Georgia police fire tear gas, water cannons at pro-EU protestersSaving the planet isn’t as squeaky clean as it’s hyped to be – as some quarters of the green energy sector have been morphing as hotspot for carbon emissions trading scams and potential money laundering havens, leaving well-intentioned investors caught into the crossfire of the ‘dirty hustles’ of shady players who are just out to make a quick buck. Just recently, the green energy world was shaken by a multi-billion-dollar fraud – when a German firm's investment in carbon emissions reduction anchored on the installation of energy-efficient technologies at an oil field in China—was exposed as a massive scam; as the supposed investment was nothing more than a paper trail of fabricated documents. The Philippines is among the economies in the world with bold decarbonization strategies - not just with massive renewable energy (RE) installations, but also with ambitious net zero targets of businesses and a comprehensive drive for a low-carbon economy that cuts through various industries. On the policy front, carbon emissions trading is getting a full-throttle push from many relevant stakeholders, while the Philippine electricity spot market has just recently rolled out the commercialization of renewable energy (RE) certificates trading —an innovative incentive mechanism within the green finance sphere; which is designed to entice fresh wave of capital into clean energy investments. Deceptive power play With growing concerns over scams and potential money laundering activities in the clean energy sector, the Philippines faces a critical question: how exposed is the country to these perilous fraudulent schemes that could then undermine its honest-to-goodness energy transition agenda? Sources from global banks have been warning that countries with fragile financial systems are prime targets for dubious money—often streamed into renewable energy and clean technology investments. Similarly, economies with loose carbon emissions trading protocols and limited expertise are ripe for exploitation—and unfortunately, the Philippines still finds itself dangerously classified in both of these high-risk categories. At this stage, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) qualified that trading of renewable energy (RE) certificates will initially be limited to the renewable portfolio standards (RPS) compliance of mandated players in the domestic scene, thus, minimizing immediate risk of exploitation by offshore buyers. However, the long-term strategy must be approached with caution and rigorous analysis, especially if the country eventually opens the market to international purchasers, which could expose the RE market to greater vulnerabilities. Beyond that, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has a broader plan for future carbon emissions trading, but this policy is still in the works – hence, leaving some fog of uncertainty as well as many ‘unknowns’ that even industry players are still scrambling to understand. By design, carbon credit trading is meant to drive companies to cut emissions by allowing them to trade unused credits—but as the market grows, so does the window of opportunity for fraudsters to exploit the system for their own gain. As already evident, shady companies or operators have discovered loopholes to manipulate carbon credits and emissions reduction – with them either resorting to falsifying data, inflating credits, or peddling non-existent carbon allowances—and these scams are notoriously hard to trace, because typically, the entire trading process relies on intangible assets that could then allow fraudulent activity to be buried beneath layers of red tape and convoluted paperwork. Another escalating fear in the 'green finance' world is the influx of sketchy capital - whether from money laundering or terrorist financing; because when these illicit funds are funneled into new companies, the quickest escape for dodgy players is to pour them into clean energy investments, be it for renewable energy and decarbonization projects to energy efficiency ventures, all while obscuring their true origins behind a green façade. Bank sources explained that money laundering in green investments would typically involve criminal or terrorist-leaning organizations as well as corrupt individuals or politicians who may inject money into businesses under the guise of green investment – and these projects could range everything from solar farms to wind energy installations, and even fake carbon offset schemes. Typically, these projects are packaged as ‘legitimate investments’ – with all the warranted certifications and service contracts, but in reality, they serve as a smokescreen for washing dirty money. These shady deals are already happening in many parts of the world – be it in Asian energy markets, Latin America and many African countries, hence, the intensified call on policymakers and regulators to enforce rules and policies that can invoke transparency into carbon markets – ensuring that emission reductions are accurately reported and there shall be robust verification process and stringent auditing systems; and that green projects are properly vetted, including the fund sources as well as the ultimate beneficial owners of companies, especially those that have layered corporate registrations across various countries. Then for regulators in the country’s financial system, policies must be enforced to close the gap as well as recalibrate the ‘grey areas’ and blind spots in the prevailing money laundering law; then improve the monitoring of financial transactions in the green investment space.y love 。

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Participation in hockey in British Columbia was struggling in 2021 — the pandemic had dealt a heavy blow to player registrations, and numbers had already been flagging before COVID-19 arrived. “I think there were a lot of families that were impacted at that time,” said Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association president Melanie Earland, whose group governs minor hockey in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, including Metro Vancouver. “The world changed,” she said. Player participation had peaked in 2016-2017 with more than 62,000 registrations, Hockey Canada statistics for B.C. show, falling under 58,000 just before the pandemic began in 2020, then plummeting to 39,056 that season. Rising costs and growing competition from other sports had also been chipping away at youth hockey participation. More than 63,000 kids registered in B.C. But that is now changing, with registration for this season in B.C. surging past the 63,000 mark, a rebound that follows a concerted effort to make the game more accessible, especially to groups not traditionally linked to the sport such as new Canadians and Indigenous communities. Tom Oberti, president of the West Vancouver Minor Hockey Association, said his organization had seen record registrations this year, more than 8 per cent higher than last season. “We’re bursting at the seams,” Oberti said, noting the association has had to look outside West Vancouver to find ice time to fit all the players. “The reason why we’ve grown is because we’ve put a lot of effort into reaching out to new, non-traditional hockey demographics,” he said. “For example, we run ball hockey programs in elementary schools to introduce the sport, and we’ve done a lot to reach out to the Mandarin-speaking community, because it’s a growing segment of our community on the North Shore.” Oberti said the association has leveraged Mandarin- and Persian-speaking families already with kids in youth hockey, establishing links to new players through parent groups on social media platforms targeting specific communities such as WeChat and WhatsApp as well as word of mouth from schoolchildren who already play the game. Families new to Canada want to do things they consider Canadian, Oberti said, and they are embracing hockey. “Hockey has an advantage there,” he said. “There are a lot of families that do want to participate in the sport — or who are interested in the sport — because of the way it’s intertwined in the fabric of social life in Canada.” At the Richmond Jets Minor Hockey Association, vice-president Trent Gustafson said while his group has seen about a 15-to-20 per cent drop-off in participation from a peak in 2018-2019, registration is growing again, and players from non-traditional communities make up a big part of that rebound. “We’re up to around 915 to 920 kids playing hockey at Jets this year,” Gustafson said. “We don’t collect (data) in terms of the ethnicity of our members specifically, but I can safely say more than half are non-Caucasian members.” Just as important as getting children in these communities playing hockey, Gustafson said, is the fact that parents new to the game are also eager to volunteer. He said that is a vital contribution to the minor hockey system largely run by volunteers and parents in their spare time. “Those parents are, frankly, just as crazy hockey parents as you’re getting in some of the other cities and towns in not only British Columbia but across the country,” he said. “It’s interesting, the people it seems these days that are almost more willing to volunteer are some of the newer people to hockey. They’ve just fallen in love with the game.” Making hockey more affordable so every child gets to play Earland said other efforts to attract players include a try-hockey-for-free program in Cloverdale, B.C., for Indigenous youth, and they are trying to make the game more affordable through equipment programs and other initiatives. “Nobody in minor hockey wants to hear a family say, ‘We want to play but our kids can’t afford it or we can’t afford it,'” she said. She said she wants every child to have an opportunity to play hockey. “It’s a fabulous sport. It offers friendships and teamwork and camaraderie for all of our youth.” Chilliwack Minor Hockey Association president Lee McCaw said his group does not target any specific community for new players, but the province’s rapid population growth and its diversity means more kids being registered from every background. “I think our inclusion for everybody to be able to participate is huge,” McCaw said. “We have a huge First Nations population in our city, and there’s a lot of learn-to-skate programs that are specifically designed for every ethnicity group and everybody inclusively, together and within Chilliwack.” Nathan Bosa, the president of the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association, said even if there are no specific programs aimed at the diverse newcomer groups, sport could be an opportunity to support them. “We’re talking about this as a board a while ago, about having a program for new people coming into Canada and into Kamloops (to) give them a little bit of an instruction on how things work,” Bosa said. “It’s something that we’re going to be looking at in the new year. I think we’ve started to see that the influx is very noticeable, and it’s good. Community building through sports Getting children into sport, whether it’s hockey or something else, allows children and their parents to make friends and it brings them into the community, Bosa said. Bosa and McCaw also noted the impact of hockey exposure in the South Asian community as another factor in attracting new players, including Hockey Night in Canada’s Punjabi broadcast, and homegrown talent such as Arshdeep Bains from Surrey playing for the Vancouver Canucks in February. The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, signed forward Kevin He to a three-year entry-level deal this month, making him the first player born in China to ink an N. H. L deal. Scott Furman, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of growth and retention, said progress has also been made on other fronts, with the visibility of women’s hockey skyrocketing as the Professional Women’s Hockey League drives female player registration to a new high beyond 100,000 countrywide this season. Furman said the upheaval and change in management at Hockey Canada in recent years meant a new approach, bringing inclusion and more programs to help with costs of the game. He said the rebound in B.C. is symbolic of this change. “Last season, for the first time, we hit 50,000 players that identified as black, Indigenous or people of colour, and that was an 8-per-cent increase on the previous season,” Furman said. “In B.C., I think about 19 per cent of players identify as black, Indigenous or people of colour, which is well above the national average. And the South Asian community represents 4.5 per cent of all players — a 46 per cent increase since the 2021 season. “It certainly is a positive trend, but nothing’s taken for granted. And we’ve got to continue to do the work to make sure that it continues in that fashion.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2024. SEE ALSO:

With the news of Alfa Anderson ’s death at age 78, one of the lasting voices of disco was silenced. First as a session singer for Chic , Anderson sang backup on their early hits “Everybody Dance” and “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” as part of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards’ fledgling outfit. Then, as a front person, Anderson helped power dancefloor anthems like “Good Times,” “Le Freak,” “My Forbidden Lover” and “I Want Your Love,” defining the group vocally and visually. Before Chic, Anderson had left her mark working with jazz great Cannonball Adderley and also was heard on the soundtrack of 1978’s The Wiz . After the group disbanded in 1983, she toured with her longtime friend Luther Vandross, sang backup on a slew of records and recorded on her own; she also returned to her other love, teaching and education. In 2013, Anderson spoke with Rolling Stone about her time in Chic as part of the magazine’s feature story on Rodgers. Here, for the first time, is the complete interview with one of the landmark voices of disco. How did you come to join Chic? It was because of Luther Vandross that I met them. Luther and I were friends and he did a lot of sessions and jingles and would often take me with him. And I’ll never forget: he called me and said, “I have a session I want you to do. I have this friend Nile Rodgers who has this group called Chic.” I said, “Cool, great.” And he said, “It’s disco.” And I said, “Disco? You’re gonna do disco?” And he said, “Oh, Alfa, it’s fun, it’s great, you’re gonna love it.” So I went and I heard “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)” and loved it! I looked at Luther and said, “This is not your ordinary disco. This is something different.” It wasn’t traditional 120 beats-per-minute disco. And the first moment I met Nile and Bernard, I thought, this is a dynamic team creating something special. As I was singing, I thought, “I’d love to be a part of this. This is phenomenal.” Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time As legend has it, Norma Jean Wright was the first lead singer, but you were promoted to her slot after she left to make her own record. Yes. Luther and I sang background on the first album and background support for the first tour. Then Norma went on to her solo career and I was asked to join with Luci Martin, and that changed my life. The entire trajectory of my life! I was a teacher [at Hunter College in New York]. I was an educator. I didn’t even leave that job until after the first tour! Were you on salary with Chic? Yes. [Rodgers and Edwards] were the producers and writers and we were signed to their production company. That was the hierarchy of the infrastructure. Nile and Bernard seemed like best friends, always joking and very excited. They had a great rapport. But it wasn’t all fun. Bernard and Nile were taskmasters in the studio. You had to come and listen to the song and get it perfect right there. There were no demos. Then you sang on the second album, 1978’s C’est Chic , and away it went. Disco was a period of sex, drugs and rock and roll at its height — drugs, sex and disco . People began to long for what everyone perceived as the good old days when times and values were different. In the studio it was casual Chic [for wardrobe]. But outside, I always wore pumps. You had a certain way you had to look because you never knew when you were going to be photographed. What do you recall as Chic’s peak moment? Related Content Alfa Anderson, Chic Lead Vocalist Who Sang ‘Good Times’ and ‘Le Freak,’ Dead at 78 Luther Vandross Doc: Five Things We Learned See Nile Rodgers Talk Life-Changing 'Get Lucky' in Daft Punk's Latest 'Memory Tapes' Video ‘I Look Back, But I Don’t Stare’: Nile Rodgers on Turning 70, Facing Mortality, and Being Music’s Most Prolific ‘Worker Bee’ We did a concert at a stadium in San Diego and there were like 60,000 fans. We were backstage very, very nervous about our reception. My knees were knocking! We went out and did the “Chic Cheer.” There were a few seconds of delay between what we were doing and what the audience was hearing. So we’re singing and all of a sudden there’s this second or two of stillness and then this wall of sound rushing out to you. It was approval and it was so wonderful. We looked at each other and said, “Yeah!” As we were leaving the stage, we were in the little golf carts they used to bring you back and forth to the dressing rooms. The audience is going wild and the promoters asked us to go back, so we went back onstage. That was the acid test that our music was acceptable. That will be forever etched in my mind. Nile has said that his drinking began during those Chic concerts to counter stage fright. That’s the way it happens! It’s daunting to be there. You love being there and you love the adoration, but my knees would knock. Remember the song they wrote, “Stage Fright”? We were all suffering from it. But we didn’t tell each other about it. I wish we had been more supportive of each other in terms of talking with each other about stage fright. What was Nile like at the time? He always wanted to be excellent. He’s always strove to be that. He’s never really needed a lot of sleep! [Laughs] Some people have this switch inside of them that rarely turns off and it’s an all-consuming fire inside them. On rare occasions I saw him down or sad, but he was always energetic. Always upbeat and smiling. Always working and creating. They would work at night, all night. He and Bernard both had that kind of energy. What do you recall of the infamous “Disco Demolition Night” rally in Chicago in 1979, where people burned disco records? You know, I didn’t put much stock in it at the time. The audience feedback was great and we were loving what we were doing. We had fun! We were like a family. So it didn’t impact me that way. I knew I loved what I did and loved the music and being onstage. The backlash didn’t hit until the album released after that [1980’s less successful Real People ]. That one wasn’t received very well, and that became a rude awakening. That’s when it got me . Prior to that, I figured, “This is life. This is what happens.” But again, I wasn’t the producer or the writer, so I’m sure it impacted Nile or Bernard differently. They were the CEOs of the organization. They had had phenomenal success and began to think about how they could maintain their viability and success as producers, with Chic being one of the things they do. This is conjecture. But you want to shore up a few things for yourself so you go out and do more productions with other people. They had great diversity of style in writing. Nile has spoken and written about how drugs and alcohol fueled his creativity during that period. Hmmm ... I’m not sure. He has his story to tell. I’m not sure it impacted us negatively at all. I certainly didn’t see that. I just saw continual growth. But I was never one to do much partying. I went to Studio 45 one time. We were treated differently and we were in the VIP section. It was that kind of vibe. I’m glad I went, but I was not a regular. What are your memories of the end of Chic? Very surprised and very saddened. I didn’t see it coming. It was more than sad. It was very painful. And impacted far beyond the Chic years. I was sad for so long. I almost didn’t want to do music anymore. What exactly happened? I remember getting a letter. Vividly. What will be forever emblazed on my mind was, “As of this day, your services will no longer be required.” I was hurt and surprised by it. It came from the Chic organization, and it was signed by them. And that was like, OMG. Back then it wasn’t OMG! [Laughs] It was, “What?” It was painful. That’s the only way I can describe it. it blindsided me. [Talking to Rolling Stone in 2013, Rodgers recalled, about working on his memoir, “When I was interviewing people for the book, they’d tell me that: ‘I’ll never forget that day when Chic disbanded.’ Because it was just, like, a phone call: ‘Oh, guys, by the way, we’re done.’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘We don’t exist anymore.’ We were talking to the people ... because we had everybody on salary. They all worked for us.”] Did you sense any strain between Nile and Bernard at the time? Yes, I did. There was tension between them. I never thought they wouldn’t be able to work it out. But they were not as forthcoming as they’d been before, so I wasn’t sure what the tensions were. Luther and I both noticed a strain and tension between them. but never thought it would [impact the band]. You weren’t part of the Chic reunion in the early Nineties. What happened? I didn’t know it was happening. I was never contacted and I never auditioned. So, bullet no. 2! [Laughs] But the group now [2013] is absolutely incredible and awesome. I have no issues. Looking back, what was Chic’s legacy? We were the first group that had diversity play out in a very real way in terms our fan base and the people who came to our concerts. We knocked down all walls — Black, white, gay, straight, old, young. Everyone was dancing to the groove and singing the songs.Report: Iowa CB Jermari Harris opts out of rest of seasonListed: Here are the five crime cases that shocked Colchester in 2024

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Thiago Messi, the eldest son of the Argentina star, has made his debut in the “Newell’s Cup” tournament in the countryside city of Rosario. The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team, which lost 1-0 on Monday to host Newell’s Old Boys in the traditional under-13 competition. The team also played Tuesday. Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer in the Argentinian club in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of capital Buenos Aires. Thiago's mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play. Lionel Messi did not attend. Thiago, who was substituted in the second half, played with his friend Benjamín Suárez, son of Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez, Messi's teammate and close friend at Barcelona and now at Inter Miami. Messi and Suárez are in Rosario after Inter Miami’s early elimination in the MLS playoffs. On Sunday, they watched a friendly game of Inter Miami's U13 team against Unión at the same sports complex. The youth tournament in Argentina brings together eight teams from North and South America. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Jude Bellingham gives Liverpool ultimate compliment as he addresses Kylian Mbappe's woesNEW YORK – Juan Soto appears on a timetable to decide on where to sign either before or during baseball's winter meetings in Dallas, which run from Dec. 8-12. Soto met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, a person familiar with the negotiations said last week, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details were not announced. Recommended Videos Soto's agent, Scott Boras, asked teams to submit initial offers by Thanksgiving, a second person familiar with the talks said, also on condition of anonymity because it was not announced. Soto is the top player available among this year's free agents . A four-time All-Star, Soto finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks. He has a .285 career average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks over seven major league seasons. Soto turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer from Washington in 2022, prompting the Nationals to trade him to San Diego, which then dealt him to the Yankees last December. Soto then combined with Aaron Judge to lead New York to the World Series, where the Yankees lost to the Dodgers . In his pitch to teams, Boras highlighted that Soto joined Mickey Mantle as the only players with seven RBIs in a World Series at age 21 or younger when he was with Washington, and at 20 became the youngest player with five postseason homers. Soto's .906 postseason OPS through age 25 topped Mantle (.900) and Derek Jeter (.852). How much money will Soto get? Soto is likely to seek a record contract, topping Shohei Ohtani's $700 million, 10-year agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December. That might not mean Soto gets more than $700 million, though. Because Ohtani's deal included $680 million in deferred money payable through 2043, it can be valued by different methods. For instance, Ohtani's contract is valued at $46.1 million per season ($461 million total) under MLB's luxury tax system, which used a 4.43% discount rate. The players' association uses a 5% rate, which puts Ohtani's contract at $43.8 million per year. For MLB's regular payroll calculations, a 10% discount rates values Ohtani's deal at just $28.2 million. Which means if Soto gets even $462 million without deferred payments, there's an argument that his deal is the most valuable in MLB history. By average annual value, pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are tied for second in baseball history at $43.33 million as part of contracts they signed with the New York Mets, deals that expired at the end of the 2024 season. In terms of total value, Ohtani surpassed outfielder Mike Trout’s $426.5 million, 12-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels through 2030. MLB’s longest contract is outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 14-year deal with the San Diego Padres through 2034. How could MLB's luxury tax factor into team's bids on Soto? The Mets, Yankees, Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies all are likely to enter 2025 having paid luxury tax for three straight years, putting them at the highest rate: a 50% surcharge on payroll between $241 million and $261 million, 62% from $261 million to $281 million, 95% from $281 million to $301 million and 110% for each dollar above $301 million. Toronto may have dropped below the initial tax threshold this year, pending final figures next month. If the Blue Jays did fall under, their rates next year would reset to 20%, 32%, 62.5% and 80% for the four thresholds. The winter meetings would be a fitting place for Boras to announce a record deal If Soto reaches or announces an agreement at the winter meetings in Dallas' Hilton Anatole, it would be a familiar location for a big Boras deal. Alex Rodriguez's record $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers was announced in December 2000 at what then was called the Wyndham Anatole Hotel. A-Rod's deal more than doubled MLB's previous high, a $121 million, eight-year contract between pitcher Mike Hampton and Colorado that was announced just two days earlier. “In two days, we’ve doubled a new highest salary,′′ said Sandy Alderson, then an executive vice president in the commissioner’s office. ”I don’t like the exponentiality of that." Rodriguez was 25 at the time of the agreement with Texas, a free agent before entering his likely prime, like Soto. Besides Soto, which free agent hitters are available? Third baseman Alex Bregman, first basemen Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, and outfielders Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernández are among the significant bats available to pursue and likely would interest some of the teams who fail to sign Soto. Bregman and Alonso, like Soto, are represented by Boras. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

BUENOS AIRES (AP) — Thiago Messi, the eldest son of the Argentina star, has made his debut in the “Newell’s Cup” tournament in the countryside city of Rosario. The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team, which lost 1-0 on Monday to host Newell’s Old Boys in the traditional under-13 competition. The team also played Tuesday. Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer in the Argentinian club in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of capital Buenos Aires. Thiago's mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play. Lionel Messi did not attend. Thiago, who was substituted in the second half, played with his friend Benjamín Suárez, son of Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez, Messi's teammate and close friend at Barcelona and now at Inter Miami. Messi and Suárez are in Rosario after Inter Miami’s early elimination in the MLS playoffs. On Sunday, they watched a friendly game of Inter Miami's U13 team against Unión at the same sports complex. The youth tournament in Argentina brings together eight teams from North and South America. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerHearing aids that form a bubble around two people in a crowded room to bring new life and interaction for the hearing impaired. A robot that delivers food to your table after the waitstaff takes the order. AI tutors that instantly customize a student assignment to develop a business plan, whether the interest is in sports, tribal sovereignty, education or geology. A personal AI in my pocket or at my fingertips to converse with me in Spanish or help me summarize a 20 page policy document that I now do not have to review over the weekend. All of this is happening today and made possible through the fast-moving developments in artificial intelligence. The explosion of capabilities will only accelerate. What is a leader’s responsibility to prepare for technological transformation? Imagine, as a leader, you could go back 25 years in time. Only you know everything about how cellphones and the internet have changed the world. How would you prepare your family, community and organization? If you tried to explain the details of all that was to come, you might be labeled a dreamer or a lunatic. A more effective approach would be to create discussion and together envision future possibilities. Of course, we can’t go back in time or know the future, but we can prepare for tomorrow. Whether you are a leader in government or a nonprofit, a regional company or an educational institution, there exists a leadership imperative – an AI leadership imperative. Embracing this imperative begins with a first step of engaging those in your orbit. Ask thoughtful questions about AI that allow others to speak, wonder and ideate without judgment. Discover who is secretly using AI (an AI cyborg), who is wary, and who is curious and wants to learn more. The second step: learn how AI is already impacting your spaces. AI applications are well underway in every field. Knowing what is happening in your industry paves the way for the third step, which is to experiment with AI in small, safe, and relevant ways. For some, experimentation might be how AI can assist with time-consuming calendaring tasks or transcribing notes and conversations, while bigger explorations might involve using AI to examine disparities in health outcomes among different populations. A fourth step a leader can take is to gather a team and imagine different scenarios of how to use AI for good, without naively ignoring the potential for harm. This also might involve a working group that develops principles to guide AI use to assure alignment with organizational values. Action characterizes all the steps. Action means fulfilling our responsibility to upskill students and employees (and leaders) for this new AI world. Inaction means no training, no new learning. Students and employees are then susceptible to deskilling (technology partly automates or simplifies tasks previously done solely by experts) or non-skilling (technology replaces tasks previously done by people, such as ATMs and self-driving vehicles). Action means strategically and responsibly integrating AI into our organizations to improve effectiveness and steward entrusted public or private resources. This may involve forming teams to address AI policy or strategically applying AI in a way that improves processes or service delivery. Inaction means remaining stuck in practices and processes that date back years or even decades while the competition embraces change and progress. Action means fulfilling our obligations to serve families, citizens, students, customers and clients. This takes many forms, from delivering lifesaving solutions to all – machine learning made the 2020 COVID-19 vaccine possible in record time – to supplementing faculty instruction with accessible, effective AI math tutoring for every student. Inaction means accepting disparities between those who have access to the social and cultural benefits that technological advancement offers and those who do not. The AI leadership imperative is upon us. It is critical for Southwest Colorado leaders to begin the AI Journey with steps to action. Let’s take these steps together. Mario Martinez is the provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Fort Lewis College. He has been in leadership positions in public and private institutions of higher education since 2014. Sign up for the AI Institute newsletter bit.ly/AIInstitutenews to keep informed of all things AI at FLC and our region.

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