ChatGPT maker OpenAI shifts its focus to business users amid Anthropic pressure
OpenAI executives say they will introduce a new artificial intelligence model for “high-value professional work” as the company faces heightened competition with rival Anthropic in attracting corporate customers to adopt AI assistants in their workplaces. OpenAI boasts of more than 900 million weekly users of its core ChatGPT product, but Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar said about 95% of them “don’t pay anything” for the popular chatbot. While all those interactions build habits and reliance, they also strain the costly computing resources needed to power the company’s AI systems and highlight the need for big business customers to help pay the bills.
AI is a gold mine for spammers and scammers, but Google is using it as a tool to fight back
Artificial intelligence is playing a big role in creating online spam and scams — but also in combatting it. The rise of generative AI tools has made it easier for scammers to create fake ads, but tech giants like Google are using AI to fight back. Google's AI tool Gemini blocked over 99% of policy-violating ads last year. According to the company's recent ad safety report, Google removed more than 8 billion ads in 2025, including millions linked to scams. Experts believe the battle between AI-powered scams and AI-powered defenses will persist as the technology advances, with one saying it will be "AI versus AI."
Former Meta contractor Sama to lay off more than 1,000 workers in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — More than 1,000 workers in Kenya are facing layoffs after Meta ended its contract with the company Sama. Meta and Sama have been in court since 2022 after former Facebook content moderators accused them of poor working conditions, including low wages and insufficient mental health support. Sama has since shifted its focus to AI data labeling for Meta It said Thursday it has issued a formal layoff notice that would affect 1,108 staffers after receiving formal notice from Meta that it was ending the contract with it.
Lawmakers gathered quietly to talk about AI. Angst and fears of 'destruction' followed
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill conducted a roundtable with leading AI executives and academics to discuss the potential transformative impacts of the technology on American society. The roundtable served as a chance for lawmakers to ask questions of leading AI experts and to express their hopes and concerns about the transformative technology. Several leaders expressed alarm at how the technology is already being used by the Trump administration. Others warned that Congress was doing little to prepare the country for the transformative effects of the technology.
What to know about the Live Nation verdict and how it could affect concertgoers
Music lovers who have long complained about Ticketmaster fees for concert tickets are surely reveling in a jury verdict that found its parent company Live Nation has been running a harmful monopoly over big venues. But they will have to wait to see if the verdict leads to changes that make concerts more affordable. The lawsuit led by more than 30 states accused Live Nation of smothering competition. A federal jury in Manhattan found that Ticketmaster had overcharged customers $1.72 per ticket in 22 states, which a judge could order the company to pay back. That could cost Live Nation hundreds of millions of dollars.
The data center boom meets resistance in Maine as lawmakers pass a yearlong freeze
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine’s legislature has passed the nation’s first statewide moratorium on energy-hungry data centers. It's an expansion of political opposition to tech giants’ massive artificial intelligence data centers, which are stoking fears about blackouts, rising energy bills and voracious water needs. Bills have been introduced in at least a dozen states, as increasingly stiff backlash at the local level is migrating upward into legislatures. Tech giants and the data centers they are building have high-level support from the Trump administration and many governors. They say the centers are essential to winning the artificial intelligence race against China.
US faces demand to restore $350 million in federal funding to help power Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Nearly 200 organizations are urging the Trump administration and Puerto Rico’s governor to restore $350 million in federal funding that was meant to finance the installation of rooftop solar and battery systems for 12,000 low-income families across the U.S. territory. The organizations signed a letter released Wednesday that was sent to Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright. Many of the families have disabilities or medical conditions that require electricity. Concern is growing that the U.S. government will abandon them as chronic power outages persist and the Atlantic hurricane season nears.
EPA may ease regulation of chemical plastic recycling, and environmentalists worry
The Environmental Protection Agency is reconsidering whether facilities that recycle plastic chemically should be held to the same strict air pollution standards as incinerators. The possible change is alarming environmental advocates who say it would lead to more dangerous pollution spewing into communities, with fewer or no checks at the federal level. The plastics industry disputes that, saying it would clear up confusion while still controlling emissions. The facilities use heat or chemicals to break down plastics. The main method, a process known as pyrolysis, has long been regulated as incineration by the Clean Air Act. The agency says a potential new rule could instead recognize pyrolysis as manufacturing.
Allbirds, a former Wall Street darling fallen on hard times, looks to AI for its future
NEW YORK (AP) — Allbirds, the eco-friendly shoe brand that was once a Wall Street darling and found its way onto the feet of tech CEOs and movie stars, is pivoting to artificial intelligence. On Wednesday the San Francisco-based company said it had signed a definitive agreement with an unnamed institutional investor for $50 million in financing to shift its business to AI infrastructure. It will also have a new name: NewBird AI. It plans to use the proceeds to purchase graphics processing units, known as GPUs. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of this year.
AI-rendered Val Kilmer debuts in 'As Deep as the Grave' trailer
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The filmmakers behind “As Deep as the Grave” have used AI to recreate Val Kilmer in a prominent role. They debuted a first look at the AI-rendered Kilmer Wednesday at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Kilmer, who died last year, appears as Father Fintan, a Catholic priest and Native American spiritualist. The use of AI for this historical drama has sparked debate. Writer-director Coerte Voorhees explained that Kilmer’s estate, including his daughter Mercedes, gave permission and provided archival footage. Kilmer had originally signed on for the film but withdrew due to health issues.
