Rhode Island
Rhode Island will be the winner if Justice Dept. drops its AI suit | Opinion
New study shows how Gen Z, millennial leaders use AI in the workplace
A new study shows that rising Gen Z and millennial workplace leaders are embracing artificial intelligence tools in their industries.
It is no secret that artificial intelligence ‒ technology that is streamlining everyday tasks to make them faster, safer and more efficient ‒ is the future. From detecting fraud in banking to personalizing recommendations on Netflix, to improving medical diagnoses, this tech is popping up everywhere. Between 2020 and 2024, AI models created by OpenAI ‒ the company that develops much of today’s AI technology ‒ were able to improve their score from 0% to 5% on a benchmark test that compares AI intelligence to human intelligence. Going from 5% to 76% took just a few months. With additional computational resources, that same model (OpenAI’s o3) scored an 88%. Whether the AI industry can keep up this breakneck pace of innovation is unclear, but even if all AI research stopped tomorrow, they are already powerful enough to transform the global economy.Rhode Island’s leaders have positioned our state well to reap its share of this global windfall. In May 2023, the state House of Representatives passed a resolution requesting that the Department of Administration and the Office of Information Technology evaluate the current use of AI and provide recommendations on expanding AI usage.
Nine months later, Gov. Dan McKee issued an executive order establishing an AI task force to assess AI’s risks and opportunities across various sectors, including business, education, health care and government.
The state Senate even created a new Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology, which has championed a proactive approach to AI adoption as well as close collaboration with multi-state working groups to share best practices.
It’s difficult to overstate the impact AI will have in the coming years. How much more productive could we become? Estimates vary, but the consulting firm McKinsey suggests AI could add over $4 trillion to the world economy every year ‒ the equivalent of Japan’s entire GDP.
Unfortunately, over the last four years, the federal government seemed more interested in containing AI than unleashing it. Its actions have hurt Rhode Island tremendously. Then-President Joe Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI emphasized caution over innovation, and his fellow Democrats in Congress introduced a bill to ban AI-powered pricing algorithms that help landlords set rents. Biden’s Department of Justice also pursued prosecutions that seemed designed to have a chilling effect on AI adoption. For example, the DOJ is suing software company RealPage ‒ whose technology is popular in Rhode Island ‒ for selling rental pricing software to property managers. They’ve also targeted several hotels that use similar tools to price their rooms. Federal prosecutors claim that these AI systems enable price fixing and drive up costs for renters, but all they really do is analyze existing market conditions. In the case of the rental and hotel algorithm example, if the prices are high, it’s because the housing supply is too low. There’s nothing AI can do about that, and using the technology as a scapegoat won’t solve the problem.
While President Trump rescinded Biden’s AI executive order, all these AI cases remain on the Department of Justice’s docket and are discouraging innovators in the state from helping to advance the AI revolution that their state representatives have worked so hard to foster.
With the new president portraying himself as a champion of AI innovation, here’s hoping his new Justice Department will drop its campaign against pricing algorithms once the full leadership team ‒ including recently confirmed antitrust czar Gail Slater ‒ is fully operating.
Rhode Island is ready to embrace the AI revolution. As soon as the DOJ take its thumb off the scale, we’ll be free to do just that ‒ and to enjoy all the benefits it brings.
Glenn Loury is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences, professor of economics, and professor of public and international affairs at Brown University.
(WJAR) — Thirty-two years ago was the commissioning of a Navy submarine named after the Ocean State.
Maria Stephanos was on board the USS Rhode Island on July 9, 1994.
Rhode Island was the Navy’s 15th Trident class ballistic submarine.
It was commissioned in Newport and was the first to be christened in its namesake state.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — They come from all walks of life, including many professionals in the community, taking time out of their busy days to welcome students to school with enthusiasm and handshakes.
“We learn a lot of new handshakes, too,” Kobi Dennis said. “High-fives. Pounds with an explosion. We get a little bit of everything.”
It’s the Handshake Initiative, the brainchild of now Central Falls Police Chief Anthony Roberson.
Everybody can use some encouragement, and students in Rhode Island get that the minute they head toward the school building.
Initially, the students and parents didn’t know what to think.
“I was confused because I thought it was going to be a normal day,” said one student.
“Their parents were getting out of their cars trying to see what’s going on,” Reservoir Avenue School Principal Cynthia Torres said.
But now, they crave it.
“It makes me feel motivated,” another student said.
Dennis adds in an etiquette component.
“Teaching the kids how to shake hands, look one another in the eyes with a firm grip — girl or guy — firm grip and say ‘hello’ and introduce yourself, that’s part of the initiative as well,” Dennis said.
Providence school superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez said it sends a strong message.
“We hear you, we see you, and we’re here for you,” Montañez said.
Torres strategically uses them on standardized test days.
“They say, ‘I’m going to do really good today,’” she said.
“It makes me feel encouraged to do better in school,” a student said.
They’ve connected with thousands of students across Rhode Island.
“It’s about shaking hands and building relationships, but it’s also about letting young people know that there are professionals in the community cheering for them every single day,” Dennis said.
Do you know of a nonprofit organization or volunteers doing great work in your community? Fill out a short nomination form for “Community Treasures.”
A man was critically hurt in a stabbing in Providence on Tuesday, NBC affiliate WJAR-TV reports.
Police were first called to Smith Street around 7 p.m. for the reported stabbing. They found the victim on Chalkstone Avenue.
He was taken to the hospital where he remains in critical condition.
The case remains under investigation and no arrests were announced.
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