OpenAI Data Center Deal in Effingham: Effingham County approved incentives for a proposed OpenAI data center near Rincon, with a reported $20B investment and 1,000 jobs, plus a 15-year 50% property tax abatement—while residents raise concerns about environmental impacts, energy costs, and whether incentives outweigh benefits. Surveillance Cameras Backlash: A bipartisan pushback against license plate readers is intensifying, with critics calling them an unregulated mass-surveillance dragnet and pointing to misuse cases, while police argue the tech is vital for public safety. AI Policy Costs for Georgia Tech: A Georgia Tech researcher estimates a potential U.S. ban on Chinese open-weight AI models could cost U.S. businesses up to $12B annually, based on model-switching price gaps and token usage. Robotaxis Get Federal Green Light: Amazon’s Zoox won NHTSA approval for limited paid robotaxi deployment without steering wheels or pedals, with oversight requirements and crash reporting. Grow-Back Tree Planning Tool: UGA’s Grow Back Project is building an interactive, ZIP-based tree selection site (with Georgia Power and others) to help Augusta-area homeowners replant after Hurricane Helene. Agriculture Watch—Cotton Jassid: Experts report cotton jassid monitoring remains active across the Lower Southeast, with 2026 detections tied to okra and cotton after a quiet winter/spring. Space Science: NASA’s NIAC program awarded $3.2M for 18 early-stage aerospace concepts, including three led by JPL researchers. Planet Atmosphere Clue: Scientists report signs an exoplanet in the habitable zone (LHS 1140b) may have an atmosphere, a potential first for rocky worlds. Georgia Tech & AI Research in the Wild: Emory and Georgia Tech researchers unveiled CapuchinAI, using AI facial recognition to run controlled cognition tests on capuchin monkeys in a forest.