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Leading technology companies like OpenAI and Meta are designing their AI agents with a focus on adorable and friendly visuals, using elements such as sparkles, gradients, and cartoon-like characters. This trend aims to make AI interactions more approachable and engaging for users.
The European Commission is reportedly revising its digital tax proposal so that it applies to all large corporations with revenue above €100 million, rather than singling out digital services providers like Apple, Google and Meta. According to the Financial Times, officials hope this broader approach will raise similar tax revenue while avoiding the appearance of targeting US tech firms specifically. The exact levy amount has not been set, with the EU first seeking agreement among its 27 member states on the broader principle.
Apple has continued reducing its overall emissions even as it invests in AI infrastructure, a trend that contrasts with rivals whose emissions are rising due to power-hungry data centers. The company has previously pledged to become carbon neutral across its entire supply chain and product life cycle by 2030.
A tech commentator argues that while Big Tech companies like Google and Microsoft are aggressively pushing users toward passkeys, the technology trades one security risk for another. Passkeys eliminate phishing by binding logins to a specific site, but because they can't be backed up or transferred between hardware keys, users face a higher chance of losing access entirely if devices are lost or accounts are banned.
Natasha Singer's book 'Coding Kids' traces how Code.org and its founder Hadi Partovi convinced schools that coding was essential to economic survival, paving the way for tech companies to influence curricula. In an interview with The 74, Singer argues today's AI push by Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google into classrooms mirrors that earlier coding campaign, despite growing public distrust of Big Tech.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a proposal to bar children under 13 from using social media across all 27 EU member states. The plan also calls for supervised 'mini accounts' with restricted features for teens aged 13-15, and mandates 'safe design' standards for platforms serving 15-to-18-year-olds.
Australia's government unveiled a proposed 'My Feed, My Way' law that would require social media platforms to let users over 16 choose between an algorithm-driven feed or one showing only content from people they follow. Platforms would need to notify users to select a default option, and non-compliance could bring fines up to AU$109.2 million (about $79 million). The bill, headed to Parliament this year, also targets addictive design features in AI chatbots and games aimed at minors.
Major technology companies are adjusting how they plan and build data centers as opposition grows in communities affected by noise, power demand, and land use concerns tied to the AI boom. The shift reflects an effort to address local pushback that has slowed or stalled some previous projects.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Greg Casar have introduced legislation that would prohibit companies from developing artificial superintelligence, citing recent incidents where AI systems behaved unpredictably. Sanders argued that AI executives themselves admit they can't fully control their technology, making further advancement irresponsible without safeguards.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar announced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which would permanently prohibit building or deploying superintelligent AI and temporarily halt advanced AI development until a federal regulator sets safety rules. The bill also calls for the U.S. to pursue international agreements preventing superintelligence from being built anywhere in the world.
A wave of upcoming television shows dramatizes the arc of tech founders who abandoned idealistic missions in pursuit of wealth and influence. These productions reframe once-celebrated entrepreneurs as cautionary figures rather than visionary heroes.
As Trump publicly warned communities against opposing AI data centers, a group called Build American AI—backed by the PAC Leading the Future—is rolling out a large ad campaign in battleground states like Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin to build public support for new AI infrastructure. The push comes as an Annenberg Public Policy Center study found 61% of US adults now oppose new data centers near their homes, driven by concerns over rising utility costs, environmental impact and general distrust of AI.