News/Economy
Sterling Stock Picker uses AI to make investing accessible at $68.99 lifetime fee
Sterling Stock Picker positions itself as an AI-powered investment platform designed to democratize stock market success for investors of all experience levels. By combining AI guidance with personalized insights and educational resources, the platform aims to reduce the intimidation factor of investing while providing actionable intelligence comparable to professional financial advisors. The lifetime subscription model offers significant cost savings while providing ongoing access to the platform's evolving capabilities. The big picture: Sterling Stock Picker leverages AI technology to make investing more accessible to novice investors while providing sophisticated analysis for more experienced market participants. The platform focuses on aligning investment...
read Mar 19, 2025New Jersey’s AI ambitions: How Gov. Murphy is building a tech innovation hub
The "Walled Garden State"? Something like that, perhaps, but not if it's open source! New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is implementing a multi-faceted strategy to transform his state into an innovation hub, particularly for artificial intelligence. During a recent interview on the "AI & I" podcast with Dan Shipper, Murphy outlined his vision that takes cues from successful tech ecosystems like Boston and the Bay Area while acknowledging New Jersey's distinct identity. His approach focuses on creating innovation-friendly environments through public-private partnerships, improving quality of life for knowledge workers, and employing AI as an augmentation tool rather than a replacement...
read Mar 19, 2025McKinsey consultants tackle economic inequality through nonprofit fellowship program
McKinsey's nonprofit fellowship program enables consultants to leverage their professional expertise to tackle economic inequality at the grassroots level. Through this initiative, nearly 50 fellows in 2025 are helping organizations advance economic opportunity by applying strategic business skills, data analytics, and AI capabilities to social challenges. The program exemplifies how corporate talent can create meaningful impact beyond traditional consulting, particularly by strengthening institutions that serve marginalized communities. The big picture: McKinsey consultants are dedicating six to twelve months of their careers to help nonprofits strengthen their operations and expand their impact through specialized fellowship placements. The program deployed nearly 50...
read Mar 17, 2025Is the human touch a premium service? AI is reshaping customer interaction in a two-tiered direction
The AI revolution is reshaping customer service roles, creating a stark divide between human and automated touchpoints in post-sales interactions. SaaStr founder Jason Lemkin projects that by 2025, AI will handle virtually all support and customer success functions except those directly tied to revenue generation. This shift reflects a fundamental business prioritization where human attention is increasingly reserved exclusively for revenue-generating opportunities while routine customer interactions are automated. The big picture: Companies are rapidly deploying AI to handle the majority of customer support inquiries, with many businesses already seeing 40% or more of tickets resolved without human intervention. Major platforms...
read Mar 14, 2025Europe adding 5 AI businesses per minute as adoption gap widens
It's like the European version of America's Clinton-era "digital divide," enterprise edition. Europe is witnessing an unprecedented acceleration in AI adoption, with five businesses implementing AI solutions every minute according to AWS's latest research. However, this rapid growth is creating a concerning divide between agile, AI-native startups and established enterprises struggling with implementation challenges. This emerging two-tier AI economy threatens Europe's competitiveness and requires urgent attention from business leaders and policymakers to ensure the benefits of AI are broadly distributed across the business landscape. The big picture: Europe's AI landscape is evolving rapidly with 42% of firms now regularly using...
read Mar 13, 2025Musk’s “anti-woke” AI chatbot Grok surprisingly favors Democratic economic policies
Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has unexpectedly aligned with Democratic economic policies in its response to a political question on X. When asked to compare Republican and Democratic economic performance over the past 30 years, the self-described "anti-woke" AI broadened its analysis to post-WWII data, concluding that Democratic administrations have historically outperformed Republicans on key economic metrics including GDP growth, job creation, and recession avoidance. The big picture: Grok's response directly contradicts the political positioning many expected from an AI created by Musk, who has increasingly aligned himself with conservative politics. The chatbot cited specific economic data showing Democrats averaging...
read Mar 12, 2025Harris warns of “really bad” relationship between tech and government at AI conference
The intersection of artificial intelligence and politics is evolving as influential figures begin engaging with the industry's ethical challenges. Former Vice President Kamala Harris's recent appearance at the HumanX conference in Las Vegas represents a significant attempt to bridge the gap between government oversight and technological innovation. Her focus on trust and empathy highlights growing concerns about AI adoption amid public skepticism, with her emphasis on better communication between Silicon Valley and Washington suggesting a potential path forward for more responsible AI development. The big picture: Harris positioned AI as a transformative technology with potential comparable to rural electrification, while...
read Mar 12, 2025Survey: AI helps job seekers land higher salaries but extends search time
AI is now playing a pivotal role in the job search process, creating unexpected advantages and challenges for both applicants and recruiters. New research reveals that while AI tools help candidates secure higher-paying positions, they also extend the job search timeline and create authenticity concerns among hiring managers who remain skeptical of AI-generated application materials despite having difficulty identifying them. The big picture: AI adoption in job applications has reached a tipping point, with 75% of candidates now using AI tools to create resumes and cover letters. Software Finder's survey of over 1,000 hiring managers and job seekers reveals a...
read Mar 12, 2025Wearables to Software-ables: Tech companies pivot to AI software as hardware innovation stalls
The consumer technology market is experiencing a notable slowdown in hardware innovation as companies pivot their focus toward artificial intelligence software development instead. Despite the AI industry's explosive growth, the absence of new consumer gadgets accompanying these advancements signals a significant shift in how tech giants are approaching product development and market strategy. This divergence between AI software momentum and hardware stagnation highlights changing consumer preferences and potentially indicates a maturing device market where significant upgrades have become increasingly difficult to justify. The big picture: Major tech companies are prioritizing AI software development while noticeably pulling back on launching new...
read Mar 11, 2025Tech hiring down overall, but AI job postings surge 68%
The AI workplace revolution is creating a massive surge in demand for AI-skilled professionals, with 25% of US tech job postings now requiring artificial intelligence expertise. This fundamental shift in hiring priorities comes despite an overall slowdown in tech recruitment, highlighting how organizations across multiple sectors are positioning themselves to capitalize on AI integration for competitive advantage. The big picture: AI-related tech positions have more than doubled in recent years, with 36% of information sector IT jobs now requiring AI skills, according to data from UMD-LinkUp AI Maps. While overall job postings fell 17% in the two years since ChatGPT's...
read Mar 11, 2025Retailers racing to deploy AI while shoppers demand transparency
Time was when "auto mall" universally meant a veritable mall for automobiles. But it's transforming into a term for the automated mall experience, with both shoppers and merchants expecting to contend with AI in some form or another. A significant gap exists between retail customers and businesses regarding in-store AI implementation, though both groups recognize its potential benefits. The new Everseen survey reveals that while 65% of shoppers believe AI enhances retail convenience, 63% of retail managers view AI deployment as a competitive necessity. This alignment around AI's value comes as retailers accelerate adoption plans while navigating implementation challenges and...
read Mar 10, 2025One Training to Rule Them All: AI’s replicative properties could fundamentally reshape economic growth
The "train-once-deploy-many" property of AI creates a fundamental economic advantage over human intelligence, potentially enabling unprecedented scaling and growth in AI-driven economies. This property allows companies to justify massive investments in model training because the resulting models can be infinitely replicated at much lower inference costs, creating a powerful form of increasing returns to scale that human labor cannot match. Understanding this dynamic is crucial for anticipating how AI might reshape economic paradigms and growth patterns. The big picture: AI systems possess a unique economic advantage through their ability to be trained once at high cost, then deployed in unlimited...
read Mar 10, 2025Should AI-assisted creative work be priced lower? Small businesses debate ethics
The ethical pricing debate around AI-assisted creative work is gaining prominence as small businesses increasingly compete with larger retailers by leveraging artificial intelligence in their creative processes. The discussion centers on whether companies using AI assistance to produce creative work should charge lower rates than those relying solely on human effort – a question that touches on fundamental issues of value, transparency, and the evolving relationship between technology and creative industries. The big picture: The latest episode of Small Biz Trends' "Small Business Breakdown" examines whether creative companies should discount their services when using AI tools, highlighting the complex pricing...
read Mar 7, 2025StubHub eyes $1 billion IPO golden ticket as live events rebound from pandemic slump
StubHub's potential IPO represents a significant milestone in the revival of tech public offerings amid market volatility influenced by President Trump's economic policy changes. While the ticketing marketplace has only held preliminary discussions with bankers, their reported goal of raising over $1 billion signals confidence in their post-pandemic recovery. This development, alongside similar explorations by companies like CoreWeave and Discord, suggests renewed Wall Street appetite for tech listings despite the slow start to the year's IPO market. The big picture: StubHub is testing the waters for a potential initial public offering that could happen before the end of 2025, looking...
read Mar 6, 2025College-educated Americans earn up to $1,000 weekly fixing AI responses
The perennial notion of the side hustle is converging with AI and turning everyone these days into a minor editor. A new digital economy is emerging where college-educated Americans earn substantial side income by correcting and improving AI responses, with workers at Scale AI making up to $1,000 weekly for ensuring AI outputs remain accurate and human-like. This growing segment of AI-adjacent labor highlights how human oversight remains essential even as AI systems become more sophisticated, creating new earning opportunities for those with relevant expertise. The big picture: Scale AI, a $14 billion company, is increasingly turning to U.S.-based workers...
read Mar 6, 2025Chinese AI firm iFlyTek soars to Europe as US-China tensions escalate
Chinese AI firm iFlyTek is strategically pivoting toward European expansion amid escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. This move highlights how geopolitical friction is reshaping global AI business strategies, with Chinese tech companies increasingly looking to Europe as an alternative growth market while diversifying their supply chains to mitigate tariff impacts. The company's European ambitions signal a broader trend of Chinese tech firms seeking to reduce dependence on North American markets. The big picture: iFlyTek is actively expanding its European footprint to counter the impact of growing U.S.-China trade tensions. The company currently operates in France and Hungary, with plans to open...
read Mar 6, 2025Report: Developer tools soar 72% while EdTech platforms plummet in AI market shift
The latest SimilarWeb Global AI Tracker reveals a dramatic reshaping of the AI market, with clear winners and losers emerging across sectors. Developer tools are experiencing explosive growth while traditional platforms in freelancing and education face significant declines, signaling a fundamental market reorganization as AI solutions replace conventional approaches. This data provides valuable intelligence for investors and strategists navigating the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem. The big picture: DevOps and code completion tools are dominating the AI landscape with 72% year-over-year growth, while educational technology platforms continue their decline, dropping 20% as AI alternatives gain traction. Key winners: Developer-focused AI tools...
read Mar 6, 2025North American Solidarity: USMCA could help secure $3.5 trillion AI market against China
The USMCA presents a strategic opportunity for North America to solidify dominance in the rapidly expanding global AI market, which is projected to reach $3.5 trillion by 2033. With China actively challenging U.S. leadership through aggressive national AI development policies, the trilateral agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada offers a framework for regional collaboration that could secure North America's competitive advantage. This potential for cooperation becomes increasingly vital as AI transforms from an emerging technology into a foundational economic driver across industries. The big picture: The global artificial intelligence market is experiencing explosive growth, with projections showing a...
read Mar 5, 2025AI job disruption coming faster than most people think, warns researcher
Don't blink: The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is poised to transform the global workforce far more dramatically and swiftly than commonly believed. While many still view AI primarily through the lens of chatbots like ChatGPT, RethinkX's research director Adam Dorr warns that the technology's impact on employment will be profound and imminent, challenging conventional wisdom about the timeline of workplace automation. The big picture: AI and robotics are accelerating toward a tipping point that could fundamentally reshape the job market faster than most experts and workers anticipate. Key details: RethinkX's analysis suggests that AI-driven automation will disrupt employment across...
read Mar 5, 2025General AI Intelligence: AI seeing adoption across whole of society, from business to education
New research reveals the widespread integration of AI across diverse segments of society, from corporate communications to childhood education. Multiple studies conducted by leading institutions illuminate how artificial intelligence is reshaping communication patterns, business operations, and learning approaches, while simultaneously raising important questions about its impact on critical thinking and authenticity in content creation. Key adoption metrics: Stanford University researchers found significant AI usage in formal communications by late 2024. AI-generated or modified text appeared in 24% of corporate press releases and 18% of US consumer complaints. The technology was detected in 15% of job postings and 14% of United...
read Mar 4, 2025Predictions for the long arc of consumer behavior, AI, and market disruption
The convergence of technological breakthroughs and shifting consumer behaviors has historically sparked transformative waves of innovation in consumer technology. According to Bessemer Venture Partners, these "consumer earthquakes" create opportunities for companies that can deliver superior product experiences while achieving viral, organic growth—a pattern now accelerating with the rise of artificial intelligence applications across multiple consumer sectors. The big picture: The consumer AI landscape is being reshaped by three fundamental drivers that are creating unprecedented opportunities for innovation and market disruption. Foundation model costs have plummeted dramatically, with ChatGPT-4 token prices dropping 85-95% since March 2023. Multimodal AI models have achieved...
read Mar 3, 2025AI agents could make the internet go dark, top analysts warn
Will agentic middlemen lurk in the shadows of what was once called cyberspace? Financial analysts warn that widespread adoption of AI agents could fundamentally transform how humans interact with digital services and information online. These AI-powered personal assistants, which can perform tasks across various applications on behalf of users, threaten to disrupt existing business models and potentially reshape the economics of the internet. The implications extend beyond simple convenience features to potentially affecting how news is consumed, services are marketed, and digital advertising functions. The big picture: Analysts at Bernstein Research predict that if AI agents become truly useful, they could...
read Feb 28, 2025San Francisco’s Autodesk cuts 1,350 jobs in AI pivot, matching similar moves by Salesforce, Workday
In the newest instance of yes-AI-is-coming-for-your-tech-job, Autodesk's decision to cut 1,350 jobs, representing 9% of its global workforce, signals a strategic pivot toward artificial intelligence and cloud technology for the AutoCAD maker. This restructuring by the San Francisco-based software company reflects a broader trend among enterprise technology firms reallocating resources to capitalize on emerging technologies while adapting to subscription-based business models. The big picture: Autodesk is reshaping its go-to-market organization while increasing investments in AI, cloud technology, and industry-specific solutions to maintain competitive advantage. Key details: The restructuring affects approximately 1,350 employees globally as part of a larger efficiency initiative....
read Feb 28, 2025In the Know: US Artificial Intelligence Institute releases 2025 salary guide for AI jobs
The United States Artificial Intelligence Institute (USAII®) has released its highly anticipated 2025 AI Salary Guide, offering comprehensive insights into compensation trends, job opportunities, and skill requirements across the artificial intelligence sector. This annual guide serves as a crucial resource for professionals, recruiters, and organizations navigating the evolving landscape of AI careers and talent acquisition. The big picture: The 2025 guide arrives amid significant shifts in AI implementation across industries, focusing on both established roles and emerging opportunities in the field. Key details: The salary guide covers multiple aspects of the AI job market: Analysis of popular AI positions that...
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