With so many landmark lawsuits emerging around artificial intelligence, it can be easy to lose sight of the other high-tech cases shaping the world as we know it.

One major suit with important implications just emerged out of Phoenix. The case revolves around a 2023 incident involving a 73-year-old named Trudy Perez and a delivery robot at Arizona State University. The woman — who was working as a parking garage attendant at the time — alleges a delivery robot operated by the company Starship Technologies repeatedly ran into her, throwing her to the ground and clobbering her again while she was down.

Now, the woman is proceeding with a civil suit targeting Starship for liability and negligence, local station KJZZ reported.

As if working outdoors in Phoenix at the age of 73 isn’t rough enough, a police report from the incident notes Perez suffered a four-inch gash on her arm as a result of the beat-down, in addition to back pain and mobility problems. Per KJZZ, she’s now seeking compensatory damages related to medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages caused by the altercation.

The lawsuit further alleges that, like similar automated robots, the experimental Starship unit was being piloted by an off-site employee. Per the filing, this unnamed employee neglected to “exercise control” over the delivery bot throughout the incident, resulting in Perez’s injuries.

Of course, the company is doing everything it can to soften the blow and limit its liability. As KJZZ reports, Starship Technologies has a laundry list of excuses: not only were Perez’s injuries caused by her own negligence, but they were pre-existing as well, the company’s attorneys claim.

With the first court date set for next February, it’ll be some time before the jury reaches a verdict. When they do, they could set some major precedent when it comes to holding companies responsible for mayhem caused by their delivery robots — an increasingly important issue as the gadgets spread to more cities across the US.

More on delivery robots: Large Area of Chicago Bans Delivery Robots After Resident Outcry

The post Startup Sued After Delivery Bot Clobbers 73-Year Old Woman appeared first on Futurism.

What happens when you deploy hundreds of high-tech surveillance cameras against a student population known for their hacking skills? We’re about to find out.

This week, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s student newspaper the Tech reported that the university is about to spend over $3 million installing over 500 AI-integrated surveillance cameras across the school’s campus.

As the paper explains, the cameras will likely be able to collect real-time facial data, as well as more info related to object classification. Basically,that means it’ll be able to automatically identify, catalogue, and track the movement of physical items. That means people, yes, but also personal belongings like backpacks, boxes, vehicles, bags, and more.

While the cameras will surely be hooked into the MIT police department’s already-existing CCTV feed, the footage collected will also be automatically monitored by AI-RGUS, a firm which develops 24/7 surveillance monitoring software, the Tech reports.

As MIT spokesperson Kimberly Allen explained to the Tech, data will be “retained up to 30 days,” though exceptions will be granted.

Defending the cameras, Allen noted they’re “part of regular efforts to promote campus security,” adding that the camera’s audio surveillance features will be disabled, though that’s more a matter of state law than of any kind of principle on MIT’s part.

It’s an alarming move, coming after MIT faculty have warned that campus police are preemptively punishing students for speeches and protests outside of the established disciplinary process.

And as critics pointed out on social media, the $300 million project comes just a month after MIT administrators shuttered two campus libraries and reduced staffing at others, citing a major budget deficit. Though the news was first reported in December of 2025, those libraries were given a closing date of June 2026 — making the timing of the costly new surveillance dragnet highly suspect.

“Look on the bright side,” joked Syracuse University public relations professor Joshua Foust on Bluesky, “at least they also closed down libraries to save money for the AI cameras.”

More on surveillance: Flock Is in Serious Trouble After Massive Backlash

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