Business news

Business

When a robot becomes the boss: Exploring authority, obedience and relationships with machines

How does a robot perform as a boss at work? The results of research by Polish scientists published in Cognition, Technology & Work suggest that while robots can command obedience, they are not as proficient at it as humans. ...

Consumer & Gadgets

YouTube influencers: Gaming's best friend or worst enemy?

YouTube influencers are shaping the gaming industry in unexpected ways, and a new study in the journal Marketing Science uncovers the surprising truth: Although influencers can drive massive engagement with video games, they ...

Business

Intel hires former board member as new CEO in struggling chipmaker's latest comeback attempt

Struggling chipmaker Intel has hired former board member and semiconductor industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan as the latest in a succession of CEOs to attempt to turn around a once-dominant company that helped define Silicon Valley.

Business

Games industry still a hostile environment for many women

Five years on from a first wave of harassment scandals that rocked the world of gaming, multiple women working in the industry tell AFP they have seen or experienced sexism in the workplace, fearing economic hardship in the ...

Business

US tech firm Salesforce to invest $1.0 bn in Singapore

US cloud software giant Salesforce said Wednesday it planned to invest $1.0 billion in Singapore over the next five years to boost the use of artificial intelligence agents (AI) in the workforce.

Consumer & Gadgets

What is the 'digital gender gap?'

Digital technologies, such as the internet and mobile phones, have spread widely, and become integral to many parts of our lives. Yet women continue to lag behind men in digital access in many countries.

Consumer & Gadgets

The impact of app crashes on consumer engagement

High-profile mobile app crashes reveal how life can be upended when an app freezes abruptly or shuts down. The Sonos app crash in May of last year left users of the wireless multi-room sound systems unable to do things like ...

Business

Texas tech boom: Silicon Valley's southern outpost rises

Held every year in the capital of conservative-leaning Texas, the South by Southwest festival increasingly celebrates the state's emergence as a technology hub stepping out of Silicon Valley's shadow.

Business

Exploring the social systems shaping AI development

Nearly 3 out of 4 businesses already use artificial intelligence, and the AI market is projected to surge to $1.4 trillion by 2030. Amidst this new tech boom, assistant professor of sociology in the School of Arts & Sciences ...

Business

Why your retirement fund might soon include cryptocurrency

Pension funds are investment pools that manage people's retirement savings. They aim to encourage long-term saving and provide financial security for retirees. But some pension funds in the US, UK and elsewhere have recently ...

Business

Musk bashes Trump-backed AI mega project

Tech titan Elon Musk cast doubt Wednesday on a $500 billion AI project announced by US President Donald Trump, saying the money promised for the investment actually wasn't there.

Business

Trump scraps AI safety oversight

Newly-inaugurated US President Donald Trump has rescinded a Biden administration executive order that established oversight measures for companies developing influential AI models.

Business

EU's legal weapon facing the heat from US big tech

For tech billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, the EU's digital rules are a tool of censorship. For the bloc, they are its most powerful weapon to stop the spread of illegal content.

Business

Bitcoin hits record above $109,000 awaiting Trump

Bitcoin hit a record high above $109,000 on Monday as Donald Trump, who has signaled plans to deregulate the cryptocurrency sector, prepares to be sworn in as US president.

Business

Tech billionaires take center stage at Trump inauguration

US tech multibillionaires—including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos—were given prime positions at Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, in an unprecedented demonstration of their power and influence in the ...

Business

X and Facebook toughen EU pledge to combat hate speech

Social media giants including X and Facebook have agreed to step up efforts to tackle hate speech in the EU, the bloc said Monday as its digital rules face scrutiny with Donald Trump's return to the White House.

Business

TikTok restores service in US, thanking Trump

TikTok restored service in the United States Sunday after briefly going dark, as a law banning the wildly popular app on national security grounds came into effect.

Business

Trump launches his own meme coin, value soars

US President-elect Donald Trump has launched his own cryptocurrency, appropriately called $TRUMP, sparking feverish buying that sent its market capitalization soaring on Saturday to several billion dollars.