Results for "consumer tech"
171 results found

Florida Sues OpenAI Over Alleged User Exploitation Tied to Mass Shooting
Florida sued OpenAI and Sam Altman over alleged deceptive practices after a mass shooter used ChatGPT to plan an attack at FSU.

AI Agents Burn Cash: Microsoft, Meta, Amazon Face Token Crisis
Agentic AI consumes up to 1000x more tokens than standard AI, causing budgets to explode. Tech giants are now pulling back as employee 'tokenmaxxing' backfires.

France Leads EU's Charge Away From US Tech Giants
France is replacing Zoom and Microsoft Teams with homegrown tools, and other EU countries are following. The Trump-era push for digital sovereignty is reshaping Europe's tech landscape.

Tech Lobbying Weakens Climate Rules for Data Centers
Tech companies lobbied to kill stricter clean energy rules for gas-powered data centers, weakening climate pledges.

Public Opposition to AI Data Centers Grows as NIMBY Sentiment Spreads
A new survey shows Americans strongly oppose AI data centers near homes, citing noise, energy use and property value concerns. The backlash challenges Big Tech’s expansion plans.

UK Businesses Boost AI and Security Spending Amid Rising Cyber Threats
UK companies are increasing investments in AI and cybersecurity despite fears that new tech could introduce fresh risks. Geopolitical tensions drive the surge.

Fresha Reaches $1 Billion Valuation With KKR Investment
Beauty booking platform Fresha secured $80M from KKR, pushing its valuation to $1 billion. The funding underscores growth in service marketplace tech.

Microsoft quietly downgrades offline Office features for perpetual license users
Microsoft is reducing functionality in perpetually-licensed Office products, pushing users toward subscriptions. The changes affect offline software used by businesses and consumers who avoid cloud plans.

Goldman Sachs Warns AI Agents Could Drive Token Demand Up 24-Fold
A Goldman Sachs report warns that AI agents could increase token demand by 24 times, straining budgets at Uber, Microsoft and other firms. Rising costs are forcing a reassessment of AI strategies.

Accenture Acquires Ookla, Owner of Speedtest, in Telecom Data Play
Accenture is buying Ookla, the company behind Speedtest.net. The deal boosts Accenture's telecom data and analytics capabilities.

Google I/O 2026: Gemini AI and Android XR Glasses Lead the Agenda
Google I/O 2026 will feature major Gemini AI updates, Android improvements, and a first look at Android XR smart glasses. The event signals Google's push into AI and spatial computing.

Amazon and Spotify Take Opposite Paths on AI Podcast Content
Amazon's Alexa+ now generates AI news podcasts while Spotify launches a system to verify human-made shows.

Union Avoidance Spending by US Employers Tops $1.5 Billion Annually
US employers spend more than $1.5 billion yearly on union avoidance activities, a report finds, raising questions about labor policy and worker rights.

China Deploys Subsea Data Center Powered by Offshore Wind and Ocean Cooling
China launched the world's first commercial underwater data center off Hainan. It uses seawater cooling and offshore wind to power 2,000 servers efficiently.

Google Calls Search Monopoly Ruling Flawed in Appeal, Says It Won Fairly
Google appeals its search monopoly ruling, arguing the decision overstepped legal bounds. The company says it won market position through fair competition.

Google Tests Reduced Free Storage for New Accounts Without Phone Number
Google is testing a policy in select regions that limits new accounts to 5GB free storage unless users link a phone number. The move aims to curb abuse but raises privacy questions.

DuckDuckGo User Surge Follows Google's AI Expansion Announcement
DuckDuckGo saw a sharp rise in new users after Google deepened AI integration in search. Privacy concerns and dissatisfaction with AI overviews drove the shift.

Erin Brockovich Targets AI Data Centers With Public Tracking Tool
Erin Brockovich launches a public platform to track environmental concerns about AI data centers, asking communities to report developments nationwide.

EU Forces Return of User-Replaceable Batteries in Smartphones
New EU regulations require smartphones and tablets to have user-replaceable batteries, aiming to boost repairability and reduce e-waste.

Publishers File Class Action Against Meta Over Copyright Infringement in AI Training
Book publishers sued Meta and Mark Zuckerberg for using copyrighted works to train Llama AI without permission. The lawsuit alleges unauthorized scraping of millions of books.