AI Insights

Leading in the Age of Outrage

Published

6 hours ago

July 9, 2025

The Editors

An HBR Executive Masterclass with Karthik Ramanna

July 9, 2025

Public outrage is becoming an ever-present threat to businesses and leaders in today’s hyperconnected and polarized world. It travels at lightning speed, disrupting decision-making, damaging reputations, and stalling progress. It’s no longer enough for leaders to know how to manage a crisis; today’s leaders must learn how to lead in a world of constant crisis.

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AI Insights

Govt. AI Assessment Ranks States’ Readiness, Adoption Levels

Published

42 minutes ago

July 9, 2025

The Editors

An AI readiness assessment released Wednesday by Code for America explores how U.S. state governments are preparing for the AI-powered public-sector transformation and identifies emerging trends within that shift.

Trends highlighted in the analysis include the rise of chief AI officers, investment in training programs, an evolving cybersecurity threat landscape, state-level policymaking, and secure sandbox environments for experimentation.

The Government AI Landscape Assessment explores AI readiness in three areas: leadership and governance, capacity building, and technical infrastructure and capabilities. The resource classifies states’ readiness levels in each of these areas under one of four categories: early, developing, established or advanced. The early classification includes states that have taken the initial steps in AI adoption, while the advanced classification recognizes states with sophisticated capabilities, frameworks and approaches.

States leading in readiness, according to this assessment, are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Utah, each of which received two “advanced” classifications and one “established” classification.

Each of these states has prioritized AI readiness. Pennsylvania has been testing and measuring AI for impact, and New Jersey is taking an economy-focused approach to AI and has been an early implementer of AI training. Utah has been an early AI adopter and even recently created an AI policy office that aims to answer societal AI questions.

Overall, in the category of leadership and governance, only three states were classified as advanced. Half, or 25, were classified as established; 16 as developing; and seven as early. Washington, D.C., was included as a state in this assessment. Utah and North Carolina were highlighted for their work in this area.In AI capacity building, four states were classified as advanced, 10 as established, 23 as developing, and 14 as early. New Jersey and Pennsylvania were highlighted for their work here.

In technical infrastructure and capabilities, three states were classified as advanced, 16 as established, 23 as developing, and nine as early. Colorado and Minnesota were highlighted for their work in this.

“This analysis demonstrates what many of us know to be true: states are leading the way when it comes to adopting AI to make government more efficient and effective,” Jenn Thom, Code for America’s senior director of data science, said in a statement.

The assessment was created by reviewing public materials, AI-focused legislation and policy, guidance and reports, news coverage, and direct input.

Debate has arisen recently about whether AI policymaking should occur at the state or federal level, with the consensus largely being that both should have a role in regulation. With the removal of a provision to enact a moratorium on state-level AI regulation from the federal budget bill, states retain the authority to enact policy to guide responsible AI use.

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AI Insights

Microsoft launches $4B artificial intelligence reskilling institute

Published

2 hours ago

July 9, 2025

The Editors

Microsoft unveiled a new initiative Wednesday that’s intended to bring artificial intelligence skills to millions of people around the world.

Microsoft Elevate will spend $4 billion in cash and technology donations to philanthropic, educational, and labor organizations over the next four years, as it seeks to accelerate the proliferation of AI technology.

Microsoft makes the AI tool CoPilot, and is a key partner of OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT. The company is investing aggressively in the infrastructure needed to power its AI push, pledging to spend $80 billion on data centers this year.

The investments come as Microsoft lays off thousands of employees in in its home state, Washington, and globally.

“ One of the things that has changed the most dramatically about Microsoft is we’ve moved as a company — as our industry has moved as an industry — from one that spent almost every dollar it earned on employing people to what is in fact the greatest capital and infrastructure investment in the history of global infrastructure,” Microsoft President and Vice Chair Brad Smith said at a launch event in Seattle.

In an interview with KUOW, Smith said that restructuring is “ frankly something that should always be hard, but it is something that needs to be done for a company to be successful for many decades and not just a few years.”

Smith said Microsoft Elevate will employ about 300 people, and partner with organizations around the world on a variety of initiatives aimed at increasing AI literacy. The Microsoft Elevate Academy plans to help 20 million people earn AI skilling credentials to be more competitive in an uncertain job market.

“ I think in many ways it gives us the opportunity to reach everybody,” Smith said, “and that includes people who will be using and designing AI in the future, say the future of what computer science education becomes, people who are designing AI systems for businesses, but consumers as well, students and teachers who can use AI to better reach and prepare for helping students.”

The initiative also includes the creation of Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute, a think tank of academics that will study the societal impacts of AI.

The effect generative AI will have on education remains a source of much speculation and debate.

While some educators are embracing the technology, others are struggling to rein in cheating and question whether the technology could undermine the very premise of education as we know it.

Regardless of the ongoing debate, Microsoft has always been at the forefront of bringing technology into the classroom, first with PCs and now AI. The company is betting that the resources it is devoting to Microsoft Elevate will help shape a path forward that allows AI to be more useful than disruptive in education and across the economy.

“ There are many different skills that we’re all going to need to work together to pursue, but I think there’s also a North Star that should guide us,” Smith said. “It’s a North Star that might sound unusual coming from a tech company, but I think it’s a North Star that matters most. We need to use AI to help us think more, not less.”

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AI Insights

Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Exploitation: A New Era of Risk

Published

2 hours ago

July 9, 2025

The Editors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance will hold a hearing on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The hearing, “Artificial Intelligence and Criminal Exploitation: A New Era of Risk,” will examine the growing threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled crime, including how criminals are leveraging AI to conduct fraud, identity theft, child exploitation, and other illicit activities. It will also explore the capabilities and limitations of law enforcement in addressing these evolving threats, as well as potential legislative and policy responses to ensure public safety in the age of AI.

WITNESSES:

LTC Andrew Bowne, Former Counsel, Department of the Air Force Artificial Intelligence Accelerator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ari Redbord, Global Head of Policy, TRM Labs; former Assistant United States Attorney
Zara Perumal, Co-Founder, Overwatch Data; former member, Threat Analysis Department, Google

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