AP Technology

February 10, 2025

Vance makes his debut as VP on the international stage at a high-stakes AI summit in Paris

PARIS (AP) — JD Vance is stepping onto the world stage for the first time as U.S. vice president this week, using a high-profile artificial intelligence summit in France and a gathering of national security leaders in Germany to showcase Donald Trump’s more assertive approach to diplomacy. Challenging diplomatic talks are expected while tech titans fight for dominance in the fast-moving technology industry. Among those taking part in the two-day summit are heads of state, top government officials, CEOs and scientists from around 100 countries. Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing is also attending. The summit will give many European leaders a chance to meet Vance for the first time.

Trump’s AI ambition and China’s DeepSeek overshadow an AI summit in Paris

PARIS (AP) — The geopolitics of artificial intelligence will be in focus at a major summit in France this week. World leaders, executives and experts will gather in Paris for the AI Action Summit to hammer out pledges on guiding the development of the rapidly advancing technology. It’s the latest in a series of global dialogues around AI governance. It comes at a fresh inflection point as China’s buzzy and budget-friendly DeepSeek chatbot shakes up the industry. U.S. Vice President JD Vance — making his first trip abroad since taking office — will attend. And China’s President Xi Jinping will be sending his special envoy, signaling high stakes for the meeting.

Sony PlayStation Network outage enrages gamers around the world

ROME (AP) — Sony’s PlayStation Network (PSN) is experiencing a major outage across the world, leaving tens of thousands of gamers unable to access online services, stores and multimedia apps. “We are aware some users might be currently experiencing issues with PSN,” PlayStation said on its social media platforms, confirming users’ mounting complaints around the globe. Reports of connectivity issues spread quickly across social media, with users reporting error messages and login failures. According to Downdetector, an outage tracker, users started to report issues with PSN around late Friday.

Latino workers working to overcome a technological divide brought on by automation, AI

As jobs become more reliant on technology some Latino workers can be left behind due to a lack of digital skills exacerbated by a lack of accessibility. Latinos remain an integral part of jobs in agriculture, construction, retail and food services but these jobs are also at risk of automation, leaving some Latinos unprepared for a changing role that relies more on technology, according to a new report by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. Analysis from the UCLA Latino Policy Institute showed that Latinos are over-represented in fields at risk of automation The report also provided some suggestions suggestion on how to improve Latino economic mobility.

How the slash-and-burn tactics Musk brought to Washington backfired at Twitter

When Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, he laid off thousands of employees, stopped paying rent and auctioned off coffee makers and office chairs in hopes of a big turnaround. Now the world’s richest man has brought the same slash-and-burn strategy to the federal government. Some people who experienced Musk’s takeover at Twitter have a warning: Expect chaos, cuts driven by ideology as much as by cost concerns, intimidation and plenty of lawsuits. Since assuming leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk has consolidated control over large swaths of the government, sidelined career officials, gained access to sensitive databases and invited a constitutional clash over the limits of presidential authority.

House lawmakers push to ban AI app DeepSeek from US government devices

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers in the House are proposing to ban the Chinese artificial intelligence app DeepSeek from U.S. government devices. Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and Republican Rep. Darin LaHood of Illinois are introducing the “No DeepSeek on Government Devices Act,” which would ban federal employees from using the Chinese AI app on government-owned devices. They said a ban is needed because of the Chinese government’s ability to use the app for surveillance and misinformation. The proposal comes after DeepSeek in January published an AI model that performed at a competitive level with models developed by American firms, raising alarms in Sillicon Valley.

EV maker Scout Motors wants to sell directly to buyers but can’t do it in its home state

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. (AP) — Volkswagen-backed Scout Motors is making a massive bet in the electric SUV market. The company wants to let customers buy its vehicle in minutes on their app and handle everything after, from repairs to updates and upgrades. But without some help from lawmakers, that will be impossible in South Carolina, where the company is pouring billions into its new auto plant. South Carolina is one of about two dozen states that ban manufacturers from selling vehicle directly to consumers and instead requiring all new autos be purchased through a dealer.

Amazon reports strong earnings for Q4, but stocks dip due to outlook for the first quarter

Amazon has reported better-than-expected revenue and profits for the holiday shopping period. But its stocks dipped Thursday in after-hours trading due to disappointing guidance for the current quarter. The Seattle-based e-commerce and technology company said its revenue for the October-December period totaled $187.8 billion, a 10% jump compared with the same period in 2023. Profits rose while earnings per share also beat estimates. But the company said it expected revenue for the current quarter to be between $151 billion and 155.5 billion. That’s lower than the $158.56 billion that analysts were expecting.

OpenAI looks across US for sites to build its Trump-backed Stargate AI data centers

OpenAI is scouring the U.S. for sites to build a network of huge data centers to power its artificial intelligence technology, expanding beyond a flagship Texas location and looking across 16 states to accelerate the Stargate project championed by President Donald Trump. The maker of ChatGPT has put out a request for proposals and this week began visiting locations in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump touted Stargate, a newly formed joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank, shortly after returning to the White House last month.

Nebraska government system shutdown disrupts the Legislature, DMV and other offices

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A systemwide outage of state government computers shut down everything from the work of the Legislature to driver’s licensing offices for several hours. The state Office of the Chief Information Officer confirmed that Thursday’s outage affected all state connections and shut down most state office websites. The shutdown was disruptive enough that the Legislature adjourned less than an hour after convening without debating a slate of bills that had been set for consideration. State websites and communications were back online before 1 p.m., but the reason for the shutdown was not immediately disclosed.