Technology

FILE - Jimmy Donaldson, the popular YouTube video maker who goes by MrBeast, wears a Lionel Messi j...

Online creators, led by MrBeast and Mark Rober, want to raise $40 million for clean water access

NEW YORK (AP) — Online creators from dozens of countries, led by MrBeast and popular science YouTuber Mark Rober, are launching a $40 million fundraiser to build water quality projects around the world. The monthlong crowdfunding campaign, touted as the biggest YouTube collaboration and called #TeamWater, promises to rally their combined 2 billion subscribers around […]
1 year ago
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying a Dragon capsule with a U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four, lift...

Astronauts launch to the space station after sidelined by Boeing’s troubled Starliner

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronauts sidelined for the past year by Boeing’s Starliner trouble blasted off to the International Space Station on Friday, getting a lift from SpaceX. The U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four rocketed from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. They’ll replace colleagues who launched to the space station in March as fill-ins for NASA’s […]
1 year ago
Astronauts, from left, Oleg Platonov, of Russia, Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and Kimiya Yui, of Japa...

Russian and US space chiefs meet to discuss continued cooperation

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s space chief has visited the United States to discuss plans for continued cooperation between Moscow and Washington on the International Space Station and lunar research with NASA’s acting chief, the first such face-to-face meeting in more than seven years. Dmitry Bakanov, the director of the state space corporation Roscosmos, met Thursday […]
1 year ago
FILE - Audience members gather at Made By Google for new product announcements at Google on Aug. 13...

Google loses appeal in antitrust battle with Fortnite maker

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a jury verdict condemning Google’s Android app store as an illegal monopoly, clearing the way for a federal judge to enforce a potentially disruptive shakeup that’s designed to give consumers more choices. The unanimous ruling issued Thursday by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals delivers […]
1 year ago
FILE - An Apple store employee stands inside the store in New York on Feb. 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark ...

Apple overcomes Trump’s trade war, slow start in AI to deliver surprisingly strong quarter

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple shook off a thicket of tariffs and a botched entry into artificial intelligence to accelerate its revenue growth during its springtime quarter, but the trendsetting tech company still faces a bumpy road ahead that could lead to higher iPhone prices. The April-June results released Thursday came against a backdrop of […]
1 year ago
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang talks with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, left, before President Donald Tr...

China summons Nvidia over ‘backdoor safety risks’ in H20 chips

WASHINGTON (AP) — China’s cyberspace regulators on Thursday summoned Nvidia over security concerns that its H20 chips can be tracked and turned off remotely, the Cyberspace Administration of China said on its website. In the meeting, Chinese regulators demanded that the U.S. chip company provide explanations on “backdoor safety risks” of its H20 chips to […]
1 year ago
Flower wreaths with the words "Rest In Peace" stand at a vigil for the four people killed in the pr...

Unsettled by NYC shooting, companies wonder if their offices are safe

NEW YORK (AP) — Businesses around the country are reevaluating security after a brazen shooting at a New York City office building raised questions about what it takes to keep workplaces safe. The attack on a seemingly secure building — in a gilded part of Manhattan where the rich live in sprawling apartments and tourists […]
1 year ago
FILE - A doctor performs an ultrasound scan on a pregnant woman at a hospital in Chicago, Aug. 7, 2...

What we know about a new health data tracking system being announced by White House

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s planned announcement Wednesday of a new private health tracking system that would make it easier for patients to access their health records and monitor their wellness is raising a host of privacy concerns. The collaboration between the federal government and Big Tech would allow patients to more seamlessly track […]
1 year ago
Help wanted sign is displayed at a live music and blues club in Chicago, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (...

Is AI causing tech worker layoffs? That’s what CEOs suggest, but the reality is complicated

If you read the typical 2025 mass layoff notice from a tech industry CEO, you might think that artificial intelligence cost workers their jobs. The reality is more complicated, with companies trying to signal to Wall Street that they’re making themselves more efficient as they prepare for broader changes wrought by AI. A new report […]
1 year ago
FILE - Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Sean Plankey, Senior adviser to the Secretary fo...

Senate committee advances Trump nominee to lead cybersecurity agency that protects election systems

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Senate committee voted Wednesday to advance President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency that secures the nation’s critical infrastructure, including election systems. Members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted 9-6 to recommend Sean Plankey ’s nomination for director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security […]
1 year ago
An American flag flies in front of the White House, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Ph...

Trump administration is launching a new private health tracking system with Big Tech’s help

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pushing an initiative for millions of Americans to upload personal health data and medical records on new apps and systems run by private tech companies, promising that will make it easier to access health records and monitor wellness. Leaders from more than 60 companies, including major tech companies […]
1 year ago
This image provided by Janzen Madsen shows the Roblox game called "Grow a Garden." (Janzen Madsen v...

Millions are flocking to grow virtual gardens in viral Roblox game created by teenager

Whether it serves as a chill escape from the onslaught of the real world or simply a way to beat vacation doldrums, a viral Roblox game about gardening has become the surprise hit of the summer. Grow a Garden, created by a 16-year-old in a few days, has shattered records for the most concurrent players […]
1 year ago

Allianz Life confirms data breach affecting majority of 1.4M US customers

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hackers gained access to personal data on the majority of the 1.4 million customers of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, the company confirmed Saturday. Minneapolis-based Allianz Life, a subsidiary of Munich, Germany-based Allianz SE, said the data breach happened on July 16 when a “malicious threat actor” gained access to […]
1 year ago

Trump’s AI plan calls for massive data centers. Here’s how it may affect energy in the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s plan to boost artificial intelligence and build data centers across the U.S. could speed up a building boom that was already expected to strain the nation’s ability to power it. The White House released the “AI Action Plan” Wednesday, vowing to expedite permitting for construction of energy-intensive data centers as it looks […]
1 year ago

Hacker disrupts New Jersey elections meeting with racist and pornographic outburst

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — An online meeting to discuss who would host New Jersey’s gubernatorial debates this fall ended abruptly on Thursday when a hacker interrupted the session with a brief outburst of racist comments and pornographic videos, officials said. The state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission had scheduled the meeting to hear from media companies […]
1 year ago

Trump’s order to block ‘woke’ AI in government encourages tech giants to censor their chatbots

Tech companies looking to sell their artificial intelligence technology to the federal government must now contend with a new regulatory hurdle: prove their chatbots aren’t “woke.” President Donald Trump’s sweeping new plan to counter China in achieving “global dominance” in AI promises to cut regulations and cement American values into the AI tools increasingly used […]
1 year ago

Why are data nerds racing to save US government statistics?

The data nerds are fighting back. After watching data sets be altered or disappear from U.S. government websites in unprecedented ways after President Donald Trump began his second term, an army of outside statisticians, demographers and computer scientists have joined forces to capture, preserve and share data sets, sometimes clandestinely. Their goal is to make […]
1 year ago

These tips from experts can help your teenager navigate AI companions

As artificial intelligence technology becomes part of daily life, adolescents are turning to chatbots for advice, guidance and conversation. The appeal is clear: Chatbots are patient, never judgmental, supportive and always available. That worries experts who say the booming AI industry is largely unregulated and that many parents have no idea about how their kids […]
1 year ago

Teens say they are turning to AI for advice, friendship and ‘to get out of thinking’

No question is too small when Kayla Chege, a high school student in Kansas, is using artificial intelligence. The 15-year-old asks ChatGPT for guidance on back-to-school shopping, makeup colors, low-calorie choices at Smoothie King, plus ideas for her Sweet 16 and her younger sister’s birthday party. The sophomore honors student makes a point not to […]
1 year ago

From tech podcasts to policy: Trump’s new AI plan leans heavily on Silicon Valley industry ideas

An artificial intelligence agenda that started coalescing on the podcasts of Silicon Valley billionaires is now being forged into U.S. policy as President Donald Trump leans on the ideas of the tech figures who backed his election campaign. Trump on Wednesday is planning to reveal an “AI Action Plan” he ordered after returning to the […]
1 year ago

Vermont engineer revives pay phones for free calls in areas with poor cell service

TUNBRIDGE, Vt. (AP) — An electrical engineer by trade, Patrick Schlott has spent countless hours tinkering with new and old technology. But it wasn’t until he found himself living in rural Vermont that he realized his penchant for repairing old pay phones could provide a public service. “I realized, wow, there’s no cell service for […]
1 year ago

Looming over two cases threatening Musk’s car company is a single question: Can he be trusted?

MIAMI (AP) — Elon Musk fought court cases on opposite coasts Monday, raising a question about the billionaire that could either speed his plan to put self-driving Teslas on U.S. roads or throw up a major roadblock: Can this wildly successful man who tends to exaggerate really be trusted? In Miami, a Tesla driver who […]
1 year ago

‘Please be careful.’ There are risks and rewards as crypto heavyweights push tokenization

As cryptocurrencies become more intertwined with the traditional financial system, industry heavyweights are racing for a long-sought goal of turning real-world assets into digital tokens. “Tokenization is going to open the door to a massive trading revolution,” said Vlad Tenev, the CEO of the trading platform Robinhood at a recent James Bond-themed tokenization launch event […]
1 year ago

Court rules Mississippi’s social media age verification law can go into effect

A Mississippi law that requires social media users to verify their ages can go into effect, a federal court has ruled. A tech industry group has pledged to continue challenging the law, arguing it infringes on users’ rights to privacy and free expression. A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals overruled […]
1 year ago