Author: GT

The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Uber, accusing the ride-hailing company of violating federal law by discriminating against people with physical disabilities. In particular, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil rights division claims that the company and its drivers “routinely refuse to serve individuals with disabilities, including individuals who travel with service animals or who use stowable wheelchairs.” Uber is also accused of charging extra fees on riders who need special accommodations, including cancellation fees when service is denied. These actions and others listed in the complaint violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the DOJ.…

MULANJE, Malawi (AP) — Alex Maere survived the destruction of Cyclone Freddy when it tore through southern Malawi in 2023. His farm didn’t.The 59-year-old saw decades of work disappear with the precious soil that the floods stripped from his small-scale farm in the foothills of Mount Mulanje.He was used to producing a healthy 850 kilograms (1,870 pounds) of corn each season to support his three daughters and two sons. He salvaged just 8 kilograms (17 pounds) from the wreckage of Freddy.“This is not a joke,” he said, remembering how his farm in the village of Sazola became a wasteland of…

Elon Musk’s Boring Company has reportedly stopped work on a tunnel it’s been digging to the Las Vegas airport after a worker sustained a “crushing injury” late Wednesday night, according to Fortune. Nevada’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has opened an investigation. The Clark County Fire Department received a call at 10:12 p.m. local time on Wednesday and dispatched an 18-person rescue crew to the site. It’s unclear exactly what happened to the worker, but the individual was lifted out of the job site by the local fire department, which used an on-site crane. The fire department told Fortune…

Armed with a new permit from Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles, Tesla is preparing to begin testing its autonomous vehicle technology on public streets in the state. The testing permit, which was first noted by Tesla influencer Sawyer Merritt, comes two months after CEO Elon Musk outlined the company’s plans to take its autonomous vehicle ambitions beyond Austin and into several new markets. “We are expecting to greatly increase the service area to well in excess of what competitors are doing, hopefully in a week or two. We are getting the regulatory permission to launch in the Bay Area, Nevada,…

The book report is now a thing of the past. Take-home tests and essays are becoming obsolete.High school and college educators around the country say student use of artificial intelligence has become so prevalent that to assign writing outside of the classroom is like asking students to cheat.“The cheating is off the charts. It’s the worst I’ve seen in my entire career,” says Casey Cuny, who has taught English for 23 years. Educators are no longer wondering if students will outsource schoolwork to AI chatbots. “Anything you send home, you have to assume is being AI’ed.” The question now is…

Grammy Award-winning musician, composer, and producer Wyclef Jean says the music industry is broken, which is why he’s now involved with a startup, OpenWav, that’s looking to give the power back to the artists. Through the OpenWav app, launched over the summer, artists can drop new music and exclusives; connect directly with fans; sell merch; host concerts, pop-ups, and listening parties; and more. Later, the startup plans to offer more assistance to artists using AI tools. Speaking at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference this week, Jean, now chief creative officer at OpenWav, had harsh words for the state of the…

Buried in an ocean of flashy novelties announced by Apple this week, the tech giant also revealed new security technology for its latest iPhone 17 and iPhone Air devices. This new security technology was made specifically to fight against surveillance vendors and the types of vulnerabilities they rely on the most, according to Apple. The feature is called Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) and is designed to help stop memory corruption bugs, which are some of the most common vulnerabilities exploited by spyware developers and makers of phone forensic devices used by law enforcement.  “Known mercenary spyware chains used against iOS share…

OpenAI announced Thursday it reached a non-binding agreement with Microsoft, its largest investor, on a revised partnership that would allow the startup to convert its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation (PBC). The transition, should it be cleared by state regulators, could allow OpenAI to raise additional capital from investors and, eventually, become a public company. In a blog post, OpenAI Board Chairman Bret Taylor said under the non-binding agreement with Microsoft, OpenAI’s nonprofit would continue to exist and retain control over the startup’s operations. OpenAI’s nonprofit would obtain a stake in the company’s PBC worth upwards of $100…

California has taken a big step toward regulating AI. SB 243 — a bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots in order to protect minors and vulnerable users — passed both the State Assembly and Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Newsom has until October 12 to either veto the bill or sign it into law. If he signs, it would take effect January 1, 2026, making California the first state to require AI chatbot operators to implement safety protocols for AI companions and hold companies legally accountable if their chatbots fail to meet…

Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella (L), speaks with OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, who joined by video during the Microsoft Build 2025, conference in Seattle, Washington on May 19, 2025. Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty ImagesOpenAI on Thursday said its nonprofit parent will continue to have oversight over the company and will own an equity stake of more than $100 billion.The artificial intelligence startup, recently valued at $500 billion, said this structure will make the nonprofit “one of the most well-resourced philanthropic organizations in the world,” and will allow the company to continue to raise…