News/Leadership
It’s official, California governor signs AI transparency law amid tech opposition
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act into law, establishing some of the nation's strongest AI safety regulations. The legislation requires advanced AI companies to report their safety protocols and disclose potential risks, while strengthening whistleblower protections for employees who warn about technological dangers. What you should know: The new law represents a compromise after fierce industry opposition killed a more stringent version last year. S.B. 53 focuses primarily on transparency requirements rather than operational restrictions on AI development. Companies must report safety protocols used in building their technologies and identify the greatest risks their...
read Sep 29, 2025Kansas City college student with hustle uses AI to turn dead leads into paying clients
Aaron Perry, a college student from Overland Park, has launched Misogi AI Solutions, a startup that uses artificial intelligence to convert unresponsive business leads into paying clients through automated text message conversations. The venture demonstrates how young entrepreneurs are leveraging AI tools to rapidly build scalable businesses while still pursuing their education. What you should know: Perry began studying AI in February and has since transformed that knowledge into a profitable business model focused on lead nurturing. Misogi AI Solutions specializes in turning "lost leads" into sales by handling text message conversations with potential clients on behalf of businesses. The...
read Sep 29, 2025e-LOPE: Ohio Republican introduces bill that would ban humans from marrying AI
Ohio state Representative Thad Claggett has introduced legislation that would ban humans from marrying artificial intelligence systems and strip AI of any legal personhood status. The Republican lawmaker's House Bill 469, filed September 25, aims to establish clear legal boundaries as AI technology advances and sparks nationwide debates about the relationship between humans and machines. What you should know: The proposed law would explicitly classify AI systems as nonsentient and block them from gaining human-like legal rights. House Bill 469 would prohibit AI systems from being recognized as spouses, owning real estate, controlling intellectual property, or holding financial accounts. The...
read Sep 29, 2025CEOs risk obsolescence by treating AI as efficiency tool instead of business reshaper
Fortune contributor Mike Hoffman argues that CEOs are misreading AI's transformative potential by treating it as an efficiency tool rather than a fundamental business reshaper. His analysis draws parallels to how Blockbuster missed streaming's disruptive power while focusing on optimizing store operations, warning that companies risk obsolescence if they fail to recognize AI as a signal detector that can identify problems humans can't see. The big picture: More than half of the Fortune 500 companies from 2000 no longer exist, with most failing not from lack of vision but from solving the wrong problems while missing critical market signals. Why...
read Sep 29, 2025No trolling! AI Stan Lee avatar responds using decades of his real interviews, albeit with guardrails
Los Angeles Comic Con has unveiled an AI-powered avatar of Stan Lee that allows fans to interact with the late comic book legend through conversations. The 1,500-square-foot Stan Lee Experience booth features technology that draws from decades of Lee's actual words, interviews, and writings, including his famous "Stan's Soapbox" columns from Marvel comics between 1967 and 1980. What you should know: The interactive Stan Lee avatar processes questions and formulates responses using a specialized large language model trained exclusively on Lee's content. The technology comes from a collaboration between Proto Inc., which creates telepresence devices, and Hyperreal, a company whose...
read Sep 29, 2025Yahoo alum Marissa Mayer shuts down $20M AI startup Sunshine after 7 rocky years
Marissa Mayer is shutting down her AI startup Sunshine after seven rocky years and transferring its assets to Dazzle, a new AI company she recently incorporated. The move signals Mayer's pivot toward developing a new kind of AI personal assistant, with 99% of shareholders approving the acquisition deal as of late September. What you should know: Sunshine, originally called Lumi Labs, struggled to gain traction despite raising $20 million in venture funding plus Mayer's personal investment since its 2018 founding. The startup's roughly 15 employees are expected to transition to new roles at Dazzle, according to sources close to the...
read Sep 26, 2025Amazon loses another AI leader as competition with OpenAI heats up
Karthik Ramakrishnan, a 13-year Amazon veteran and vice president involved in artificial general intelligence development, has stepped down from the company. His departure adds to a growing exodus of senior AI leaders at Amazon as the tech giant intensifies its push to compete with OpenAI and Google in the artificial intelligence race. What you should know: Ramakrishnan was instrumental in creating Amazon's most recognizable consumer AI products and joins several other high-profile departures. He was part of the team that developed the Alexa voice assistant and Echo devices, two of Amazon's flagship AI-powered consumer products. Before Amazon, he worked at...
read Sep 26, 2025UNC’s AI fellow shares 5 insights on balancing technology with academic integrity
Universities across the country are grappling with a fundamental question: how do you prepare students for a workforce increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence while maintaining academic integrity? At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, that challenge falls to Dana Riger, the institution's inaugural generative artificial intelligence faculty fellow—a role that positions her at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and traditional pedagogy. Riger, a clinical associate professor in UNC's School of Education specializing in human development and family science, has spent the past 16 months helping faculty navigate the complex terrain of AI integration in higher education. Since taking...
read Sep 26, 2025Buttress, not butt out? Survey finds 83% of business leaders see AI as employee support, not replacement
Only 11% of business executives expect AI adoption to trigger significant job cuts in their organizations, according to a new survey from Creatio, a customer relationship management platform. The findings contrast sharply with predictions from tech leaders like Dario Amodei, CEO of AI company Anthropic, who has suggested AI could eliminate half of all white-collar jobs within five years, highlighting a disconnect between current business sentiment and long-term AI impact forecasts. What you should know: The vast majority of business leaders view AI as a tool for employee support rather than replacement. 83% of executives surveyed said AI systems and...
read Sep 26, 2025Former Texas governor Rick Perry’s data center startup eyes $13B IPO amid AI boom
Rick Perry's data center company Fermi America is preparing to go public at a valuation of up to $13 billion, positioning the former Texas governor and Trump energy secretary to earn hundreds of millions from his 3% stake. The company, founded just this year, plans to build the world's largest private electric grid and data center complex in Texas, named after President Trump and powered by nuclear, natural gas, wind, and solar energy. What you should know: Fermi America aims to raise up to $550 million through its IPO, with shares expected to list between $18-$22 on both Nasdaq and...
read Sep 25, 2025The best AI becomes invisible infrastructure, according to Grammarly’s CEO
Grammarly CEO Shishir Mehrotra argues that artificial intelligence becomes invisible infrastructure once it works effectively, with AI agents already embedded throughout digital systems without being recognized as such. This perspective reframes the AI conversation from futuristic speculation to present-day reality, suggesting that successful AI integration happens when technology seamlessly blends into existing workflows rather than announcing itself as revolutionary innovation. What you should know: AI agents are already operating across countless systems, but we've stopped calling them AI once they become reliable infrastructure. Traffic systems that adjust timing based on car detection, Grammarly's real-time writing assistance, and spam filters all...
read Sep 25, 2025Pennsylvania state rep seeks ban on AI primary teachers following pro-AI charter school rejection
Pennsylvania State Rep. Nikki Rivera has introduced legislation to ban charter schools from using artificial intelligence as the primary instructor, requiring certified human teachers instead. The bill follows the state Department of Education's rejection of Unbound Academy's charter application, which proposed AI-driven instruction with human "guides," highlighting growing concerns about AI replacing traditional teaching methods. What you should know: Rivera's proposed legislation would deny AI-powered charter and cyber charter applications as a safeguard against unproven instructional practices. The bill aims to prevent taxpayer dollars from being redirected "from those manipulating the law for their own profit at the expense of...
read Sep 25, 2025Legal experts slam Bluebook’s new AI citation rule as confusing
The 22nd edition of The Bluebook, released in May, introduces Rule 18.3 for citing AI-generated content, but legal experts are calling the new citation standard fundamentally flawed and confusing. The Bluebook acts a foundational guide for the legal profession, offering best practices. Critics argue the new rule treats AI as a citable authority rather than a research tool, creating more confusion than clarity for legal professionals navigating AI citations. What the rule requires: Authors must save screenshots of AI output as PDFs when citing generative AI content like ChatGPT conversations or Google search results. The rule has three sections covering...
read Sep 25, 2025Shatner dismisses hospital rumors at 94, warns fans about AI misinformation
William Shatner took to Instagram on Thursday to dispel reports of a medical emergency, posting a photo with the caption "Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated!" The 94-year-old "Star Trek" icon's public reassurance comes after TMZ reported he was hospitalized Wednesday due to blood sugar issues, highlighting ongoing concerns about misinformation in entertainment reporting. What happened: Shatner was reportedly rushed to a Los Angeles hospital Wednesday afternoon after experiencing blood sugar problems at his home. His agent Harry Gold confirmed to TMZ that the actor was transported as a precautionary measure and discharged the same day after monitoring....
read Sep 24, 2025AI system invented by Al Gore tracks deadly soot pollution in 2,500 cities
Former Vice President Al Gore has expanded his Climate TRACE system to track deadly soot pollution using satellite technology and artificial intelligence, enabling neighborhood-level monitoring of particle pollution sources across 2,500 cities worldwide. The system can identify 137,095 pollution sources and track their emissions in real-time, potentially saving millions of lives by empowering communities with precise data about local air quality threats. How it works: Gore's coalition deploys an extensive network of 300 satellites, 30,000 ground sensors, and AI algorithms to monitor particle pollution with unprecedented precision. The system tracks 137,095 sources of particle pollution globally, with 3,937 classified as...
read Sep 24, 2025Qualcomm CEO plans to bring AI everywhere with next-gen chips
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon appeared on CNBC's "Closing Bell Overtime" to discuss the company's next generation of mobile and PC processors designed to integrate AI capabilities across devices. The interview focused on Qualcomm's strategy to embed artificial intelligence into its semiconductor offerings and the broader outlook for the chip industry as AI becomes increasingly central to consumer and enterprise technology. What you should know: The discussion centered on Qualcomm's vision to democratize AI access through its chip technology. Amon emphasized the company's commitment to "bring AI everywhere" through its latest processor developments. The conversation covered both mobile and PC processors,...
read Sep 24, 2025200+ world leaders demand AI safety consensus by end of 2025
Over 200 world leaders, Nobel laureates, and industry experts have co-signed an open letter demanding international consensus on AI safety measures by the end of 2025. The petition, released during the UN General Assembly, calls for "clear and verifiable red lines" to prevent "universally unacceptable risks" from artificial intelligence development. What they're saying: The letter emphasizes the urgent need for binding international agreements on AI safety protocols.• "An international agreement on clear and verifiable red lines is necessary for preventing universally unacceptable risks," the letter states, adding that safeguards should build upon "existing global frameworks and voluntary corporate commitments." Who...
read Sep 24, 2025AI startups risk collapse without data systems, warns ex-Facebook executive
Former Facebook design executive Julie Zhuo warns that AI startups are building their businesses on "good instincts and good vibes" rather than solid data analytics, despite attracting hundreds of millions in funding. Her critique highlights a fundamental vulnerability in the AI boom: companies experiencing explosive growth lack the infrastructure to understand why they're succeeding, leaving them unprepared when inevitable slowdowns occur. What you should know: AI companies are growing at unprecedented speeds without implementing proper data analysis systems to understand their success. "I don't think a lot of the fast-growing companies are using data well at this point," Zhuo explained...
read Sep 23, 2025Melania Trump launches children’s AI safety coalition at UN amid Ukraine crisis
Melania Trump announced a new coalition focused on children's well-being and AI safety during a reception for world leaders' spouses at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska attended the event hoping to secure Trump's support for raising awareness about thousands of Ukrainian children taken to Russia during the ongoing war. What you should know: Trump's four-minute appearance marked the launch of her "Fostering the Future Together" initiative, aimed at protecting children through technology safeguards.• The first lady, wearing an off-white Dolce & Gabbana cashmere pantsuit, called on leaders to help impose safeguards on new technology...
read Sep 23, 2025Tom Brady rubs shoulders with AI massage company Aescape as new innovation chief
Tom Brady is joining forces with Aescape, the world's first robotic massage technology company, in what sources describe as a merger that will make him Chief Innovation Officer. The partnership aims to expand Aescape's reach from luxury hotels and gyms into professional sports facilities and potentially the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while democratizing access to high-quality massage therapy through AI-powered robotics. What you should know: Brady will share his longevity and recovery protocols with Aescape while his business partner Alex Spiro, a prominent attorney who has represented Jay-Z and Elon Musk, joins as a strategic advisor in exchange for equity.•...
read Sep 23, 2025AI to replace half of white-collar jobs as blue-collar opportunities ignored, Ford CEO warns
Ford CEO Jim Farley is warning that artificial intelligence will eliminate up to half of all white-collar jobs in America within the next decade, while the country simultaneously faces critical shortages in blue-collar and skilled trade positions. His call to action highlights a fundamental mismatch between where the economy is heading and where educational priorities currently focus, as entry-level white-collar positions disappear while hundreds of thousands of manufacturing and construction jobs remain unfilled. The big picture: Farley describes America as ignoring its "essential economy"—the sectors that get things "moved, built, or fixed"—while overemphasizing four-year college education and tech careers that...
read Sep 23, 2025San Francisco’s AI community lives in a gilded bubble, says VC
Venture capitalist Hunter Walk reflects on the disconnect between perception and reality in San Francisco's AI scene, drawing parallels between teenage emotions and the tech community's current mindset. His observations, inspired by both parenting advice and Jasmine Sun's essay on SF's AI culture, suggest that while the feelings and experiences of AI participants are genuine, they may not accurately reflect the broader technological landscape. The big picture: Walk uses the metaphor "it might not be true, but it is real" to describe how San Francisco's AI community experiences their environment—their swagger and confidence are authentic emotions, even if they don't...
read Sep 23, 2025UN climate chief calls AI a climate “gamechanger” but warns of energy risks
The UN's climate chief says artificial intelligence can be a "gamechanger" in tackling global heating, but governments must regulate the technology to manage its risks and energy demands. Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, emphasized that while AI offers significant potential for climate solutions, its growing energy requirements from large datacenters require immediate regulatory attention. What you should know: AI is already being deployed across multiple climate applications, from energy system optimization to industrial carbon reduction tools. The UN itself is using AI to support climate diplomacy efforts, demonstrating the technology's versatility in addressing...
read Sep 22, 2025“AIT”? CIOs predict 18% IT workforce cuts as AI reshapes hiring needs
CIOs predict an 18% reduction in their IT workforces within the next two years, driven by automation, AI adoption, and shifting sourcing strategies toward contractors and third-party firms. This workforce contraction reflects a broader transformation in how organizations approach IT talent management, balancing cost pressures with the need for AI-enabled skills while potentially sacrificing institutional knowledge. What you should know: The Harvey Nash survey of 2,015 technology leaders across 62 countries reveals significant changes in IT hiring priorities and workforce expectations. Digital leaders believe hiring needs for existing tech positions will reduce by 18% over two years, with 18% of...
read