By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning!
Max McCoy/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Does Claude dream of electric gavels? A federal case with Kansas connections sets an AI precedent.
By Max McCoy
Brad Heppner is guilty.
That’s what a New York City jury decided recently. But the legacy of Heppner’s federal case is likely not to be his conviction, but the judge’s landmark opinion that AI legal advice isn’t privileged like attorney-client communication.
I had hoped never to write about Heppner again because his story is downright grubby. It’s the kind of cautionary tale that future generations of Kansans will read (if Kansas and history books survive) and chuckle about the gullibility of those poor dumb and greedy yokels in the 2020s.
But columnists should never say never again, and Heppner has boomeranged back to my attention because of the judge’s opinion, which involves an AI agent named Claude that was trained in part with some of my pirated books.
Oh, for the love of Gutenberg.
Getty Images
Unpacking the fight over telehealth access to abortion medication
Advocates and opponents of abortion access say they’re wondering what happens next in a critical telehealth medication case that created chaos and confusion over the past week after an appeals court blocked nationwide access to the drug and, days later, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued a temporary stay.
Alito’s stay preserves telehealth access until May 11. But it’s unclear what happens next for patients and providers.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
7 p.m. May 11, Books & Brews, Riverbank Brewing in Council Grove. Hosts: Flint Hills Books and Riverbank Brewing.
6:30 p.m. June 12, Kansas Museum of History in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone will join a panel discussion: "From the Desk of William Allen White: What Can Journalism Today Learn from the Sage of Emporia?"
5:30 p.m. June 16, Bradbury Alumni Center at Washburn University in Topeka. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
6 p.m. June 24, Groover Labs in Wichita. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
6 p.m. June 25, Clint Bowyer Community Building in Emporia. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
7 p.m. June 27, Park City Senior Center. Host: Park City Community Pride.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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