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

Wilmington's tech landscape is in the midst of a renaissance, driven by a surge in artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and a keen awareness of its societal impacts.

The region celebrates 39% GDP growth over five years and ranks among the top U.S. startup ecosystems, with local sectors such as healthcare, fintech, and clean energy benefitting from strategic AI integration according to Wilmington's Economic Profile report.

Schools are on the front lines: Pender County Schools recently advanced responsible AI classroom policies to address integrity, civility, and equitable access, while New Hanover County debated the merits and risks of AI-powered security systems, balancing safety with vendor transparency and budget scrutiny as detailed by Port City Daily.

However, Wilmington's growth brings challenges, particularly from energy-hungry data centers that threaten to strain local infrastructure. As North Carolina positions itself as an AI leader, experts urge investment in renewables, grid modernization, and public-private collaboration to ensure sustainable growth -

“Energy is now a material issue to running an AI company,”

observes industry analyst Anthony DeOrsey in a comprehensive NC Newsline report.

The city's rising momentum illustrates the intersection of innovation, education, and responsible energy stewardship.

Wilmington-based startup Skillmaker.AI is reshaping vocational training by leveraging AI-driven extended reality (XR) solutions, aiming to dramatically reduce the skilled labor shortage looming by 2030.

Founded by Robin Cowie - renowned for producing The Blair Witch Project and developing popular video games - Skillmaker.AI equips workers with hands-on XR modules using Meta smart glasses and Oculus Quest headsets, allowing trainees to perform real tasks with digital guidance overlaid in real time.

Their standout collaboration with NAPA Auto Parts, the NAPA Autotech XcceleratoR program, received recognition from the ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) as a pathway to expedite technician certification, slashing training periods from two years to just 25 days - a transformational shift for the automotive industry.

As Cowie shares,

“With our combination of virtual reality, mixed reality and smart glasses, [we] ultimately reduce the amount of time that it takes to go from zero to an entry level auto repair technician from two years to 25 days.”

Skillmaker's technology automates content creation, provides adaptive learning, and integrates seamlessly with company systems while maintaining rigorous data security standards.

The platform has also garnered accolades, winning the audience vote at Venture Connect's AI & Machine Learning category and expanding into healthcare, construction, and other key sectors.

For more on how Skillmaker is accelerating job readiness, see this in-depth profile on Robin Cowie's journey and Skillmaker's Wilmington roots, detailed coverage of the startup's XR training innovations, and industry recognition in NAPA Autotech XcceleratoR's role in ASE certification reform.

Program/Partner	Traditional Training Time	With Skillmaker.AI	Status
NAPA Auto Parts / ASE	2 years	25 days	ASE Validation, National Rollout
Fedcap Champion	-	25 days	Pilot Success

Pender County Schools is poised to become a statewide leader in responsible classroom technology by unveiling comprehensive new policies on artificial intelligence (AI) use for students and staff.

The district has introduced four major policies - ranging from academic honesty with AI to specific guidelines for safe and appropriate generative AI use - that align with guidance from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and respond directly to the growing prevalence of AI in education.

As Craig Lawson, Director of Digital Learning and Media, explained,

“For us really it's about making sure we do it in the best way we possibly can... giving staff, students, and families clear guidance on best practices… and making sure that they're being safe with their data.”

These policies emphasize both opportunities - from lesson planning to student creativity - and risks, such as academic integrity and data privacy.

Pender's approach arrives just as new state standards for K-12 AI literacy are advancing, requiring age-appropriate instruction on basic AI concepts, real-world applications, and ethical responsibilities for the 2025-26 academic year.

The table below summarizes the district's featured AI policies:

Policy Number	Main Focus
4310	Academic honesty & misuse of AI
3220	Instructional clarity on generative AI
3225/4312/7320	Responsible technology and AI use
3221	Staff/student expectations for AI (aligned with NCDPI)

Pender's proposal, set for a vote at the upcoming board meeting, places the district at the forefront of a national movement, anticipating new federal initiatives that promote early AI exposure and teacher training as outlined in the latest White House AI education executive order.

For more details on Pender County's policy rollout and community perspectives, see the in-depth local reporting from WECT News coverage of Pender County Schools AI policies and explore the statewide legislative context at the UNC School of Government's analysis on AI ethics and literacy in education.

North Carolina is charting new territory in the fight against AI-powered deepfake crimes after a campus scandal at NC State University exposed severe gaps in current legal protections.

Authorities recently arrested 23-year-old Hayne Beard, a recent NC State graduate, charging him with misdemeanor stalking for allegedly creating and distributing AI-generated pornographic images featuring the faces of over two dozen sorority members imposed on explicit photos without their consent.

The offenses, which took place before North Carolina's tougher law on AI-generated sexualized images took effect in December 2024, highlighted growing concerns as the state's lawmakers now debate additional legislation to criminalize deepfakes and provide victims with the right to sue miscreants and hold platforms more accountable (North Carolina House considers AI deepfake regulations).

Support services rapidly mobilized for affected students, and experts, including Duke University's Cynthia Rudin, warned,

“There's no way that a person can prevent someone else from doing that because the code is available. If there's an image of them anywhere, that image could be used for this purpose.”

Forensic specialists also pointed out that the rise of such technology, while making manipulations easier and more lifelike, still leaves digital traces, offering some hope for investigators (Full incident analysis from WAVY News).

The university continues to provide coordinated legal and emotional support, while the law may soon catch up to the technology. For a detailed timeline of incidents, legal response, and university actions, readers can review the in-depth coverage at The News & Observer's report on NC State's AI deepfake case.

Date/Action	Details
August-October 2024	Incidents of AI-generated explicit images reported
December 2024	Stricter law on AI-generated sexual content enacted in NC
April 2025	Arrest of suspect and ongoing legislative action

Wilmington families struggling with the complexities of summer camp planning can now look to Campy.ai's newly launched AI-powered platform, designed by local tech dads Brett Dooies and Daniel Henderson.

Campy.ai centralizes camp information, aggregates real-time updates, and lets parents filter options based on child profiles, interests, and availability. The founders' research revealed “tons and tons of manual manipulation” once required for planning, inspiring them to build an all-in-one online resource: parents can manage calendars, tag favorites, and even share details with caregivers.

As Brett Dooies notes,

“It is overwhelming, for sure, as a parent, to try and navigate all the options, and even just discovering them is a process in itself.”

Beyond just searching, Campy.ai offers personalized alerts, packing list reminders, and quick access to websites - features that fill a local market gap.

The platform is currently in beta, with plans to formally launch for 2026 and expand to cover a broader range of children's activities. Wilmington's startup scene continues to innovate with tech-driven solutions that address real community needs; for a behind-the-scenes look at Campy.ai's development and features, see how Wilmington startup Campy.ai helps parents plan kids' activities.

For a broader directory of summer camps, workshops, and skill-building programs - including those with an AI or STEM focus - explore national guides like College MatchPoint's summer program planner and start mapping out an inspiring summer for every child.

As North Carolina races to accommodate soaring demand from AI-driven data centers, the state faces the challenge of delivering reliable electricity without undermining its commitments to affordability and sustainability.

Duke Energy has moved aggressively, acquiring 11 new GE Vernova natural gas turbines - adding to its earlier 8 turbines acquisition - in order to serve hyperscale data centers and growing industrial customers across the region, and investing $83 billion in energy infrastructure over five years (Duke Energy bolsters data center power capacity).

Yet, a Duke University study casts doubt on the necessity for massive gas infrastructure expansion, suggesting load flexibility measures - such as shifting data center workloads during peak grid stress - could integrate up to 100 gigawatts of new capacity nationwide and 1.3 GW more in North Carolina without substantial new plants, limiting future rate hikes (Study: Surging AI can be powered without new gas build-out).

Repurposing legacy coal plant sites with established grid connections is also a growing trend, favored for new natural gas, nuclear, or battery storage projects to speed deployment and lower costs, while rapidly rising projections for electricity demand - from 23 GW five years ago to 128 GW projected by 2029 - keep energy policy under intense scrutiny (Coal plant reuse and AI's energy pivot).

The table below summarizes recent data on North Carolina's data center-driven electricity growth:

Metric	Value
NC data center electricity use (2023)	1.92% of state total
Projected usage by 2030	2.3–4.62% of state total (up to 370% increase)
Duke's new data center project agreements (Q3 2024)	2,000 MW
Duke Energy's 5-year infrastructure investment	$83 billion
Potential grid capacity added with flexibility	1.3 GW (NC); 100 GW (US)

“There is a significant risk of Southeast utilities overbuilding power plants and pipelines in response to projected data center energy demand. Utilities already are financially incentivized to overbuild infrastructure.”

- Kathy Kunkel, lead author, IEEFA study

Visa is piloting a groundbreaking initiative that empowers artificial intelligence “agents” to move beyond mere shopping recommendations and complete real-world purchases on behalf of consumers, aiming to redefine automated payments in everyday life.

Through partnerships with leading AI companies like Anthropic, Microsoft, OpenAI, Perplexity, and France's Mistral, as well as Stripe and Samsung, Visa's new Intelligent Commerce APIs allow users to securely upload card data, set spending limits, and authorize AI-driven transactions via advanced tokenization and authentication systems.

As Visa's chief product and strategy officer, Jack Forestell, explained,

“We think this could be really important. Transformational, on the order of magnitude of the advent of e-commerce itself.”

Consumers will maintain control by setting clear budgets and approval parameters, with AI agents initially confirming larger purchases but expected to gain greater autonomy over time.

Notably, this innovation directly addresses the traditional hurdle AI chatbots face - completing payments - by integrating Visa's robust fraud prevention and dispute resolution frameworks, which last year blocked approximately $40 billion in attempted fraud.

In addition, with customer consent, AI agents can leverage transaction histories to personalize and optimize recommendations. As pilot projects begin, Visa's foray stands to transform shopping errands such as groceries, complex travel bookings, and routine purchases, leaving entertainment or luxury buying largely in human hands.

For a detailed look at how Visa is shaping the future of secure AI-powered commerce, read the Associated Press's report on Visa's AI agent initiative, explore Visa's Intelligent Commerce payment rails and developer tools, or see how this partnership might “revolutionize online shopping” according to Inspirepreneur Magazine.

Following a series of destructive hurricanes in Wilmington, a new 24/7 AI-powered Mold Remediation Hotline has launched, aiming to radically improve emergency response and homeowner support after severe weather events.

This initiative leverages real-time artificial intelligence not only to connect residents with mold specialists but also to streamline resource allocation, rapidly assess property vulnerability, and provide clear crisis communication - a critical capability when traditional phone lines are overloaded in the days following a disaster according to the official announcement.

The solution arrives as North Carolina and other states reconsider their roles in disaster management, with federal agencies like FEMA facing staffing cutbacks and the prospect of diminished support, placing increased responsibility on local infrastructure and innovative technologies as reported by NPR.

AI in emergency management has demonstrated its value in hazard prediction, resource coordination, and supporting the “whole community” after storms - addressing equity and accessibility for diverse populations - and experts note, “AI's ability to ingest and synthesize data on hazards, vulnerabilities, and capacities could help address a major challenge in emergency management: truly engaging the whole community.”

“Every community member has a role in addressing risk, from household preparedness to building community resilience.”

For residents, the launch of the hotline is timely: Hurricane Helene's record rainfall and historic flooding underscored the region's risks, with preparedness - like building emergency kits and knowing evacuation zones - more crucial than ever per the National Weather Service.

The table below highlights essential aspects of the emergency response ecosystem shaping North Carolina's readiness:

Feature	Description
24/7 AI Hotline	Connects residents to rapid mold inspection and remediation post-disaster
AI Emergency Management	Improves hazard prediction, crisis communication, and resource matching
Preparedness Guidance	Promotes early planning, supply kits, and clear evacuation zone information

With Atlantic hurricane season approaching, Wilmington's tech-enabled approach demonstrates a model for resilience - blending AI innovation, community engagement, and actionable safety recommendations.

The Wilmington legal community is rapidly adapting to advancements in artificial intelligence, carefully weighing the revolutionary potential of AI tools against pressing ethical and practical risks.

Recent insights from legal leaders like Angela Doughty emphasize AI's growing adoption: over half of small law firms now integrate generative AI into their workflow, a dramatic rise from only 27% in 2023.

While attorneys are embracing AI for routine tasks such as document review, contract analysis, and legal research - streamlining their work and boosting efficiency - they remain vigilant about the need for human judgment, echoing Doughty's caution:

“There is not a single tool that I would recommend using as the basis for legal decisions without substantial human oversight. Attorneys have an ethical duty of competence, which now includes understanding AI's capabilities and limitations.”

Survey data reveals ethical concerns persist for half of legal professionals, particularly around privacy, algorithmic bias, and cybersecurity.

Wilmington firms are investing in training to equip attorneys with essential AI skills and strengthen organizational practices, but vigilance around client confidentiality, IP rights, and regulatory compliance remains paramount.

The following table highlights key 2025 adoption trends among small firms:

Metric	2023	2025
AI Integration	27%	53%
Familiarity with AI	74%	80%
Ethical Concerns	56%	53%
Fear of Job Loss	13%	12%

The consensus is clear: AI should augment, not replace, legal expertise.

For a detailed local perspective on these developments, read Angela Doughty's interview in the Wilmington Business Journal interview on AI in the legal industry, see her full opinion on the promise and peril of legal industry AI, and explore national adoption data in the Smokeball 2025 State of Law Report on AI adoption.

Wilmington joins the national conversation as debates intensify over “woke AI” and algorithmic bias, with competing visions for how artificial intelligence should shape society.

The recent shift in federal policy has seen the rescission of Biden-era executive orders on “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of AI,” replaced by mandates focused on eliminating what's now termed “ideological bias” instead of addressing traditional algorithmic discrimination and equity in AI outcomes.

Investigations in Congress are scrutinizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in tech, prompting major firms like Amazon, Google, and Meta to defend their use of tools such as the Monk Skin Tone Scale, originally developed to reduce bias in AI image recognition systems.

As articulated in a recent Associated Press report,

“the Commerce Department now directs scientists to focus on ‘reducing ideological bias' to ‘enable human flourishing and economic competitiveness,'”

raising concerns among experts that funding for inclusive AI may diminish as calls to end “woke AI” accelerate.

Legislative action at both the state and federal levels reflects this tension: over 550 AI-related bills have been introduced across 45 states, with new laws regulating deepfakes, algorithmic discrimination, and AI-generated media.

The legal and regulatory landscape is rapidly evolving, as summarized in the U.S. Tech Legislative & Regulatory Update, while high-profile Senate investigations, such as Senator Cruz's inquiry into AI nonprofit spending on DEI and bias mitigation efforts, underscore deep partisan divides over what values America's AI should reflect.

As Alondra Nelson, former acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, notes,

“algorithmic discrimination” and “ideological bias” are viewed as different problems politically but are essentially related.

For Wilmington technologists, educators, and policymakers, these national debates will shape how local communities harness AI's promise while contending with its societal impacts - especially as algorithmic fairness and civic trust move to the forefront of technology governance.

For more, see the legislative analysis at the National Conference of State Legislatures summary of 2025 AI laws.

AI technology is making a powerful impact on youth-focused anti-drug campaigns by allowing the voices and stories of fentanyl overdose victims to be heard in deeply personal ways.

The "Unfinished Legacies" campaign uses AI-generated videos that animate the likeness and messages of victims such as Jordan Coburn, whose poignant words underline the lethal risks posed by counterfeit pills:

"What I didn't know, no one knew, is that there was fentanyl in it. Now I'm gone because I didn't know."

This approach, featured widely on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, aims to deter experimentation by presenting firsthand warnings from those lost to overdoses - a demographic tragically dominated by teens and young adults, as highlighted by the CDC. Recent data reveal a troubling rise: counterfeit pills were involved in 2% of overdose deaths in 2019, escalating to 4.7% by 2021, and in 2025, the DEA estimates over 119 million deadly doses of fentanyl seized nationwide.

The technology-driven advocacy efforts join national initiatives like National Fentanyl Awareness Day and bold local responses aiming to reverse the drop in teen awareness and prevent further tragedies.

To illustrate the urgency and scale, the latest provisional CDC figures show a decrease in predicted 12-month national overdose deaths, yet the risks remain severe, especially for youth.

Learn more about the AI-powered campaign humanizing these numbers and view the CDC's national drug overdose trends and fentanyl-specific figures here:

Year	Total Predicted Overdose Deaths	Fentanyl Pills Seized (2025)	% Counterfeit Pill Deaths (2019 2021)
2024-2025	82,059 (Nov. 2024)	3,473,976+	2% 4.7%

As Wilmington, NC closes April 2025 on a wave of innovation and prudent governance, it stands out as a model for tech-driven community resilience in the Southeast.

North Carolina state lawmakers are advancing bipartisan legislation to regulate AI and deepfakes, balancing protections against digital harms with a strong business climate.

As Rep. Jake Johnson noted,

“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.”

In tandem with legislative leadership, Wilmington's private sector is thriving: recent AI-powered startups like Check What's Good are connecting people to local events and businesses, and local firms are expanding through acquisitions and innovative training platforms.

The broader tech sector is buoyed by record AI investment, with $5B raised in Q1 2025 across over 150 startups, evidencing strong investor confidence.

Major infrastructure projects, such as Lumos's $56 million fiber rollout, and educational pathways like Nucamp's flexible coding bootcamps, further accelerate access and opportunity.

Wilmington's collaborative ethos, reinforced by support from public and private initiatives, is positioning the region at the forefront of responsible technology integration and economic growth.

For a deeper look at how the tech ecosystem is shaping neighboring cities, discover Charlotte's rapid AI momentum and Durham's public sector AI expansion.

Wilmington's proactive stance on innovation and regulation ensures its community not only adapts to emerging technologies but leverages them for widespread societal benefit.