AGP Executive Report

Biometric Privacy: Chicago residents are suing delivery-robot companies, alleging the machines scanned customers’ faces and collected biometric data without permission. Cancer Research: A University of Chicago clinical trial is testing whether AI can help personalize breast cancer treatment. Clean-Energy Research: Fermilab and partners are developing retrofit strategies for aging buildings, while Fermilab Village is being used as a real-world test site for energy upgrades. Agricultural Technology: Bayer is developing Vyconic soybeans, designed to tolerate five herbicides, with commercial availability projected for 2028. Industrial Research: A $17 million investment will expand the National Corn-to-Ethanol Research Center’s research capacity in Illinois.

State AI: Illinois has a new chief AI officer with federal and state experience, as the state shapes its approach to artificial intelligence. Privacy & Robotics: Chicago residents are suing delivery-robot companies, alleging the machines scanned customers’ faces and collected biometric data without permission. STEM Pipeline: Wayne County 4-H STEM Day introduced 181 fifth-graders to engineering careers, manufacturing and online safety. Community Solar: A new Kendall County solar farm is expected to generate over 8 million kilowatt-hours a year and provide bill savings to 90 local households and businesses. Space Science: University of Chicago scientists are among researchers searching for dark matter, the unseen substance thought to make up about 85% of the universe’s matter. Research & Sustainability: Northern Illinois University has broken ground on a $21 million sustainability research center focused on agricultural innovation and community needs.

Robotics & Privacy: Chicago residents are suing delivery-robot companies, alleging the devices scanned customers’ faces and collected biometric data. The cases put privacy safeguards in focus as the technology spreads. State AI Policy: Illinois has rehired its former chief data officer as the state’s chief AI officer, bringing federal and state experience to the role. Water Treatment: Normal approved $90,000 to address ammonia in its water, as a pilot program tests ways to reduce levels. Energy Transition: A University of Illinois study finds the state’s Displaced Energy Workers Bill of Rights leaves gaps: limited enforcement can leave nonunion workers with less support when coal operations close. Sustainability Research: NIU has broken ground on a $21 million center focused on community sustainability.

Robot Privacy: Two Chicago customers have sued delivery-robot makers Coco Robotics and Serve Robotics, alleging their machines scanned faces and hands without consent. Both companies deny the claims, which test how Illinois’ biometric privacy law applies to cameras and sensors on city streets. State AI: Illinois has appointed Tamara Roust as its chief AI officer to guide statewide use of AI, bringing experience in government data, cybersecurity and AI policy. Quantum Research: Researchers in Illinois demonstrated a quantum memory chip that stores 20 photons for more than a microsecond on a commercial telecom platform, a step toward practical quantum communications. Sustainability: NIU and IDOT announced a $40 million partnership to reduce the environmental impact of state roads, while NIU also broke ground on a $21 million sustainability research center. Public Safety Technology: Chicago plans to pilot new gunshot-detection systems in six police districts, with the mayor saying the city will assess safety and civil-rights impacts before making long-term commitments.

Health Research: A study led by Carle Illinois College of Medicine and the University of Illinois found adults taking certain older seizure drugs had 51% higher odds of osteoporosis or osteopenia. Only about one in five had vitamin D supplementation recorded; patients should consult their doctors before changing medication. Wildlife Protection: Federal changes to endangered-species rules could put 24 endangered and 12 threatened Illinois species at greater risk by weakening habitat protections. State Technology: Illinois has rehired its former chief data officer as chief AI officer, adding a dedicated role for state government’s AI work. Cleaner Roads: NIU and IDOT announced a $40 million partnership to reduce the environmental impact of state roads. Energy Storage: Illinois is weighing new battery incentives to help meet its grid-storage needs.

AI Leadership: Illinois has rehired its former chief data officer as the state’s chief AI officer, putting artificial intelligence at the center of its technology agenda. Transportation Research: NIU and IDOT announced a $40 million partnership to reduce the environmental impact of state roads. Energy Innovation: New Illinois tax-credit rules could nearly erase the $3 million cost of a commercial battery system, as the state looks to expand energy storage. Privacy and Surveillance: Oak Brook police say Flock license-plate cameras helped identify a suspect after a deadly mall shooting, while Chicago-area concerns grow over who can access the data. Urban Wildlife: Volunteers collected more than 1,000 birds injured or killed in Chicago building collisions during peak migration, with recovered birds aiding Field Museum research. Quantum Education: A new look at the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park highlights efforts to draw students into quantum technology.

EV Batteries: Rivian and Redwood Materials are expanding their partnership at Rivian’s Normal plant, adding recycling of manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries to plans for stationary storage using repurposed packs. Chicago Pest Control: A yearlong Wicker Park-Bucktown pilot reported an 88% drop in rat activity intensity after using birth-control bait; 311 rodent calls fell 36% in the area as citywide calls rose. AI Research: Researchers from UIUC and partners proposed AI agents that switch between internal reasoning and text. Their paper reports faster, lower-cost performance across 11 tests. Privacy: Lawsuits accuse Chicago delivery-robot companies of collecting biometric data without consent, while use of Flock camera data raises concerns about access by federal agencies. Winter Outlook: El Niño is delaying fall color and points to a greater chance of above-average temperatures across the Great Lakes region this winter, Illinois’ state climatologist says.

Election Technology: Cook County is expanding early voting at 56 suburban sites and rolling out ballot tracking that gives voters detailed updates, including postal-service scans, on mail ballots. Quantum Research: An Illinois quantum-memory chip reportedly stored 20 photons for more than a microsecond using a commercial telecom platform, a step toward practical quantum networking. Privacy and Robotics: Chicago delivery-robot companies face lawsuits alleging their machines collected customers’ biometric data without consent, raising questions about how street-level automation handles personal information. Clean Energy: Rivian and Redwood Materials are expanding their partnership to reuse EV batteries across their lifecycle, while a $20 million solar energy center has been completed in northwest Peoria.

AI & Materials: Researchers are using AI to give scientists a clearer view of materials, a promising approach to speeding discovery. Clean Energy: Stacked tax credits could sharply reduce the cost of a commercial battery project in Illinois, while a new $20 million solar energy center is complete in northwest Peoria. Quantum Research: An Illinois quantum-memory chip stored 20 photons for more than a microsecond on a commercial telecom platform, a step toward practical quantum networks. Agriculture Tech: SIU researchers built a robot that uses AI to spot soybean disease before symptoms appear, potentially helping farmers act sooner. Privacy & Transit: Chicago delivery-robot companies face lawsuits alleging they scanned people’s faces and collected biometric data; meanwhile, a battery-powered train has debuted in the city.

Research Computing: Argonne and University of Chicago researchers developed methods that cut the impact of failures in X-ray image-analysis workflows by up to 500 times, with under 3% added processing overhead. Clean-Tech Investment: NIU broke ground on a $21.5 million sustainability center, while Metra unveiled zero-emission battery trainsets for Chicago-area service. Tech and Privacy: Two Cook County lawsuits accuse delivery-robot companies of scanning people’s faces and collecting biometric data. Quantum Research: An Illinois team demonstrated a memory chip that stores 20 photons for more than a microsecond on a commercial telecom platform. Farm Innovation: SIU researchers built a robot and AI system to detect soybean disease before visible symptoms appear. Battery Innovation: Rivian and Redwood Materials expanded their partnership to cover more of an EV battery’s lifecycle.

Biometric Privacy: Two Cook County lawsuits accuse Chicago delivery-robot companies of scanning people’s faces and collecting biometric data without consent. Clean Energy: A $20 million solar center with nearly 5,000 panels and battery storage is now operating in Peoria, while green banks say they’re continuing to finance clean-energy projects despite federal funding cuts. Research and Innovation: NIU broke ground on a $21.5 million sustainability center; SIU researchers are pairing robotics and AI to spot soybean disease before symptoms appear. UIC also received more than $150 million in state support for a new cancer research pavilion. Data Center Debate: A new parents’ guide urges families to ask developers about water, electricity use and local benefits as AI-driven data center proposals face growing scrutiny.

Biometric Privacy: Two Cook County lawsuits accuse delivery-robot companies Coco and Serve of scanning customers’ faces and hands without consent; both companies deny the claims. Clean Transit: Metra has shared its first look at zero-emission trainsets, part of a wider push to modernize regional rail. Research & Sustainability: NIU has broken ground on a $21.5 million sustainability center, while SIU researchers are developing AI to detect soybean diseases before symptoms appear. Cancer Research: UIC’s planned drug discovery and cancer research pavilion has drawn more than $150 million in state funding.

Health Research: Rush University and Endeavor Health plan to merge, with Endeavor committing $1 billion to research, academic programs, community impact and care; the deal awaits regulatory approval. Quantum Technology: An Illinois quantum memory chip stored 20 photons for more than a microsecond using a commercial telecom platform, a step toward practical quantum networks. Cancer Science: More than $150 million in state funding will support a new UIC cancer research pavilion. Agriculture & Environment: Illinois State researchers reported a pennycress breakthrough in Nature Plants, while NIU and IDOT announced a $40 million research effort to protect natural resources during road construction. Battery Innovation: Rivian and Redwood Materials expanded their partnership to reuse and recycle EV batteries across their lifecycle.

Chicago Tech & Privacy: Two Cook County class-action suits accuse delivery-robot companies Coco and Serve of scanning faces and hands without consent to train AI and share data. Both companies deny the allegations; the suits claim violations of Illinois’ biometric privacy law. Environmental Research: NIU will receive up to $40 million through 2035 to assess how northern Illinois road projects could affect wetlands, wildlife, plants and communities under a new partnership with IDOT. Great Lakes Health: A new study found that water reacting with several common plastics produced particles that damaged red blood cells and proteins in lab tests. Researchers say the findings could matter for Chicago-area residents who rely on Great Lakes drinking water, though the health effects remain uncertain. Quantum Research: An Illinois-developed quantum memory chip reportedly stored 20 photons for longer than a microsecond on a commercial telecom platform, a step toward using existing communications infrastructure for quantum technologies.

AI’s Midwest Footprint: Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee says the AI buildout is competing with other industries for electricians, components, land and construction capacity, driving up costs for regional businesses. Quantum Research: Illinois researchers reported a quantum memory chip that stored 20 photons for more than a microsecond on a commercial telecom platform. Campus Investment: Northern Illinois University plans a $21.5 million Center for Community Sustainability, while SIU’s technology expo will spotlight data centers, AI and research partnerships. Agricultural Tech: SIU researchers are developing a robot and AI system to detect soybean diseases before symptoms appear. Space Science: UChicago’s space program is taking stratospheric research to new heights with NASA.

Quantum Computing: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers built a chip that stored 20 photons for up to 1.2 microseconds, preserving their quantum properties on a platform designed for commercial telecom manufacturing. Bionic Arms: Northwestern surgeons implanted a titanium bone fixture and electrodes on a Chicago-area patient in a trial of a prosthetic arm designed to combine stable attachment with movement control and sensory feedback. AI & Agriculture: Southern Illinois University researchers are building a robot and AI system to detect soybean diseases before symptoms appear, potentially helping farmers act earlier. Chicago Transit: A battery-powered commuter train has debuted in Chicago, a step toward cleaner rail service. AI & Privacy: SpaceXAI is facing two Illinois lawsuits over Grok’s facial-analysis technology, bringing scrutiny to how AI tools handle people’s images.