This Month's Latest Tech News in Greensboro, NC - Wednesday April 30th 2025 Edition

April 2025 marks a turning point for Greensboro's tech landscape, as rapid AI innovation intersects with robust policy measures designed to enhance security and trust.

North Carolina A&T State University's entry into the NCShare Partnership bringing GPU-driven AI infrastructure empowers researchers to process massive datasets and tackle challenges like deepfake detection - a timely response as manipulated media becomes a national concern.

In parallel, local lawmakers are advancing the AI Regulatory Reform Act addressing deepfake penalties and victim rights, which would penalize the non-consensual creation of deepfakes with up to 120 days in jail and offer victims rights to legal redress and takedowns, reflecting nationwide movements for regulation.

As Dr. Kaushik Roy, Chair of Computer Science at N.C. A&T, notes,

“You need a lot of resources, especially when the researchers are working on millions of images and large video data files... NCShare is creating a very powerful cluster of interconnected GPU machines that is scalable... It's a great opportunity for our faculty and students so they can connect with it remotely and gain access that way.”

These efforts, coupled with N.C. A&T's cutting-edge deepfake research (latest study on deepfake detection), position Greensboro at the forefront of AI progress and digital policy reform in the Southeast.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) has significantly expanded its AI research capabilities by joining the North Carolina Shared Research & Education partnership, known as NCShare.

This collaborative initiative, led by Duke University, provides participating institutions - including N.C. A&T, North Carolina Central University, Davidson College, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - with high-speed networking and access to a state-wide pool of GPU resources critical for advanced computing and deep learning projects.

Dr. Kaushik Roy, Chair of A&T's Department of Computer Science, highlighted the impact:

The necessity of powerful computing resources, notably GPU-based AI machines, to handle millions of images and large video data files efficiently, is vital for research areas such as deepfake detection and synthetic data modeling.

Supported by multiple National Science Foundation grants, NCShare lowers barriers for minority-serving institutions, democratizing high-performance computing and accelerating innovation.

The infrastructure includes “Science DMZ” secure networks and a horizontally scalable GPU-as-a-Service platform, with $1.19 million allocated for AI initiatives in just the latest round.

For details on these grants and project leadership, see the NCShare Network overview.

By joining NCShare, N.C. A&T also bolsters its educational mission, launching North Carolina's first undergraduate AI degree and supporting AI literacy across the region.

The broader aim is to empower collaborative STEM research and training, preparing a diverse, next-generation tech workforce in Greensboro and beyond. For an in-depth update on N.C. A&T's expanded research capacity and partnerships, visit the official announcement.

North Carolina is moving toward robust regulation of artificial intelligence with House Bill 934, the AI Regulatory Reform Act, targeting the rising threat of deepfakes.

This bipartisan bill, which recently moved to the House Judiciary 3 Committee after passing its initial vote, would make it a Class 1 misdemeanor to knowingly create or distribute deceptive “deepfake” content - audio, video, or images of someone saying or doing things they never did - with additional civil remedies for victims, including $1,000 in damages for each redistribution.

The bill not only aims to curb election-related misinformation, such as fake mugshots or doctored political ads, but also balances business innovation by granting immunity to AI developers for errors when used by licensed professionals.

As Rep. Jake Johnson stated,

“What we don't want to do is over-regulate to where North Carolina gets a bad reputation for a bad place to do business... We would rather get this done the right way and make North Carolina the true place that people want to come with new business when it comes to developing and installing these AI products.”

Significantly, the proposal would allow AI-generated stock footage or music in advertising, but strictly prohibits AI-created misinformation about the main subject.

For a detailed summary of the legislature's actions, see WRAL's analysis of House Bill 934 and deepfake regulation.

Further information and bill tracking are available via the official bill summary from the UNC School of Government, and broader context on AI regulation efforts in the state can be found in WUNC's political reporting on AI and deepfake crime legislation.

The table below summarizes key features of the proposed law:

Provision	Details
Offense	Class 1 misdemeanor for creating/distributing deepfakes
Civil Remedies	$1,000 damages per redistribution, punitive damages, attorney's fees
Exemptions	AI developers immune from civil liability for professional use errors
Effective Date	December 1, 2025

N.C. A&T State University is at the forefront of research into deepfake detection and the fight against misinformation, a critical issue in an era where AI-generated videos, audio, and images threaten election integrity and public trust.

Under the direction of Dr. Kaushik Roy and with the leadership of STEM Early College student Kashifah Afroz, the university's Center for Cyber Defense recently presented a paper, “Understanding the Threat of Political Deepfakes,” at the IEEE Conference on AI in Cybersecurity, highlighting how manipulated content - including AI-driven face swaps and voice cloning - has been deployed to impersonate politicians and spread disinformation, especially during sensitive periods like election seasons according to N.C. A&T's news report.

As deepfake technology becomes more accessible and convincing, local and national election officials across the U.S. are implementing intensive training to spot and counteract malicious AI-generated media; a recent ABC News report quoted Arizona's Secretary of State describing AI as “the number one concern we have on Election Day,” with federal advisories warning of threats such as fake robocalls, fabricated election records, and disinformation designed to manipulate voter turnout.

"In the long term, if you can see something that seems impossible and it also makes you really, really mad, then there's a pretty good chance that that's not real." - Lucas Hanson, CivAI co-founder

Reality Defender and similar organizations are now collaborating with newsrooms to deploy detection tools that quickly analyze uploaded media for deepfake characteristics, a vital step as newsrooms face mounting pressure to verify content before publication as detailed by ABC News and covered in Reality Defender's insights on the future of political deepfake detection.

As Greensboro rides the cutting edge of AI research and public awareness, improving digital literacy and fast-tracking detection technology are essential to safeguarding democracy and social trust.

North Carolina's Senate Bill 474, known as the DAVE Act, is reshaping public sector oversight by introducing artificial intelligence to state agency audits through the new Division of Accountability, Value, and Efficiency (DAVE) within the State Auditor's office.

Designed to provide a data-centered evaluation of agency spending, staffing, and efficiency, the act empowers State Auditor Dave Boliek's team - without granting them authority to cut jobs directly - to analyze public funds, identify duplicative expenditures, and recommend changes to improve government performance.

As summarized in the table below, the legislation passed the Senate by a 29-17 vote and now awaits House deliberation, sparking vigorous debate about AI ethics, workforce stability, and government transparency.

While proponents such as Senate leader Phil Berger argue that,

“Funds sent to state agencies come out of the pockets of North Carolinians. Requiring a review of state agency operations and staffing is the right thing to do to ensure that those tax dollars are not wasted,”

critics raise concerns that introducing AI to personnel reviews could endanger vital jobs amid already high vacancy rates.

In support of the bill, Boliek noted,

“Our Constitution is created for ‘better government.' That's what this bill is designed to do – better government. A data-centered approach that gets real, impactful results.”

For a comprehensive breakdown of the bill's provisions and key quotes, visit State Efficiency Bill Involving AI Advances in North Carolina, Carolina Journal's report on the state-level ‘DOGE' effort, and NSJ Online's coverage of the Senate's approval.

Provision	Details
Division Created	DAVE within State Auditor's office
Main Tool	Artificial Intelligence for audits
Senate Vote	29-17 (mostly party lines)
Reporting Deadline	October 1 (annual)
Sunset Clause	Expires in 2028

This month, Citi's aggressive rollout of generative AI productivity tools is capturing the financial sector's attention - as well as stirring new demand for legal AI talent across Greensboro.

Citi is now equipping up to 230,000 global employees with an AI arsenal that includes Citi Assist for automated policy queries, Citi Stylus for advanced document comparison and summarization, and Citi Squad to accelerate developer workflows, with 220,000 automated code reviews logged in Q1 2025 alone.

These innovations have driven a 490-basis-point efficiency improvement over the past year, supporting Citi's broader digital transformation via a strategic partnership with Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform.

According to Citi, employees recorded over 385,000 interactions with these tools, reshaping routine banking tasks and raising expectations for productivity industry-wide.

Meanwhile, Greensboro ranks among the cities seeing heightened legal AI hiring, responding to data showing that 21% of legal departments require AI experience in new hires and 49% offer internal training.

As one industry executive put it,

“People want their organizations to help...and they want to know that the organization is helping them build skills to stay relevant.”

The table below summarizes Citi's key AI tools and adoption:

AI Tool	Primary Function	Employee Reach
Citi Assist	Virtual assistant for policy and HR queries	150,000+
Citi Stylus	Document summarization, translation, and comparison	10,000+ (latest version)
Citi Squad	Generative AI coding for developers	~9,000

For a full breakdown of Citi's productivity strategy, see Fortune's coverage of Citi's global AI tool launch.

Explore the market-wide impact in Bank Automation News' analysis of Citi's AI-driven code reviews, and learn about banking's ongoing AI jobs boom in TechInformed's 2025 report on AI hiring at leading banks.

Meta has officially launched its standalone Meta AI app, powered by the advanced Llama 4 model, marking a significant leap in consumer-facing artificial intelligence.

Llama 4, available in several variants, drives next-generation multimodal experiences by enabling seamless voice, text, and image interactions across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and the newly integrated Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

The app's “Discover Feed” encourages users to explore community-shared prompts and harness AI for creativity and everyday problem-solving, while features like personalized responses and full-duplex voice conversations - currently rolled out in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - showcase Meta's commitment to intuitive engagement.

According to VentureBeat's analysis of the Meta AI launch, “Meta's app may reset the baseline for digital interaction standards industry-wide,” with industry observers noting its potential to redefine user expectations.

Importantly, Llama 4's architecture excels in efficiency and multilingual support, boasting up to 288 billion active parameters in its largest models and outperforming competitors like GPT-4o and Gemini 2.0 on several benchmarks:

Model	Active Parameters	Experts	Performance
Llama 4 Scout	17B	16	Outperforms Gemini 2.0
Llama 4 Maverick	17B	128	Beats GPT-4o & Gemini 2.0
Llama 4 Behemoth	288B	16	Outperforms GPT-4.5

For smart device enthusiasts, the app's seamless fusion with Ray-Ban glasses elevates real-world interaction, further positioning Meta AI as a pioneer in context-aware wearable technology as detailed by Glass Almanac.

To learn more about Llama 4's technical achievements and open-weight capabilities, explore the official Meta AI release on the Llama 4 herd.

VF Corporation, headquartered in Greensboro and renowned for brands such as Vans, The North Face, Timberland, and JanSport, is intensifying its pursuit of AI-driven leadership by actively recruiting for top roles like Vice President of Data Intelligence.

As the Triad region witnesses a surge in demand for tech talent, VF's commitment to fostering a culture of belonging - emphasizing respect, openness, and authenticity - positions it as a leading employer in the field of data intelligence and digital innovation.

The company's social responsibility strategy spans from sustainable manufacturing to diversity and inclusion, reflecting VF's broader mission: “We don't just make the world's best apparel and footwear; we power movements of sustainable and active lifestyles for the betterment of people and our planet.”

At VF, we dare to LIMIT LESS and believe more is possible. Search our current opportunities and Find Your Calling.

Recent earnings reports and corporate updates highlight both VF's resilient business outlook and its ongoing investment in technology and workforce development.

For those interested in joining VF's transformative journey, updated openings and application details can be explored on the VF Corporation Careers page, while more information about the company's latest financial achievements and sustainable business practices can be found at the VF Corporation official website.

Details for specialized roles in Greensboro, such as Data Intelligence leadership positions, are listed directly through VF's Greensboro job openings portal.

Momentum is building in Greensboro and across North Carolina for stricter penalties on AI deepfakes, as a bipartisan bill advances through the General Assembly and garners significant media attention and public debate.

The proposed AI Regulatory Reform Act, approved this week by the House Regulatory Committee, would make it a Class 1 misdemeanor - punishable by up to 120 days in jail - to create or share deepfake videos without the consent of individuals depicted, a move that directly responds to high-profile incidents and mounting concerns over misinformation and election interference.

As outlined in Ballotpedia's deepfake legislation tracker, North Carolina is among 34 states to enact laws for explicit AI-generated content, and this new measure further empowers victims to sue for $1,000 per distribution and obtain judicial orders for takedown and destruction of harmful content.

Lawmakers emphasize a careful approach:

“What we don't want to do is over regulate to where North Carolina gets a reputation as a bad place for business developing or selling this technology.”

The bill, still under committee review, continues to undergo refinement based on industry and public feedback - a balancing act that reflects broader national trends highlighted by WRAL's reporting on legislative efforts to curtail deepfake-related fraud, political disinformation, and non-consensual content.

Below is a summary table of key bill provisions:

Provision	Details
Penalty for Creating/Sharing Deepfakes	Class 1 misdemeanor, up to 120 days jail
Victim Rights	Sue for $1,000 per distribution; judicial removal of content
Status	Advanced by House committee, pending further review

As the conversation evolves locally and nationally, community input remains a vital part of shaping how innovation and protection intersect within the state.

N.C. A&T electrical engineering students have propelled Greensboro to national recognition by earning top honors at the IEEE SoutheastCon 2025 regional engineering conference, the premier regional conference for engineering innovation.

The university's teams clinched first-place awards in both the Circuit Design and Ethics competitions, standing out among institutions across the Southeast and demonstrating expertise in technical mastery as well as professional responsibility.

As outgoing IEEE A&T student branch president Yazmin Wilson reflected,

“With our two first place wins, A&T was the winningest university at the conference and that's something to celebrate. But it's not just about the wins. Many of our teams spent months, some nearly a year, preparing for these competitions. Even those who didn't place showed incredible dedication, teamwork, and passion. Everyone who competed made A&T proud and I can't wait to see what's next for our IEEE team.”

In addition to double first-place victories, N.C. A&T's hardware team placed 11th out of 42 in the demanding Hardware Competition, which challenges students to apply embedded systems, control theory, and software development to real-world scenarios.

The event not only showcased individual and team excellence but also fostered professional connections and hands-on learning for over a dozen Aggies representing both Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science.

Discover more about these achievements in N.C. A&T's Aggie Newsroom updates and see additional recognition for A&T's leadership at the 2025 North Carolina Space Symposium student research event, which highlights ongoing student research, AI innovation, and engineering impact across the state.

The debate over AI regulation in North Carolina has intensified as lawmakers move to address the risks of deepfakes while maintaining the state's appeal to tech innovators.

A bipartisan bill advancing through the legislature would make it a misdemeanor to create or distribute AI-driven “deepfake” content - deceptive videos or audio in which individuals are falsely portrayed - while giving victims a right to sue for damages, but with an important carveout that limits liability for AI developers when professionals misapply these tools.

Lawmakers such as Rep. Jake Johnson say they are “consulting with the tech industry and refining legal definitions” to avoid overregulation, emphasizing,

“What we don't want to do is over-regulate to where North Carolina gets a bad reputation for a bad place to do business… We would rather get this done the right way and make North Carolina the true place that people want to come with new business when it comes to developing and installing these AI products.”

This effort comes amid growing examples of AI scams and political misinformation as well as new pilot programs, such as the Office of the State Treasurer's 12-week experiment with OpenAI. Reflecting a broader national trend, states are grappling with how to encourage responsible innovation while protecting citizens - Virginia and Texas recently rejected more sweeping “fear-based” regulations after warnings they could stifle startups and job growth, a stance some see as a model for other states.

As detailed in the Harvard Law Review's April issue on AI governance, there is rising interest in “co-governance” frameworks that combine stakeholder input and democratic values in rulemaking, as a path forward for states seeking a nuanced approach.

For more context on North Carolina's bipartisan proposal to regulate deepfakes and guard against both innovation chilling and public harm, see the WUNC analysis of the House's deepfake bill, and for perspective on national state-level trends, consult this overview of technology federalism in AI governance from Carnegie Endowment.

Greensboro's tech scene is shifting rapidly, with 2025 marking a surge in AI-driven hiring, expanding opportunities for software engineers and entrepreneurs alike.

According to Aura's market analysis, North Carolina saw an impressive 18% jump in software job growth, outpacing national averages, while AI-related roles now comprise over 8% of all U.S. software postings, reshaping regional skill demands and reinforcing Python, SQL, and AWS as crucial talents for job seekers (AI Job Growth Report).

On the startup front, Greensboro businesses are thriving due in part to Launch Greensboro's programs, which served 343 entrepreneurs in 2024 - 73% from minority backgrounds - and will highlight aerospace and advanced manufacturing innovation during their upcoming Startup Week (Launch Greensboro's Impact).

This local momentum is underscored by major tech sector funding and merger activity nationwide: Q1 2025 saw strategic acquisitions in crypto, AI, and data management, with valuation standouts such as Chainalysis ($8.54B) and Applied Intuition ($6B) targeting new market capabilities.

A summary of key M&A values is below:

Company	Sector	Valuation
Chainalysis	FinTech / Blockchain	$8.54B
Applied Intuition	Industrial Software	$6B
MoonPay	FinTech / Blockchain	$3.52B

With continued state-level investment and a robust support network, Greensboro is emerging as a tech talent magnet and startup powerhouse.

As summed up by local founder Falon Thomas,

“Having this community hasn't just grown my business, but actually grew me as a person. Any entrepreneur would be doing themselves a service to try to build their business in Greensboro.”

For those wishing to join this wave, practical upskilling is more accessible than ever - explore Nucamp's affordable bootcamps in Front End Web + Mobile Development, Cybersecurity Fundamentals, or the Complete Software Engineering Path - and be part of what comes next for Greensboro's tech future.