The Lone Star State is making a case for being the next hub for tech jobs.
Texas is adding tech jobs faster than any other state, according to Dice.com. The website, which lists job openings in the tech and engineering fields, recently released a report of the 10 fastest-growing states for technology jobs.
In the first half of 2014, Texas added 8,100 tech jobs (nearly a six percent increase), creating a total of 143,300 tech positions across the state. With such impressive growth, Texas has the second largest technology workforce, falling only behind California, which still leads the nation in tech jobs but did not make the list.
Dice notes that Texas employers are looking to the “future” of tech jobs. In Austin, Dallas and Houston, most job openings are for mobile applications, big data, and software developers. Openings in these fields contributed to Texas' impressive jump from last year’s No. 4 ranking.
So why the sudden — and somewhat surprising — growth of Texas' tech sector? "We think what’s happening is every company is becoming a tech company," a Dice spokesperson told Forbes. "Companies across the U.S. are relying more on technology, and in turn, smaller cities are now these unexpected tech hubs."
Other unexpected states on the list included No. 2, Florida; No. 3, North Carolina; and No. 4, Oregon. Washington, the home of Amazon, ranked No. 5.
To help ensure his career is “alright, alright, alright” in the AI era, Oscar-winning movie star Matthew McConaughey has trademarked two of his greatest assets: his face and voice.
Last year, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued eight trademarks designed to prevent AI users from mimicking McConaughey’s likeness or voice without authorization. Applications for the trademarks, known as “motion marks” and “sound marks,” include:
A 7-second video of him seated near a fireplace and Christmas tree in his living room.
A 7-second video of him standing on a porch
A brief audio clip of him saying, “Just keep livin’, right?” J.K. Livin Brands, which owns McConaughey’s Just Keep Livin apparel business, controls the trademarks.
A brief audio clip of him uttering his iconic “Alright, alright, alright” catchphrase from the 1993 cult classic film Dazed and Confused.
“My team and I want to know that when my voice or likeness is ever used, it’s because I approved and signed off on it,” McConaughey, a Uvalde native and longtime Austin resident, told The Wall Street Journal. “We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.”
As AI continues to infiltrate the entertainment business, McConaughey and other Hollywood A-listers are pursuing trademarks to stop AI-driven misuse of their faces and voices. However, everyday actors with limited resources may be unable to afford going through the trademark process and defending a trademark violation.
“Some actors fear a possible future in which studios will pressure them to sign away their likeness,” Scientific American reported in 2023, “and their digital double will take work away from them.”
The Wall Street Journal notes that various actors and singers have grappled with AI-created fake videos, audio, and images on the internet, including Tom Hanks and Taylor Swift. A study released in 2024 by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers predicted AI-generated content could cause music creators to lose 24 percent of their revenue by 2028, and could lead to screenwriters and directors losing 15-20 percent of their revenue.
The threat of AI stealing work from actors became a sticking point in 2023 negotiations between entertainment studios and striking members of SAG-AFTRA, a labor union representing performers, recording artists, and broadcasters.
Kevin Yorn, founder and managing partner of Southern California law firm Yorn Levine, which handled the trademark applications for McConaughey, says that while the actor and his attorneys support the evolution of AI, legal boundaries must be put in place.
“Protecting individual voice, image, and intellectual property is essential to building a future that works for everyone,” Yorn says in a statement provided to CultureMap. “Along with Matthew, we are forward-looking, engaged in the possibilities of AI, and thoughtful about how everyone’s creative identity is represented and protected.”
