Author: GT

San Jose CA, commercial hub of silicon valley and its network of freeways.Steve Proehl | The Image Bank | Getty ImagesDespite the C-suite’s enthusiasm over artificial intelligence agents that can plow through office tasks like never-sleeping interns, the underlying technology is still rickety and a potential cost-sucker.That much was clear this week during two separate events held in Silicon Valley, during which executives and engineers discussed the current excitement and challenges involving AI agents.Kevin McGrath, the CEO of the AI startup Meibel said during a session that “the biggest problem that we’re working with in AI right now,” involves the…

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! A few weeks ago, I wrote about how Uber seemed to be everywhere, all at once in the emerging autonomous vehicle technology sector. The Financial Times has now put a number on it. The FT calculated that Uber has committed more than $10 billion to buying autonomous vehicles and taking equity stakes in the companies developing the tech, according to public records…

RIVERTON, Utah (AP) — When a dozen Republican activists gathered on a back deck in the Salt Lake City suburbs to talk about this year’s elections, the conversation cycled through all the staples of conservative chatter in Utah such as dwindling water supplies, illegal immigrant fraud and chemtrail conspiracy theories. But Doug Fiefia, a state representative running to be a state senator, wanted to start with something else — artificial intelligence. Fiefia used to work at Google and, like several other tech employees who have gone into politics, he has made regulating the industry a centerpiece of his campaign. “I…

Iran on Sunday denied it would participate in new peace talks with ​the United States, ​its state news ​agency reported on Sunday, hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said its negotiators would head to Pakistan on Monday for a second round of peace talks with Iran.Iran’s official IRNA news agency cited no specific source in its report that Iran had rejected the talks.”Iran stated that its absence from the second round of talks stems from what it called Washington’s ‌excessive demands, unrealistic expectations, constant shifts in stance, repeated contradictions, and the ongoing naval blockade, which it considers a breach ⁠of the ceasefire,” IRNA wrote.Iran’s decision to walk away from negotiations —…

Surveillance and analytics company Palantir recently posted what it called a “brief” 22-point summary of CEO Alex Karp’s book “The Technological Republic.” Written by Karp and Palantir’s head of corporate affairs, Nicholas Zamiska, “The Technological Republic” was published last year and described by its authors as “the beginnings of the articulation of the theory” behind Palantir’s work. (One critic said it was “not a book at all, but a piece of corporate sales material.”) The company’s ideological bent has come under more scrutiny since then, as tech industry figures have debated Palantir’s work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and…

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright appears before a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy hearing on the Trump administration’s 2027 budget request for the Department of Energy, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 15, 2026. Nathan Howard | ReutersEnergy Secretary Chris Wright on Sunday said gas prices may not drop below $3 until next year, as the U.S. war with Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz continue to wreak havoc on energy markets. “I don’t know, that could happen later this year, that might not happen until next year, but prices have likely peaked,” Wright said on…

An automated barcode reader scans packages prepared for shipping at an Amazon fulfillment center on Cyber Monday in Robbinsville, New Jersey, Dec. 1, 2025.Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFor Amazon sellers, who account for over 60% of goods sold on the e-retailer’s sprawling marketplace, times would be tough no matter what right now. The Trump administration’s high tariffs on imports have created a year of hardship, and the recent war with Iran has led to a spike in energy costs, further pressuring merchants to either raise prices on struggling consumers or eat the losses. As if that’s not enough,…

The winning runner at a Beijing half-marathon for humanoid robots finished the race today in 50 minutes and 26 seconds — significantly faster than the human world record of 57 minutes recently set by Jacob Kiplimo. Comparing human and robot running times may seem unfair; one social media user observed, “my car can outrun a cheetah too.” Still, the winning time is a massive improvement over last year’s race, when the fastest robot finished in two hours and 40 minutes. (Back then, I scoffed that this “would not be an impressive time for a human.”) The Associated Press reports that…

WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional subcommittee on Thursday held a roundtable discussion on the potential of artificial intelligence, which took a turn toward the existential as each lawmaker aired their anxieties about the rapidly evolving technology.Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va., expressed alarm that federal workers may be using AI chatbots to handle sensitive government data. Rep. William Timmons, R-S.C., asked whether it should be illegal for AI systems to use someone’s likeness to create pornographic images.Rep. John McGuire, R-Va., expressed concerns that AI systems could deny U.S. military forces from taking lethal actions due to a model’s conclusion for “moral” behavior.…

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows a view of an oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.Atta Kenare | Afp | Getty ImagesCrude oil prices surged Sunday, as the U.S. and Iran teetered on the brink of a renewed war after attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.West Texas Intermediate futures for May delivery rose about 7% to $89.74 per barrel by 6:45 p.m. ET. International benchmark Brent for June delivery advanced nearly 5.8% to $95.59. The U.S. Navy on Sunday fired on an Iranian container ship in the Gulf of…