Not Human
What to know: In a new lawsuit filed by distraught parents, a company that designs artificial intelligence claimed that its AI bots have First Amendment rights.
The TPPF take: Humanity is at an inflection point. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers boundless promises while also presenting critical challenges to civilization.
“Industry and legislators must balance technological innovation with utmost respect for human dignity, privacy, transparency, and accountability,” says TPPF’s David Dunmoyer. “Ultimately, light-touch, values-driven, state-based, legislative guardrails for AI are necessary to propel humanity forward.”
For more on AI, click here.
DEI
What to know: The Texas Comptroller’s Office has suspended a program, “Historically Underutilized Business Certification,” which conflicts with state law banning “race- and sex-based preferences when awarding government benefits.”
The TPPF take: DEI is a failure, and Americans have rejected it.
“Viewing the world through the DEI ideology requires pronouncing virtually everything that humans have accomplished since time began as the result of white supremacy, racism or colonialism,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “It rejects the principles of individual freedom and autonomy, science, research, advancement, inquiry and discovery. Their worldview is a dark place where everything humans value is proclaimed to be bad and everything human decency condemns as bad is said to be good.”
For more on DEI, click here.
What Are You Hiding?
What to know: Houston ISD is suing the Texas Attorney General to prevent the release of “emails between representatives of the district and the firm Bryson Gillette, a Los Angeles public affairs firm, under the Texas Public Information Act.” The district claims that its communications with a consultant are protected, in part, by attorney-client privilege.
The TPPF take: Texas governments are abusing the state’s sunshine laws to stall and stop the release of public information.
“Texans deserve to know what their government officials are doing with their money and resources. Period. It’s outrageous that any government would subvert this obvious truth by refusing to release email exchanges with an out-of-state consultant,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “This latest incident is another demonstration that we need to completely rework the Texas Public Information Act and eliminate exceptions that governments are gaming.”
For more on government transparency, click here.