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Texas AI is Scaling From Rural Edge to Global Reach
Infra is going local, laws are tightening, and community keeps growing. Here's what’s shaping up across the Texas AI landscape.
AITX Team & Michael Daigler
May 23, 2025
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.
Before we jump into the regular news, a few housekeeping items:
May AITX Meetups:
Our upcoming meetups:
Austin Meetup: Tuesday, May 27 | sign up here!
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In this week’s edition you’re getting:
5 Upcoming Events
3 AI Community Stories
1 Community Highlight
So let’s jump in!
UPCOMING EVENTS
When: Thursday, June 5 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CST
Where: Capital Factory 701 Brazos St · Austin, TX
What: A monthly mini-hack session for developers all over the Austin area to build cool stuff related to AI. The first Thursday of each month, we will host a meetup revolving around a certain theme or AI technology, like Voice AI, Large Language Models, Computer Vision, etc.
When: Saturday, June 21 | 6:30 PM - Jun 22, 6:30 PM CST
What: Transform your development skills with cutting-edge AI tools in this intensive 48-hour hackathon focused on building your first AI Agent using AI-assisted development workflows. Designed for mixed skill levels with a beginner-friendly approach, this event balances structured learning with hands-on development time.
When: Wednesday, June 4 | 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM CST
Where: ACC - RGC 3000 1218 West Avenue · Austin, TX
What: The AI Middleware Users Group is dedicated to “Learning in the Open.” Together we explore LangChain, LangGraph, LangSmith, and the wider AI stack, sharing real-world demos and lessons so everyone levels up.
When: Wednesday, May 21 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST
Where: Capital Factory 701 Brazos St, 16th Floor · Austin, TX
What: Sonar User Groups are all about bringing people together to talk code, share what we’re learning, and build community — casually and inclusively. Whether you’re just getting started or a seasoned engineer, you’re welcome here!
When: Wednesday, June 4 | 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM CST
Where: Capital Factory 701 Brazos St, 16th Floor · Austin, TX
What: Welcome to the AI meetup in Austin. Join us for deep dive tech talks on AI, GenAI, LLMs and Agents, hands-on experiences on code labs, workshops, and networking with speakers and fellow developers.
COMMUNITY STORIES
Duos Edge AI is building a new edge data center in Victoria, TX, aimed at bringing AI-powered digital infrastructure to 37 school districts across the region.
Why it matters: AI access shouldn’t stop at city limits. This move brings real compute power—and opportunity—to rural Texas.
Need-to-know:
Local impact: The new center will support low-latency AI use cases like learning platforms, EHRs, and telemedicine.
Education first: Built in partnership with Region 3 ESC, the site serves schools across South Texas.
Bigger picture: It’s one of 15 edge deployments planned by year-end, part of Duos’ national rollout.
Learn more here.
Texas lawmakers have passed SB 20, banning the creation and possession of AI-generated child pornography—including synthetic, cartoon, and deepfake content.
Why it matters: This marks one of the nation’s strictest laws targeting AI misuse, signaling serious regulatory momentum around generative media.
Need-to-know:
Felony offense: Creating or possessing AI-generated explicit content depicting minors can now lead to up to 2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
National trend: Texas joins a growing list of states expanding child protection laws to cover synthetic content.
More coming: Additional bills in this package aim to empower victims to sue, tighten age restrictions, and enhance cyberbullying protections in schools.
Learn more here.
At SXSW, UT Austin leaders and investors shared how the university is becoming a hub for AI innovation across health, semiconductors, and advanced robotics.
Why it matters: UT isn’t just educating students—it’s powering Texas' tech future by uniting academia, venture, and industry under one roof.
Need-to-know:
Bio convergence: Dell Med is merging AI, biotech, and computing to rethink how we predict and treat disease.
Chip innovation: UT-backed TIE is building a semiconductor FAB ecosystem for next-gen hardware prototyping and commercialization.
AI everywhere: From drug discovery to robotics, UT is baking AI into every part of its research and startup infrastructure.
Learn more here.
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT
This week we’re spotlighting Jordan Hill, founder of Blue Highlighted Text.
Here’s a bit about him:
Jordan helps companies without in-house BI or marketing intelligence teams implement proprietary AI tools—from infrastructure setup to data privacy architecture. He’s especially passionate about local AI deployment, data sovereignty, and building smarter, safer enterprise systems.
Blue Highlighted Text is a data-driven growth agency based in Austin, founded by ex-Google AdWords pros, helping brands worldwide turn insights into action through smart analytics, experimentation, and digital marketing strategy.
You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.
That’s all for now, folks!
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