[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":349},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header":3,"footer":26,"footer-cities":54,"content-\u002Fnews\u002Fzuckerberg-rejects-ai-slowdown-uc-merced-and-fresno-county-use-meta-tools":235},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":10,"extension":13,"links":14,"meta":20,"navigation":21,"path":22,"seo":23,"stem":24,"__hash__":25},"header\u002Fheader.md","Central Valley AI",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":9},"minimark",[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":12},"",2,[],"md",[15],{"label":16,"to":17,"icon":19},"News",{"path":18},"\u002Fnews\u002F","mdi-newspaper-variant-outline",{},true,"\u002Fheader",{"title":5,"description":10},"header","ceT4J-WxxOBdbhRC-UD3fo0Npu7vWt2o2B9b_LURPmE",{"id":27,"title":28,"body":29,"copyright":33,"description":10,"developedBy":34,"extension":13,"links":41,"meta":49,"navigation":21,"path":50,"seo":51,"stem":52,"__hash__":53},"footer\u002Ffooter.md","Footer",{"type":7,"value":30,"toc":31},[],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":32},[],"© {year} All rights reserved.",{"label":35,"link":36},"Developed by",{"label":37,"to":38,"target":39,"logo":40},"Kaweah Tech","https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech","_blank","https:\u002F\u002Fassets.kaweah.tech\u002Flogo-black-on-transparent-tight.svg",[42,43,46],{"label":16,"to":18},{"label":44,"to":45},"About","\u002Fabout\u002F",{"label":47,"to":48},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy-policy\u002F",{},"\u002Ffooter",{"description":10},"footer","Ras2AGS8Wuda4aBPrbAbOivaxIsAoDbo9SNCA0w554g",[55,85,123,154,181,208],{"id":56,"title":57,"body":58,"county":77,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":78,"meta":79,"navigation":21,"path":80,"seo":81,"stem":82,"tag":83,"__hash__":84},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield.md","Bakersfield",{"type":7,"value":59,"toc":74},[60,65],[61,62,64],"h2",{"id":63},"ai-in-bakersfield","AI in Bakersfield",[66,67,68,69,73],"p",{},"Bakersfield's AI conversation sits at the intersection of municipal government, the ",[70,71,72],"strong",{},"California State University Bakersfield"," community, and the energy and ag operators that drive Kern County's economy. The city was an early mover on AI-assisted permitting and has been a recurring backdrop for parent- and teacher-led debates about classroom AI use. Articles below follow specific Bakersfield initiatives, public-meeting decisions, and Kern County workforce stories — and how they reflect national AI trends from a regional vantage point.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":75},[76],{"id":63,"depth":11,"text":64},"Kern County","Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County are home to some of the most concrete AI-in-government experiments in the Central Valley, from instant municipal permitting to school-district debates about classroom AI. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is reshaping public services, education, and the energy and agriculture economies that dominate the region.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fbakersfield",{"title":57,"description":10},"cities\u002Fbakersfield","bakersfield","ozFL4HvDA_g7UrRE1mHbKqcS-vDLwbiH9JWVh3rB2Ac",{"id":86,"title":87,"body":88,"county":115,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":116,"meta":117,"navigation":21,"path":118,"seo":119,"stem":120,"tag":121,"__hash__":122},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno.md","Fresno",{"type":7,"value":89,"toc":112},[90,94,109],[61,91,93],{"id":92},"ai-in-fresno","AI in Fresno",[66,95,96,97,100,101,104,105,108],{},"Fresno's AI story spans several distinct ecosystems. ",[70,98,99],{},"Fresno State"," and the ",[70,102,103],{},"California State University"," system anchor a workforce-readiness push, while local ",[70,106,107],{},"Fresno Unified School District"," debates around responsible use have made the city a recurring reference point in California's K-12 AI conversation. The city's economic base in agriculture, healthcare, and public services means most AI adoption stories here are about applied uses rather than model development — a different posture than coastal tech hubs but arguably more consequential for the people living here.",[66,110,111],{},"Use the articles below to follow how AI is showing up in Fresno-area institutions and businesses.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":113},[114],{"id":92,"depth":11,"text":93},"Fresno County","Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley and the regional center for AI adoption across agriculture, healthcare, higher education, and small business. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being applied — and contested — in and around the city of Fresno and Fresno County.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Ffresno",{"title":87,"description":10},"cities\u002Ffresno","fresno","gOL2xk8y9t9OV6PPxP02OjYhZFHC_Cg-VGijh_V93dI",{"id":124,"title":125,"body":126,"county":146,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":147,"meta":148,"navigation":21,"path":149,"seo":150,"stem":151,"tag":152,"__hash__":153},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced.md","Merced",{"type":7,"value":127,"toc":143},[128,132],[61,129,131],{"id":130},"ai-in-merced","AI in Merced",[66,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"Merced is a research-heavy node in the Central Valley AI ecosystem. ",[70,136,137],{},"UC Merced"," faculty appear in national conversations about AI safety, autonomous vehicles, climate modeling, and pediatric health applications, while the ",[70,140,141],{},"Merced Unified School District"," and surrounding county institutions navigate the same K-12 and workforce questions the rest of the Valley faces. The articles below cover both the campus research story and the broader applied uses around the city and county.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":144},[145],{"id":130,"depth":11,"text":131},"Merced County","Merced punches above its weight in AI research, anchored by UC Merced — a leading West Coast hub for AI in agriculture, climate, autonomous systems, and health. Coverage on this page tracks both academic research coming out of the campus and how AI is showing up across Merced's schools, businesses, and county institutions.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmerced",{"title":125,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmerced","merced","pSWWlEzMdcv2_RZrUKdkEHU3bixNboePGdHbSdd1m34",{"id":155,"title":156,"body":157,"county":173,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":174,"meta":175,"navigation":21,"path":176,"seo":177,"stem":178,"tag":179,"__hash__":180},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto.md","Modesto",{"type":7,"value":158,"toc":170},[159,163],[61,160,162],{"id":161},"ai-in-modesto","AI in Modesto",[66,164,165,166,169],{},"Modesto's AI conversation tends to combine ag-tech adoption stories with workforce-readiness questions for the city's small and mid-sized employers. ",[70,167,168],{},"CSU Stanislaus"," and the regional community college network shape the higher-ed angle. Coverage below follows Modesto-area AI announcements and the wider Stanislaus County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":171},[172],{"id":161,"depth":11,"text":162},"Stanislaus County","Modesto and Stanislaus County sit between the Bay Area and the southern Valley, and their AI story reflects that bridging role — from agriculture and food processing to the **California State University Stanislaus** community to small businesses adapting to AI-driven changes in marketing, hiring, and operations.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fmodesto",{"title":156,"description":10},"cities\u002Fmodesto","modesto","l75Dc40MX8wTb4lD088Yx9we4ypuDwmcvE-uEdqqREc",{"id":182,"title":183,"body":184,"county":200,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":201,"meta":202,"navigation":21,"path":203,"seo":204,"stem":205,"tag":206,"__hash__":207},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton.md","Stockton",{"type":7,"value":185,"toc":197},[186,190],[61,187,189],{"id":188},"ai-in-stockton","AI in Stockton",[66,191,192,193,196],{},"Stockton's economic base in logistics, healthcare, and higher education gives the city a different AI profile than the southern Valley. ",[70,194,195],{},"University of the Pacific"," anchors the academic conversation, while San Joaquin County government, hospitals, and warehouse operators are navigating practical adoption questions: cost, training, security, workforce impact. The articles below track Stockton-area AI announcements and the broader San Joaquin County context.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":198},[199],{"id":188,"depth":11,"text":189},"San Joaquin County","Stockton and San Joaquin County sit at the northern edge of the Central Valley, where logistics, healthcare, and the University of the Pacific shape the local AI adoption story. Coverage on this page follows how AI is being put to work — and questioned — across San Joaquin County's institutions, employers, and public services.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fstockton",{"title":183,"description":10},"cities\u002Fstockton","stockton","TYEBK9akp2HbpAFmYY67FeKt7Rs7L8tvtYeQBtgJAHw",{"id":209,"title":210,"body":211,"county":227,"description":10,"extension":13,"intro":228,"meta":229,"navigation":21,"path":230,"seo":231,"stem":232,"tag":233,"__hash__":234},"cities\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia.md","Visalia",{"type":7,"value":212,"toc":224},[213,217],[61,214,216],{"id":215},"ai-in-visalia","AI in Visalia",[66,218,219,220,223],{},"Visalia's AI footprint is grounded in the practical adoption stories that come with a Tulare County economy built around agriculture, food processing, and rural healthcare. ",[70,221,222],{},"College of the Sequoias"," and the surrounding K-12 districts anchor the education conversation. The articles below cover Visalia-area AI developments and the Tulare County context, with a focus on applied uses rather than research or model development.",{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":225},[226],{"id":215,"depth":11,"text":216},"Tulare County","Visalia is the largest city in Tulare County and a center for agriculture, healthcare, and county-government services in the southern Central Valley. Coverage on this page tracks how AI is being adopted across Tulare County's schools, hospitals, ag operations, and small business community.",{},"\u002Fcities\u002Fvisalia",{"title":210,"description":10},"cities\u002Fvisalia","visalia","gN4g7aAl-cqD4FfSTgtTAarltUoKLh8NFlPzCbZngqU",{"id":236,"title":237,"archived":238,"author":239,"body":240,"date":337,"dateModified":337,"description":338,"extension":13,"meta":339,"navigation":21,"path":340,"rawbody":341,"seo":342,"sitemap":343,"stem":344,"tags":345,"__hash__":348},"news\u002Fnews\u002Fzuckerberg-rejects-ai-slowdown-uc-merced-and-fresno-county-use-meta-tools.md","Zuckerberg rejects AI slowdown; UC Merced and Fresno County use Meta tools",false,"CVAI Newsdesk",{"type":7,"value":241,"toc":330},[242,246,250,266,270,273,276,280,283,286,289,293,296,299,302,317,320,324],[243,244,237],"h1",{"id":245},"zuckerberg-rejects-ai-slowdown-uc-merced-and-fresno-county-use-meta-tools",[61,247,249],{"id":248},"key-takeaways","Key Takeaways",[251,252,253,257,260,263],"ol",{},[254,255,256],"li",{},"Mark Zuckerberg said AI labs should handle safety themselves, rejecting a coordinated slowdown proposal.",[254,258,259],{},"UC Merced lists Zoom’s AI Companion as using Meta’s Llama 2 alongside OpenAI and Anthropic.",[254,261,262],{},"Fresno County bought Spanish generative AI for call summaries in 2025, showing local government deployment.",[254,264,265],{},"The slowdown idea came from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and drew support from Sam Altman and Elon Musk.",[61,267,269],{"id":268},"what-zuckerberg-said","What Zuckerberg said",[66,271,272],{},"Mark Zuckerberg drew a line this week. In a social post, the Meta CEO said every AI lab should “move at the pace required to train its models safely,” separating himself from industry peers who want a coordinated slowdown on advanced systems. He added that Meta delayed its Muse AI agent for safety checks, but “We didn’t call for everyone else to do this before we would.”",[66,274,275],{},"The comments followed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s three-step plan that includes companies and governments syncing up to slow development. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Elon Musk voiced support for the idea, which has widened a divide inside the sector over whether voluntary coordination or firm-by-firm responsibility will do more for safety.",[61,277,279],{"id":278},"why-it-matters-in-the-valley","Why it matters in the Valley",[66,281,282],{},"UC Merced’s IT office tells students and staff that Zoom’s AI Companion uses multiple large language models, including Meta’s Llama 2. That means changes in Meta’s posture can ripple into campus tools that ride on top of those models. Point taken.",[66,284,285],{},"Local government is already buying AI too. Fresno County approved up to $446,452 for Spanish-language generative AI to summarize call-center interactions last year, a nuts-and-bolts example of how agencies adopt what big labs release. If major firms had agreed to a cross-company pause, feature rollouts into tools like these could have slowed for everyone who depends on them.",[66,287,288],{},"It was 84 degrees and sunny in Merced on Thursday afternoon.",[61,290,292],{"id":291},"the-split-over-a-slowdown","The split over a slowdown",[66,294,295],{},"Supporters of coordination argue safety work needs time to catch up. Amodei has warned of near-term risks from powerful systems, while the United Nations chief urged companies and countries to avoid a “race to the bottom on AI safety.” The push has met political and industry resistance in the U.S., and now, open skepticism from one of the most influential platform owners.",[66,297,298],{},"Zuckerberg’s stance is clear: focus compute on products that serve people today, not on building systems that teach themselves to get stronger without human checks, a concept known as recursive self-improvement. For Valley readers, that likely means Meta won’t join a coordinated pause that could limit or delay upgrades flowing into classroom and county tools.",[66,300,301],{},"\"We didn’t call for everyone else to do this before we would.\"",[66,303,304],{},[305,306,307,308,310,311,316],"em",{},"Central Valley AI is produced by the ",[70,309,239],{}," team and developed by ",[312,313,37],"a",{"href":38,"rel":314},[315],"nofollow",", a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.",[318,319],"hr",{},[61,321,323],{"id":322},"source","Source",[66,325,326],{},[312,327,328],{"href":328,"rel":329},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com\u002Fnews\u002Ftech-news\u002Fap-zuckerberg-distances-meta-from-calls-for-a-coordinated-approach-on-an-ai-slowdown\u002F",[315],{"title":10,"searchDepth":11,"depth":11,"links":331},[332,333,334,335,336],{"id":248,"depth":11,"text":249},{"id":268,"depth":11,"text":269},{"id":278,"depth":11,"text":279},{"id":291,"depth":11,"text":292},{"id":322,"depth":11,"text":323},"2026-09-17","Meta’s CEO pushed back on calls for a coordinated AI slowdown, saying labs should police themselves. Valley campuses and county services already run tools built on Meta models.",{},"\u002Fnews\u002Fzuckerberg-rejects-ai-slowdown-uc-merced-and-fresno-county-use-meta-tools","---\nauthor: CVAI Newsdesk\ndate: '2026-09-17'\ndateModified: '2026-09-17'\ndescription: Meta’s CEO pushed back on calls for a coordinated AI slowdown, saying\n  labs should police themselves. Valley campuses and county services already run tools\n  built on Meta models.\ntags:\n- policy\n- fresno\n- technology\ntitle: Zuckerberg rejects AI slowdown; UC Merced and Fresno County use Meta tools\n---\n\n# Zuckerberg rejects AI slowdown; UC Merced and Fresno County use Meta tools\n\n## Key Takeaways\n\n1. Mark Zuckerberg said AI labs should handle safety themselves, rejecting a coordinated slowdown proposal.\n2. UC Merced lists Zoom’s AI Companion as using Meta’s Llama 2 alongside OpenAI and Anthropic.\n3. Fresno County bought Spanish generative AI for call summaries in 2025, showing local government deployment.\n4. The slowdown idea came from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and drew support from Sam Altman and Elon Musk.\n\n## What Zuckerberg said\n\nMark Zuckerberg drew a line this week. In a social post, the Meta CEO said every AI lab should “move at the pace required to train its models safely,” separating himself from industry peers who want a coordinated slowdown on advanced systems. He added that Meta delayed its Muse AI agent for safety checks, but “We didn’t call for everyone else to do this before we would.”\n\nThe comments followed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s three-step plan that includes companies and governments syncing up to slow development. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Elon Musk voiced support for the idea, which has widened a divide inside the sector over whether voluntary coordination or firm-by-firm responsibility will do more for safety.\n\n## Why it matters in the Valley\n\nUC Merced’s IT office tells students and staff that Zoom’s AI Companion uses multiple large language models, including Meta’s Llama 2. That means changes in Meta’s posture can ripple into campus tools that ride on top of those models. Point taken.\n\nLocal government is already buying AI too. Fresno County approved up to $446,452 for Spanish-language generative AI to summarize call-center interactions last year, a nuts-and-bolts example of how agencies adopt what big labs release. If major firms had agreed to a cross-company pause, feature rollouts into tools like these could have slowed for everyone who depends on them.\n\nIt was 84 degrees and sunny in Merced on Thursday afternoon. \n\n## The split over a slowdown\n\nSupporters of coordination argue safety work needs time to catch up. Amodei has warned of near-term risks from powerful systems, while the United Nations chief urged companies and countries to avoid a “race to the bottom on AI safety.” The push has met political and industry resistance in the U.S., and now, open skepticism from one of the most influential platform owners.\n\nZuckerberg’s stance is clear: focus compute on products that serve people today, not on building systems that teach themselves to get stronger without human checks, a concept known as recursive self-improvement. For Valley readers, that likely means Meta won’t join a coordinated pause that could limit or delay upgrades flowing into classroom and county tools.\n\n\"We didn’t call for everyone else to do this before we would.\"\n\n*Central Valley AI is produced by the **CVAI Newsdesk** team and developed by [Kaweah Tech](https:\u002F\u002Fkaweah.tech), a regional firm that builds, deploys, and integrates AI solutions for businesses across California's Central Valley.*\n\n---\n\n## Source\n\nhttps:\u002F\u002Fwww.yourcentralvalley.com\u002Fnews\u002Ftech-news\u002Fap-zuckerberg-distances-meta-from-calls-for-a-coordinated-approach-on-an-ai-slowdown\u002F\n",{"title":237,"description":338},{"loc":340},"news\u002Fzuckerberg-rejects-ai-slowdown-uc-merced-and-fresno-county-use-meta-tools",[346,121,347],"policy","technology","AtGt_johEDSKt1yxLNnDHNqDkcsgS2m9owUuo_C6h2g",1789605165401]