In this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew looks at why Coherent’s factory expansion in Sherman, Texas could help boost the regional economy with high-paying skilled labor jobs. Backed by NVIDIA’s $2 billion investment and tied to U.S. CHIPS Act funding, the Sherman facility will support advanced optical technologies used in next-generation AI data centers.

But this story is bigger than chips, lasers, and data centers.

It is about whether Texas can help manufacture the AI economy.

Texas already has one of the strongest manufacturing bases in the country, with nearly 970,000 manufacturing workers and more than $338 billion in manufacturing value added. Now, as AI infrastructure expands, Sherman may become a test case for whether advanced manufacturing can create higher-value industrial work in communities already built for production.

This episode explores Jensen Huang’s “AI factory” vision, the role of photonics and optical technology in scaling AI, the national semiconductor supply-chain push, and what this could mean for Texas manufacturing, workforce development, energy demand, and regional economic growth.

If the next industrial revolution is not only coded but manufactured, Texas may have a bigger role than many people realize.

#IntoTexasAI #ArtificialIntelligence #TexasAI #NVIDIA #Coherent #ShermanTX #AIInfrastructure #Manufacturing #AdvancedManufacturing #Semiconductors #CHIPSAct #JensenHuang #TexasManufacturing #AIEconomy #TechInTexas

This week on IntoTexas AI, we go beyond the headlines to look at several AI stories shaping Texas — from data centers and power demand to public-sector technology, cybersecurity, legal risk, healthcare, and workforce adoption.

In this episode, Shannon Belew covers Governor Abbott’s push for new data center oversight, ERCOT’s new large-load framework, Meta and RWE’s North Texas solar agreement, Tyler Technologies’ AI strategy, Bounteous joining Anthropic’s Claude Partner Network, the Texas Business Court ruling on AI prompts, cybersecurity updates from CrowdStrike and Zimperium, and AI adoption in home care and healthcare.

Together, these stories show how AI is moving from experimentation into the operating environment of Texas business, infrastructure, government, law, and care.

Hosted by Shannon Belew

IntoTexas AI — Exploring how AI is reshaping Texas

#ArtificialIntelligence #TexasAI #IntoTexasAI #AIInfrastructure #DataCenters #ERCOT #TexasEnergy #Cybersecurity #GovTech #EnterpriseAI #HealthcareAI #FutureOfWork #AIPolicy #AITexas #AIAdoption

Robot dogs may be getting the attention at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but they are only one piece of a much bigger security story wrapped in AI.

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew looks at how physical AI is entering real-world security — from Boston Dynamics Spot robots tied to FIFA’s International Broadcast Centre in Dallas, to drone restrictions around Dallas Stadium and Fan Fest, to counter-drone funding, autonomous patrol robots, and failed security robot trials in Texas.

The episode explores what these technologies can actually do, where they still fall short, and why human judgment remains essential. Along the way, we look at Dallas’s World Cup security preparations, reported drone violations, San Antonio’s short-lived airport robot trial, Austin’s private-property patrol robots, and even one very human security challenge involving England fans at a Dallas pub.

Robot dogs may be fun but the future is about mobile security intelligence — machines that can move, see, sense, report, and help humans respond faster.

IntoTexas AI explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping business, infrastructure, work, and daily life across Texas.

#RobotDogs #WorldCup2026 #PhysicalAI #Drones #AISecurity

AI and security are usually framed as a cybersecurity conversation. But in this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew looks at a different side of the story: physical security.

From alarms and cameras to crowd management and emergency response, the real challenge is not simply detecting that something happened. It is verifying the incident, coordinating the right response, and getting help on the ground faster.

This episode highlights Aura, a global safety network with its U.S. president based in Dallas and explores how the company’s AI-enabled response platform connects alerts to real-world intervention. The conversation also ties into timely Texas events, including FIFA World Cup 2026 security planning in Dallas and the NBA Finals returning to San Antonio.

We look at:

• The security response gap
• Why false alarms and delayed response matter
• Aura’s verified response model and ESX Innovation Awards recognition
• How AI can support monitoring centers, responders, venues, and businesses
• Why Dallas, San Antonio, and Texas are becoming real-world test cases for applied AI in physical security
• The benefits and risks of AI-enabled security, including privacy, accuracy, bias, and accountability

This is not a story about replacing police or removing human judgment. It is about whether AI can help make security systems faster, smarter, and more coordinated.

Hosted by Shannon Belew.

© 2026 IntoTexas, LLC

The biggest AI story isn't always the one getting the biggest headline.

This week, Shannon Belew looks beyond the usual announcements to explore the stories that reveal how AI is being applied across Texas—from construction sites and autonomous ships to insurance and the FIFA World Cup.

Featured topics include:

• AI enters the construction industry through a major partnership involving McCarthy Building Companies and Palantir
• Houston startup Resin8 applies AI to industrial commerce and procurement
• Austin-based Overhaul launches a new insurance category for AI infrastructure cargo
• Saronic's proposed autonomous shipbuilding facility could position Texas as a leader in next-generation maritime technology

These stories offer a broader view of how AI is becoming a business, workforce, education, and economic development story across Texas.

Hosted by Shannon Belew, IntoTexas AI explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping business, communities, and industries throughout the Lone Star State.

If you're interested in how AI is shaping the future of Texas, subscribe and join the conversation.

#AI #Texas #ArtificialIntelligence #IntoTexasAI #TexasBusiness #FutureOfWork  #Innovation

New research from Microsoft highlights a growing urban-rural divide in AI adoption. At the same time, Anthropic's AI Fluency research suggests that access to AI is only part of the equation.

In this episode, Shannon Belew explores what these trends mean for Texas—and why the state's growing investment in AI infrastructure may create a unique opportunity for rural communities.

The conversation introduces the concept of AI Fluency: an organization's ability to understand, evaluate, govern, and apply AI in ways that create measurable business value.

Can Texas convert AI infrastructure into AI fluency?

Topics include:

• Microsoft's findings on the urban-rural AI divide
• Why rural Texas may be uniquely positioned in the AI economy
• Anthropic's AI Fluency research
• The IntoTexas definition of AI Fluency
• How Texas could become a national model for AI-enabled economic growth

Could Texas become the state that turns AI infrastructure into AI fluency? And in doing so, narrow the AI divide rather than widen it?

#AI #Texas #ArtificialIntelligence #AIFluency #DataCenters #FutureOfWork #BusinessStrategy #IntoTexasAI #EconomicDevelopment #Technology

A new survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas reveals that artificial intelligence adoption is accelerating across Texas businesses—and the results challenge many of the assumptions dominating the AI conversation.

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, host Shannon Belew breaks down the latest findings from the Texas Business Outlook Survey and explores what they tell us about AI adoption, productivity, workforce impact, and the future of work in Texas.

Among the findings:

✅ 66% of Texas businesses now report using AI
✅ AI adoption has nearly doubled since 2024
✅ Businesses continue to emphasize augmentation over replacement of workers
✅ New skills and AI literacy are becoming increasingly valuable in the workplace

The survey offers a practical, real-world look at how manufacturers, service providers, healthcare organizations, retailers, and professional firms across Texas are incorporating AI into daily operations.

Is AI replacing jobs? Or is it becoming another tool that helps employees work more effectively?

This episode explores what Texas business leaders are actually saying.

Subscribe for weekly insights on artificial intelligence, business, workforce trends, infrastructure, policy, and innovation across Texas.

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #TexasBusiness #DallasFed #FutureOfWork #TexasEconomy #BusinessStrategy #Productivity #WorkforceDevelopment #IntoTexas

This week on IntoTexas AI, we're looking at the biggest artificial intelligence stories impacting Texas from May 25 through May 29, 2026.

From Dell's explosive AI-driven growth to a breakthrough healthcare application at Baylor College of Medicine, this week's headlines show that Texas is playing a growing role across every layer of the AI economy.

This week on IntoTexas AI, we break down the top AI stories shaping Texas during the week of May 25-29, 2026.

Subscribe for weekly coverage of AI, business, technology, and innovation across Texas.

#ArtificialIntelligence #AI #TexasAI #Dell #BaylorCollegeOfMedicine #HealthcareAI #DataCenters #TexasBusiness #Innovation #IntoTexas #GenerativeAI #TexasTechnology #AIInfrastructure #BusinessStrategy #FutureOfWork

What happens when one of America's most recognizable environmental advocates turns her attention to AI infrastructure?

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew explores Erin Brockovich's new crowdsourced data center mapping initiative and why it matters to Texas.

Texas has become one of the nation's leading destinations for AI infrastructure investment, with major projects emerging across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Abilene, Red Oak, Temple, and El Paso. As AI continues to expand, so does the conversation around the physical infrastructure that powers it.

This episode examines:

✅ Erin Brockovich's new data center mapping project
✅ Why Texas generated the most community submissions on the platform
✅ The difference between confirmed projects and crowdsourced reports
✅ Water, power, land use, and infrastructure considerations
✅ The recent Hill County data center moratorium in North Texas
✅ Why AI is becoming a community conversation—not just a technology conversation
✅ What might come next as communities, developers, and policymakers navigate the future of AI infrastructure

This is not a story about choosing sides.

It's a story about visibility, transparency, and how communities are responding as AI moves from software into the physical world.

IntoTexas AI explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping business, infrastructure, education, workforce development, and communities across Texas.

🔗 Visit: IntoTexas.com

🎙️ Subscribe for weekly insights on AI, innovation, and the future of Texas.

#AI #Texas #ErinBrockovich #DataCenters #ArtificialIntelligence #TexasBusiness #Infrastructure #Technology #IntoTexasAI #CommunityDevelopment #AIInfrastructure #TexasTech #FutureOfAI

Artificial intelligence is no longer just changing how we work — it’s beginning to reshape how workers negotiate for protection.

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew examines the growing movement toward AI-related labor protections after employees at The Texas Tribune secured contractual safeguards against layoffs caused by artificial intelligence.

But this story goes far beyond journalism.

As AI-related layoffs increase across the United States, workers, unions, and companies are now confronting difficult questions:

• Should employees be protected from AI-driven job loss?
• Could “Human First Clauses” become standard in future employment contracts?
• What happens to entry-level jobs in the AI economy?
• And how does Texas fit into one of the biggest workforce transformations in modern history?

This episode explores:

• AI-related layoffs and labor trends in the U.S.
• The Texas Tribune Guild agreement
• AI protections emerging in media and Hollywood
• The impact of AI on younger workers
• The future of unions, contracts, and workplace negotiations
• Why Texas may become a major battleground in the AI labor debate

IntoTexas AI explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping business, infrastructure, policy, labor, and society across Texas and beyond.

Subscribe for more episodes on:

• AI infrastructure
• Texas technology news
• Business strategy
• Workforce transformation
• Data centers
• AI policy
• Autonomous systems
• Energy and AI
• And the future of work

Visit: IntoTexas.com

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #Texas #TechNews #AILayoffs #Journalism #Union #Workforce #BusinessStrategy #IntoTexasAI