Tech | Observer Group Newspapers of Southern California, inc.

California’s First Mobile Immersive Classroom Brings Virtual Reality Learning to Kern County

by Stefi Mar | Dec 10, 2025 | Bakersfield, Front Page, Tech | 0

Kern Community College District (KCCD) has launched a new immersive learning initiative designed to bring cinematic, multisensory education directly to students across the region. Housed inside a mobile classroom equipped with vibrating seats, 360-degree visuals, and virtual controllers, the experience introduces students to a high-impact approach to learning science, technology, engineering, and math.

California Must Maintain Its Leadership By Regulating Chatbots And Avoid Banning Them In Our Livelihood

by Kathleen Untalan | Sep 30, 2025 | Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Politics, Tech, Valleys | 0

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An AI Assistant Can Interpret Those Lab Results for You

by Stefi Mar | Sep 23, 2025 | Bakersfield, Tech | 0

When Judith Miller had routine blood work done in July, she got a phone alert the same day that her lab results were posted online. So, when her doctor messaged her the next day that her overall tests were fine, Miller wrote back to ask about the elevated carbon dioxide and low anion gap listed in the report.

Facial Recognition Expands in Airports as Congress Eyes New Limits

by Stefi Mar | Aug 19, 2025 | Bakersfield, Front Page, Los Angeles, Tech, Valleys | 0

Facial recognition technology is now in use for security screening at some of the nation’s busiest airports, with TSA’s PreCheck Touchless ID available at 15 locations including Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Atlanta, New York’s JFK and LaGuardia, Los Angeles, Newark, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Ronald Reagan Washington National. The system allows enrolled TSA PreCheck travelers with valid passports to verify their identity with a quick photo instead of a physical ID. TSA says the images are deleted within 24 hours of a flight and are not used for law enforcement or surveillance. If biometric matching fails, passengers must present a physical ID, and those who opt out receive the same screening position.

AI Isn’t Killing Jobs—Yet. But Entry-Level Workers and Middle Managers Should Be Watching Closely

by Stefi Mar | Jul 29, 2025 | Bakersfield, Local, Los Angeles, Tech, Valleys | 0

Despite relentless corporate hype and rising concerns about mass unemployment, artificial intelligence has yet to lead to widespread job losses. Reports from Goldman Sachs, Brookings, CNN, the World Economic Forum, and tech industry analysts all point to the same conclusion: AI is changing the workforce—but the doomsday scenario hasn’t arrived. According to Goldman Sachs’ Q2 2025 AI Adoption Tracker, AI usage among U.S. firms rose from 7.4% to 9.2% in just one quarter. Yet the research found “no sign of a significant impact on most labor market outcomes.” Job growth, wage trends, unemployment, and layoff rates in AI-exposed industries remain consistent with those in less-exposed sectors.

AI and Our Healthcare: California Lawmakers Address Biases, Benefits, Access and Safety

by Stefi Mar | Jun 10, 2025 | Bakersfield, Front Page, Health Care, Los Angeles, Tech, Valleys | 0

On May 28, the Assembly Health and Privacy and Consumer Protection Committees held a joint hearing on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).

Rams, Hollywood Park, and Google Launch Tech Lab for Inglewood Youth

by Kathleen Untalan | Jun 3, 2025 | Los Angeles, Tech, Valleys | 0

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Historic Black Sites Under Threat, May 3 Mobilization Set

by Stefi Mar | Apr 29, 2025 | African Americans, Bakersfield, Los Angeles, Tech, Valleys | 0

Reverend Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), is mobilizing a national response to what she called a deliberate effort by the Trump administration to erase Black history and dismantle long-standing institutions.

Political Playback: California Capitol News You Might Have Missed

by Stefi Mar | Feb 4, 2025 | Bakersfield, Congress, Features, Los Angeles, National Politics, Politics, State, State & Local Politics, Statewide, Tech, Valleys | 0

News You Might Have Missed

Sacramento Kings and Black-Owned Digital License Plate Firm Enter History-Making Partnership

by Stefi Mar | Oct 29, 2024 | Bakersfield, Business, Featured, Los Angeles, NBA, Tech, Valleys | 0

Reviver, the world’s first digital license plate and connected vehicle platform, has entered into a history-making jersey patch partnership with the Sacramento Kings, team officials announced right before the team’s season opener on Oct. 24.