Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Sen. Gu to chair Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies

 

STATE HOUSE — Sen. Victoria Gu will chair the newly created Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies for the 2024-2025 legislative session.

A Westerly resident, Senator Gu (D-Dist. 38, Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown) earned a degree in Computer Science from Harvard University and spent seven years as a software engineer and data analyst.

“I am humbled and honored to lead the Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies and I want to thank President Ruggerio for his confidence,” said Senator Gu. “The rapid expansion of AI and other technologies across society has left lawmakers across the nation scrambling to design the legal and regulatory frameworks necessary to allow our residents to benefit from these powerful new tools while protecting them from their potential dangers. The last few weeks have also underscored the importance of keeping pace with rapid technological changes and cybersecurity risks that impact Rhode Islanders. The timely creation of this committee shows that Rhode Island legislators understand the importance of this moment. I look forward to the important work that awaits us.”

The Senate Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies will consider legislation and matters relating to emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and their societal, ethical and policy implications.

Senator Gu has served in the Senate since 2023, when she and Senator Linda Ujifusa were the first Asian-Americans elected to the General Assembly in Rhode Island history. In addition to chairing this committee, she will continue to serve on the Senate Committee on Environment and Agriculture and the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government.

Federal employees are returning to work despite some uncertainty over paychecks following the government shutdown. The White House reportedly has urged federal agencies to send paychecks as fast as possible to employees who have been without pay. Some are expected to get paychecks as soon as this weekend.        The House will vote on a measure that forces the Justice Department to release all of its Jeffrey Epstein case files. House Speaker Mike Johnson is required to put the bill on the floor after a discharge petition related to the matter reached the 218 signatures needed. This follows the release of emails from Epstein to his associate Ghislaine Maxwell as well as a journalist that referenced Trump, claiming in one that President Trump "knew about the girls."        A new study suggests a link between the use of GLP-1 medications and lower death rates in colon cancer patients. The University of California, San Diego study examined data from more than six-thousand-800 colon cancer patients. The preliminary results found the five-year mortality rate of patients using GLP-1 medications was less than half that of those who were not using the drugs.        There's been an arrest in connection with the shooting of an athletic director of a California community college featured in the Netflix docuseries "Last Chance U." John Beam was shot on the Laney College campus in Oakland, California on Thursday and remains critical. Police are not giving details on today's arrest. Beam was the school's longtime football coach when he appeared on the streaming show.        PepsiCo is launching its "colorless" alternatives for its Cheetos and Doritos brands. The company is introducing its "Simply NKD" offerings which will feature the new snack products made without artificial flavors or dyes. The product launch comes as federal regulators are planning to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the nation's food supply products by the end of next year. According to PepsiCo, the Simply NKD products will be in stores on December 1st.        Two new movies are off to good starts at the box office. "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" made two-point-one-million-dollars from Thursday previews, while "The Running Man" brought in one-point-nine-million. The two films are set to battle it out for first place as both are projected to make between 20 to 25-million over the weekend.       

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