Hello everyone! AITX Team here with more updates this week.
If you’re new here, welcome! 👋 At AITX, we aim to:
Connect you with like-minded peers passionate about AI.
Provide a space for sharing ideas and receiving feedback on AI projects you’re building.
Share helpful tools and invaluable resources.
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Before we jump into the regular news, a few housekeeping items:
Upcoming AITX Community Events:
Austin AITX Community Monthly Meetup | sign up here!
Houston AITX Community Monthly Meetup | sign up here!
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Check out our Community Directory:
Where you can fill out your profile and find other members of the AITX community. If you haven’t filled out your profile yet, please follow the link HERE and submit your information.
AITX Community Member Survey
As we head into the summer, we wanted to take the time to ask how we can help y’all better.
Please fill out this survey to tell us how we can better help you (takes less than 2 minutes) 👇
State of AI in Texas Report Survey Live!
Howdy! The State of AI in Texas Report (STAR) has been finalized.
AITX Community and UT School of Law is excited to hear what the community has to say! By mapping the AI landscape and understanding stakeholder interactions, we hope to identify key businesses involved with AI development in Texas.
And by learning about AI product usage and how to support needs of new AI developers, we aim to provide a report that will both inform smart AI policy and serve as a guide for businesses on AI development.
THE WHO – We Want to Hear From You: If you’re based in Texas and work at Startups, Scaleups, or Enterprises, this survey is for you.
This is your chance to have your voice heard.
In this week’s edition you’re getting:
5 Upcoming Events
3 AI Community Stories
So let’s jump in!
Community Events
When: Saturday, August 8 | 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM CDT
Where: Houston, Texas
What: Join 30 builders in Houston on August 8 for an all-day hackathon at the intersection of AI and energy, where you'll compete for $1,750 in prizes by creating agents, copilots, data tools, or automation solutions using provided datasets and starter prompts. No energy background required-just bring your laptop, collaborate solo or in teams of up to 3, and enjoy free meals while you build something innovative in the world's energy capital.
When: Tuesday, August 11 | 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM CST
Where: Antler VC Austin, TX
What: We'll build a self-improving research loop that turns your own Claude Code session logs into a map of what you actually use, and what you're missing. You point an Apify Actor at the session files sitting on your disk, and it extracts a structured usage taxonomy from every run: the tools you call, the MCP servers you connect, the packages you import, the domains you touch. Then it cross-references that against what you already have installed, so you leave with a list of the gaps in your tooling rather than a list of things you own.
When: Saturday, August 15 | 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM CDT
Where: Austin, Texas
What: Join us for an all-day hackathon where you'll build innovative projects using Cursor and Grok-solo or in teams of up to four-across three tracks: AI Agents, Tools & Automations, or anything that surprises us. Compete for prizes up to $1,500 per team member, with top winners presenting their creations and taking home cash rewards.
When: Monday, August 18 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CST
Where: Capital Factory, Austin, TX
What: Join Hack AI, a monthly meetup for Austin-area builders to explore and create with cutting-edge AI technology-featuring expert presentations, hands-on hacking sessions, AI trivia, free food and drinks, and plenty of networking opportunities for both technical and non-technical enthusiasts. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just curious about AI, come build, learn, and connect with fellow innovators in the Austin tech community!
When: Thursday, August 20 | 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM CDT
Where: 801 Travis, Houston, TX
What: Join Houston's generative AI community for an exciting meetup featuring deep dive tech talks on AI, LLMs, and Agents, hands-on code labs, and networking with industry speakers and fellow developers. RSVP required on the AICamp event website for admission.
COMMUNITY STORIES
AI adoption among Texas businesses has skyrocketed to 59.1% in May 2025, up from just 38.3% the previous year, according to the Dallas Federal Reserve's Texas Business Outlook Survey. The dramatic 20.8 percentage point jump signals that AI has rapidly transitioned from experimental technology to an integral component of everyday business operations across the Lone Star State. Generative AI in particular is being adopted faster than any previous technology wave, reaching 36% adoption in just three years.
Why it matters: This rapid AI adoption trend in Texas reflects the broader market transformation that AI is positioned to serve.
Need to know:
59.1% of Texas businesses now use traditional or generative AI, representing a surge from 38.3% just one year earlier-a 54% year-over-year increase
Generative AI achieved 36% adoption in just three years, making it one of the fastest-adopted technologies in business history
The data comes from the Dallas Federal Reserve's Texas Business Outlook Survey and was highlighted in a report by Build American AI, a nonprofit advocacy organization promoting U.S. AI leadership
Texas A&M University has secured a $24.9 million grant to establish the nation's first self-driving laboratory dedicated to metals research. The NSF Materials Innovation Platform will combine advanced robotics and AI to enable researchers from universities, national labs, and industry to conduct cutting-edge alloy-discovery campaigns, democratizing access to breakthrough materials science capabilities.
Why it matters: This autonomous lab represents a major advancement in AI-driven scientific discovery, demonstrating how robotics and machine learning can accelerate materials research and make sophisticated experimental capabilities accessible to the broader research community.
Need to know:
Texas A&M received $24.9 million in NSF funding to build the first national self-driving laboratory for metals research
The facility will be accessible to researchers from universities, national laboratories, and industry partners nationwide
The platform will use robotic systems and artificial intelligence to automate alloy-discovery campaigns and materials testing
Texas has hit the pause button on new AI data center power connections as state officials wrestle with mounting concerns about electrical grid reliability. Governor Greg Abbott is demanding stricter state audits to address the tension between accommodating the explosive energy demands of AI infrastructure and maintaining stable power for all Texas residents.
Why it matters: This development signals growing regulatory scrutiny of AI infrastructure expansion and could foreshadow similar restrictions in other states, potentially impacting the deployment timeline and operational strategies of AI technology companies nationwide.
Need to know:
Texas has temporarily suspended all power hookups for new AI data centers due to electrical grid reliability concerns
Governor Greg Abbott is calling for stricter state audits to evaluate the impact of AI data centers on the state's power infrastructure
The move reflects the challenge states face balancing massive AI infrastructure energy demands with grid stability for existing residents and businesses
That’s all for now, folks!
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