philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

From killer-robot protests to tech talks for seniors, S.F. Bay Area residents wrestle with AI

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In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed several bills to make AI safer for children and workers. He also issued an executive order to speed up the development of safeguards, including a “kill switch” in case humans lose control of AI. 

“AI should expand opportunity — not come at the expense of workers and families,” Newsom said last month in a statement. ...

“I believe that the future, if we get this right, can be much more like a new renaissance than a new industrial revolution,” he said on stage. “AI should be about giving people more power over their own lives, more tools to create, learn, discover, expand knowledge.” ...

Lucas Lu walked by the protest, guiding two black-and-white humanoid robots. His employer rents out the robots for events such as OpenAI’s conference. He led them away from the vocal crowd. ...

“That’s your decision in regard to whether or not you use it,” said Norman Weekes, the AI literacy educator and entrepreneur who presented the topic to the group. “If you never use AI, that’s great, but you should understand it because ... it’s going to affect people you love, if not yourself.” ...

See the full story here: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-10-08/at-epicenter-of-ai-san-francisco-bay-residents-take-on-technology