This Month's Latest Tech News in Riverside, CA - Thursday July 31st 2025 Edition

This month, Riverside, CA continues to solidify its position as a hub for artificial intelligence innovation and education. UC Riverside's RAISE Institute is spearheading cutting-edge AI research, while collaborative events like the 2025 PROPEL AI Symposium foster regional partnerships among educators, industry leaders, and community organizations to prepare the workforce for an AI-driven future.

Riverside also welcomed Stored Power Technology (SPT), a company integrating AI into smart energy storage solutions, marking a significant expansion in the local clean technology ecosystem.

Meanwhile, educational advancements such as the Riverside County Office of Education's AI summit - supported by OpenAI - and UCR's AI-driven webinar platform demonstrate the city's commitment to integrating AI in learning.

This dynamic environment aligns with initiatives like Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work bootcamp, which equips learners with practical AI skills for workplace productivity.

Together, these developments underscore Riverside's strategic role in advancing AI innovation, education, and sustainable technology, creating opportunities for residents and businesses alike to engage with AI responsibly and effectively.

For deeper insights, visit the RAISE@UCR Artificial Intelligence Research Institute.

In a cutting-edge effort to combat increasingly sophisticated video misinformation, researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), in collaboration with Google scientists, have developed UNITE (Universal Network for Identifying Tampered and Synthetic Videos), an AI-powered tool that detects fake videos by analyzing entire frames rather than relying solely on facial recognition.

Traditional deepfake detectors often fail when videos lack faces or when backgrounds and motion patterns are manipulated; UNITE addresses these challenges by examining spatial and temporal inconsistencies across faces, backgrounds, and synthetic scenes generated by advanced text-to-video and image-to-video technologies.

Leading this initiative, UCR's Professor Amit Roy-Chowdhury and PhD candidate Rohit Kundu emphasize the tool's universality and ability to identify complex forgeries, including fully synthetic videos without human subjects.

Kundu notes,

“Deepfakes have evolved. They're not just about face swaps anymore. People are now creating entirely fake videos - from faces to backgrounds - using powerful generative models. Our system is built to catch all of that.”

UNITE leverages a transformer-based architecture enhanced with an attention-diversity loss mechanism, enabling comprehensive detection of subtle alterations previously missed by other methods, as detailed in a presentation at the 2025 Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition.

Given the rising threats posed by synthetic media to public trust and security, UNITE's technology represents a significant advancement for fact-checkers, newsrooms, and social media platforms seeking to verify video authenticity.

Ongoing development aims to further enhance its capabilities to safeguard information integrity across digital media landscapes, making it a vital tool in the fight against AI-driven disinformation.

For a more detailed exploration of UNITE's technical framework and implications, see this comprehensive overview.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office (RCSO), one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the U.S., has entered a multi-year partnership with Veritone, Inc.

to deploy Veritone Redact, an AI-powered redaction software within the Intelligent Digital Evidence Management System (iDEMS) suite. This advanced technology automates the identification and redaction of sensitive information - such as faces, license plates, and personally identifiable details - from various digital evidence types including bodycam, dashcam, CCTV, and interview footage.

By streamlining these processes, RCSO aims to reduce administrative burdens and associated costs, enabling officers to focus more on active policing while ensuring compliance with privacy laws and transparency demands.

Veritone's CEO Ryan Steelberg highlighted the partnership's role in helping public safety agencies balance operational efficiency and privacy rights:

“As the demand for transparency and timely evidence disclosure increases, Veritone Redact helps departments like RCSO to meet public expectations without compromising operational efficiency or privacy rights.”

Veritone emphasizes ethical AI innovation under its “AI for Good” principles focused on transparency, trust, security, and empowerment.

For additional details, visit Veritone's official release on the multi-year agreement with RCSO, explore the features of Veritone Redact AI redaction software, and read the in-depth analysis at Veritone's case study on RCSO partnership.

This collaboration marks a significant step forward in integrating responsible AI to enhance law enforcement transparency and efficiency in Riverside County.

UC Riverside has significantly enhanced the webinar experience by integrating AI-synthesized participant feedback to boost interaction and engagement. Leveraging leading webinar technologies like EasyWebinar and Riverside, which offer AI-powered chatbots, live polls, Q&A sessions, and automated follow-ups, UCR delivers dynamic and interactive virtual events that keep audiences involved.

For instance, AI-generated content has driven engagement rates up to 7 times higher compared to traditional formats, while strategic use of interactive features - such as gamification, breakout rooms, and real-time surveys - has been shown to increase conversions by 50%.

UC Riverside's approach also includes seamless CRM integration, enabling refined data-driven attendee insights and personalized communication workflows post-webinar.

Platforms highlighted in recent analyses, including Zoom Webinars, Airmeet, and Demio, complement this AI-enabled strategy by offering scalable support for thousands of participants, comprehensive analytics, and smooth HubSpot integrations to streamline event marketing and lead nurturing.

This progressive adoption of AI not only elevates the educational and collaborative value of webinars at UCR but also matches current industry best practices for maximizing virtual engagement in 2025.

Learn more about these advances from EasyWebinar's 2025 guide to choosing the right webinar platform for maximum interaction, detailed reviews of top webinar platforms for software vendors in 2025, and integration benefits in the Airmeet HubSpot integration overview and best webinar software.

UC Riverside is at the forefront of educational innovation by integrating Google's advanced AI tools, particularly NotebookLM, into classroom experiences. As part of Google's expansive Gemini in Classroom initiative, which offers over 30 AI-powered features free for educators with Google Workspace for Education accounts, NotebookLM serves as an AI research assistant that transforms teaching and learning.

It enables educators to create interactive study guides, generate narrated AI slideshows, audio summaries, mind maps, and personalized quizzes all grounded in their own classroom materials, fostering deeper student engagement and accessibility.

Pilot programs demonstrate significant time savings and enhanced inclusivity, with customizable “Gems” allowing teachers to build AI chatbots tailored to assist students based on specific learning goals.

Furthermore, NotebookLM supports responsible AI use by maintaining privacy and compliance with regulations such as FERPA. At UCR, Professor Rich Yueh showcases innovative applications of NotebookLM, helping students better understand complex academic content and enhancing professional learning communities.

This AI-enhanced approach not only streamlines lesson planning and student assessment but also equips students with critical thinking and digital literacy skills essential for an AI-enabled future.

To learn more about Google's AI education tools and how NotebookLM is revolutionizing the classroom, visit the official Google Education Blog on Gemini in Classroom, explore detailed insights from TechCrunch's coverage of Google's Gemini AI suite, and dive into Jagran Josh's analysis of NotebookLM's new AI features.

Recent research from UC Riverside and industry analyses reveal that the rapid expansion of AI technologies is driving a significant yet often overlooked increase in water consumption, primarily due to the cooling requirements of data centers.

These facilities, essential for AI processing, can consume millions of gallons of freshwater daily to maintain optimal server temperatures, with some centers using volumes equivalent to tens of thousands of households.

For example, Meta's data center in Goodyear, Arizona, uses approximately 56 million gallons annually, representing about 2% of the local water supply. The challenge is amplified by the concentration of data centers in arid regions like California and Arizona, exacerbating local water scarcity issues.

Companies such as Microsoft and Google are pioneering "zero-water" cooling technologies and water-positive initiatives aiming to replenish or reduce water use by 2030, yet sustainability experts caution that water offsetting does not fully mitigate localized water stress.

Innovative solutions like closed-loop cooling systems, rainwater harvesting on data center rooftops, and AI-driven water management - exemplified by Veolia's AI-assisted water reuse implementations - offer promising avenues to reduce freshwater withdrawals without compromising AI's growth.

However, surveys report that over half of water utilities have yet to integrate data center water demands into their resource planning, underscoring a gap in infrastructure readiness.

Ultimately, balancing AI's transformative potential against environmental stewardship requires ongoing collaboration among tech giants, researchers, and policymakers to ensure responsible water use in AI infrastructure expansion.

For the latest insights and detailed findings on AI's water impact and sustainable data center innovations, explore the comprehensive reports by Water Unite on rising water demand from data centers, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute's analysis of data centers and water consumption, and The Guardian's coverage on big tech datacenters draining water resources.

Riverside.fm has rapidly emerged as a leader in AI-enhanced remote podcasting and video recording, offering creators a powerful, user-friendly platform designed to overcome common challenges in remote content production.

Founded in 2019, Riverside.fm transforms laptops and mobile devices into professional studios with local high-fidelity recording at 48kHz audio and 4K video quality, independent of internet speed.

Their progressive upload technology allows recordings to be saved seamlessly in the background, minimizing disruptions. Key features include separate audio/video tracks per participant for precise editing, built-in AI tools such as automated transcription, filler word removal, and smart clip creation, plus live streaming capabilities to platforms like YouTube and Facebook.

Guests can join via simple browser links without software downloads, enhancing accessibility for interviews and panel recordings. Riverside.fm combines ease of use with advanced functionality, catering to podcasters, businesses, and media professionals seeking studio-quality remote content.

Riverside.fm is one of the smoothest remote recording tools, balancing quality and ease of use

with additional productivity gains from its AI-powered editing suite.

Riverside.fm competes strongly with platforms like Descript and Zencastr, but stands out for its local recording strength and 4K video support. For podcasters looking to elevate their remote productions in 2025, Riverside.fm's blend of high fidelity, AI features, and intuitive workflow makes it an indispensable tool.

Learn more about their latest innovations on the Riverside product updates page, read expert tips on remote recording best practices in the Descript blog, and explore comprehensive comparisons of top podcast software in the Nearity 2025 podcast recording guide.

Nava Labs has initiated a promising pilot program of an AI-powered resource referral tool designed to streamline connections to health and social services, partnering with Goodwill organizations in Texas and Pennsylvania.

Supported by a Gates Foundation grant, this innovative tool integrates seamlessly into caseworkers' daily workflows to reduce administrative burdens and enable more personalized client referrals.

Genevieve Gaudet, Director of Nava Labs, emphasizes its potential to enhance efficiency and tailor services more effectively during client interactions (Nava Labs Announces AI-Powered Referral Tool Pilot).

This initiative builds on earlier AI efforts, such as an assistive chatbot for Imagine LA's caseworkers, and aligns with broader efforts to leverage AI for social impact, including Unite Us's AI-driven community resource data infrastructure which achieves up to 96% accuracy to improve social care referrals nationwide (Unite Us Launches Industry's First AI-Driven Community Resource Data Infrastructure).

As part of its growth, Nava Labs has also joined Google.org's Generative AI Accelerator to further enhance and scale such AI solutions in the social sector. This pilot reflects an increasing trend toward AI-enabled systems that empower caseworkers and improve access to vital community resources, demonstrating how technology is revolutionizing public benefit enrollment and health service delivery (Nava Labs to Pilot AI-Powered Referral Tool with Goodwills).

The February 2025 California State Bar exam became the center of a heated debate over the use of artificial intelligence, as it was revealed that 23 of the 171 multiple-choice questions were developed with AI assistance by ACS Ventures, a psychometric consulting firm.

Despite the State Bar's assurance that these AI-generated questions underwent expert review and met statistical reliability standards, widespread technical failures - including platform crashes and inability to save answers - combined with the undisclosed use of AI, resulted in significant distrust among examinees and legal educators.

Critics like UC Irvine's Mary Basick condemned the involvement of non-lawyers using AI for crafting exam content, calling the event “utterly botched” and emphasizing the erosion of confidence in the licensing process.

The controversy prompted the California Senate Judiciary Committee to approve an independent audit and pushed the California Supreme Court to mandate a return to in-person exams by July 2025.

Ethically, the incident underscores the urgent need for transparency and robust oversight in AI use, especially as California prepares to enforce the AI Transparency Act (SB 942) starting in January 2026, which mandates clear disclosures for generative AI systems producing multimedia content.

Meanwhile, the California Supreme Court is investigating allegations of AI misuse during exams, seeking to develop adaptable guidelines that preserve exam integrity amid evolving AI capabilities.

This episode highlights that the core issue is not AI itself, but the necessity for open disclosure and verification to maintain public trust in professional legal certification.

For more details, read the full analysis at Law360's detailed coverage of the California Bar Exam AI controversy, the critical reporting by the Los Angeles Times on AI question development in the California State Bar exam, and the legal implications outlined in the comprehensive summary of California's AI Transparency Act (SB 942).

The environmental challenges tied to AI manufacturing are gaining critical attention as AI's energy footprint soars amid growing global demand. According to a detailed MIT Technology Review analysis on AI energy usage and climate footprint, AI systems could consume as much electricity annually as 22% of all U.S. households by 2028, fueled largely by data centers that rely heavily on fossil fuels and require vast amounts of water for cooling.

NVIDIA, a dominant player in AI semiconductor wafers, will account for 77% of wafer consumption in 2025, highlighting both technological leadership and the scale of hardware production (Tom's Hardware report on NVIDIA wafer consumption).

Yet, strides in energy efficiency from accelerated computing offer some hope; NVIDIA's latest Grace Blackwell Superchip delivers a 25x improvement in energy efficiency for AI inference compared to previous GPU generations, enabling more work with less power (NVIDIA Blog on accelerated AI energy efficiency).

Still, the sector faces complex challenges: the immense power required for cutting-edge AI workloads stresses grid infrastructure, and transparency on actual energy and emissions remains limited due to trade secrets.

With global AI chip power usage expected to reach 1.5% of worldwide electricity consumption by 2029, balancing AI innovation with sustainability demands collaborative efforts from industry, policymakers, and energy providers to mitigate environmental impact while supporting continued advancement.

In a significant boost to Riverside's tech logistics sector, Burlington Distribution has acquired an 889,445-square-foot industrial warehouse located at 21600 Cactus Avenue for $257 million from BlackRock.

Having been the sole tenant since the facility's construction in 2019, Burlington's transition from tenant to owner signifies a strategic move to vertically integrate its distribution operations amid rapid expansion - opening 101 new stores and relocating 31 in 2024, with plans for approximately 100 new store openings in 2025.

The warehouse boasts modern features including a 40-foot clear height and 220 dock doors, making it a critical asset in the Inland Empire's industrial market, which has seen leasing activity surpass 10 million square feet for three consecutive quarters.

Colliers represented Burlington with Vice Chairs Mark Zorn and Cory Whitman leading the transaction, underscoring the region's growing importance as a logistics hub.

Mark Zorn commented on the acquisition, saying,

“Burlington's commitment to this location is a testament to the Inland Empire's status as a leading industrial market.”

This deal exemplifies a national trend of major retailers taking ownership of key logistics properties to reduce operating costs and gain long-term capital control, with Burlington now owning three of its twelve distribution centers.

For more details on the acquisition and its impact, visit the LA Times report on Burlington's Riverside acquisition, comprehensive insights from Colliers on the $257 million deal, and detailed industry context in the CoStar article about Burlington's nationwide logistics strategy.

Riverside County continues to solidify its position as a burgeoning hub for AI innovation and environmental responsibility, leveraging its strategic location, world-class institutions like the University of California, Riverside (UCR), and a network of innovation centers including Riverside ExCITE and the Inland Empire Tech Bridge.

Recent milestones include the relocation of Stored Power Technology (SPT), an AI-driven energy storage pioneer integrating lithium-iron phosphate battery systems with intelligent power management, reflecting Riverside's commitment to clean tech and sustainable development.

For more information, see the energy storage innovator SPT relocation to Riverside article.

Furthermore, UCR's groundbreaking SoCal OASIS hub, with a $68 million investment focused on clean energy, agtech, and natural resource management, emphasizes the region's dedication to sustainable growth and workforce readiness.

Learn more about the UCR's SoCal OASIS innovation hub.

Riverside's innovative ecosystem fosters startups such as Skorpios Technologies in advanced photonics and Jetcruzer in electric aviation, both integrating AI with sustainability goals.

This growth occurs alongside a growing awareness of AI's environmental impacts, particularly water consumption of data centers, prompting local and state initiatives towards responsible AI use and resource management.

For those aiming to contribute to this transformative tech landscape, Nucamp offers comprehensive AI education pathways - from the 15-week AI Essentials for Work bootcamp to the entrepreneurial-focused Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur program - equipping learners with practical AI skills and business acumen to thrive in Riverside's vibrant tech market.

Explore the AI Essentials bootcamp at Nucamp and the Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur program at Nucamp.

With robust local industry support, academic partnerships, and a community-focused clean tech vision, Riverside exemplifies how regional innovation can simultaneously drive economic development and environmental stewardship.