Technology
Apple's annual developer event expected to focus on AI
The conference will focus on new integration, partnerships, new uses and more.

Mass. House unanimously passes data privacy bill
Representatives voted 146-0 in favor of the bill, which would require affirmative consent before sensitive information can be sold or shared, ban the sale of precise geolocation data, create special...

Why the pope wants to 'disarm' AI
Pope Leo XIV has published his first major document. The encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas” focuses on AI and what the pope calls the “distorting effects of technological power.”

A robot is helping an ailing N.H. couple stay in their home. Are more to come for an aging population?
A robot piloted by a University of New Hampshire laboratory, with funding from the National Institute of Aging, offers a glimpse of the emerging possibilities for machines that can serve...

How China's superfast charging cars are leaving American EVs in the dust
An electric vehicle battery that charges almost as fast as it takes to fill a tank of gas. And it might soon be available almost everywhere except the United States....
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AI and robotics dominate Boston's first-ever Tech Week
This week is the first-ever Boston Tech Week.

Pope Leo sees beauty in 'wasting time together'
When we listen to each other across lines of disagreement and difference, when we take time to “waste time” on activities that do not contribute to problem-solving or economic production...

The Church of Speedrun: Solving a parenting mystery and running in church
Ben and Amory zoom through two internet stories connected to speedrunning, including a look at a mysterious object on Reddit and an online trend directed at the Church of Scientology.
Tech companies are spending billions on AI. Is it worth the money?
Executives at Silicon Valley companies have bragged about how much of their code is written by AI models, with some even tying employee evaluations to how much they use AI....

Is Google's new AI search killing the internet?
Google has a new AI search bar. Instead of links, it gives you AI-synthesized answers. Some say it could be the end of the internet as we know it.
AI could decimate Phoenix's white-collar job market. What would that mean for the rest of the U.S.?
Artificial intelligence advancements could spell disaster for many of the white-collar jobs in customer service, data entry and payroll processing that have been the bedrock of the city's thriving middle...

Pope Leo says AI should serve people, not replace them
Pope Leo XIV is making artificial intelligence a major focus of his papacy.
Commencement speakers are talking about AI. Graduating students don't want to hear it
The public is raising questions about AI.

AI is watching for wildfires across the drought-stricken West
Early detection in California is “becoming one of the clearest climate‑era advantages,” according to Phillip SeLegue, Cal Fire’s staff chief of intelligence.
Alaska telecom lags, despite billions in subsidies
Alaska has some of the slowest internet service in the country, but it’s not for a lack of investment.
Musk loses lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman
A jury decided that Musk didn't file the lawsuit soon enough.

How Palantir tech is helping ICE agents find people to arrest
Agents now have a list of 20 million people on their iPhones, a senior ICE official said at a border security conference in Phoenix earlier this month.
States consider laws blocking AI personhood
Is it time to consider prosecuting AI models for breaking the law? Some say it's time. Others say that would be an insult to humanity.
Why Mass. is a hub for autonomous drone technology
A Cambridge startup company is working on an autonomous torpedo-shaped drone to help find people overboard in the water.

Does the internet still have room for chance encounters?
Hosts Ben and Amory pay homage to the magic of online chance encounters with producer Grace Tatter. Together, they explore the ways in which the internet fuels random yet delightful...