artificial intelligence

‘Austin City Limits’ celebrates 50 years on PBS

The execution of Robert Roberson, scheduled for tonight, has been subject to appeal upon appeal. Now, a surprise subpoena from a House subcommittee has left his fate uncertain.

Why a commissioners court race could be an indicator of future politics in Tarrant County.

Persistent dry weather means wildfire risk is high – and the governor has declared a disaster declaration for nearly 150 counties across the state amid the increased threat. What you should do now to reduce risk.

How AI-driven phishing scams are targeting Gmail users.

And: Celebrating 50 years of the music TV program “Austin City Limits.”

KUT Morning Newscast for October 11, 2024

Central Texas top stories for October 11, 2024. Five new parks will be added to parts of Austin with less access to green space. The city department that oversees new construction in Austin will begin using artificial intelligence. Austin’s 32nd annual Art from the Streets event returns this weekend. ACL’s second weekend kicks off today.

On Labor Day, a look at the ways our work is changing

Millions of Texans are marking Labor Day across the Lone Star State. This hour, we’re looking at some of the ways our work is changing:
– Artificial intelligence leading to a rethink of so-called busy work.
– How high tech is affecting labor unionization.
– The gig economy, and the hidden dangers of breaking out on your own.
– There’s one job on a few cattle farms – and many sheep farms – that is increasingly being done by dogs: herding.
Plus much more on a special Labor Day edition of the Texas Standard.

The state is facing a middle-class housing crunch

Housing availability is too low across Texas – and the cost to buy a home is just too high. We’ll have the details of a new report that shows the middle class feeling the brunt of the housing crunch.
Seniors were some of the hardest hit during the power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl. What’s being done to protect them before the next storm?
FEMA applications for damage caused by Beryl have far outpaced any other recent storm in Harris County, even Hurricane Harvey.
What we know about how CEOs are using artificial intelligence to make high-level executive decisions – and when humans should step in and override AI’s choices.
And: UT and Oklahoma are now in the SEC. If you don’t really get why that matters, we’ll have the cliff’s notes as college football season kicks off.

How Texas is likely undercounting heat-related deaths

Just how dangerous is triple-digit heat in Texas? They say the numbers don’t lie. Last year was the deadliest on record in Texas, but there’s reason to think we don’t know just how bad it really was – or is.
As schools begin welcoming students back to class, data shows nearly 1 in 5 will be chronically absent.
Are you a mosquito magnet, or does it just seem that way? What the science says, and what you can do about it.
Plus, the week in politics with the Texas Tribune and poetry from the Typewriter Rodeo.

Bighorn sheep being released in Franklin Mountains outside El Paso

The Santa Fe community is seeking answers and accountability for the 2018 school shooting as the accused shooter’s parents appear in court this week.
Houston police admit systemic failure in the processes that led to 264,000 cases being dismissed over eight years.
On the anniversary of the 1966 UT Tower shooting, a man who helped a fellow student that day shares a letter he’s kept for decades.
Bighorn sheep are returning to the El Paso area. A look at the challenges of re-establishing the herds.
And: What is a museum? We’re diving into the answer as we kick off a new series exploring the state.

KUT Morning Newscast for June 27, 2024

Central Texas top stories for June 27, 2024. SXSW will no longer partner with the military or weapons manufacturers for sponsorship. More criminal charges have been dismissed against people who participated in pro-Palestinian protests in April. The construction of new toll lanes along 183 will take longer than expected.

Director Jeff Nichols returns to the big screen with ‘The Bikeriders’

Tropical Storm Alberto bears down on Mexico, bringing rain wind and stormy weather to South Texas. We’ll have an update on the latest.
Texas has the second largest population of Indian Americans in the U.S., many of them closely following the shifting political picture in New Delhi. We’ll hear reactions to a rare third term for India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi.
How the government’s trying to help veterans transition into entrepreneurs.
You might have heard of AI hallucinations, but there’s a new buzzword in town – understanding AI “slop.”
And: Austin-based writer-director Jeff Nichols joins the Standard with a look at his new movie, “The Bikeriders,” a time capsule of late 1960s Chicago and the rise of motorcycle clubs.

Meet Emma, the AI assistant answering the phones at Amarillo City Hall

Just in time for high summer, a surge in COVID cases? What officials are saying about a new subvariant.
It could be a very wet 72 hours of so for much of Southeast Texas and beyond as meteorologists focus on what could be the first big storm of hurricane season coming together in the Gulf of Mexico.
In Amarillo, phones at City Hall are answered by Emma – a first-of-its-kind virtual assistant powered by AI, built specifically for the city.
Why some analysts are pumping the brakes on predictions of a looming oil glut thanks to electric vehicles.
And: why some Texas Democrats say schools could be key to their success in November.

What’s behind an anti-birth control push on social media?

After an apparent tornado strike in Temple last night, it’s looking to be another day of severe weather across large parts of the Lone Star State.
A ransomware attack on the Ascension hospital network is still having a big impact on staff and patients almost two weeks later.
After online reports and videos of women giving up the birth control pill, The New York Times finds that prescriptions are not actually declining – in fact, the opposite.
And: The latest album from singer-songwriter Susan Werner, “Halfway to Houston,” takes on the wide landscape of Texas.

Are unlicensed teachers affecting student performance in Texas?

After the worst-ever wildfire disaster for Texas agriculture, there’s now an effort to help ranchers who lost large numbers of pregnant cows.
A year after the mall shooting in Allen, what the data reveals about gun violence there more broadly.
A new report documents how unlicensed teachers are becoming fixtures in many Texas schools.
Organizers of the Texas Eclipse Festival in Burnet County are now offering partial refunds to attendees because the event ended a day early.
Also, just how smart is artificial intelligence getting? Commentator W.F. Strong tried a little experiment.

An AI Experiment

There’s been a lot of talk lately about artificial intelligence — what it can do and what its limitations are. And if you’ve been keeping tabs on it at all, there’s no doubt that it seems to be getting better — and fast.

Texas Standard commentator WF Strong wanted to find out for himself just how good its become. So he did a little experiment.

A visit to the traditional Mexican rodeo in San Antonio

One year later, a survivor of the Allen mass shooting talks about his long road to recovery.
New water rules take effect in the Rio Grande Valley as some border cities cope with historically low reservoirs.
With the rise of cloud-based services and AI, the demand for power has soared. What it means for the state Texas.
A new book by University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus takes a look at the political life of Rick Perry, Texas’ longest-serving governor.
And we’ll go to a charreada in San Antonio where Mexico’s rodeo skills are on display.

Texas Extra: SXSW 2024 Films with Texas ties (and more!)

The South by Southwest Conference and Festivals is/are underway Austin. It’s a time when some Austinites flock with the crowds to downtown — and others escape the city altogether. If you are not among the hundreds of thousands of attendees, have no fear. The Texas Standard will have some highlights. This is much extended version of an interview with freelance journalist and filmmaker Karen Bernstein. It features more examples of the films at SXSW and clips from the filmmakers themselves.

Is high school football on the decline in Texas?

A conversation with state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a self-described progressive Democrat who’s running to challenge Ted Cruz for his U.S. Senate seat.

Three years after the big freeze that plunged most of Texas into darkness, a new bill aims to connect the state to neighboring electric grids. Mose Buchele of KUT in Austin has more.

A big change for the Texas STAAR tests: student essays graded by computer. How does that work, and how fair is it?

And: Is football still king in Texas? A Washington Post analysis looks at the sport’s rise and fall across the country.

What’s ahead for space exploration in 2024

The federal government takes legal action to stop Texas from implementing a new state law aimed at arresting migrants who come into the state illegally. Julián Aguilar of The Texas Newsroom has more.

A new plan to use AI to help explore the effect of burn pits on veterans.
Why 2024 could be the launch pad for a new chapter in space exploration.

How the armadillo, a dormant dog-sized mammal considered a pest by many, won the affection of many a Texan.

Plus: The week in politics with The Texas Tribune.

Residents fight proposed Brazoria County primate facility

Is artificial intelligence coming soon to Texas government? A new report says it’s already here.

More than 300,000 immigrants arrived at the southern border in December. Angela Kocherga of KTEP takes a look at one of the busiest border crossing areas year-round: the El Paso sector.

Volunteer pilots are helping abortion-seekers get out of Texas.
A biomedical company wants to build a massive facility for primates in Brazoria County. But locals are fighting back.

And: remembering the music and legacy of Rocky Morales.

How to prepare and stay safe amid high wildfire danger

With low humidity and winds picking up across Texas, a growing wildfire threat has prompted officials to raise the state’s preparedness level. What should Texans be doing to prepare for the danger of wildfires?

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is facing not one but two Democrats with considerable name recognition as he prepares to try to retain his Senate seat.

A conversation with Ire’ne Lara Silva, Texas’ poet laureate.

And there are growing concerns about artificial intelligence in Zoom amid recent changes to the app’s terms of service.

64,000 Texans stand to benefit from Biden student loan forgiveness

More people in Texas are set to benefit from student debt forgiveness than in any other state.

The Houston Police Department has released a comprehensive report on its investigation into the 2021 Travis Scott Astroworld festival tragedy.

Texas’ major cities are on track to lose lots of jobs to AI, and soon – San Antonio tops the list; Austin and Dallas are not far behind.

Also, billions of dollars have been announced for rural broadband, but apparently there’s a disconnect when it comes to funding the buildout.

Is Paycheck Protection Program fraud partly behind the home price spike?

A planned buoy barrier along the Rio Grande designed to prevent migrant crossings faces legal obstacles of its own.

What’s known and what isn’t about the man who had been reported missing in the Houston area for eight years – who had only really been missing for about a day.

Could pandemic-era abuses be partly to blame for rising home prices?

And, how to lose friends and alienate the Legislature: Austin journalist Christopher Hooks on Gov. Greg Abbott’s legislative strategy and why he’s had so much trouble passing some key items on his agenda despite Republican majorities.