The world has entered into 'the wild, wild west' as a result of artificial intelligence

By Scott Benjamin

When Dr. K appeared destined to rewrite Sidd Finch’s pitching records, college students “did it the old-fashioned way.”

“We went to the library to do research to distill and understand information,” says state Sen. Eric Berthel (R-32) of Watertown.

“You didn’t even have the Internet,” he recalled.

Google was a term to express the number of encores that Bruce Springsteen did over his “Born In The USA” tour.

When Berthel arrived at Manhattanville University in 1985 he was “cutting my teeth as a Reagan Republican.”

He got a bachelor’s degree in English Literature with a minor in Religion. Later it was a Master’s of Science in Education from the University of Bridgeport.

His book case now includes Charles Dickens, a Reagan biography and Donald Trump’s “The Art of the Deal.”

Today he is the senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Post University in Waterbury.

He also has taught there as an adjunct English professor.

There are students “using A.I. engines and getting answers,” said Berthel in a phone interview with Patch.com

“Now you can get an answer in 20 seconds,” he explained. “How would the professor know?”

“How do you protect against it?” exclaimed Bethel. “Even with the best software looking for plagiarism or a cheater [you can’t monitor it].”

“You really need advanced A.I. to catch the A.I.,” he remarked.

However, University of Chicago President Paul Alivisatos wrote recently in The Wall Street Journal t hat his campus has developed “a new, AI-adapted core curriculum.”

“Our core curriculum—which students largely complete within their first two years—consists of humanities and social science, as well as the study of mathematics and biological and physical sciences, and the study of civilization and the arts,” he wrote. “ Soon all undergraduates will be required to take a class in writing, without the aid of any machine, and engage in the true struggle. Real writing. Blank page. Tough comments from instructor and peers. The humanities and social-science cores will also exclude technology from the classroom.”

Alivisatos added, “In line with the principle that it is important for students to learn how to think with machines, there is broad internal support for the notion that to be an educated person today and in the future, one must be able to use computational tools and concepts within one’s domain, and to reason critically about how computation, data and algorithms shape what can be known and built. Likely, this will result in a new core curriculum requirement for coursework in computational thinking within the next year.”

“There are plenty of critics who insist there is little or no proper use of AI in the university, since it enables cheating and robs students of the challenge of truly learning,” the university president stated. “There are others who see AI as an integral part of essentially all curricula. The thoughtful approach emerging at UChicago understands this not as an either/or problem, but as one for which the sequence of intellectual and social development should dictate the incorporation of AI after building a strong foundation of human-centered thinking and learning in community.”

Said Berthel, “That is probably one of the best thought-out plans.”

“I’m not a fan of regulating everything,” he commented. “But we don’t know how to properly regulate the use of A.I. “We’re kind of in the wild, wild west right now with A.I. We need to build some parameters for its use.”

Democrat former President Barack Obama went on a bus tour of college campuses in August, 2013 and according to NBC News said that the United States faced a "crisis in terms of college affordability and student debt.”

Today, you would trade your red Chevy Corvette for a 10-speed Schwinn if you could get things back to where they were in 2013.

Berthel agreed, saying that the administrators for the University of Connecticut testify before the Appropriations Committee, which he serves on, get most of their budget request approved and then return six months into the fiscal year asking for more money.

“It happens every year,” he remarked. “Why can’t you present a budget that is accurate? What is your CFO doing? Year after year there are unexpected expenses.”

Berthel, who was initially elected to the General Assembly in 2014 as a state representative, won a special election for the seat in the 32^nd District in 2017. He is now the ranking Republican senator on three committees.

He faces former Bethel First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker, the Democratic nominee, on November 3.

The district hasn’t elected a Democrat since 1891 – the year that they installed electricity in the White House.

There are currently 12 towns – running from Seymour to Bethel.

Berthel asserted in May, as fuel prices escalated during the early stages of Operation Epic Fury in Iran, that the state has enough money to invoke a temporary gas tax holiday as it had in 2022 when inflation was surging

He said it is still needed.

“We are seeing one of the most disgusting acts of political theater going on in Connecticut,” he declared.

Berthel said that Lamont indicated in early spring that he wanted a gas tax holiday.

“We had the rainy-day funds to do it,” Berthel commented. “We were waiting for a bill. There probably would have been limited discussion and it would have easily passed.”

“Then all of the sudden the discussion ended,” he exclaimed.

Berthel said over six months now, with the tax on gasoline at 25 cents a gallon and at 49.9 cents a gallon for diesel, “it is real money.”

“We didn’t do it,” he remarked. “We should have.”

Rob Blanchard, a senior advisor on Lamont’s campaign, wrote in an e-mail statement: "Governor Lamont proposed a gas tax holiday in March and made clear he was ready to collaborate with the legislature to deliver immediate relief. Because only the General Assembly has the authority to enact a tax holiday, lawmakers ultimately prioritized other forms of aid last session, including expanded municipal assistance, rather than advancing the proposal. Unfortunately, the primary drivers of rising fuel costs remain global energy market disruptions caused by federal policies and Trump's war in Iran. Should the legislature choose to provide relief, the responsibility rests with them to act—just as they did in 2022—and to do so responsibly without jeopardizing critical transportation funding."

Regarding a gas tax holiday, in July Lamont told Patch.com, “I’ve also have a special transportation fund. So the candidates that propose a gas tax holiday have to figure out how to pay for it. I can’t do that. I’m a governor. Right now we look and see if there are people in need. But I also have to see if we can pay for our roads and bridges.”

Former Gov. Dannel Malloy (D-Essex) slashed the full-time work force that he had control over by 13.1 percent between 2011 and 2019.

Can the state government make that work force even leaner?

“I’m not sure of that,” Berthel said.

As far as the current work force, Berthel said that the state should have “a benchmark” with the similar jobs in the private sector to determine their compensation.

He said there might even be instances where the salaries of state employees should be increased. He underscored that their work addresses “critical” services that are needed.

Philip K. Howard, the chairman of Common Good – an interest group aimed at simplifying government, wrote in his 2023 book, “Not Accountable,” “that union controls have disempowered elected executives” as they have had to “answer to public employees” who “provide campaign support to friendly officials.”

Berthel commented that the Connecticut state employees have “arguably the best benefit package for state employees in the United States.”

He said that as a state legislator he receives those fringe benefits.

He said the benefit package is “generous and expensive.”

A recent Washington Post editorial stated that the federal government provided $1.2 trillion in assistance to the states in the current budget.

It reported that 29.6 percent of Connecticut’s state budget is funded through federal money.

Could it be effective with less money and fewer federal strings attached?

Berthel said there have been inefficiencies in some of the federal funding that the state receives, such as “people who don’t belong” in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) “collecting taxpayer dollars.”

He said there have been instances where residents haven’t lived in Connecticut for many months, yet they still get SANP benefits.

“They say it is not fraud. How do you know it is not fraud?” commented Berthel. “We never get anywhere.”

Knickerbocker said that federal money to Connecticut is essential.

He stated in an e-mail interview, “Cutting federal subsidies to Connecticut would decimate essential public services. We would expect to see wealthy towns weather it just fine, but less well-off towns would see drastic degradations in many public services.”

“Connecticut’s residents live on the edge as it is,” wrote Knickerbocker. “Any further reductions, when our state is already shouldering the cruel and unnecessary cuts to SNAP, health care, etc. would be disastrous. I would call a race to the bottom of cuts in funding leading to more cuts in services and more inequalities.”

What change in state government in the last 10 years has been most beneficial?

“The bipartisan budget,” said Berthel, referring to the fiscal guard rails that were established in 2017.

He explained that the “fiscal constraints” with spending and volatility caps has helped “pay down billions of dollars in pension debt. We have saved inordinate money in what would have been interest payments on that debt.”

CT Mirror Budget Reporter Keith Phaneuf has said that the pensions for the state employees and for the public-school teachers were structurally underfunded every year from 1939 through 2010.The March 2018 report from the state Commission on Fiscal Stability and Economic Competitiveness pegged it as being only 29.9 percent funded. Typically public pensions need to be at least 80 percent funded to be in the “good” category.

Berthel cautioned that “disregard” for the guard rails would lead to “runaway spending” and "more taxes.”

On another topic, Berthel said he hopes that the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will hold another hearing on the proposed $272 million expansion of the Iroquois natural gas compressor station near Brookfield’s High Meadow Lane.

The senator said that Iroquois should demonstrate that the expansion will “be safe” since the compressor station, which has been in operation for about 16 years, is near a neighborhood and Whisconier Middle School.

Berthel is not only a Reagan Republican – committed to smaller government and less spending - but also a fan of the “Heartbreak Mets,” who have not won a world championship since 1986 – the middle of Reagan’s second term.

His dad still has “a handful of dirt” from Game # 5 at Bill Shea Stadium when the Amazin’ Mets clinched the 1969 World Series. Berthel has a Mets jersey with his name on it.

Andy Green, who succeeded Carlos Mendoza as the Mets manager in June, has just been given a three-year contract.

What makes a good manager or coach in the major sports?

Many of marquee names did little more than occupy the taxi squad as players. Bill Belichick, the Wesleyan graduate who guided the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, never played in the National Football League.

Last November, Berthel had “the amazing opportunity” to sit next to former Jets and Chiefs coach Herm Edwards on an American Airlines flight from Eugene Bradley International in Windsor Locks to Dallas.

They talked for almost four hours. Berthel said he was impressed with Edwards’ humility.

Berthel said when he asked Edwards what the “hardest part of coaching was,” Edwards replied, “A good coach will push every player as hard as they can, maybe pushing beyond their limits, possibly resulting in an insult or embarrassment of the player. A great coach will push each player to their limits, but also understand the capability of each player and never intentionally exceed it.”

They continue to text each other, as Berthel reacts to Edwards’ appearances on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Who would Berthel rather have his picture taken with, Herm Edwards or Mr. Met.

He said he already has had his picture taken with Edwards and should “keep it out in the open.”

He remarked, “Mr. Met would be cool.”

Resources:

Phone interview with Eric Berthel, Patch.com, on Monday, September 21, 2026.

E-mail interview with Eric Berthel, Patch.com, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

https://www.wsj.com/opinion/teach-students-to-think-with-without-and-about-ai-55bcf34b

E-mail statement from Rob Blanchard, Patch.com, on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

E-mail interview with Matt Knickerbocker, Patch.com, on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.

NBC News, August 2013.

Philip K. Howard, “Not Accountable,” Rodin Books, 2023.

https://patch.com/connecticut/brookfield/berthel-insists-connecticut-needs-become-more-affordable