Feature

A company with Arlington roots is using AI to improve tech support for companies around the world.

A “new take on the IT help desk,” Fixify seeks to minimize the need for humans in resolving a range of problems that companies face, CEO and Arlington resident Matt Peters told ARLnow.


Events

One day of D.C. Startup and Tech Week is taking place in Crystal City tomorrow (Tuesday).

Kicking off at 10 a.m. at the National Landing Experience Center at 241 18th Street S., the full day of programming will cover topics including AI and business, Web3 and blockchain, and climate and sustainability.


Schools

Would Arlington students and staff be safer if the county school system returned to having resource officers from the county police department in its halls?

The final tally among the four contenders for two open School Board seats: One yes, three no.


News

Numerous Arlington businesses have once again made the newly released Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.

A total of 21 Arlington organizations, including many consulting firms and other businesses working with the federal government, earned a spot on the national rankings released Tuesday.


Schools

An Arlington parents group is pushing for more stringent rules around cellphones in the classroom.

Arlington Parents for Education argued in a letter to Superintendent Francisco Durán that a countywide policy of having students stow phones in lockers during the day would improve learning and mental health during the 2024-2025 school year.


Events

An event aiming to connect military veterans to AI-related opportunities is coming to Arlington this week.

The Vets in AI launch event, taking place at Microsoft’s Rosslyn office on Thursday, is one of the first forays into the D.C. area for the San Francisco-based nonprofit VetsinTech. As emerging technologies play an increasingly prominent role in both the public and private sector, Vets in AI seeks to create education, employment and entrepreneurship pathways for people with military backgrounds.


News

As Google plans to funnel $1 billion into Northern Virginia data centers, places such as Arlington may have renewed opportunities to attract tech investment.

Although the data center expansions announced last week are based in Loudoun County and Prince William County, they impact the entire area, said Terry Clower, director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis.


News

A parent association is asking Arlington Public Schools to change its policy of providing every student with an iPad or MacBook.

Arguing that the devices are bad for children’s mental development and needlessly expensive, Arlington Parents for Education wants the Arlington School Board to roll back funding for them this budget cycle. It is requesting an end to the one-to-one policy for students in pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade, a reduction in devices for 3rd through 5th graders and a transition to PC laptops for grades 6 and up.


Around Town

Given the recent kerfuffle on Instagram over ARLnow’s use of an AI-generated image to illustrate a story, we wanted to update readers on our use of artificial intelligence.

AI technology is rapidly developing and the extent to which it will ultimately reshape the media industry is unclear. The CEO of a news organization down the street from us, in Clarendon, believes AI will “eviscerate the weak, the ordinary, the unprepared in media” and is part of “a very fundamental shift in how people relate to news and information… as profound, if not more profound, than moving from print to digital.”


News

The D.C. area has surpassed the Bay Area in AI-related job postings, according to a recent report.

These new jobs are a clear sign of how the emerging technology is already impacting Arlington and its neighbors, per a Tuesday report by the real estate company JLL.


News

Rep. Don Beyer is taking a leading role in Congress to address what he says is one of the most pressing issues this century: the regulation of artificial intelligence.

This year, Beyer (D-Va.) and a bipartisan group of colleagues intend to tackle a variety of AI-related issues, including the creation of deep fakes, copyright infringement and enhancing privacy protections.


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