By CTO, Glen Brackmann Jr. and CEO, Mitch Mitchem of HIVE

Raise your hand if you took a shower today. Keep it up if you streamed Netflix this week. Now keep it up if you drove somewhere you could have walked. Finally, keep it up if you've complained about AI's energy consumption.

Congratulations—you just identified the real environmental problem, and it's not artificial intelligence.

We are increasingly frustrated by the intellectual dishonesty surrounding AI's environmental impact. This isn't about defending Big Tech or dismissing environmental concerns. It's about exposing how the loudest voices criticizing AI's energy use are often the biggest wasters of resources themselves.

The data we’ll present in this article reveals a troubling pattern: while AI systems become more efficient every day, saving both human time and planetary resources, the people attacking them continue wasteful habits that dwarf AI's environmental impact by orders of magnitude. This selective outrage isn't just hypocritical—it's actively harmful to genuine environmental progress.

We're witnessing a coordinated attack on one of our most powerful tools for resource efficiency, led by people whose daily habits generate more carbon emissions than most people's annual AI usage. It's time to call this what it is: environmental theater designed to distract from real waste.

When Colorado passed Senate Bill 24-205, the "Consumer Protections for Artificial Intelligence" law, it was presented as a groundbreaking effort to protect consumers from potential harms of artificial intelligence. As a technology consultant who has worked with businesses of all sizes across Colorado for over fifteen years, I feel compelled to speak out about the troubling reality behind this legislation.

This article isn't just about opposing regulation for political reasons. It's about exposing how this bill will harm the very communities its supporters claim to protect – small businesses, entrepreneurs from underrepresented backgrounds, and everyday Coloradans seeking economic opportunity. The evidence, which I'll document thoroughly throughout this article, reveals a pattern of regulatory overreach that threatens to crush innovation while failing to meaningfully improve consumer protection.

Colorado has long been a beacon for technological innovation and entrepreneurship. From Boulder's thriving startup ecosystem to Denver's growing tech corridor, our state has fostered an environment where businesses of all sizes can innovate and grow. SB 24-205 threatens to undermine this ecosystem by imposing burdensome compliance requirements that disproportionately impact smaller players while benefiting large corporations with extensive legal and technical resources.

As a father of four children, this bill sends a chilling message: my kids have no future in Colorado. If we allow this legislation to pass in its current form, we're telling the next generation of innovators, builders, and creators that they need to look elsewhere to pursue their dreams."

As I said to the Governor of Colorado on the Ross Kaminsky show, "If someone walked into an office tomorrow and said, 'hey, just wanted you to know... I'm not going to use the Internet today. I just don't feel comfortable with the Internet... And by the way, I rode a horse to work because I don't feel comfortable with cars.' The entire office would look like that person is kind of off kilter a little bit, right?"

Yet Colorado Senate Bill 24-205—titled the "Colorado Artificial Intelligence Act"—would effectively position our entire state as that person refusing to use the internet while riding a horse to work.

By Mitch Mitchem, CEO of HIVE Interactive

In a landmark move that's reverberating across the global technology landscape, the United Arab Emirates has partnered with OpenAI to provide ChatGPT Plus subscriptions to its entire population. This isn't just another tech announcement—it's a declaration of national intent. With this single strategic decision, the Emirates has transformed AI from a luxury tool into essential public infrastructure, available to every citizen regardless of economic status.

This shift is being reinforced by the construction of the massive 1GW Stargate AI data center, with 200MW expected to come online by 2026. The UAE isn't just talking about AI readiness—they're building a national intelligence backbone designed to empower every citizen with cutting-edge tools for learning, productivity, and creativity.

Meanwhile, China has embedded AI education into its national curriculum, starting with children as young as six. Their Ministry of Education has issued comprehensive guidelines creating a tiered, progressive AI education framework. Their objective is crystal clear: mass AI literacy and innovation readiness for an entire generation.

“While you were busy locked in a digital shouting match over everything from tariffs to politics and throwing tantrums over this and that online, the real shift has already happened. AI didn’t knock. It walked in and rewrote the rules. And you missed it.”

But in this article, I'm going to help you catch up with real talk, facts, and tools.”

I'll cut to the hard truth you may not be ready to face: We waste time on the superfluous at such a level that we can't engage with each other for joy, productivity, or even decent debate. The world is noisier than ever. According to recent studies, the average person checks their phone over 96 times a day and spends more than 7 hours staring at screens, most of it consuming content designed to distract or divide. Outrage is a bizarre currency that buys nothing but regret and wasted time. Social feeds have become battlegrounds of opinions, identity crises, and endless distractions. And while most people were busy fighting over headlines, algorithms were learning, AI tools were evolving, and the future quietly arrived. And my job, our job at HIVE, is to catch you up and prepare you for what's next.

AI has become the hottest buzzword in tourism, with countless platforms touting data lakes, AI chatbots, and SEO optimization as the keys to future success. But here’s the truth no one’s talking about: When AI does what it’s best at, humans get to do what they’re built for, leading, connecting, and creating. And when misused, it can actually push destinations further away from what travelers crave, authentic human connection and the telling of unique stories in their cities.

Recently, I read an article from Matador Network's GuideGeek AI that highlights what tourism CEOs want from AI. While it hits on important questions, data usage, SEO, and staff buy-in, it falls into the same trap I see everywhere: a novice approach that prioritizes tech over strategy, tools over transformation. At HIVE we have witnessed the transformative power of teaching how to leverage these tools to truly help any business, like with our clients at Microsoft, or the Colorado Rockies, to build smart AI strategies that get them to a new level of over 200% efficiency and a total clarity on how to use proven tools we have advanced access to for maximum output. We have witnessed this over 28,000 participants and over 84,000 hours of educating humans just like you.

The Quiet Rebellion: Why Gen Z Is Redefining Technology’s Role in Our Lives

The world is buzzing with talk of AI revolutions, virtual reality, and the latest social media trends. Yet, amid the noise, there’s a quiet but powerful rebellion brewing, one that most people aren’t ready for. And if you’re overlooking Gen Z, you’re already behind.

As the CEO of HIVE Interactive and the father of four, three of whom are Gen Z, I’ve witnessed this shift firsthand. While industries scramble to push the next big tech innovation, Gen Z is taking a different path — one that’s not about rejecting technology, but about redefining its role. And this shift is bigger than we think.

In less than 24 months, over 28,000 people have been taught by our team on how to leverage the tools of AI. That's over 84,000 hours of HIVE helping people leverage AI the right way.In other words, read on because we know what the hell we're doing.(Watch the video to hear from me directly.)

Lately, as I’ve been traveling all over the US from Florida to Vegas and everywhere in between, experiencing the relentless pace of our modern world, one thing has become crystal clear: the debate over artificial intelligence is less about being left behind and more about embracing the tools that empower us today. I believe, in a sea of flashy new products, as well as overplayed terms like, #Agentic AI and overhyped #AI #agents, the right message is bold and straightforward: stop chasing the latest shiny tool and master the one that works for YOU! 

Let’s cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters for anyone, from the working professional to the aspiring entrepreneur and even the next generation of tech-savvy kids. Remember, the AI tech changes are more like the dawn of the internet and will be everywhere, but just like the 90's you need to find the tools that work for you, use them to be more productive or fulfilled, and then go live your life. The FOMO is only for tech bros trying to justify their bloated valuations and hungry VC demands. Don't bite the hook. AI is far more simple to use and master than you think. Let me break it all down.

Four Steps to Achieve Lasting Behavior Change with Soft Skills and AI Augmentation

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s tempting to believe that a single post on social media, or a quick training session, can inspire real, lasting behavior change. But if you’ve ever scrolled past a motivational quote without a second thought, you know that lasting transformation takes more than fleeting inspiration.

This misconception has seeped into corporate training programs, leading many companies to invest time, money, and energy into initiatives that ultimately fail to create lasting impact. The result? No real behavior change—and a waste of valuable resources.

as experts in learning, behavior change and enablement, we believe in a different approach, one that merges human connection with modern tools to enhance learning, create emotional engagement, and drive sustainable results. Here are four steps that ensure real, lasting behavior change in every program.