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Google's AI Model Faces European Union Scrutiny From Privacy Watchdog - European Union regulators said Thursday they're investigating one of Google's artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc's strict data privacy rules.

European Union regulators said Thursday they’re investigating one of Google’s artificial intelligence models over concerns about its compliance with the bloc’s strict data privacy rules. The Irish watchdog said earlier this month that Elon Musk’s social media platform X has agreed to permanently stop processing user data for its AI chatbot Grok. The platform did so only after the watchdog took it to court the month before, filing an urgent High Court application to get X to “suspend, restrict or prohibit” processing of personal data contained in public posts by its users.

AUSTRALIA PROPOSES LEGAL MINIMUM AGE FOR CHILDREN ACCESSING SOCIAL MEDIA

The Australian government this week promised to legislate this year to enforce a minimum age for children to access social media, but it has yet to announce how ages will be verified.

SWEDEN JOINS COUNTRIES SEEKING TO END SCREEN TIME FOR CHILDREN UNDER 2

Sweden says children under the age of 2 should not be exposed to any digital screens.

EU'S TOP COURT DISMISSES APPLE'S FINAL APPEAL AGAINST ORDER TO PAY IRELAND 13B EUROS IN BACK TAXES

Apple this week lost its last bid to avoid paying 13 billion euros ($14.34 billion) in back taxes to Ireland, in a finale to a dispute with the European Union that centered on sweetheart deals that Dublin was offering to attract multinational businesses with minimal taxes across the 27-nation bloc. The final decision by the EU’s top court was quickly hailed as a landmark victory over corporate greed.

GOOGLE AND APPLE LOSE THEIR COURT FIGHTS AGAINST THE EU AND OWE BILLIONS IN FINES AND TAXES

Google lost its last bid to overturn a European Union antitrust penalty, after the bloc's top court ruled against it Tuesday in a case that came with a whopping fine and helped jumpstart an era of intensifying scrutiny for Big Tech companies.

US POSTAL SERVICE SQUEEZE ON SHIPPING CONSOLIDATORS COULD RAISE CONSUMER COSTS

The U.S. Postal Service said this week that it is ending discounts that shipping consolidators such as UPS and DHL use to get packages to the nation’s doorsteps, in a move meant to help the Postal Service slow losses but that could see the higher costs passed on to consumers.

TELEGRAM CEO DEFENDS HIMSELF AGAINST FRENCH CHARGES IN FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTS

Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov promised to step up efforts to fight criminality on the messaging app, his first public comments since French authorities handed him preliminary charges for allegedly allowing the platform's use for criminal activity.

JAMES EARL JONES' DARTH VADER VOICE LIVES ON THROUGH AI.VOICE ACTORS SEE PROMISE AND PERIL IN THAT

Over the course of an acting career that spanned more than six decades, James Earl Jones' voice became an indelible piece of his work as a performer.

GOOGLE FACES A NEW ANTITRUST TRIAL AFTER RULING DECLARING SEARCH ENGINE A MONOPOLY

One month after a judge declared Google's search engine an illegal monopoly, the tech giant faces another antitrust lawsuit that threatens to break up the company, this time over its advertising technology.

A CAPSULE HAS BEEN PROPELLED THROUGH A HYPERLOOP TEST TUBE IN A STEP FORWARD FOR THE TRANSIT SYSTEM

Hyperloop, a new form of mass transit involving capsules whizzing on magnetic fields through depressurized tubes, has achieved significant liftoff in the northern Netherlands, a company developing the technology said Monday.

BATTERY-POWERED DEVICES ARE OVERHEATING MORE OFTEN ON PLANES AND RAISING ALARM

Devices powered by lithium-ion batteries are overheating more often during airline flights and passengers often put them in checked bags that go into the cargo hold, where a fire might not be detected as quickly.

TEXAS PARENTS GAIN NEW TOOLS TO CONTROL THEIR TEEN'S SOCIAL MEDIA USE

Parents of Texas children under 18 can now monitor and restrict their child’s activity on digital platforms including Facebook and Instagram — but only if they know their child uses the service.

GEORGIA SCHOOL SHOOTING HIGHLIGHTS FEARS ABOUT CLASSROOM CELLPHONE BANS

Huddling for safety in classrooms as gunfire rang out, students at Apalachee High School texted or called their parents to let them know what was happening and send what they thought could be their final messages. One student texted her mother to say she loved her, adding, “I’m sorry I’m not the best daughter.”

16 Pro AI-ORIENTED IMPROVEMENTS ON THE NEW IPHONE FLAGSHIP

At this year's September Event, Glowtime, Apple unveiled new Apple Watches, AirPods, and iPhones. The introduction of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max represents a new benchmark in smartphone technology, pushing the boundaries of performance, design, and user experience with cutting-edge features that cater to tech enthusiasts and creative pros.

APPLE EMBRACES THE AI CRAZE WITH ITS NEWLY UNLEASHED IPHONE 16 LINEUP

Apple on Monday charged into the artificial intelligence craze with a new iPhone lineup that marks the company’s latest attempt to latch onto a technology trend and transform it into a cultural phenomenon.

THE AI INDUSTRY USES A LIGHT LOBBYING TOUCH TO EDUCATE CONGRESS FROM A CORPORATE PERSPECTIVE

The artificial intelligence industry has gone on a lobbying binge in the past few years, deploying scores of hired influencers to help shape potential government action.

TECH BILLIONAIRE PULLS OFF FIRST PRIVATE SPACEWALK HIGH ABOVE EARTH

A tech billionaire popped out from a SpaceX capsule hundreds of miles above Earth and performed the first private spacewalk Thursday, a high-risk endeavor once reserved for professional astronauts.

ALONSO SAYS ASTON MARTIN IS F1 'TEAM OF THE FUTURE' AFTER HIRING DESIGNER NEWEY

Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin is Formula 1's \"team of the future\" after hiring Red Bull car designer Adrian Newey with an eye on the new regulations coming in 2026.

AI May Not Steal Many Jobs After All. It May Just Make Workers More Efficient -Imagine a customer-service center that speaks your language, no matter what it is.

Imagine a customer-service center that speaks your language, no matter what it is. Nick Bunker, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, said he thinks AI “will affect many, many jobs — maybe every job indirectly to some extent. But I don’t think it’s going to lead to, say, mass unemployment. We have seen other big technological events in our history, and those didn’t lead to a large rise in unemployment. Technology destroys but also creates. There will be new jobs that come about.’’

This Fall, Hollywood Tries to Balance Box Office With the Ballot Box - Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election in November, Ridley Scott will present his latest big-screen opus.

Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election in November, Ridley Scott will present his latest big-screen opus. “Gladiator II” returns the prodigious filmmaker to ancient Rome for a story about a power, the survival of Rome and the fate of democracy.“Hopefully,” Scott says, “it will be a good omen.” This fall, Hollywood will be trying — with everything from swaggering historical epics like “Gladiator II” to the high-seas adventure of “Moana 2” — to capture the nation’s attention at a time when much of it will be directed at the polls.

Music

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CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS APPROVE LEGISLATION TO BAN DEEPFAKES, PROTECT WORKERS AND REGULATE AI

California lawmakers approved a host of proposals this week aiming to regulate the artificial intelligence industry, combat deepfakes and protect workers from exploitation by the rapidly evolving technology.

YOU USE SPOTIFY TO LISTEN TO MUSIC.HERE'S HOW MONEY FROM ADS AND SUBSCRIPTION FEES FLOWS TO ARTISTS

Every day, millions of people use Spotify to stream music.

ROBOT WAITERS IN KENYA CREATE A BUZZ.BUT THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS FOR HUMAN LABOR

Children giggle as young people flash their smartphones to film robots carrying plates of freshly prepared meals on their inbuilt trays to deliver to diners in a busy eatery in Kenya's capital.

SPORTS BOATS SET OUT ON A VOYAGE TO ELECTRIFY THE WATERS IN THE SAME WAY TESLA ELECTRIFIED THE ROADS

Grant Jeide looked like another dude riding the rollicking waves left in the wake of a 23-foot (7-meter) boat ripping through the water at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour on a river in Northern California’s Delta earlier this summer.

HYUNDAI UNVEILS 2025 ELECTRIC SUVS AIMING FOR BROADER APPEAL WITH IMPROVED RANGE, CHARGING OPTIONS

Despite slowing U.S. electric vehicle sales, Hyundai this week rolled out the 2025 versions of its Ioniq 5 electric SUV with improved battery range and charging aimed at broadening the appeal of vehicles to be built at a massive new Georgia factory.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN AI IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO BE DANGEROUS? REGULATORS TRY TO DO THE MATH

How do you know if an artificial intelligence system is so powerful that it poses a security danger and shouldn't be unleashed without careful oversight?

EVEN DOLLAR STORE CHAINS ARE SEEING A PULLBACK IN SPENDING AS HIGHER PRICES SQUEEZE MORE CONSUMERS

Dollar Tree is slashing its full-year earnings and sales forecasts as its customers continue to struggle with higher prices and spend less.

ESPN NETWORKS, ABC AND DISNEY CHANNELS GO DARK ON DIRECTV ON A BUSY NIGHT FOR SPORTS 7

ESPN has gone off the air on a major carrier for the second straight year during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and in the midst of the first full weekend of college football.

UK COMPETITION WATCHDOG CLEARS MICROSOFT'S HIRING OF AI STARTUP'S CORE STAFF

British regulators on Wednesday cleared Microsoft’s hiring of key staff from startup Inflection AI, saying the deal wouldn’t stifle competition in the country’s artificial intelligence market.