Schools

Arlington Public Schools has rescinded a plan to have Washington-Liberty High School graduates’ names read by artificial intelligence during next month’s graduation ceremony.

Christina Arpante, the school system’s communications director, told ARLnow the decision was made after students “expressed a preference for having their names read by a familiar voice.”


Schools

At least one local high school will use artificial intelligence to provide clearer and faster name pronunciation during its graduation ceremony in June.

In an online letter to the school community, Washington-Liberty High School principal Alexander Duncan III said the school has partnered with Tassel to provide better announcements of graduates’ names as they cross the stage to collect diplomas.


News

A company that uses self-driving robots to deliver food, groceries and online purchases has begun mapping out the streets and sidewalks of Arlington County.

Avride, a Massachusetts-based company that produces autonomous cars in addition to delivery bots, has deployed at least one “personal delivery device” to chart a two-mile radius in the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. The initial phase is expected to last for about two weeks, according to a county webpage about the devices.


Schools

A panel discussion on AI in the classroom and beyond is coming to Arlington Public Schools, supporting efforts to keep pace with the developing technology.

Superintendent Francisco Durán will moderate the community conversation next Tuesday, April 7. Educators, students and leaders in higher education and the workplace will “talk candidly about what AI means for teaching and learning right now,” Chief Academic Officer Gerald Mann said in an email to teachers.


News

Arlington has a new publicly traded company after a local AI cloud computing platform completed a merger with a California-based health technology firm last week.

Virginia Square-based Corvex finalized a reverse merger with Movano Inc. — a group that develops “wearable solutions” for users to track their personal health data — last Thursday. Movano is now called “Corvex” and remains under the “MOVE” symbol on the Nasdaq Stock Market.


News

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) hopes to maintain national competitiveness on AI while preparing the U.S. economy for potentially massive disruptions brought on by new technology.

Speaking yesterday (Monday) at the grand opening of a new Ballston office for the cybersecurity company KnowBe4, which focuses on human and AI risk management, the senator emphasized the need to prepare for sweeping technological changes and their impacts on society.


Around Town

Weeks after Facebook suspended a longstanding group where Arlingtonians shared memories of growing up in the county, the group has been restored.

“I Grew Up in Arlington, VA” was back online as of yesterday (Monday) morning, co-moderators Eric Dobson and David Tyskowski told ARLnow.


Around Town

Moderators are crying foul over the removal of a popular, longstanding Facebook group where Arlingtonians have shared memories of growing up in the county.

I Grew Up in Arlington,” a 15-year-old group with about 25,000 members, went dark last week after Facebook took it down and disabled some users’ accounts. The company reportedly accused them of violating standards against solicitation of children — claims that moderators strenuously deny.


News

Amazon is slashing about 14,000 jobs, but the company’s HQ2 in Pentagon City will mostly be spared, ARLnow is told.

The company said in a Tuesday letter to employees that it is laying off thousands of corporate workers to reduce bureaucracy and “realize efficiency gains” in “this generation of AI.”


Events

A free event on the future of artificial intelligence is taking place in Crystal City this weekend, resulting in a few road closures.

Programming for “AI Unlocked” begins at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Alamo Drafthouse (1660 Crystal Drive). That morning will feature a conversation on AI policy with U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), followed by an afternoon discussion on “tech frontiers.”


News

A new AI chatbot is helping residents find answers to various questions about Arlington County government operations, elections and more.

AVA” — Arlington Virtual Assistant — is connected to four county websites: the general site (arlingtonva.us) plus specialized sites for library services, elections and Arlington Transit.


Around Town

An Arlington entrepreneur and a father-daughter duo have begun hosting events for young innovators at George Mason University’s new Fuse building.

Oasis Hill” — a project by Shy Pahlevani, founder of the local startups LiveSafe and HUNGRY, alongside the real estate development pair Hossein and Ivana Goal — set up shop at 3401 Fairfax Drive earlier this year.


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