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

Long before ChatGPT, AI copilots, and massive data centers transformed Texas, the foundation for today’s AI economy was already being built.

In this retro episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew takes a deep look back at the technology revolution of the 1980s and explores how companies like Compaq, Texas Instruments, Dell, and Sematech helped turn Texas into one of the most important technology states in America.

From Houston’s PC revolution and Dallas semiconductor innovation to Austin’s rise as Silicon Hills, this episode connects the early personal computer era to today’s AI infrastructure boom.

Topics include:

• Compaq and the IBM-compatible PC revolution
• Texas Instruments and early voice-enabled computing
• Michael Dell arriving at UT Austin in 1983
• The rise of Telecom Corridor in North Texas
• Sematech and America’s semiconductor strategy
• Steve Jobs’ 1983 vision that foreshadowed generative AI
• Why the 1980s still matter to Texas AI today

This episode is both a retro technology story and a look at how the past shaped the future of AI in Texas.

Subscribe for more coverage of AI, business, infrastructure, semiconductors, robotics, and emerging technology across Texas.

#Texas #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Dell #Compaq #TexasInstruments #Semiconductors #AustinTech #HoustonTech #DallasTech #IntoTexasAI #RetroTech #TechnologyHistory #GenerativeAI #SiliconHills

Can artificial intelligence transform infrastructure engineering—and what does that mean for the next generation of graduates?

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, we examine how Dallas-based AECOM and Southern Methodist University are partnering to train engineers who can work alongside AI to design and build the world’s most important infrastructure projects.

We also explore AECOM’s broader AI strategy, including its acquisition of Norwegian startup Consigli and the company’s ambitious effort to integrate AI into core engineering workflows.

• Why AECOM partnered with SMU
• What “AI-native infrastructure engineers” means
• How AI is changing engineering careers
• AECOM’s $390 million acquisition of Consigli
• Why engineering firms are beginning to act like technology companies
• What this means for students graduating into the AI era
• Why Dallas could become a global center for AI-driven infrastructure innovation

• AECOM
• Southern Methodist University
• Consigli

As AI reshapes industries across the economy, infrastructure engineering may be one of the most important sectors to watch. The companies that combine technology, talent, and responsible deployment could define how the world is designed and built for decades to come.

Subscribe to IntoTexas AI for weekly insights on artificial intelligence, business strategy, infrastructure, and the companies shaping the future in Texas and beyond.

#ArtificialIntelligence #AECOM #SMU #Engineering #Infrastructure #TexasAI #AIJobs #FutureOfWork #DigitalTransformation #IntoTexas

Texas continues to emerge as one of the most important AI hubs in the United States. In this week’s IntoTexas AI news roundup, Shannon Belew recaps the biggest and most interesting stories shaping the future of artificial intelligence in Texas this week.

In this episode:

• $867 million manufacturing investment in Fort Worth
• Hill County tables new data center growth
• Red Oak greenlights growth despite protests
• University of Texas at Austin researchers warn of future water issues
• Waymo recalls more than 3,500 robotaxis 

The big takeaway: AI is no longer just a software story. It is a manufacturing story, an infrastructure story, a water story, and a community story—and Texas is at the center of it all.

If you want to understand where the future of AI is being built, Texas is one of the most important places to watch.

Subscribe for weekly analysis of how AI, innovation, and investment are reshaping Texas.

#ArtificialIntelligence #TexasAI #DataCenters #Waymo #AutonomousVehicles #FortWorth #Dallas #Austin #IntoTexasAI #AIInfrastructure

A humanoid robot named Stewie bought a ticket, buckled into a window seat, and flew on a Southwest Airlines flight to Dallas. Two days later, the airline banned all human-like and animal-like robots from both cabins and checked baggage.

What happened—and what does it reveal about the future of artificial intelligence?

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew explores the remarkable story involving Dallas-based The Robot Studio and examines a much larger question: How should we treat our robots?

Are humanoids passengers, employees, teammates, or simply advanced tools?

You’ll also hear:

• Why humans instinctively treat robots as social beings
• The science behind “anti-robot speciesism”
• How robots like Sophia have challenged ideas about citizenship and rights
• Why Texas is becoming a major hub for robotics and physical AI
• What business leaders need to consider as humanoids enter the workplace

From airlines and factories to hotels and hospitals, robots are moving from novelty to operational reality. This episode takes a thoughtful—and occasionally humorous—look at what the way we treat robots says about the way we see ourselves.

If you’re interested in robotics, AI strategy, physical AI, and the future of human-machine relationships, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

#IntoTexasAI #PhysicalAI #HumanoidRobots #SouthwestAirlines #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #TexasTech #FutureOfWork #RobotEthics #DallasTech

Texas is entering a new phase in autonomous vehicle deployment — one defined not just by innovation, but by regulation, accountability, and real-world performance.

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, host Shannon Belew breaks down what the state’s new authorization requirements mean for companies operating robotaxis, delivery fleets, and autonomous trucking across Texas. From new oversight by the Texas DMV to first-responder safety plans and ongoing compliance expectations, this isn’t just a policy update — it’s a shift in how autonomy scales.

We also take a closer look at the companies shaping this space, including Waymo, Zoox, Tesla, Aurora, Kodiak, and others — and why Texas has become one of the most important proving grounds in the country.

Beyond robotaxis, the episode explores the massive opportunity in autonomous freight and delivery — from long-haul trucking along I-35 to last-mile logistics — and what it could mean for the Texas economy, workforce, and supply chains.

But what about safety and public trust?

As autonomous systems continue to evolve in real time, questions around safety, certification, and public trust are becoming harder to ignore — including concerns raised by researchers at University of Texas at Austin about how to regulate technology that never stands still.

Texas isn’t just adopting autonomous vehicles.

It’s becoming the driving force for the next generation of transportation.

Texas is rapidly becoming one of the most important AI infrastructure battlegrounds in America — and this week’s headlines made that impossible to ignore.

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, host Shannon Belew breaks down five of the biggest AI stories shaping Texas during the week of May 4, 2026.

This week’s roundup explores:

• Meta’s reported $13 billion financing package tied to a massive AI-focused data center project in El Paso
• Dallas-based DataBank securing $2 billion to support Oracle AI infrastructure in Red Oak
• BlackRock’s $30 million investment to train Texas electricians for the growing AI economy
• Rackspace and AMD expanding enterprise AI operations in San Antonio
• Rising resistance from Texas communities concerned about the impact of large-scale AI data center growth

The episode examines how AI is reshaping:

• Texas infrastructure
• Energy demand
• Workforce development
• Enterprise technology
• Rural communities
• Economic growth across the state

From hyperscale data centers to skilled labor shortages, this conversation looks at the physical realities behind the AI economy and why Texas is becoming one of the nation’s most important testing grounds for AI expansion.

IntoTexas AI explores how artificial intelligence, infrastructure, investment and innovation are reshaping Texas.

#AI #Texas #ArtificialIntelligence #DataCenters #Meta #Oracle #BlackRock #Rackspace #AMD #TexasBusiness #EnterpriseAI #Infrastructure #TechnologyPodcast #IntoTexasAI

A major cybersecurity breach involving the Canvas learning platform may have exposed nearly four terabytes of student and university data — including institutions in Texas. But this story may be about more than cybersecurity.

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew explores the idea that universities are becoming AI-era data platforms and why student behavioral data could become one of the most valuable assets in the artificial intelligence economy.

The episode examines:

• The Canvas cyberattack and its reported impact
• Why educational data is becoming increasingly valuable in the AI era
• How AI is changing the economics of cybercrime
• Why Texas universities are becoming part of the state’s growing AI infrastructure
• The role Texas cybersecurity companies are playing in defending AI-era systems
• Whether higher education is prepared for the next generation of AI-driven cyber threats

Featuring discussion of Texas universities, AI governance, cybersecurity risk, and companies including CrowdStrike, Critical Start, Zimperium, and SparkCognition.

IntoTexas AI explores how AI, infrastructure, investment, innovation, and workforce transformation are reshaping Texas.

#AI #Cybersecurity #Texas #HigherEducation #Canvas #ArtificialIntelligence #DataSecurity #IntoTexasAI #EdTech #TexasTech

Houston ISD is launching an ambitious AI-focused public school initiative— and it could reshape how students learn in the AI era.

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew explores Houston ISD’s new “Future 2” schools, a public education model designed around AI literacy, leadership, critical thinking, collaboration, and future workforce readiness.

The episode also compares Houston’s public-school approach to private AI-powered schools like Alpha School in Austin, where personalized AI learning is already redefining the classroom experience.

Along the way, we examine:

• Why schools across the U.S. are racing to integrate AI
• Georgia’s Seckinger High School and the rise of AI-themed campuses
• The difference between “AI teaching students” and “teaching students about AI”
• Concerns around equity, transparency, teacher support, and over-reliance on technology
• What business leaders should learn from the transformation happening inside education
• Why human skills may become even more valuable in an AI-driven economy

As Texas positions itself as a national leader in AI infrastructure, enterprise AI, robotics, and advanced technology investment, the future of education may become one of the state’s most important AI stories.

Hosted by Shannon Belew.

#ArtificialIntelligence #Texas #Education #HoustonISD #AI #FutureOfWork #EdTech #IntoTexasAI #Houston #Leadership

What separates organizations that are thriving with AI from those still struggling to see results?

In this episode of IntoTexas AI, Shannon Belew explores groundbreaking new research from The University of Texas at Austin and KPMG examining how employees actually use AI inside organizations — and why only a small percentage of workers generate outsized value from AI systems.

The findings challenge one of the biggest assumptions in business today: that AI success is simply about deploying more tools or increasing usage.

Instead, the research suggests successful AI adoption depends heavily on:

• Human behavior
• Organizational culture
• Workflow redesign
• Critical thinking
• Leadership strategy
• And how employees collaborate with AI

The episode also explores:

• Why “using AI” is different from “working with AI”
• The rise of sophisticated AI collaboration
• Concerns about AI overdependence and weakened critical thinking
• The growing problem with measuring AI adoption through superficial metrics
• Why leadership teams may need to rethink workforce development entirely

Additional research and insights referenced include studies from Microsoft, Harvard Business School, Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan, and other leading organizations examining the future of human-AI collaboration.

Subscribe for more conversations exploring how AI, innovation, and organizational transformation are reshaping business and the future of work.

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #FutureOfWork #Leadership #GenerativeAI #BusinessStrategy #WorkplaceTransformation #IntoTexasAI