🎪 THE SILICON CIRCUS
Your weekly dispatch from the AI-powered edge of everything

Issue #9. Three stories this week, all about who gets to write the rules when AI walks into the room: Walmart's CEO promised his AI won't guess what you'll pay, America's two biggest school districts sent student chatbots to timeout, and the VA cleared up to $775 million so doctors can finally look up from the keyboard.

🛒 Walmart's CEO Wrote Customers a Letter Promising He Won't Use AI to Guess How Much You'll Pay

Days after Seattle became the first U.S. city to ban surveillance pricing, Walmart put three promises in writing, including one about its AI assistant, Sparky. It's a dog sitting next to a steak announcing it has no plans, except now everyone has a screenshot.
Read the full story →

🎒 America's Two Biggest School Districts Just Restricted Student AI. One of Them Has a Loophole in Every Backpack.

New York and Los Angeles restricted student AI on the same day. LA's ban stops at the school-issued laptop, which is a gum ban that ends at the gate. Teachers, meanwhile, still get the free samples.
Read the full story →

🩺 The VA Just Cleared Up to $775 Million for AI Note-Takers So Doctors Can Stop Typing While Pretending to Listen

An AI scribe listens to the appointment and writes the note, so the doctor can look up from the screen. The $775 million is a shared ceiling, not one giant check, and yes, somebody's about to get a lot of eye contact.
Read the full story →

That's the week: a retailer putting its promises in writing, two school systems putting AI in timeout, and a robot stenographer joining the exam room. Forward this to someone who's ever wondered who's actually writing the rules.

— The Silicon Circus