Technology

FILE - Meta Chief Product Officer Chris Cox speaks at LlamaCon 2025, an AI developer conference, in...

Meta adds parental controls for AI-teen interactions

Meta is adding parental controls for kids’ interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots — including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether — beginning early next year. But parents won’t be able to turn off Meta’s AI assistant, which Meta says will “will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, […]
1 year ago
Northside American Federation of Teachers President Melina Espiritu-Azocar, right, speaks with midd...

Big Tech is paying millions to train teachers on AI, in a push to bring chatbots into classrooms

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — On a scorching hot Saturday in San Antonio, dozens of teachers traded a day off for a glimpse of the future. The topic of the day’s workshop: enhancing instruction with artificial intelligence. After marveling as AI graded classwork instantly and turned lesson plans into podcasts or online storybooks, one high school […]
1 year ago

Susan Stamberg, first woman to host a national news program, dies at age 87

Susan Stamberg, a “founding mother” of National Public Radio and the first female broadcaster to host a national news program, has died. She was 87. Stamberg died Thursday, NPR reported. It did not provide a cause of death. Stamberg joined NPR in the early 1970s when it was getting off the ground as a network […]
1 year ago
FILE - A security surveillance camera is seen near the Microsoft office building in Beijing, July 2...

Microsoft pushes AI updates in Windows 11 as it ends support for Windows 10

Microsoft is encouraging people to talk to their laptops as it rolls out new artificial intelligence updates to Windows 11 and pushes users to phase out its predecessor, Windows 10. Microsoft ended free security support for Windows 10 this week, though millions of people still use personal computers running the older operating system. To entice […]
1 year ago
FILE - People walk through University of North Carolina campus March 18, 2020, in Chapel Hill, N.C....

Is college worth the cost? Universities work to show the return on investment of a degree

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a generation of young Americans, choosing where to go to college — or whether to go at all — has become a complex calculation of costs and benefits that often revolves around a single question: Is the degree worth its price? Public confidence in higher education has plummeted in recent years […]
1 year ago
FILE - The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, on Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo...

The 2026-27 FAFSA application is live. Here’s what to know

NEW YORK (AP) — The Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2026-27 school year has officially opened. Despite the U.S. government shutdown, the Education Department will continue to process the FAFSA. If you plan to attend college next year, Jill Desjean, director of policy analysis at The National Association of Student Financial Aid […]
1 year ago
Government officials push back protesters in Chicago, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Anthony Vazquez/Chic...

Meta removes ICE-tracking Facebook page in Chicago at the request of the Justice Department

Meta has removed a Facebook page used to track the presence of immigration agents at the request of the Department of Justice, the company confirmed on Tuesday. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that “following outreach” from the DOJ, Facebook removed a “large group page” that was being used to target […]
1 year ago
FILE - Shoppers walk from the Walmart store, Aug. 14, 2025, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Charles K...

OpenAI partners with Walmart to let users buy products in ChatGPT, furthering chatbot shopping push

NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI is partnering with Walmart to let shoppers make purchases directly within ChatGPT, furthering the artificial intelligence company’s push to turn its chatbot into a virtual merchant as it seeks to boost revenue. In an Tuesday announcement, Walmart said the new offering will give customers the option to “simply chat and […]
1 year ago
Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation speaks during the Clinton Global Initiative, on Wednesday...

Foundations want to curb AI developers’ influence with $500 million aimed at centering human needs

NEW YORK (AP) — Artificial intelligence is design — not destiny. That’s the message from ten philanthropic foundations aiming to loosen the grip that the technology’s moneyed developers, fueled by an investing frenzy, hold over its evolution. Launched Tuesday under the name Humanity AI, the coalition is committing $500 million across the next five years […]
1 year ago
FILE - Alec Baldwin emcees the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala at New York...

Alec and Stephen Baldwin escape injury after their vehicle hits a tree in New York

EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) — Alec Baldwin and his younger brother Stephen escaped injury when their vehicle struck a tree in New York. In a video posted to Instagram late Monday, Alec Baldwin said he was driving his wife’s Range Rover in East Hampton on Monday when he was cut off by a garbage truck […]
1 year ago
FILE - The Instagram logo is seen on a cell phone in Boston, Oct. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer...

Instagram says it’s safeguarding teens by limiting them to PG-13 content

Teenagers on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won’t be able to change their settings without a parent’s permission, Meta announced on Tuesday. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie — no […]
1 year ago

GM to take a $1.6 billion hit as tax incentives for EVs are cut and emission rules ease

General Motors will record a negative impact of $1.6 billon in its next quarter after tax incentives for electric vehicles were slashed by the U.S. and rules governing emissions are relaxed. Shares dipped 3% before the opening bell Tuesday. The EV tax credit ended last month. The clean vehicle tax credit was worth $7,500 for […]
1 year ago
FILE - The Pentagon, the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense, is seen from the air, Sep...

China and the US have long collaborated in ‘open research.’ Some in Congress say that must change

WASHINGTON (AP) — For many years, American and Chinese scholars worked shoulder to shoulder on cutting-edge technologies through open research, where findings are freely shared and accessible to all. But that openness, a long-standing practice celebrated for advancing knowledge, is raising alarms among some U.S. lawmakers. They are worried that China — now considered the […]
1 year ago
Jamie Dimon, CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase, pauses to talk to reporters after lunch with Repub...

JPMorgan to invest up to $10 billion in US companies with crucial ties to national security

JPMorgan Chase will directly invest up to $10 billion in U.S. companies with crucial ties to national security. The investment plan revealed Monday will focus on four areas: supply chain and advanced manufacturing in critical minerals, pharmaceutical precursors and robotics; defense and aerospace; energy independence, with investments in battery storage and grid resilience; and strategic […]
1 year ago
Meghan Markle, left, and Prince Harry, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attend the third annual Worl...

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ask families to join fight against predatory social media policies

NEW YORK (AP) — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle urged parents to stand against social media companies that they said prey upon children with exploitative algorithms as the “explosion of unregulated artificial intelligence” adds to their concerns that technologies’ benefits are inseparable from its dangers. To underscore that point, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex […]
1 year ago
FILE - Gene Simmons of Kiss poses before the 2013 Revolver Golden Gods Award Show at Club Nokia on ...

Kiss rocker Gene Simmons recovering after crashing SUV

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Kiss rock star Gene Simmons is recovering after he fainted while driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and crashed his SUV into a parked car, authorities said. Simmons, a co-founder and bassist for the legendary band, was evaluated at a hospital Tuesday before being released. He posted on social […]
1 year ago
Luigi Mangione is escorted into Manhattan state court in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Pho...

Prosecutors say no harm was done by social media posts about assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors told a judge Wednesday that no harm was done to prospects for a fair trial after two U.S. Justice Department officials reposted potentially inflammatory comments President Donald Trump made about Luigi Mangione after he was charged with assassinating UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. They said in a written submission in Manhattan federal […]
1 year ago
An entrance to the Stargate artificial intelligence data center complex in Abilene, Texas on Monday...

Is there an AI bubble? Financial institutions sound a warning

LONDON (AP) — Lingering doubts about the economic promise of artificial intelligence technology are starting to get the attention of financial institutions that raised warning flags this week about an AI investment bubble. Officials at the Bank of England on Wednesday flagged the growing risk that tech stock prices pumped up by the AI boom […]
1 year ago
In this photo provided by South Dakota News Watch, Rob Coverdale, superintendent of the Crow Creek ...

Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee threatens rural schools and hospitals reliant on immigrant workers

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — When Rob Coverdale started his job in 2023 as superintendent of the K-12 Crow Creek Tribal School in South Dakota, there were 15 unfilled teaching positions. Within nine months, he had filled those vacancies with Filipino teachers, the majority of whom arrived on the H-1B, a visa for skilled workers […]
1 year ago
FILE - A shopper shops at a retail store in Arlington Heights, Ill., Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. (AP P...

How ‘The Great Lock In’ can help achieve your financial and wellness goals

NEW YORK (AP) — As the end of 2025 approaches, a viral TikTok trend is helping people achieve their wellness goals: “The Great Lock In” encourages participants to finish the year strong by fully focusing on their life goals from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. Many people focus on exercise or eating healthier. But the […]
1 year ago

Kentucky lawsuit says Roblox fails to protect children on its popular online gaming platform

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s attorney general claimed Tuesday that the online gaming platform Roblox has become a “playground for predators” as he announced a lawsuit accusing the company of lax child safety measures. The Kentucky suit, filed by his office Monday in a state court, is the latest action alleging that the wildly popular […]
1 year ago
FILE - A Tesla model Y and other Telsla vehicles sit at a dealership, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in...

Tesla offers cheaper version of its best-selling EV in bid to win back market share in a tough year

NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla announced the rollout of a new, cheaper version of its best-selling electric car on Tuesday in hopes the offering will help revive flagging sales. The new Model Y, costing just under $40,000 with a stripped-down interior, follows a slump in Tesla sales covering most of the past year due to […]
1 year ago
Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski, left and company Chairman Michael Moritz, center, meet with spe...

Government shutdown threatens to stall the recovery in the IPO market

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government shutdown is waving a caution flag at private companies racing to make the move to the public market. The market for initial public offerings has been on a years-long recovery after spiking inflation slammed the brakes on activity in 2022. The IPO market is already on track for […]
1 year ago
FILE - A Google sign is displayed at the company's office in San Francisco, April 12, 2023. (AP Pho...

Google’s Play Store shake-up looms after Supreme Court refuses to delay overhaul of the monopoly

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to protect Google from a year-old order requiring a major makeover of its Android app store that’s designed to unleash more competition against a system that a jury declared an illegal monopoly. The rebuff delivered in a one-sentence decision by the Supreme Court means Google will soon have […]
1 year ago