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M o n d ay, au g u s t 17, 2026
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LSU scientists join federal Genesis Mission
La. waits to see how Trump, Congress regulate AI Political pressure mounts over industry concerns
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By PEARL SPURLOCK
Louisiana Light Source, a specialized research site with the highly advanced ‘synchrotron’ particle accelerator machine, is joining the federal science initiative Genesis Mission.
Particle accelerator, nuclear reactor researchers collaborate in artificial intelligence push BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
A colorless industrial building sits off Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge, easy to miss. Cars pass outside while, behind the nondescript walls, a vast network of wires, pipes and computer equipment hums lowly. In a massive ring overlooking and encircling the experiments taking place down below, electrons race just under the speed of light. They shoot out the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. The contraption is called a synchrotron, and it is helping discover how the universe works at the most essential level. “We have light that comes from God, I call it,” LSU physics professor Phillip Sprunger said. The light produced by this particle accelerator is used to study all manner of scientific
“black boxes.” How to detect cancer earlier, how to extract critical materials from U.S. soil — all those leaps in scientific discovery 10 years down the line can first be seen here at LSU’s Louisiana Light Source, Sprunger explained. Now, Sprunger is thinking about how artificial intelligence can hasten and enhance those discoveries. Can it anticipate failures before they happen? Can it devise ideas of its own to stabilize the electron orbit and maximize the amount of light that comes out? Across the country, hundreds of scientists in laboratories and specialized research sites are asking similar questions about how to inject AI into their research. The federal government announced in July it had selected 278 projects and dedicated over
Phillip Sprunger, a professor of physics at LSU and interim director at Louisiana Light Source, stands at ä See SCIENTISTS, page 5A the research site.
During its recent legislative session, Louisiana parked many bipartisan bills regulating artificial intelligence after President Donald Trump’s administration urged states against passing them, arguing that it would be better to have a national regulatory framework. So far, Congress and the president — who also threatened states’ broadband funding to stop them from passing certain AI regulations — have taken a mostly hands-off approach. But as AI causes rising public concern across the political spectrum — and with midterm elections on the horizon — pressure is mounting on Congress to act. Though many politicians on both sides of the aisle say that at least some AI regulations are necessary, the exact nature of the laws Congress may pass remains murky. Top Republican members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation have offered few details on measures they would support, as have major candidates for Louisiana’s two wide-open congressional seats. And many politicians have argued that too many regulations would stifle innovation and hobble the United States in its race against China. “As we see abuses (of AI) we will make sure we address them, but you also don’t want to limit innovation,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, told the press on Aug. 7 after qualifying to run for reelection in November. “One thing government really likes to do a good job of is regulating to the point where they crush innovation, and you’ve seen that in a lot of industry,” he added. “Luckily the technology industry moves so fast that government hasn’t figured out how to regulate it into extermination, and it’s one of the reasons why it’s probably the fastest-growing industry in America, and one of the areas America dominates the world.” How Congress handles AI could influence Louisiana’s legislative session next year, as some state lawmakers, including Republicans and Democrats, have expressed interest in reconsidering some AI regulations if Congress does not step in. Over the past year, AI has grown ever more prevalent in American society, raising questions about how to responsibly use the technology, which impacts everything from healthcare, education
ä See CONGRESS, page 4A
Kushner has rare meeting with Hamas leader in Egypt Talks also set with Netanyahu
BY SAMY MAGDY, JULIA FRANKEL and CARA ANNA Associated Press
CAIRO — U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump‘s son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with the Hamas chief on Sunday in a new diplomatic effort to make progress in the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Kushner will meet on Monday with Israel’s prime minister, who
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is under pressure after rejecting the new 15-point, U.S.-backed road map. The talks aim to salvage the plan for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territory shattered by war. Kushner At stake are the lives of some 2 million people in Gaza and reconstruction of the crowded enclave now largely controlled by Israeli forces, more than
10 months since the ceasefire ended major military operations. A meeting between Kushner, fellow envoy Steve Witkoff and Hamas leaders in Egypt last year helped clinch the ceasefire, whose progress until now had been stalled over the key issue of Hamas’ disarmament. The more than two-hour meeting in Egypt with Hamas’ Khalil al-Hayya was confirmed by a regional official and a Hamas official, both speaking on condition
ä See MEETING, page 5A
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Palestinians remove iron from the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during the war with Hamas to repair and recycle it for construction, building tents or selling it on Sunday in Gaza City. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI
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