Arizona air quality concerns; cybersecurity in the era of AI and more

On this episode of “Arizona Horizon,” JoAnna Strother, Senior Director of Advocacy at American Lung Association, discussed findings from the organization’s latest State of the Air report. In past years, it has shown that more than 80% of people in Arizona live in a county with at least one failing score. Bad air leads to health complications for many people. Maricopa County consistently performs poorly, and again this year, Arizona’s report card was not good.

Also in this episode, Nadya Bliss, Executive Director for the Advanced Capabilities for National Security Institute at Arizona State University, discussed cybersecurity in the era of AI. Late in 2025, state-sponsored Chinese hackers used artificial intelligence technology in an effort to infiltrate the computer systems of roughly 30 companies and government agencies worldwide, according to Anthropic, an American artificial intelligence safety and research company.

Finally, we heard from Steve Alfonsi, Board President of the the Arizona In Home Care Association, about the push for accountability in the state’s home care industry. Arizona’s senior population is growing faster than any other state in the country, yet Arizona has no licensing requirement for home care agencies. This means anyone can open an agency with no state oversight, required background checks or recourse if something were to occur.