#artificial-intelligence

#artificial-intelligence

It can't be seen or touched, but it's shaking up markets and attracting investment. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the object of desire for Big Tech, which is pouring astronomical sums into its development, fueled by record profits. The other side of this frenzy is workforce reductions, with automation as the backdrop, announced by multinationals like Amazon, Meta, and UPS, which, incidentally, threaten to extend

In the highly competitive and rapidly evolving landscape of U.S. K-12 education, curriculum publishers face a unique set of challenges. School districts and educators increasingly request more than just content. They seek solutions that genuinely address the diverse learning needs of every student, drive measurable outcomes, and demonstrate clear value in an era of constrained budgets and heightened accountability. For publishers navigating this complex environment, the traditional one-size-fits-all approach to educational materials is becoming a liability, not a strength.

Given the inflationary forces at play in recent decades, achieving a seven-digit portfolio isn't what it once used to be. In fact, most personal finance experts recommend that baby boomers have, on average, around $900,000 saved for retirement in order to maintain most individual's lifestyles over the course of retirement. Of course, those planning some fancy vacations or spending money at a greater rate will need well over $1 million to fulfill these goals.

Meta Platforms and Amazon could surpass the current combined market value of Nvidia and Palantir by the end of the decade. Over the past year, Nvidia shares have advanced 33%, bringing its market value to $4.3 trillion. Meanwhile, Palantir Technologies shares has advanced 155%, bringing its market value to $395 billion. In aggregate, the companies are worth about $4.7 trillion. Apple could certainly surpass that figure within five years, but I also have confidence in Meta Platforms and Amazon .

PETER LEYDEN: We're living in an extraordinary moment in history. We are at a moment here in 2025 where we have world historic game-changing technologies now starting to scale. Artificial intelligence, clean energy technologies, bioengineering, all here. We're at the cusp of a potentially a great era of progress. But America and the world itself are going through huge contortions. Old systems of the past are collapsing, and new systems of the future are still to be born.

Over 1,000 Amazon employees have anonymously signed an open letter warning that the company's allegedly "all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development" could cause "staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth," an internal advocacy group announced on Wednesday. Four members of Amazon Employees for Climate Justice tell WIRED that they began asking workers to sign the letter last month.

Needless to say, over the last three years, the Artificial Intelligence explosion has been at the top of almost every investor's mind. Many have become wealthy, as stocks like NVIDIA and other top tech names soared in a rally some feel is reminiscent of the late 1990s dot-com boom and bust. Between billions being spent on capital expenditures related to AI, the circular financing that seems to shovel money between the top companies in the industry, the worries over depreciation being used in accounting, and off-balance sheet financing, concerns over an AI bubble are legitimate and need to be addressed.

"We have a line of sight to drive approximately $1 billion of gross run rate savings over three years across product development, customer service and support, and many of our operational processes," he said. The company's results announcement [PDF] states the aims of the new cost-cutting program are "to drive customer satisfaction, product innovation, and productivity through artificial intelligence adoption and enablement." Or in other words, replacing about ten percent of the company's people with AI, to save $1 billion.

"More than 70 percent of employers say they'd rather hire someone with less experience but who understands AI than someone with more experience. That's a big change," said Lisa Gevelber, chief marketing officer for Gemini, Google's AI product.

Li immigrated to the United States at 15, arriving with her parents in Parsippany, New Jersey, with little English or money. To get by, her parents worked cashier jobs and Li worked in Chinese restaurants. When her mother's health declined just as Li entered college at Princeton, the family needed to find a way to "make some money to survive," she toldBloomberg.

Gulf expert Gregory Gause explains what Saudi Arabia wants from Washington and what Washington wants from Riyadh. United States President Donald Trump looks at Saudi Arabia like a piggy bank or an ATM machine and that's why the recent Saudi-US summit focused on deals instead of strategic regional issues, such as Sudan, Palestine, Iran and Syria, argues political scientist Gregory Gause, professor emeritus of international affairs at Texas A&M University.

Even before her fellow-humans' contamination, Carol didn't seem to have much use for them. She spent her days churning out best-selling romances that she deemed "mindless crap" and harbored a corresponding contempt for her fans, hiding both her queerness and her more serious literary ambitions in a bid for broader appeal. A certified misanthrope, she makes no attempt to check in on friends or family after the initial catastrophe; Helen aside, it's not clear whether she has any.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground.

Global investors are focusing on Samsung Electronics as the group sets out a five-year artificial intelligence investment programme worth $310 billion over the coming five-year period, with analysis from Sunnov Investment Pte. Ltd. highlighting how the plan reshapes expectations for capital spending across the semiconductor industry. The commitment concentrates on AI specific semiconductors and on domestic manufacturing capacity in South Korea.

When Gay Talese's landmark profile, "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold," appeared in Esquire in April 1966, it marked a pivotal moment in the evolution of journalism. This was the birth of what came to be known as New Journalism - a narrative-driven style that blended rigorous reporting with literary techniques, placing the reporter's voice and observations at the heart of the story.

Major shifts in advertiser priorities for 2026 has been revealed by ISBA's latest Media Budgets Survey, conducted with Ebiquity and the World Federation of Advertisers. Representing £2.9bn in UK ad spend and part of a global study covering USD$13bn (£9.91bn) across 16 markets, the survey shows 65% of UK advertisers expect to increase overall marketing budgets. A clear trend toward brand-building is emerging, with 37% planning to boost branding investment versus just 14% prioritising performance marketing.

As Saudi Arabia's ambitious Vision 2030 program transforms the nation into a nexus of cultural riches and scientific innovation, one key player, the Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA), is leveraging advanced technologies and ideas to benefit the population in the region and worldwide. By integrating advanced artificial intelligence into its practices and strengthening international safety standards, this comprehensive regulatory and scientific authority demonstrates its increasing influence as a research hub and leader domestically, regionally, and globally.

Picture this: You finally sit down after a long day. Dinner is done, dishes are soaking (ignored), and someone is crying in the background (possibly you). You pick up your phone because you suddenly remembered you need a birthday message for a class WhatsApp group. Before you can even unlock it, your child appears: "Mom, can I ask ChatGPT something? It understands me."

Michael Scott is behind the wheel of a rental car, following the GPS directions without question. As Michael obediently turns right, Dwight frantically yells, It can't mean thatthere's a lake there! But Michael, in full conviction, shouts back, The machine knows where it's going! Moments later, they're submerged in water. Later, Michael delivers one of his most unintentionally profound (and comical) lines: Life and business are about human connections, and computers are about trying to murder you in a lake.

Artificial intelligence (AI), viewed from an optimist's perspective, is an accelerant for humans; a tool to handle tedious tasks that allow users to spend more time and energy on what really matters. On the current episode of Understanding IP Matters (UIPM), Eric Bear, a classically-trained actor, singer and dancer, and now a kinesthetic artist specializing in primate motion capture, discusses the interplay of creativity and technology. Bear is a successful entrepreneur, industry expert and inventor responsible for more than 100 patents.

Since prehistoric ages, humans had to decide on whether the place they are in is safe to stay in or not, if the strangers they meet on their way are safe to be around or not, and if the berries they were given by others were safe to eat or not. In psychology, trust is the willingness to rely on someone or something despite uncertainty. In tech, trust means believing that the system is competent, predictable, aligned with your goals, and transparent about limitations.