Axios

When famine strikes, relief agencies are typically hamstrung from providing meaningful help — until the suffering attracts big cable news coverage, which then sparks sufficient donations from wealthy countries.

What's new: Leading U.S. tech companies say they have invented a system that uses artificial intelligence to forecast famine, allowing for proactive interventions before crisis strikes. This early-warning tool could prevent widespread suffering while helping developing countries prepare for a new economy in which automation has swept away low-skilled jobs.

One by one, storied chains in books, toys, sporting goods and more have disappeared from American malls and main streets, then vanished from our collective memory. Now, Barnes & Noble, the last chain bookstore standing, is finally buckling, too.

The big picture: The arc of retail has been bending toward consolidation for decades. Superstores like B&N and Toys "R" Us took us from shopping small to shopping big. Next, we seem to be moving inexorably toward one, powerful, all-knowing, everything store.

The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that it is aware of reports that Amazon and Apple network servers may have been compromised by Chinese spy microchips and that it currently has "no reason to doubt the statements from the companies named in the story."

The big picture: Amazon, Apple and Supermicro — the three main companies implicated in the supply chain hack — have all issued forceful denials that dispute the findings of last week's bombshell report from Bloomberg. Per Reuters, the U.K.'s national cyber security agency has also issued a statement backing the companies' denials.

Salesforce is expanding its Marketing and Commerce Cloud by acquiring Rebel, a startup that develops interactive email services for business use, according to TechCrunch.

The details: Rebel will integrate its API-based services, Rebel said a statement. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. It is unclear if Rebel will still provide its services to its current partners like IBM, Oracle, SailThru and others. Salesforce has been acquiring a number of companies to expand its marketing services to go up against Adobe and others.

In the age of streaming and subscription-based movies and TV shows, a new study shows piracy is on the rise again, per Motherboard.

Why it matters: Streaming, what once helped simmer down piracy on the dark web, now seems to be the cause of the uptick in illegally downloaded content. "Torrenting," the act of downloading movies and TV shows illegally, has bounced back because there's too many streaming services, and too much exclusive content, the new study shows. Pirating might worsen as more companies, like Disney, choose to pull out of streaming services to create their own.

TIME asked its global network of editors and correspondents to nominate "Genius Companies," with winners chosen based on originality, influence, success and ambition.

Among the highlights: Amazon: “disrupts nearly ­everything it tackles"; Domino’s: “Hotspots cover more than 150,000 outdoor locations that lack traditional street addresses"; Oculus: “nudging virtual reality mainstream"; Netflix: “ launched the streaming revolution and turned viewers into binge watchers"; Bumble: “heterosexual connections must be initiated by women, which supporters say reduces harassment." Fenty Beauty: "Makeup enthusiasts rejoiced, not only over the products but also for how Fenty featured women of color in its advertising."

Go deeper: See the (alphabetical) list.

Apple and Amazon's battle with Bloomberg Businessweek over its report of Chinese spies infiltrating their supply chains has captivated the industry in the last couple of days. But here's what else happened in tech news this week.

Catch up quick: A federal judge says China's ZTE violated probation; Honda will invest $2.75 billion in Cruise; Twitter outlined election integrity efforts and new rules; and Tribune Publishing Co. ditched the Tronc name after just two years.

Cheaper rocket launches and better technology may make satellites a more viable option for delivering fast, affordable consumer broadband services around the world.

The big picture: For nearly 30 years, satellites have been used to beam high-speed internet service to rural areas that are hard to reach with terrestrial networks. But that's often a last-resort option due to the limitations of the technology, including connection lag, spotty service, and lower bandwidth.