Conflict ahead?

https://pogowasright.org/several-state-ai-laws-set-to-go-into-effect-in-2026-despite-federal-governments-push-to-eliminate-state-level-ai-regulations/

Several State AI Laws Set to Go into Effect in 2026, Despite Federal Government’s Push to Eliminate State-Level AI Regulations

Corey Bartkus of Barnes & Thornburg LLP writes:

Illinois, Texas, and Colorado are each set to implement laws governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workforce in 2026, all while the federal government has signaled its intent to eliminate state-level regulations on AI.

On Dec. 11, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order, titled “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence,” which directed the federal government to review state laws that are deemed “inconsistent” with its plans to implement a national policy framework for AI.

Meanwhile, new AI laws in Illinois and Texas went into effect on Jan. 1. Illinois’ new law, H.B. 3773, amends the state’s human rights act to make clear that the statute is triggered when discrimination emanates from an employer’s use of AI to make decisions on hiring, firing, discipline, tenure, and training. Under H.B. 3773, companies must notify workers when AI is integrated into any of the aforementioned workplace decisions. Furthermore, companies are barred from using ZIP codes in the AI model when evaluating candidates. Because these new protections were implemented as part of Illinois’ existing human rights code, they come with a private right of action.

Read more at The National Law Review.

A different kind of security risk. Not sure training is available to address this in most companies.

https://thehackernews.com/2026/01/who-approved-this-agent-rethinking.html

Who Approved This Agent? Rethinking Access, Accountability, and Risk in the Age of AI Agents

AI agents are accelerating how work gets done. They schedule meetings, access data, trigger workflows, write code, and take action in real time, pushing productivity beyond human speed across the enterprise.

Then comes the moment every security team eventually hits:

“Wait… who approved this?”

Unlike users or applications, AI agents are often deployed quickly, shared broadly, and granted wide access permissions, making ownership, approval, and accountability difficult to trace. What was once a straightforward question is now surprisingly hard to answer.

AI Agents Break Traditional Access Models

AI agents are not just another type of user. They fundamentally differ from both humans and traditional service accounts, and those differences are what break existing access and approval models.

Human access is built around clear intent. Permissions are tied to a role, reviewed periodically, and constrained by time and context. Service accounts, while non-human, are typically purpose-built, narrowly scoped, and tied to a specific application or function.

AI agents are different. They operate with delegated authority and can act on behalf of multiple users or teams without requiring ongoing human involvement. Once authorized, they are autonomous, persistent, and often act across systems, moving between various systems and data sources to complete tasks end-to-end.

Perspective.

https://theconversation.com/is-ai-hurting-your-ability-to-think-how-to-reclaim-your-brain-272834

Is AI hurting your ability to think? How to reclaim your brain

The retirement of West Midlands police chief Craig Guildford is a wake-up call for those of us using artificial intelligence (AI) tools at work and in our personal lives. Guildford lost the confidence of the home secretary after it was revealed that the force used incorrect AI-generated evidence in their controversial decision to ban Israeli football fans from attending a match.

This is a particularly egregious example, but many people may be falling victim to the same phenomenon – outsourcing the “struggle” of thinking to AI.

As an expert on how new technology reshapes society and the human experience, I have observed a growing phenomenon which I and other researchers refer to as “cognitive atrophy”.

Essentially, AI is replacing tasks many people have grown reluctant to do themselves – thinking, writing, creating, analysing. But when we don’t use these skills, they can decline.

We also risk getting things very, very wrong. Generative AI works by predicting likely words from patterns trained on vast amounts of data. When you ask it to write an email or give advice, its responses sound logical. But it does not understand or know what is true.