Axios

In the wake of a deadly Israeli strike at a tent camp in Rafah earlier this week, an image calling for people to pay closer attention to the events in the Gazan city has spread like wildfire on social media.

Why it matters: Unlike other viral content throughout the Israel-Hamas war, the image appears to be AI-generated and has drawn criticism for sanitizing the catastrophic humanitarian toll of the war on Gaza.

OpenAI said Thursday that it has seen several foreign influence campaigns tap the power of its AI models to help generate and translate content, but has yet to see novel attacks enabled through its tools.

Why it matters: Supercharging misinformation efforts has been seen as a key risk associated with generative AI, though it has been an open question just how the tools would be used and by whom.

TikTok and its Chinese owner, ByteDance, continue to have one of the lowest reputation scores across all of the companies measured annually in the Axios Harris Poll 100, thanks to bipartisan concerns around social media safety and security.

Why it matters: TikTok has faced a wide set of challenges since entering the U.S. market in 2017, and a new U.S. law requiring the company to sell itself to a U.S. owner or face a ban has darkened the public's perception of the app.

Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sent a letter to the Pentagon Wednesday expressing "serious concern" with a reported plan to invest in Microsoft product upgrades.

Why it matters: The letter is just the latest example of how tensions have risen between Washington and the tech giant amid the fallout from a pair of nation-state cyberattacks.

Washington, D.C.; Minnesota's Twin Cities; and Irvine, California, have the best public park systems among the country's 100 most populous cities, Alex writes, based on a new report by the pro-park nonprofit Trust for Public Land.

Why it matters: Residents in high-scoring cities are more socially connected with their neighbors, per the report — including those from other socioeconomic groups, with whom they might not otherwise commingle.

Amazon's delivery drones have received aviation regulators' approval to fly longer distances without visual spotters, a key hurdle that will allow the retailer to expand its fledgling Prime Air service, Joann writes.

Why it matters: Amazon's goal is to deliver 500 million packages a year by drone by 2029. But first, it had to satisfy government regulators that it could fly safely in increasingly crowded skies.

If the 360 million-plus SUVs on the world's roads were a country of their own, their CO2 emissions would be the fifth-largest of any nation, per the International Energy Agency, Axios' Ben Gemen writes.

Why it matters: The eye-popping new data highlights how SUVs' rising global popularity makes fighting climate change that much tougher.

Drones will soon begin flying ads over Miami's beaches, competing for airspace with traditional banner planes, Axios' Martin Vassolo writes.

Why it matters: Miami-based Sustainable Skylines says its hybrid-electric drones are quieter, safer and cleaner than gas-powered planes.

The Federal Aviation Administration has authorized Amazon's delivery drones to fly longer distances without visual spotters, a key hurdle that will allow the retailer to expand its fledgling Prime Air service.

Why it matters: Amazon's goal is to deliver 500 million packages a year by drone by 2029. But first, it had to satisfy government regulators that it could fly safely in increasingly crowded skies.

Consumers love the nostalgia economy.

The big picture: Sony and Mattel, both companies with big ties to American youth, were highly ranked in the 2024 Axios and Harris Poll on corporate reputation.

New projections help crystallize a huge challenge: meeting the surging energy needs of data centers as artificial intelligence joins other forces pushing up U.S. power demand.

Why it matters: The balance of fuels that meet this added thirst — gas, renewables, coal, batteries, nuclear and more — will sway future carbon dioxide emissions.

Amazon customers in the U.S. can now order food delivery inside Amazon's app through Grubhub, the companies announced early Thursday.

Why it matters: "It's actually the first time we've had third party restaurant ordering inside the Amazon app," Jamil Ghani, worldwide VP of Amazon Prime, tells Axios in an interview.

Numerous Southwest Airlines flights were delayed as the company reported a power outage hit its data centers in the Dallas area on Wednesday.

Why it matters: While a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said it had "resolved a brief technology issue" that was caused by Wednesday afternoon's outage, the airline has been in the spotlight after thousands of flights were delayed in late 2022 and again in early 2023 due to severe weather and exacerbated by tech issues.