A clear-eyed guide to how AI could impact Hastings, Minnesota—our residents, small businesses, schools, and City Hall. From mental health and misinformation to jobs, privacy, and public safety, we map the local risks and offer practical antidotes: policy steps for the City of Hastings and Dakota County, digital hygiene for families, playbooks for Main Street, and ethical tech design. If you care about Rivertown Days, the Mississippi River community, and the future of work in 55033, this is your roadmap to keeping Hastings human-centered in the age of algorithms.

Discover why small-town businesses must shift from buying ads to becoming trusted “sources” of community stories—and how HastingsNow’s six new tiers (from free listings to AI avatars) make it simple, affordable, and profitable in an AI-driven world.

Hastings’ business landscape is bracing for an AI tidal wave—yet the deeper story hides in our own bioelectric wiring. This guide unpacks 2025’s most explosive AI milestones, explains the “electric code” that makes cells self‑organize, and distills practical lessons on strategy, innovation, and stress resilience for River Town entrepreneurs.