Technology

Google adds AI image generation to Chrome browser, side panel option for virtual assistant

Google is empowering its Chrome browser with the ability to alter imagery and a virtual assistant to help with online tasks as part of its push to turbocharge its digital services with more artificial intelligence technology. The features rolling out include making Google’s AI image generator and editing tool, Nano Banana, available to Chrome’s logged-in […]
9 months ago
FILE - This undated combination of photos shows clockwise from top left the company logos for Amazo...

Layoffs are piling up, heightening worker anxiety. Here are some of the biggest job cuts recently

NEW YORK (AP) — As layoffs pile up, workers are feeling increasingly anxious about the job market. In the U.S., economists have said that businesses are largely at a “no-hire, no fire” standstill, leading many to limit new work, if not pause openings entirely amid economic uncertainty. Hiring has stagnated overall — with the country […]
9 months ago
amazon layoffs...
Associated Press

Amazon cuts 16,000 roles in its latest round of layoffs

Amazon is slashing about 16,000 corporate jobs in the second round of mass layoffs for the ecommerce company in three months.
9 months ago
A NASA aircraft sits near a runway at Ellington Airport after making a belly landing on Tuesday, Ja...

Video shows flames flying from NASA plane that touched down without landing gear

A NASA research plane malfunctioned and had to touch down in Texas without landing gear on Tuesday, sliding across the runway on its belly and sending plumes of flame behind it, a video posted to social media showed. The crew landed the plane at Ellington Airport, southeast of Houston, and are “all safe at this […]
9 months ago
FILE - Nekima Levy Armstrong holds up her fist after speaking at an anti-ICE rally for Martin Luthe...

Trump’s use of AI images pushes new boundaries, further eroding public trust, experts say

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Trump administration has not shied away from sharing AI-generated imagery online, embracing cartoonlike visuals and memes and promoting them on official White House channels. But an edited — and realistic — image of civil rights attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong in tears after being arrested is raising new alarms about how […]
9 months ago
FILE - Young people use their phones to view social media in Sydney, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick R...

Meta, TikTok and YouTube face landmark trial over youth addiction claims

Three of the world’s biggest tech companies face a landmark trial in Los Angeles starting this week over claims that their platforms — Meta’s Instagram, ByteDance’s TikTok and Google’s YouTube — deliberately addict and harm children. Jury selection starts this week in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. It’s the first time the companies will […]
9 months ago
FILE - Workers use machinery to dig at a rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China's Jiang...

Trump administration invests in another US rare earth miner to loosen China’s grip on supply

The U.S. is taking a minority stake in an Oklahoma rare earth miner, the latest government investment in the sector as it seeks to minimize its reliance on imports of a material used prevalently in smartphones, robotics, electric vehicles and many other high tech products. China processes more than 90% of the world’s critical minerals […]
9 months ago
Art teacher Joyce Hatzidakis poses for a portrait in her classroom Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, Riversi...

How Americans are using AI at work, according to a new Gallup poll

American workers adopted artificial intelligence into their work lives at a remarkable pace over the past few years, according to a new poll. Some 12% of employed adults say they use AI daily in their job, according to a Gallup Workforce survey conducted this fall of more than 22,000 U.S. workers. The survey found roughly […]
9 months ago
AI NFL 8k cameras tech talk...
Luke Duecy

Tech Talk: From AI to 8K cameras, NFL leans on technology to reshape the game

The NFL is increasingly leaning on advanced technology — including AI — to enhance how the game is played, officiated, and coached.
9 months ago

Meta pauses teen access to AI characters

Meta is halting teens’ access to artificial intelligence characters, at least temporarily, the company said in a blog post Friday. Meta Platforms Inc., which own Instagram and WhatsApp, said that starting in the “coming weeks,” teens will no longer be able to access AI characters “until the updated experience is ready” This applies to anyone […]
9 months ago

TikTok finalizes deal to form new American version of the app

TikTok has finalized a deal to create a new American version of the app, avoiding the looming threat of a ban in the U.S. that has been in discussion for years. The social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX to form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture. […]
9 months ago

Under Armour looking into data breach affecting customers’ email addresses

BALTIMORE (AP) — Clothing retailer Under Armour is investigating a recent data breach that purloined customers’ email addresses and other personal information, but so far there are no signs the hackers stole any passwords or financial information. The breach is believed to have happened late last year, and affected 72 million email addresses, according to […]
9 months ago
FILE - In this long exposure photo, a string of SpaceX StarLink satellites passes over an old stone...

Study shows how earthquake monitors can track space junk through sonic booms

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — As more and more space junk comes crashing down, a new study shows how earthquake monitors can better track incoming objects by tuning into their sonic booms. Scientists reported Thursday that seismic readings from sonic booms that were generated when a discarded module from a Chinese crew capsule reentered over […]
9 months ago
Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan...

Astronauts say space station’s ultrasound machine was critical during medical crisis

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in “super handy” during the medical crisis. During their first public appearance since returning to Earth, the four astronauts refused Wednesday to say which one of them needed medical attention and for what reason. […]
9 months ago
FILE -A Meta logo is shown on a video screen at LlamaCon 2025, an AI developer conference, in Menlo...

FTC says it will appeal Meta antitrust decision

The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it will appeal the November ruling in favor of Meta in its antitrust case against the social media giant. The FTC said it continues to allege that, for more than a decade, Meta Platforms Inc. has “illegally maintained a monopoly” in social networking through anticompetitive conduct “by buying the […]
9 months ago
Pen pal letters are displayed outside the Sullivan County Health Care nursing home in Unity, N.H., ...

Letter writing enjoys a revival as fans seek connection and a break from screen time

At a time when productivity means optimizing every second and screens blur the line between work and home, some people are slowing down and disconnecting by looking to communication devices from the past. Tactile activities ranging from writing letters and typewriter clubs to TikTok communities showcasing calligraphy skills and wax seals are giving retro writing […]
9 months ago
NASA's Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, secured to the mobile laun...

NASA’s new moon rocket heads to the pad ahead of astronaut launch as early as February

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s giant new moon rocket headed to the launch pad Saturday in preparation for astronauts’ first lunar fly-around in more than half a century. The out-and-back trip could blast off as early as February. The 322-foot (98-meter) rocket began its 1 mph (1.6 kph) creep from Kennedy Space Center’s Vehicle […]
9 months ago
FILE - Elon Musk attends a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025,...

Mother of Elon Musk’s child sues his AI company over sexual deepfake images created by Grok

The mother of one of Elon Musk’s children is suing his AI company, saying its Grok chatbot allowed users to generate sexually exploitive deepfake images of her that have caused her humiliation and emotional distress. Ashley St. Clair, 27, who describes herself as a writer and political strategist, alleges in a lawsuit filed Thursday in […]
9 months ago
The Supreme Court is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)Credit: AS...

Tennessee man pleads guilty to repeatedly hacking Supreme Court’s filing system

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Tennessee man pleaded guilty on Friday to hacking the U.S. Supreme Court’s filing system more than two dozen times, court records show. Nicholas Moore, 24, of Springfield, Tennessee, also admitted that he illegally accessed records from AmeriCorps’ computer servers and a Department of Veterans Affairs electronic platform. U.S. District Judge Beryl […]
9 months ago
U.S. Supreme Court is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)Credit: A...

Supreme Court will decide on use of warrants that collect the location history of cellphone users

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide the constitutionality of broad search warrants that collect the location history of cellphone users to find people near crime scenes. The case involves what is a known as a “geofence warrant” that was served on Google in a police hunt for a bank robber in […]
9 months ago
FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen with output fro...

ChatGPT’s free ride is ending: Here’s what OpenAI plans for advertising on the chatbot

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — OpenAI says it will soon start showing advertisements to ChatGPT users who aren’t paying for a premium version of the chatbot. The artificial intelligence company said Friday it hasn’t yet rolled out ads but will start testing them in the coming weeks. It’s the latest effort by the San Francisco-based company […]
9 months ago
Meta's Stanton Springs Data Center is seen Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Newton County, East of Atlant...

How the White House and governors want to fix AI-driven power shortages and price spikes

The White House and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the operator of the mid-Atlantic power grid to take urgent steps to boost energy supply and curb price hikes, holding a Friday event aimed at addressing a rising concern among voters about the enormous amount of power used for artificial intelligence ahead of elections […]
9 months ago
CORRECTS FROM A PROTESTER TO A PERSON - A person is detained by federal agents near the scene where...

Federal immigration agents filmed dragging a woman from her car in Minneapolis

A U.S. citizen on her way to a medical appointment in Minneapolis was dragged out of her car and detained by immigration officers, according to a statement released by the woman on Thursday, after a video of her arrest drew millions of views on social media. Aliya Rahman said she was brought to a detention […]
9 months ago
FILE - Workers use machinery to dig at a rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China's Jiang...

Lawmakers propose $2.5B agency to boost production of rare earths and other critical minerals

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan group of lawmakers have proposed creating a new agency with $2.5 billion to spur production of rare earths and the other critical minerals, while the Trump administration has already taken aggressive actions to break China’s grip on the market for these materials that are crucial to high-tech products, including cellphones, […]
9 months ago