversations around policy and business direction, as more companies deploy artificial intelligence, panelists at a University of California Berkeley conference said Thursday.

“We are not just lawyers anymore. We are driving a lot of the policy conversations, the business conversations, because of the geopolitical issues going on and because of the regulatory, or lack thereof, framework for products and services,” said Lauren Lennon, general counsel at Scale AI, a company that uses data to train AI systems.

Scattered regulation and fraying international alliances are also redefining the general counsel’s job, panelists …

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AI Insights

California bill regulating companion chatbots advances to Senate

Published

1 hour ago

September 11, 2025

The Editors

The California State Assembly approved legislation Tuesday that would place new safeguards on artificial intelligence-powered chatbots to better protect children and other vulnerable users.

Introduced in July by state Sen. Steve Padilla, Senate Bill 243 requires companies that operate chatbots marketed as “companions” to avoid exposing minors to sexual content, regularly remind users that they are speaking to an AI and not a person, as well as disclose that chatbots may not be appropriate for minors.

The bill passed the Assembly with bipartisan support and now heads to California’s Senate for a final vote.

“As we strive for innovation, we cannot forget our responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among us,” Padilla said in statement. “Safety must be at the heart of all developments around this rapidly changing technology. Big Tech has proven time and again, they cannot be trusted to police themselves.”

The push for regulation comes as tragic instances of minors harmed by chatbot interactions have made national headlines. Last year, Adam Raine, a teenager in California, died by suicide after allegedly being encouraged by OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT. In Florida, 14-year-old Sewell Setzer formed an emotional relationship with a chatbot on the platform Character.ai before taking his own life.

A March study by the MIT Media Lab examining the relationship between AI chatbots and loneliness found that higher daily usage correlated with increased loneliness, dependence and “problematic” use, a term that researchers used to characterize addiction to using chatbots. The study revealed that companion chatbots can be more addictive than social media, due to their ability to figure out what users want to hear and provide that feedback.

Setzer’s mother, Megan Garcia, and Raine’s parents have filed separate lawsuits against Character.ai and OpenAI, alleging that the chatbots’ addictive and reward-based features did nothing to intervene when both teens expressed thoughts of self-harm.

The California legislation also mandates companies program AI chatbots to respond to signs of suicidal thoughts or self-harm, including directing users to crisis hotlines, and requires annual reporting on how the bots affect users’ mental health. The bill allows families to pursue legal action against companies that fail to comply.

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