Marine Corps Turns to AI to Help ID Pay Delays, Boost Retention
The Marine Corps’ 4th Logistics Group has deployed an AI‑driven tool called PULSE Check to capture real‑time feedback on pay delays, training gaps, and other stressors affecting reservists. The four‑minute mobile survey generates statistically reliable data instantly, replacing the months‑long cycle of traditional surveys like DEOCS. Built using conversational prompting with large language models, the prototype required no coding and functions as a virtual data analyst for commanders. By keeping a human in the loop, the system augments leadership judgment rather than automating decisions, aiming to improve retention and unit readiness.
Michigan Senate Passes Bill to Curb Notifications, Data Collection
Michigan’s Democratic‑led Senate approved the “Kids Over Clicks” package, SB 757‑760, to restrict minors’ exposure to social‑media notifications, data collection, and advanced chatbots. The bills ban push notifications to users aged 10‑17 between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and during school hours, tighten...
Making Tax Digital for Sole Traders: Do the Rules Apply to You?
Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax will roll out to UK sole traders in three stages, starting 6 April 2026 for those with gross self‑employment or property income above £50,000 (≈$62,500). The threshold falls to £30,000 (≈$37,500) in April 2027 and £20,000...
Agencies Release Joint Guide on Zero Trust Adoption in Operational Technology
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, together with other federal bodies, released a joint guide to help organizations apply zero‑trust principles to operational technology (OT) systems. The guide outlines how to navigate OT’s unique constraints, tackle visibility challenges, and prioritize...
Advocates Question Safety Concerns Surrounding E-Bikes
California lawmakers are debating new regulations for electric two‑wheelers as safety worries mount on popular trails. Advocates argue that most injury data mixes legal e‑bikes with faster, illegal e‑motorcycles—often called e‑motos—distorting the true risk profile. While Class 1 and 2 e‑bikes...
Meta Threatens to Pull Its Apps From New Mexico if Forced to Make ‘Technologically Impractical’ Changes
Meta warned it could pull Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp from New Mexico if the state’s attorney general’s demands are enforced. The AG seeks a ban on end‑to‑end encryption for minors, mandatory age verification and a 99 percent detection rate for child sexual...
App Modernization Is the Gateway to AI-Ready Government
State governments are confronting rising citizen expectations for personalized, 24/7 digital services while being urged to adopt artificial intelligence. Legacy applications, burdened by technical debt, are now recognized as a barrier to innovation and public trust. At the National Association...
CBP’s Tariff Refund Portal Is Performing Better than Expected
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will start issuing refunds for invalidated Trump‑era tariffs as early as May 11, after launching the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) portal on April 20. In its first week, the system accepted roughly 21%...
Four Corners: May 4
ABC’s Four Corners episode "Taser Tactics" spotlights the growing reliance on tasers by Australian police and the mounting fatalities linked to their use. The program features an interview with the family of 95‑year‑old Clare Nowland, who died after being tasered...
Tech Glitches Disrupt State Math Exams Across New York
New York State Education Department halted the grades 3‑8 math exam on Wednesday after a statewide login failure on the Nextera platform. More than 116,000 students completed the test before the glitch, but thousands were unable to start, prompting schools...
Presidio Of San Francisco Receives Five Battery-Electric Buses For Shuttle Fleet
The Presidio Trust has introduced five battery‑electric buses to its free Presidio GO shuttle fleet, part of the broader Presidio Forward infrastructure upgrades. The low‑floor electric shuttles improve accessibility for wheelchair users and families with strollers while reducing maintenance costs and...
The FCC Approves Plans to Speed Up Internet From Space
The FCC voted to replace its decades‑old spectrum‑sharing rules with a performance‑based framework that eases power‑flux limits for non‑geostationary (NGSO) satellites. The new regime lets NGSO constellations use adaptive coding, potentially boosting space‑based broadband capacity up to seven times and...
DOT's Record $774M Port Funding Round Could Mark Peak Before IIJA Expires
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced a record $774 million allocation for port infrastructure projects across the nation on April 28. Funding will support marine structures, rail links, container yards, and cargo‑handling systems, including a $59.6 million grant for new ship‑to‑shore...
Prioritizing Data Readiness in Federal AI Adoption
Federal agencies are accelerating AI adoption under White House executive orders, with the VA cataloguing more than 350 AI projects and CMS supporting thousands of AI‑enabled activities. Yet an EY survey shows only 26% of agencies have integrated AI enterprise‑wide,...
Government Leaders See ‘Momentum’ in Agencies’ AI Adoption
Government agencies that were once limited to AI pilots are now scaling the technology across state, city and education sectors, according to statements at Google Cloud Next in Las Vegas. A Google‑commissioned survey shows 55% of public‑sector leaders already use...
Climate Tech Startup Voltpost Nabs DC Grant to Expand Public EV Charging: Exclusive
Voltpost, a climate‑tech startup that retrofits existing utility poles with level‑2 EV chargers, secured a $609,500 grant from the District of Columbia. The funding will enable the deployment of up to 16 pole‑mounted charging stations across the city, targeting underserved...
Drone Detection: The Technology, The Limits, and What's Coming
Drone detection technology has matured, offering three‑layered sensing—detection, classification, and trajectory tracking—through radar, RF, EO/IR, LiDAR and acoustic sensors. Costs have fallen, making solutions viable for data centers, corporate campuses and other verticals. However, U.S. law still prohibits active countermeasures,...
Minnesota Passes the Nation’s First Ban on ‘Nudification’ Apps
Minnesota’s Senate approved the nation’s first ban on “nudification” apps, a 65‑0 vote that targets AI tools that turn clothed photos into non‑consensual nude images. The measure, already cleared by the House, would let survivors sue app owners and authorize...
OpenAI Makes Frontier Model Available to Critical Cyber Defenders
OpenAI is rolling out its new cybersecurity‑focused model, GPT‑5.5‑Cyber, to the U.S. federal government and a vetted pool of critical cyber defenders. The launch is paired with a Cybersecurity Action Plan that outlines shared‑defense pillars and coordination between public and...
St Vincent Advances Digital ID, Civil Registry Overhaul
St. Vincent and the Grenadines kicked off a seven‑day series of working sessions to overhaul its civil registration and digital identity infrastructure. The initiative, backed by the Caribbean Digital Transformation Project, brings together senior government officials and a PwC implementation...
NOAA Starts the Bidding for ProTech 2.0's Environmental Monitoring Domain
NOAA has opened the solicitation for the final ProTech 2.0 domain—Space‑Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM). The agency will accept proposals from up to 12 small businesses, with a deadline of 10 a.m. ET on May 5, 2026. SBEM work will initially target GNSS radio‑occultation...
US-Backed $2.4B Airport Biometrics Proposal Faces Scrutiny in Pakistan
The U.S. government is backing Securiport’s $2.4 billion, 25‑year proposal to install biometric e‑gates and advanced passenger‑screening systems at Pakistan’s airports. The offer includes API and PNR capabilities, full data custody for Pakistan, and a passenger‑security surcharge to recoup costs while...
FCC Moves Forward With ‘Audible Crawl Rule’ Update
The Federal Communications Commission’s three voting members unanimously approved a Third Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to amend the longstanding Audible Crawl Rule. The amendment removes a provision that broadcasters, the National Association of Broadcasters and TV station owners have called...
Meet the 2026 Smart Cities Dive Public Service Award Winners
Smart Cities Dive announced the 2026 Public Service Award winners, honoring three municipal leaders for transformative work in Texas, New York, and Florida. Betsy Keller modernized El Paso County’s building portfolio with a resident‑first approach, Janet Aristy digitized a century of NYC infrastructure...
Delhi Govt Plans to Partner with Tech Companies, Start-Ups for AI Tools in Various Fields
The Delhi government’s IT department announced a call for AI solutions from technology firms, start‑ups, and research institutions to improve governance, health, education, air‑quality monitoring, and mobility. Participants must demonstrate commercially available tools with proven public‑service track records and will...
This New York City Leader Unlocked a Century of Data, Turning Paper Files Into Actionable Intelligence
Janet Aristy, assistant commissioner at New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection, has spent three decades converting centuries‑old paper records into a digital, AI‑enhanced system. By digitizing two million handwritten index cards, she created a searchable lead‑pipe inventory that drives targeted replacements...
CLT Runway Project to Generate Live Data on Surface Performance
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and UNC Charlotte have launched a runway instrumentation and digital‑twin program on the airport’s new 10,000‑foot parallel runway. Embedded sensors will stream real‑time data on wear, stress and drainage, feeding a digital‑twin model that predicts...
New Biometric Passport of the Republic of Armenia Reflects National Statehood
Armenia will roll out a new biometric passport featuring a red cover, polycarbonate biopage and Lasink printing technology. The documents comply with ICAO 9303 standards, positioning them among the world’s most secure travel papers. Prime Minister Pashinyan confirmed the rollout...
Schreiber Suspends Home Affairs Officials over Fake AI References
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has placed two senior officials on precautionary suspension after AI‑generated “hallucinated” references were discovered in the revised white paper on citizenship, immigration and refugee protection. This marks the second cabinet‑approved policy document in less...
City Learns Flock Accessed Cameras in Children's Gymnastics Room as a Sales Pitch Demo, Renews Contract Anyway
Atlanta‑suburb Dunwoody discovered that Flock Safety employees accessed live feeds from cameras in a children’s gymnastics room, a playground, a school, a Jewish community center and a pool as part of a sales demonstration. The company says the access was...
Metal Shark Delivers High-Performance RBS III Demonstrator
Metal Shark Boats of Jeanerette, Louisiana, delivered its Response Boat Small (RBS) III demonstrator to the U.S. Coast Guard within months of receiving the contract. The 29‑foot vessel, based on the company’s Fearless platform, incorporates twin 300‑hp Mercury Verado outboards, advanced...
CATALYST Unveils Its Sat Product for City Skylines
Catalyst, a PCI Geomatics brand, launched UrbanSAR, a satellite‑based service that measures millimeter‑scale building movements floor‑by‑floor using interferometric SAR from multiple satellites. The system can reveal structural shifts up to 30 mm on high‑rise rooftops—areas missed by ground monitoring. Catalyst says...
How Cities Are Using AI and Smart Tech to Improve Traffic and Project Delivery
U.S. cities are accelerating AI adoption to ease traffic congestion and streamline infrastructure projects. Arlington and Dallas have installed the Israeli NoTraffic system, which uses live‑stream data to adjust signal timing in real time ahead of the World Cup. The...
India Prioritises Landslide Mitigation for Climate-Resilient Mountain Roads
India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways announced a new landslide mitigation program focused on Himalayan highways, emphasizing pre‑construction slope stabilization, advanced monitoring and geological assessments. The plan, unveiled by Minister Nitin Gadkari at a national workshop on April 30,...
Federal Zero Trust Advisory Skips Healthcare — But Reads as a Hospital Medical Device Cybersecurity Roadmap
Federal agencies released a 28‑page zero‑trust advisory for operational technology that omits any reference to hospitals, patients, or medical devices. The guidance outlines four OT constraints—availability, legacy infrastructure, minimal logging, and cross‑functional workflows—that map directly onto the challenges of managing...
Armed Forces Bill Introduces New Powers to Counter Uncrewed Aerial Threats
The UK Armed Forces Bill introduces new legal powers to counter uncrewed aerial systems, defining “uncrewed device” broadly and linking interference to a detailed list of security offences. It establishes a tiered authorisation regime, requiring senior military or civil officers...
Dismantle Implicit Trust in OT Networks, CISA Tells Critical Infrastructure Operators
The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a 28‑page guide urging critical‑infrastructure operators to apply zero‑trust principles to operational technology (OT) networks. The guidance, co‑authored with the Department of Energy, the FBI, the Department of State and NIST,...
Tennessee Bans Crypto ATMs that Have Become 'Payment Portal of Choice for Scammers' — Second State to Restrict Machines After...
Governor Bill Lee signed a law banning cryptocurrency ATMs in Tennessee, effective July 1 2026, making the state the second to impose a blanket prohibition after Indiana. The ban follows FBI warnings that scammers have siphoned roughly $333 million through these machines nationwide....
Mobile Medical Lab Brings Lifesaving Training to Texas First Responders
Texas Health Fort Worth launched a 43‑foot mobile medical simulation lab that travels across North Texas, bringing realistic, hands‑on training to EMS providers, firefighters and rural healthcare workers. The unit replicates a patient room and classroom, allowing participants to practice...
Testing a Different Way to Improve Complex Public Services
The UK government’s CustomerFirst unit is piloting a "NewCo" approach to tackle the chronic fragmentation of authority in complex public services. By carving out bounded, multidisciplinary teams, the model shifts focus from redesigning solutions to testing the constraints that shape...
Data Is a Sovereignty Issue. And Broader than Just the Hyperscalers
UK lawmakers warn that dependence on US‑based hyperscalers threatens digital sovereignty, especially as public‑cloud adoption erodes traditional data‑ residency safeguards. The debate, sparked by Chi Onwurah’s critique, highlights that sovereignty concerns extend beyond Microsoft, AWS and Google to any non‑sovereign...
Inclusion and Addressing Imbalance in Digital ID Adoption
The Digital ID Observatory released a study examining gender inclusion in digital identity adoption. While ownership of citizen‑focused digital IDs in Italy showed little gender disparity in 2024, professional digital IDs remain skewed—68% are held by men. The research highlights...
New Law Cracks Down on Misogynistic Abuse Online
The UK Crime and Policing Act has become law, introducing sweeping measures to protect women and girls from online misogynistic abuse. It obliges AI chatbots, such as X’s Grok, to filter illegal content like non‑consensual deepfakes and child sexual abuse...
Rural-Focused $42 Billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program Becomes Operational
The $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program is finally operational after four years of planning, a rule overhaul, and months of delays. Most states have unlocked a portion of the funds and have six months to finalize contracts,...
Parly Committee Flags ICT Weaknesses at Medical Scheme Body
South Africa’s Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health that its 20‑year‑old ICT platform is hampering service delivery and caused its complaint‑resolution rate to slip from 85% to 75%. The committee warned that outdated systems increase...
TRAI V2X Consultation Paper: Regulatory Framework, Spectrum Strategy, and Market Opportunities for Connected Mobility in India
India’s Telecom Regulatory Authority released a consultation paper outlining a regulatory and spectrum framework for Vehicle‑to‑Everything (V2X) communications. The proposal earmarks 30 MHz in the 5875‑5905 MHz band for initial deployment and an additional 20 MHz for future ITS applications, with Cellular V2X...
Crypto Non-Compliance Could Land South Africans in Jail
South Africa’s National Treasury is drafting new Capital Flow Management Regulations that would bring crypto‑assets under the country’s exchange‑control framework. Breaches could attract up to five years in prison, a R1 million fine (about $54,000) or both, and authorities could demand...
NEVI EV Charger Rollout Sped up in 2025, Still Not Fast Enough Due to Roadblocks
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, funded with $5 billion under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and supplemented by $2.5 billion from the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program, finally accelerated charger deployments in 2025. Operational stations rose from 26 at...
How Kalshi Can Help the Federal Reserve
Kalshi and Polymarket saw trading volumes surge to $50 bn in 2025, up from $16 bn the year before, as they expand beyond sports betting into macroeconomic wagers. Economic contracts—covering GDP, payrolls and inflation—now make up about 1‑2% of activity, attracting the...
Indonesia Launches Digital Innovation Centre and Hackathon to Develop 800 Tech Talent Teams
Bank Indonesia unveiled the Pusat Inovasi Digital Indonesia (PIDI) Digdaya x Hackathon on 30 April 2026, selecting 800 teams from more than 2,000 proposals to fast‑track digital talent development toward the country’s 2045 economy goals. The programme blends foundational, advanced and capstone training, and...