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

This month, Riverside stands at a pivotal intersection of AI innovation, policy, and sustainability. The launch of UC Riverside's RAISE Institute brings together over 85 faculty members from seven colleges, positioning the region as a leader in responsible, interdisciplinary artificial intelligence research in fields from robotics to ethical AI regulation (UCR's RAISE Institute announcement).

As the state and federal landscape sees an unprecedented surge in new legislation - ranging from deepfake regulation to risk management in critical infrastructure - California and Riverside specifically are key players in shaping the future of AI oversight (AI policy update, Q1 2025).

At the same time, practical applications are surging: California's latest AI-driven permitting tool illustrates how emerging technology can help communities recover more efficiently from disasters, raising essential questions about AI's social impact and the urgency of crafting effective, forward-thinking policy solutions (AI for building permit approval and disaster recovery).

UC Riverside made headlines this month with the launch of its groundbreaking AI-driven webinar platform, designed to fundamentally rethink online engagement. Unlike conventional webinar tools, UCR's platform leverages artificial intelligence to synthesize participant responses in real time, ensuring that every attendee's perspective contributes to the discussion - no matter the size of the audience.

This innovation addresses the persistent challenge of inclusivity in virtual conversations, moving webinars beyond passive presentations toward truly participatory digital forums.

By harnessing advanced AI, the platform promises to democratize interactions, making it easier for educators, businesses, and communities to capture a broader range of ideas and feedback.

The development marks another stride in UC Riverside's leadership at the intersection of technology and social impact, further supported by the university's active role in AI events and council initiatives across the UC system.

For a deeper dive, read the university's official announcement on how their technology reinvents the webinar experience at UCR News, see social coverage on UC Riverside's Twitter, and browse recent updates from across the UC network at the UC Tech News portal.

Burlington's $257 million acquisition of an 889,000-square-foot warehouse at 21600 Cactus Avenue in Riverside marks the Inland Empire's largest industrial real estate deal in over a year and underscores both the region's persistent logistics boom and evolving trends in supply chain management.

Formerly just the tenant, Burlington's move to become owner reflects a broader industry shift where major retailers are taking greater control of their logistics networks to mitigate operating costs and supply chain uncertainties.

The purchase - which saw a facility built in 2019 and previously owned by BlackRock more than double in value - solidifies Burlington's roots in Riverside at a time when user-owners like retailers are overtaking institutional investors in logistics real estate purchases across Southern California.

This transaction not only supports Burlington's aggressive expansion plan, with about 100 new stores anticipated in 2025, but also highlights the Inland Empire's ongoing status as a logistics powerhouse, with industrial leasing activity remaining above 10 million square feet for the third consecutive quarter.

For more on the transaction's significance and the industrial market context, see reports in the Los Angeles Times, Colliers, and CoStar News.

The California Bar Exam is under intense scrutiny following the State Bar's recent admission that artificial intelligence was used to help develop 23 of the 171 scored multiple-choice questions for the February 2025 exam, a move that triggered widespread concern about exam fairness, quality, and transparency.

Critics, including legal academics and deans, argue that the use of AI and non-lawyer psychometricians in question drafting not only poses an “obvious conflict of interest” but also raises questions about the exam's validity, especially since nearly 50 questions were recycled from first-year law school tests meant for a different purpose.

The controversy snowballed as many examinees reported technical problems, questionable question quality, and communication lapses, leading to lawsuits, a call for a California State Auditor review, and a California Supreme Court order to revert to in-person exams for July.

The State Bar maintains that all questions, including AI-generated ones, underwent expert review and assures confidence in the test's integrity, but calls for a return to the nationally-validated Multistate Bar Exam and demands for full transparency persist.

For readers seeking greater clarity on the major issues, here's a summary:

• AI involvement in exam creation: The State Bar used artificial intelligence to draft part of the test, sparking persistent doubt over the quality and fairness of the exam process.
• Exam question recycling: Nearly 50 questions originated from first-year law school tests, not originally designed for licensing, creating additional controversy about appropriateness.
• Technical problems and miscommunication: Examinees, including Patricia Williams, shared stories of online platform failures and unclear communication surrounding the February exam.
• Legal and regulatory response: Multiple lawsuits, calls for a state audit, and intervention from the California Supreme Court have followed the issue's escalation.
• State Bar's response: Despite controversy, the State Bar insists all questions were reviewed by experts and maintains confidence in the test's validity.

For a closer look at the unfolding controversy and its implications for legal licensing, see the Los Angeles Times report, insights on widespread technical failures and delayed results in The New York Times, and a comprehensive summary of the debate's ramifications at Ars Technica.

“The use of artificial intelligence in drafting bar exam questions without full transparency poses significant risks to the credibility of licensure in California,” said Charles Lee, a prominent legal educator.

A new body of research from UC Riverside, led by Professor Daniel Rodriguez, has cast a spotlight on the massive water consumption involved in training and operating advanced artificial intelligence models.

Rodriguez's studies estimate that developing large AI systems, such as OpenAI's GPT-3, can require millions of liters of water, primarily for cooling the data centers that power this technology - a volume eclipsing even the biggest global beverage companies.

The environmental impact extends to everyday AI usage as well, with a single conversation of 10 to 50 queries with a chatbot like ChatGPT resulting in the evaporation of as much as a standard bottle of water, and projections suggesting the industry's annual water withdrawal could double that of an entire country like Denmark by 2027.

These findings, which have been highlighted in the UCR professor's recent TED Talk and detailed in outlets like Proof News, are supported by national media coverage emphasizing not only the hidden resource costs of AI but also the challenges of transparency and the urgent need for sustainable practices.

As discussed in The Washington Post's investigation, these water demands strain local resources, especially in drought-prone regions, underscoring growing concerns about AI's compatibility with environmental sustainability.

Nvidia made headlines this month with its unprecedented $500 billion plan to manufacture advanced AI chips and supercomputers in the United States - a move signaling a historic realignment of the global semiconductor supply chain and intensifying debates over the environmental cost of artificial intelligence.

The Santa Clara-based company will produce its cutting-edge Blackwell chips and AI infrastructure in sprawling new facilities in Arizona and Texas, collaborating with key partners like TSMC, Foxconn, and Amkor, and aiming to strengthen domestic supply chains and create hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next four years.

However, this ambitious expansion has sparked concern among environmental groups, as reports reveal that electricity consumption tied to AI hardware manufacturing has skyrocketed, with projections suggesting these energy demands will far outpace the renewable energy available and could significantly hinder climate commitments in both the U.S. and abroad.

The production shift, largely motivated by supply chain security and trade policy pressures, further highlights the urgent need for sustainable solutions within the rapidly growing AI sector.

For a detailed look at Nvidia's manufacturing blueprint and policy backdrop, see Nvidia's $500 Billion Bet on American Soil.

The full context of the investment and its anticipated technological and economic impact is outlined in Nvidia's $500 Billion US Manufacturing Initiative, while the environmental implications are explored in As AI Manufacturing Grows, So Does the Tech's Environmental Damage.

In a pivotal moment for artificial intelligence governance, OpenAI has appointed a new nonprofit advisory commission chaired by figures like labor icon Barbara Johnson, educator Mary Thomas, and public health leader Thomas Anderson, to guide its philanthropic strategy as the company seeks to shift control from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure.

The commission, which has 90 days to make recommendations, was introduced amid concerns from former OpenAI employees and advocacy groups who contend the restructuring risks diverting charitable assets and undermining OpenAI's founding mission to benefit humanity, as highlighted by recent calls for regulatory intervention and lawsuits involving co-founder Elon Musk.

While OpenAI asserts that the nonprofit mission remains vital - using the commission to signal ongoing support for communities and transparent engagement - critics view this move as a calculated response to mounting scrutiny over the company's $40 billion fundraising round and $300 billion valuation.

The newly appointed advisors are charged with gathering broad community input to ensure that AI tools serve not only technological advancement but also pressing societal and civic needs, amplifying the debate around for-profit versus nonprofit priorities at the heart of OpenAI's transformation.

Read more at OpenAI announces nonprofit commission advisors, OpenAI taps high-profile advisors for its nonprofit - right when it needs to shore up support for its plan to remove that nonprofit's control of ..., and OpenAI names new philanthropy advisors, including labor ....

California is emerging as a national leader in shaping responsible artificial intelligence legislation, with lawmakers pushing forward an unprecedented number of AI-related bills this year.

Among the most notable actions, the California Civil Rights Council adopted final regulations in March 2025 targeting automated decision systems in employment, requiring employers to actively test for bias, maintain extensive records, and ensure AI-driven criteria are both job-related and minimally discriminatory - a move expected to take effect as early as July 1, 2025 (read more about the new employment AI regulations).

Simultaneously, the legislature is weighing ambitious proposals like Assembly Bill 1018, which would mandate AI performance evaluations and user notifications for major decisions in housing, employment, healthcare, and beyond, reflecting a broader “AI Bill of Rights” approach even as federal regulations have stalled (see nuances of California's approach and federal context).

The state's policy direction is also being guided by a new draft report prioritizing evidence-based, transparent, but industry-informed AI governance - yet many in Sacramento are pushing for stricter, binding rules to address public concerns over bias, job impacts, and ethical AI deployment (explore the state's ongoing AI policy debate).

Together, these efforts signal that California is at the forefront of addressing the rapid integration of AI in both the workplace and daily life, balancing innovation with proactive consumer and worker protections.

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence is placing unprecedented strains on electricity grids worldwide, sparking urgent debates about the compatibility of AI's growth with global climate goals.

According to the International Energy Agency, data centers - driven primarily by AI applications - are projected to more than double their electricity consumption by 2030, reaching a staggering 945 terawatt-hours, which is slightly more than all of Japan's annual electricity use, and accounting for up to 3% of global demand.

The U.S. is expected to be at the forefront, capturing nearly half of this growth and soon using more power for data processing than for producing heavy industrial materials like steel or cement.

As AI data centers become mega-consumers of energy - some rivaling the output required by hundreds of thousands of households - experts warn of potential risks to ongoing decarbonization efforts, especially if natural gas and coal remain prominent in the energy mix.

While big tech firms are pursuing renewable and nuclear options to power operations, policy advocates emphasize the need for immediate regulatory action: establishing efficiency standards, promoting transparency, and aligning AI growth with sustainable electricity generation.

• Global energy consumption by AI data centers is expected to double by 2030, challenging sustainability efforts.
• The United States will lead this growth, with more electricity dedicated to data centers than to heavy industry.
• Risks to decarbonization intensify if fossil fuels like coal and natural gas dominate the electricity mix.
• Big tech firms are prioritizing renewable and nuclear energy to power data center operations.
• Policy advocates call for urgent regulatory responses, efficiency standards, and transparent data reporting to support sustainable AI growth.

“As we witness the exponential rise of artificial intelligence, it's critical to align technology growth with our global environmental commitments,” said Charles Martin, a Riverside-based policy analyst.

Delve deeper into the global outlook with the IEA's special report on AI's impact on energy demand, review insights on the challenges of powering future data centers in BloombergNEF's market analysis, and discover proposed policy measures to keep the grid resilient in the ACEEE's latest recommendations.

The February 2025 administration of the California Bar Exam has become a flashpoint for debate after widespread technical failures and AI-generated exam questions left thousands of aspiring lawyers in limbo.

Test takers reported severe problems with the online platform, including login issues and software crashes, as well as missing essential test features, making it impossible for some to complete the exam as planned.

The controversy intensified when it was revealed that a subset of multiple-choice questions had been created using artificial intelligence by non-lawyer psychometricians, raising concerns among legal educators and candidates about content validity and transparency.

• Technical failures plagued the exam platform, preventing many candidates from completing their tests and undermining fairness.
• AI-generated exam questions from non-lawyer psychometricians created uncertainty regarding question quality and relevance for aspiring attorneys.
• The State Bar Board of Trustees responded with an independent investigation to review the incident and consider solutions such as score adjustments, expanded retakes, and possible provisional licensure.
• Following widespread complaints and legal threats, the California Supreme Court ordered a return to traditional in-person testing for future exams to restore trust in the process.

“Amid mounting complaints and the threat of class-action lawsuits, the State Bar Board of Trustees commissioned an independent investigation to assess the extent of the issues and consider remedies such as score adjustments, expanded retakes, and possible provisional licensure.”

To explore the full scope and fallout from this episode, see coverage in the New York Times, an in-depth review by the Los Angeles Times, and analysis on legal tech failures from Crunchbase News.

As tech giants escalate their race for artificial intelligence dominance, the sustainability crisis facing the industry has intensified, with AI-driven data centers consuming staggering quantities of electricity and water.

Recent research shows that AI servers may use up to ten times more power than standard servers - a surge fueled by the resource-intensive process of training massive models and cooling the infrastructure that supports them.

Despite public pledges to go green, the expansion of data centers has outpaced renewable energy deployment, and in many regions - including California - this demand is putting unprecedented strains on local grids and water supplies, with some facilities reportedly requiring nearly 300,000 gallons of water daily for cooling.

• Energy consumption in data centers is increasing rapidly due to the resource-intensive nature of AI, leading to heightened sustainability concerns.
• Legislative action in California is being considered to mandate transparency and incentivize greener practices among data centers.
• Environmental effects such as wildfires and air pollution are increasingly linked to the rise of power-hungry infrastructure and backup generators.

In response, California lawmakers are considering new legislation mandating transparency in data center energy use and offering tax credits for those that meet rigorous sustainability benchmarks, a move reflecting growing public concern following the environmental impact of recent wildfires and mounting air pollution linked to backup generators.

This month's news underscores Riverside's dynamic and expanding role at the intersection of technology, policy, and sustainability. The launch of UC Riverside's RAISE Institute signifies a major boost in regional innovation, supporting research across AI, cybersecurity, robotics, and the social sciences, while amplifying critical environmental initiatives and the next generation of talent through academic and industry partnerships.

• Innovation Ecosystem: UC Riverside's RAISE Institute accelerates regional innovation and research by connecting academic and industry partnerships.
• Entrepreneurship & Community: Riverside County's 8th annual Innovation Month unites entrepreneurs, startups, and investors, empowering local innovators to compete globally at the Startup World Cup and reinforcing the region's technological leadership. Learn more about Innovation Month.
• Clean Mobility Advancements: The hydrogen-powered carshare program signifies a milestone for clean mobility and equity, demonstrating public-private collaboration for climate action and benefits to underserved communities. Discover Riverside's hydrogen-powered carshare.

As Susan Moore describes, “These integrated efforts - spanning education, entrepreneurship, research, and public policy - set a vibrant course for Riverside's impact on technology and greener living in California and beyond.”