A tight labor market causes Dollar General to rethink store checkouts: The discount retailer is expanding its use of self-checkouts as it grapples with low margins.
Intel presses pause on PC chip hires: Rising inflation, surging competition, and a shrinking PC market force Intel to evaluate PC chipsets. Its austerity measures could resonate across the industry.
The slippery AI consciousness debate: More controversy in Google’s AI team exposes the foggy world of artificial sentience. Mounting concerns about AI warrants more Big Tech accountability and transparency.
The great developer resignation: Return-to-office plans, lackluster compensation, and irrelevant benefits are some of the top factors resulting in almost 50% of developers planning to quit their jobs.
Consumer tech powers wider-scale paranoia research: A study uses ordinary tech devices to research paranoia to expand understanding of the condition beyond traditional methods.
Startups to watch: Greentech companies are raising millions for diverse sustainability strategies. With no end in sight to climate change, the money will likely keep rolling in.
Cloud rookies get burned: New reports show cloud data breaches are getting worse. By integrating security measures during instead of after cloud migrations, companies can bolster data safeguards.
Digital health ed goes global: A digital health hub aims to upskill healthcare workers and drive health tech innovation worldwide. It could help connect isolated rural providers with academic hospitals’ expertise.
Meta on the ropes: Meta shares have dropped, but metaverse adoption is expected to be a $13 trillion industry by 2030 as more players build competing immersive VR experiences.
Smartphones will gain a few competitors in the next several years. As metaverse tools and wearables like virtual reality (VR) headsets become more commonplace, they will cause growth to slow for everyday devices like smartphones.
Uber and Waymo partnership could transform autonomous trucking: Moving past a years-long court battle, the companies are combining their strengths, following a recent trend in tech partnerships.
Fragmented, overlapping strategies could cause broadband delays: The Government Accountability Office says the US needs a national broadband strategy to effectively distribute grant requests and close the digital divide.
EU agreement could push USB-C standard: For holdouts like Apple, this means the end of proprietary charging cables. For consumers, it means more convenient cross-device charging and substantial savings.
The US could become a solar power: The Defense Production Act is helping the US inch toward global clean energy leadership. But the labor shortage is a stumbling block.
VR gets brainy: Varjo’s Aero VR headset monitors the brain and body, relying on open-source software that could propel an influx of biotracking devices for use in multiple sectors.
ew York right-to-repair state of mind: Passed in the New York Senate (49 to 14) and in the Assembly (145 to 1), the right-to-repair bill will compel manufacturers to enable affordable fixes.
Ford to digitize EV sales: Taking EV sales online while maintaining its dealerships could give Ford a unique advantage, but some franchises might be unwilling to make the switch.
Robots’ useful suffering: A breakthrough in artificial skin means robots could soon be able to feel pain. As more businesses adopt robotics, the tech could help protect the assets.
All eyes on Apple: As expectations mount for AR/VR product plans, Apple doubles down on iPhone, Mac, and iPad—a move that might indicate its metaverse ambitions are on hold.