Category: Uncategorized

Yanit Asamnew. “Q&a with NAACP: Addressing the Growing Environmental Harms of AI Data Centers.” American Public Health Association, 13 Mar. 2026, www.apha.org/publications/public-health-newswire/public-health-newswire/articles/addressing-the-growing-environmental-harms-of-ai-data-centers. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

Yanit Asamnew’s American Public Health Association article covers the conversation between NAACP’s Center for Environmental and Climate Justice director, Abre’ Conner, and The Nation’s Health, in a Q&A format.

This conversation answers several important questions: “What possible dangers do AI data centers pose for human health?”, “Do the supposed benefits of AI data centers, such as employment and better technology, outweigh the health risks?”, “What else should people working in public health know about AI data centers?”, and “What is the big picture when it comes to data centers?”

In terms of human health dangers that data centers may pose, The Nation’s Health says, “It raises concern about breathing problems, water contamination and infant mortality rate.”

Germain, Thomas. “Parents Think They Know How Kids Use AI. They Don’t.” Bbc.com, BBC, 18 Mar. 2026, www.bbc.com/future/article/20260317-how-kids-are-actually-using-ai. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.

“New surveys asked teens how they use AI. Parents have no idea what’s going on, from homework to emotional support.“

Thomas Germain’s BBC article continually references two studies done by the Pew Research Center and Common Sense Media. Both studies are on the topic of parents and families perceptions of how their children use AI. In some cases, what parents have assumed their children are using AI for, doesn’t match up with the reality.

The article provides a list of “Red Flags” of problematic AI use in teens, to warn parents and guardians on what to look out for. This list comes from the American Psychological Association.

The Pew Research Center’s study revealed that U.S. teenagers, ages 13 to 17, most often use chatbots to search for information. On the other end of the spectrum, only 12% of the teens from this study reported using chatbots to “get emotional support or advice”.

An expert referenced in Germain’s article, Rachel Barr, professor of early child development and chair of the department of psychology at Georgetown University in the US. said, “Families should be navigating AI together, rather than leaving teenagers to figure it alone.”

Collier, Kevin. “Senator Introduces Bill to Limit AI Use by Military.” NBC News, 17 Mar. 2026, www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/senator-introduces-bill-draw-red-lines-ai-use-military-rcna263905. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.

This article from NBC summarizes key information from the bill introduced by Michigan senator, Elissa Slotkin.

“The bill seeks to codify two existing Defense Department guidelines into law: that AI cannot autonomously decide to kill a target and that the technology cannot be used to help the military conduct mass surveillance on Americans. It would also ban the use of the technology for launching or detonating a nuclear weapon.”

Senator Slotkin also commented on the recent government split from the AI company Anthropic, saying, “…her legislation could have headed off that split.”

While NBC’s article is rather brief in this report, we will have to stay tuned for more updates about this bill and other propositions for AI regulations.

Jackson, Hallie. “Students take advantage of artificial intelligence while studying for SAT.” nbcnews.com. March 16, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/video/students-take-advantage-of-artificial-intelligence-while-studying-for-sat-259428421912

This video discusses how students rely on AI to help them study for the SAT tests. Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban makes an appearance in this video to say, “There are two types of approaches to AI: some people who use it so they don’t have to learn anything, and some people who use it so they have the opportunity to learn everything.” Some students are shown discussing how AI helps them, but the video still acknowledges the potential threat over reliance on AI poses to critical thinking skills. Since the SAT has been moved online, there are some concerns of using AI to cheat during the SATs, but as of now there has been no record of students using AI to cheat during the test.

This video speaks on AI use by students in a generally positive tone, viewing it in a light that it could be beneficial to students, while still acknowledging the potential drawbacks of over reliance on the technology.

Hereth, Natalie. “NVIDIA Launches Nemotron Coalition of Leading Global AI Labs to Advance Open Frontier Models.” nvidianews.nvidia.com. March 16, 2026 https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-launches-nemotron-coalition-of-leading-global-ai-labs-to-advance-open-frontier-models

In this article, Natalie Hereth, media contact for NVIDIA, shares an announcement on behalf of NVIDIA of a global collaboration between open model builders and AI developers in an effort to accelerate advancement of the global AI ecosystem. Some of the collaborative partners include Black Forest Labs, Cursor, LangChain, Mistral AI, Perplexity, Reflection AI, Sarvam, and Thinking Machine Labs.

This article shows the rapid advancement of Open Frontier AI and the growing number of companies collaborating to advance the technology and integrate it into their companies.

Koukaras, Christos, et al. “Navigating the Future of Education: A Review on Telecommunications and AI Technologies, Ethical Implications, and Equity Challenges.”Telecom, vol. 7, no. 1, 2026, article 2, MDPI, https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom7010002.

This article reviews how AI and modern telecommunications technologies are converging to reshape education. The authors synthesize research published between 2022 and 2025 to paint a picture of how AI‑enabled systems and AI‑driven assessments depend on high‑performance connectivity. The review also identifies persistent challenges, including ethical governance, data privacy, and algorithmic bias, that affect the fair adoption of AI in education. The authors propose linking telecommunications performance to teaching transformation and highlight future research directions to make AI in education more transparent!

AI in education will impact how millions of students learn, interact, and succeed in the future. When AI systems are combined with advanced networks, they can personalize learning in real time, potentially transforming how schools and universities operate. But it also raises serious questions about privacy, fairness, and who gets access to these technologies, especially since students in underserved regions may be left behind without reliable connectivity. In a world where education is a key to opportunity, understanding both the potential and the pitfalls of AI‑enabled learning is a conversation worth having.

Liu, Yan, and He Wang. “Who on Earth Is Using Generative AI?” World Development, vol. 199, 2026, article 107260. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107260

This is a worldwide look at how individuals are adopting generative AI tools, using web traffic and Google Trends data to track real usage. The authors show that the most popular generative AI tools received nearly three billion visits per month by early 2024, with ChatGPT alone accounting for the majority of that traffic. Users tend to be younger, highly educated, and more likely male, often using these tools for productivity‑related tasks. The research offers one of the earliest large-scale insights into global patterns of generative AI adoption, revealing differences across regions and income levels.

Understanding who is actually using generative AI gives us a picture of how this technology is reshaping daily life and work worldwide. Lots of people talk about GenAI’s potential, but this research examines actual usage patterns over predictions. It’s meaningful that younger, educated users are early adopters. That tells us who’s benefiting right now, and who might be getting left out. The fact that low‑income countries show far less use shows that a digital divide is forming around access to these powerful tools. Knowing this helps policymakers, educators, and businesses think about how to make the benefits of AI more accessible.

Gonzalez, Gabriel R., Johannes Habel, and Gary K. Hunter. “AI Agents, Agentic AI, and the Future of Sales.” Journal of Business Research, vol. 202, 2026, article 115799. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115799

This article explores how autonomous AI agents are transforming modern sales organizations. Unlike traditional AI tools, agentic AI systems can perceive information, reason through problems, and independently act to complete multi-step processes such as leading customer communication and sales management. The authors explain how these systems differ from earlier AI technologies that only automate or support individual tasks. They also outline several real-world applications of AI agents across the sales process, including prospecting, negotiation, and post-sale relationship management.

Agentic AI is becoming a major topic of discussion because it shows a shift from AI that simply assists people to AI that can act on its own! In industries like sales, this could dramatically change how companies communicate with customers and manage workflows. Some systems can already qualify leads, respond to customer messages, and even place calls without direct human input. That kind of autonomy raises big questions about how much responsibility businesses should give AI and what roles humans will still play in these processes.

Gregory, Andrew. “Google scraps AI search feature that crowdsourced amateur medical advice.” The Guardian, March 16, 2026 https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/16/google-scraps-ai-search-feature-that-crowdsourced-amateur-medical-advice

Gregory writes about how Google originally introduced an artificial intelligence search feature called “What People Suggest” which provided crowdsourced health tips from strangers (amateurs) across the globe. However, Google has recently quietly removed said feature in an effort to simplify the search page. A Google spokesperson claimed the decision had nothing to do with the quality or safety of the feature. Gregory also discusses how, in the past, The Guardian had conducted an investigation on the Google feature and found people being put at risk of harm by false and misleading health information.

This article gives an important perspective on how, even with the good intentions it can be created with (strangers sharing their health experiences and providing suggestions), AI has the potential to widespread misinformation.

Bregman, Rutger. “Quit ChatGPT: right now! Your subscription is bankrolling authoritarianism.” The Guardian, 4 Mar. 2026, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/04/quit-chatgpt-subscription-boycott-silicon-valley. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026. 

Author and historian Rutger Bregman uses this article to put forth his views on a developing consumer boycott movement aimed at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Bregman describes how the boycott calls for cancellation of subscriptions to ChatGPT. The motivation behind the boycott is political in nature as it’s been revealed that OpenAI’s president donated $25 million to a Trump-aligned Super PAC and that it’s initiated a separate PAC (to the tune of $125 million) to lobby against state regulation of artificial intelligence. There is some discussion of how OpenAI is currently being favored by the Trump administration over other leading AI companies, particularly in the context of recent disputes over AI use in military operations. Bregman expresses optimism about the potential effectiveness of the “QuitGPT” campaign to send a message about the dangers of OpenAI’s influence. 

My interest in this story stems from thinking further about the politicization of AI and how it intersects with existing power structures. As AI’s prevalence in our lives increases, it’s important to consider how decisions are made about the technology, who holds the power to make those decisions, and what motivates those decision-makers. For those hoping to push back against these power structures, the success or failure of protest movements becomes relevant.