Category: Business

Apple plays it safe on AI despite Wall Street pressure Apple on Monday remained on its cautious path to embracing generative AI even as rivals race ahead with the technology and Wall Street expresses doubts over its strategy. Go to techxplore

AI tool can boost efficient working practice in less-skilled taxi drivers The news is awash with stories about AI and the effects it can have on society—some news sites even have a dedicated tab for such stories. Though subjects vary, many stories raise the alarm about some potential negative impact or another. But researchers, including…

Europe’s industrial policy worsens the crises it claims to solve, say researchers The European Union’s industrial strategy, centered on Single Market Resilience, Strategic Autonomy, and Competitive Sustainability, is riddled with contradictions that risk exacerbating the very crises it seeks to address. Go to techxplore

Urgent policy actions needed to address real AI threats, scientist reveals International regulation of tech giants, intellectual property reform, and preparation for workforce disruption must be prioritized by policymakers as artificial intelligence transforms society. Go to techxplore

Apple under pressure to shine after AI stumble Pressure is on Apple to show it hasn’t lost its magic despite broken promises to ramp up iPhones with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as rivals race ahead with the technology. Go to techxplore

Novel analytics framework measures empathy of people captured in video recordings Empathy, the ability to understand what others are feeling and emotionally connect with their experiences, can be highly advantageous for humans, as it allows them to strengthen relationships and thrive in some professional settings. The development of tools for reliably measuring people’s empathy has…

EU states look to trim compensation for flight delays EU countries have backed a plan to allow airlines to incur longer flight delays before having to compensate passengers—a contested move intended to be offset by several new passenger rights. Go to techxplore

Collaboration can unlock Australia’s energy transition without sacrificing natural capital Decarbonizing Australia’s economy and protecting the country’s most critical natural resources are both possible, but will require significant collaboration between energy developers, state and local governments, landowners, and interest groups, according to new research led by Princeton and the University of Queensland. Go to techxplore

Silicon Valley VCs navigate uncertain AI future For Silicon Valley venture capitalists, the world has split into two camps: those with deep enough pockets to invest in artificial intelligence behemoths, and everyone else waiting to see where the AI revolution leads. Go to techxplore

As Google retreats from real estate, will it still build the 15,000 homes it promised? When Google made its $1 billion pledge to address the Bay Area’s housing shortage in 2019, the plan hinged on the company expanding its office presence in Silicon Valley. Go to techxplore

Google is going ‘all in’ on AI: It’s part of a troubling trend in big tech Google recently unveiled the next phase of its artificial intelligence (AI) journey: “AI mode”. Go to techxplore

Google makes case for keeping Chrome browser Google on Friday urged a US judge to reject the notion of making it spin off its Chrome browser to weaken its dominance in online search. Go to techxplore

Meta and Anduril join forces on battlefield tech Meta and defense tech startup Anduril Industries on Thursday announced a partnership to build mixed reality gear for “warfighters”—soldiers—to control autonomous systems on battlefields. Go to techxplore

Boeing CEO confident US will clear higher MAX output in 2025 Boeing is eyeing approvals for significantly higher production of the 737 MAX in 2025 after US authorities allowed increased output on the 787 plane, the company’s CEO said Thursday. Go to techxplore

Longer flight delays without compensation? EU plan divides The EU is considering allowing airlines to incur longer flight delays without having to compensate passengers in a move that has consumer groups up in arms and is dividing member states. Go to techxplore

Telegram to get $300 mn in partnership with Musk’s xAI Telegram established a partnership with Elon Musk’s xAI to provide the Grok generative artificial intelligence program on the messaging service for one year, Telegram’s CEO announced Wednesday. Go to techxplore

Ban fossil fuel heating systems? A way out of the war of beliefs In several industrialized countries, governments are backing away from controversial building energy legislation that sought to ban oil and gas heating and replace them with fossil-free systems. Go to techxplore

US solar manufacturers lag skyrocketing market demand U.S. consumer demand for renewable energy continues to grow, with more solar panel capacity installed in 2024 than in 2023, which saw more than in 2022. But U.S. trade policy is in flux, and high tariffs have been imposed on imported solar panels, which may cause shortages. Go…

After brief X outage, Musk says refocusing on businesses Social media platform X was hit by a two-hour outage Saturday, prompting owner Elon Musk to say he needs to spend more time focusing on his companies. Go to techxplore

Apple has had few incentives in the past to start making iPhones in US Lashing out at Apple’s plans to make most of its U.S. iPhones in India, President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to slap a 25% tariff on the popular device unless the tech giant starts building the product in its home country—a…

Amazon suspends Minnesota data center as lawmakers plan to reduce Big Tech tax breaks Amazon says it has suspended plans for a massive data center in Becker, Minnesota, an announcement that comes after state lawmakers and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said they will reduce tax breaks for these projects. Go to techxplore

Billion dollar pizza? Bitcoin soars on key anniversary of crypto’s growth It’s not an official holiday—yet—but for many cryptocurrency enthusiasts “Bitcoin Pizza Day” is still special. Thursday marks the 15th anniversary of the first known use of cryptocurrency to buy real-world goods. Go to techxplore

OpenAI recruits legendary iPhone designer Jony Ive to work on AI hardware in $6.5B deal OpenAI has recruited Jony Ive, the designer behind Apple’s iPhone, to lead a new hardware project for the artificial intelligence company that makes ChatGPT. Go to techxplore

Weighing investment risk for energy infrastructure construction: Solar outshines nuclear power plants Between now and 2050, the International Energy Agency projects that more than $100 trillion will be spent on building net-zero energy infrastructure globally. Yet every single one of these projects runs the risk of higher-than-expected construction costs or time delays. Newer technologies introduced…

Microsoft is bringing Elon Musk’s AI models to its cloud Microsoft Corp. is adding models from Elon Musk’s xAI to its artificial intelligence marketplace. Go to techxplore

‘Fortnite’ unavailable on Apple devices worldwide Hit game “Fortnite” was unavailable on Apple’s digital App Store around the world on Friday, in the latest episode of a battle between the tech titan and publisher Epic Games. Go to techxplore

How a decades-old tech battle remains as relevant today as ever Nearly three decades ago, the United States government began relinquishing control over an obscure but crucial bit of internet bureaucracy: overseeing the assignment of the names and numbers, allowing computers and networks worldwide to find and talk to one another. Go to techxplore

ESPN says its direct-to-consumer streaming service will debut in September at $29.99 a month ESPN said Tuesday that its new all-encompassing streaming service will take on a familiar name—ESPN—and launch in September at an initial price of $29.99 per month. Go to techxplore

Amazon says 130 million U.S. customers are watching Prime Video with ads Amazon on Monday said its Prime Video streaming service with ads reaches more than 130 million U.S. customers monthly on average, an increase of 15 million people from 2024. Go to techxplore

Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission Google will pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission, the state’s attorney general announced Friday. Go to techxplore

Research warns of the hurdles facing the EU’s energy and digital transition The European Union launched the NextGenerationEU recovery plan in 2020 to address the economic crisis caused by the COVID pandemic. In Spain, this plan has taken the form of investments that aim to increase productivity and growth, transitioning towards a greener, more digital…

Environmental awareness trumps cost in electric car purchase decisions, says study Electric cars are seen as a more sustainable option compared to conventional vehicles, which contribute to increases in greenhouse gases. However, their adoption in Spain is still limited (21% penetration rate), especially when compared to the high adoption rates in countries such as Norway…

Meta fighting Nigerian fines, warns could shut Facebook, Instagram Meta on Saturday vowed to fight Nigerian fines for various consumer data violations, reportedly threatening to cut off Facebook and Instagram in Africa’s most populous country. Go to techxplore

China denies accessing data after TikTok hit with huge EU fine China on Saturday denied it required companies to hand over data after TikTok was hit with a massive fine in the European Union for its handling of personal data. Go to techxplore

US asks judge to break up Google’s ad tech business Google on Friday faced a demand by the US government to break up its hugely profitable ad technology business after a judge found the tech giant was commanding an illegal monopoly. Go to techxplore

Is the UK’s energy storage growing fast enough? Britain’s booming green energy generation has a costly side-effect: the national electricity system operator has had to compensate wind turbine operators that could have produced more clean electricity than the grid could take. Go to techxplore

South Africa’s shift from coal to renewables: How it’s going Just over 74% of South Africa’s electricity still comes from burning coal. In 2021, the country negotiated the Just Energy Transition Partnership with Germany, the UK, France, the US and the European Union. They committed to providing South Africa with US$8.5 billion (R157 billion) to…

Are hotel managers becoming obsolete in the age of AI? With the hospitality industry embracing algorithmic management (AM)—a type of intelligent system that delegates managerial functions to algorithmic and automated programs—frontline hotel managers find themselves caught in an increasingly complex web of technology and human interaction. Go to techxplore

Visa wants to give artificial intelligence ‘agents’ your credit card Artificial intelligence “agents” are supposed to be more than chatbots. The tech industry has spent months pitching AI personal assistants that know what you want and can do real work on your behalf. Go to techxplore

Autonomous robot designed to simplify warehouse inventory tracking Tracking thousands of products in massive warehouses presents a logistical nightmare for many businesses. To address this, Kennesaw State University assistant professor Jian Zhang has introduced an autonomous robot that can log inventory. Go to techxplore

Greener digital infrastructure: Study suggests how to make sustainable data centers in climate-vulnerable regions Durham University has contributed to new international research that critically assesses the intricate relationship between urban digitization and sustainability, focusing on the significant environmental impact of data centers. Go to techxplore

Adapting to the next level: Research offers survival guide for game developers amidst industry shake-ups As the gaming world buzzes with the recent unveiling of the Nintendo Switch 2 and anticipated releases of the PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X refresh, a timely study sheds light on how game developers can navigate these industry…

Keeping Big Tech in check: News media must reinvent their watchdog role, says researcher Big Tech companies such as Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft have deeply embedded themselves into every aspect of our lives—our health care, education, and even politics. As these tech giants consistently stay one step ahead of regulation, the question arises:…