Geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China are gripping the chip sector at a time when demand has never been higher.
Why it matters: Uncertainty around U.S. policy puts enormous pressure on an industry already strained by labor and capacity — but one that is critical to nearly all areas of the economy, as well as for national defense.
Meta will withhold its next multimodal AI model — and future ones — from customers in the European Union because of what it says is a lack of clarity from regulators there, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The move sets up a showdown between Meta and EU regulators and highlights a growing willingness among U.S. tech giants to withhold products from European customers.
Spotify on Wednesday launched a Spanish-language version of its AI DJ — a generative-AI feature that delivers personalized playlists along with narration based on the voice of a real person.
Why it matters: Dubbed "Livi," the move is further evidence of the music streaming platform's ambitions to drive growth and loyalty through AI tools.
A venture unit of Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco is making its first U.S. AI-related investment, backing a pre-Series A round for San Francisco-based AiXplain, according to details shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: AiXplain is one of a growing number of startups that aim to transform generative AI from chatbots into agents who can take action.
Business travel spending may reach or even top pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year, a new report finds.
Why it matters: Leisure travel bounced back almost immediately after the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But business travel — a hugely important revenue source for airlines, hotels and so on — has taken longer to rebound as Zoom replaced some handshake meetings.
A significant chunk of Silicon Valley money and power is lining up behind Donald Trump just as he has chosen a former venture capitalist as his running mate.
Why it matters: The tech investor class was once solidly Democratic, with just a handful of Republican outliers — but now its red camp is growing, and throwing around its weight.
Elon Musk announced Tuesday that he will move the headquarters of his companies SpaceX and X to Texas over a new gender identity law in California.
Why it matters: The law in question bars school districts in California from requiring that schools notify parents if their child requests a pronoun change.
A significant chunk of the tech industry's money and power is lining up behind former President Trump.
Why it matters: Silicon Valley was once solidly Democratic, with just a handful of Republican outliers. Now its red camp is growing and throwing around its weight.
The FBI says it has unlocked the phone belonging to Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspect behind an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
State of play: The FBI shared the update in a statement Monday, adding that investigators are continuing to analyze Crooks' electronic devices.
The latest AT&T breach is just the cherry on top of a record-setting year for data breaches.
Why it matters: Phone records, health care data, financial records and other highly sensitive information are each at risk due to this year's deluge of data breaches.
Venture capital billionaires Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz each will make donations to former President Trump's election effort, and will lay out their reasoning in a podcast later Tuesday afternoon, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: This is part of a small but growing number of tech elites writing checks for Trump, despite Silicon Valley's liberal leanings.
Ad tech giant Taboola has struck a deal with Apple to power native advertising within the Apple News and Apple Stocks apps, Taboola founder and CEO Adam Singolda told Axios.
Why it matters: The deal provides new validation for Taboola's business, which has ballooned to over $1.4 billion in annual revenue as of 2023.
Three years ago, crafty marketers apparently trying to sell a film set aside July 16 as "AI Appreciation Day" — and now every year this date brings a wave of lame press releases and half-hearted events.
Why it matters: The celebration's origins may be dodgy, but it's a good occasion to take stock of where the generative AI revolution stands, with all its strengths and weaknesses.
The big picture: GenAI does have promise — it's just not a panacea.
But with many of the use cases it's been pressed into during the current AI mania, humans still need to be in the loop for fact checking, quality control and common-sense oversight.
Why it matters: The program, first mentioned in May, is aimed at helping the U.S. achieve top capabilities in AI for scientific, energy and natural security aims.
As dangerously high temperatures hit much of the U.S. this summer, a new analysis finds urban "heat islands" significantly exacerbate such extreme weather.
Why it matters: A stifling, widespread heat wave is bringing some of the hottest and most perilous temperatures of the summer to more than 40% of the U.S. population this week.
Three years ago, crafty marketers apparently trying to sell a film set aside July 16 as "AI Appreciation Day" — and now every year this date brings a wave of lame press releases and half-hearted events.
Why it matters: The celebration's origins may be dodgy, but it's a good occasion to take stock of where the generative AI revolution stands, with all its strengths and weaknesses.
