‘The past gives comfort’: Finding refuge on analog islands amid deepening digital seas
As technology distracts, polarizes and automates, people are still finding refuge on analog islands in the digital sea. The holdouts span the generation gaps, uniting elderly and middle-aged enclaves born in the pre-internet times with the digital natives raised in the era of online ubiquity. They are setting down their...
AI prompts increased human interaction at this cyber security company
In an age of artificial intelligence, Dennis Underwood is working it “old school.” He is prioritizing face time. Underwood is CEO of Cyber Crucible, a cybersecurity software company in Fox Chapel that focuses on preventing data theft, identity theft and ransomware. He said the introduction of mainstream AI in the...
Majority of job hunters turn to AI to help land next gig
Mallory Helbling turned to her own professional advice when she found herself laid off in December 2024. Among them: using artificial intelligence tools to assist in her job search as a career coach. “I was able to get my first contract role in February 2025,” said Helbling, 37, of Sharpsburg,...
Virtual reality opens doors for older people to build closer connections in real life
LOS GATOS, Calif. — Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engaging in bold adventures. But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers...
Hempfield Area joins Chartiers Valley in piloting AI weapon detector created with Carnegie Mellon research
Hempfield Area will join a group of 15 school districts nationwide expected to pilot an AI-driven weapon detection system designed with the help of a Carnegie Mellon University scientist. CurvePoint, based in Pittsburgh’s North Shore, was launched about a year ago by CEO Skip Smith and Chief Scientist Dong Huang,...
Expanding broadband in rural Pa. was complicated by rule changes and uncertainty in 2025
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — It’s been a year of sweeping and controversial changes for a huge federal broadband initiative. The $42.45...
U.S. tech enabled China’s surveillance empire. Now Tibetan refugees in Nepal are paying the price
KATHMANDU, Nepal — The white dome of Boudhanath rises like a silent guardian over the chaotic sprawl of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, crowned by a golden spire that pierces the sky. Painted on each of the spire’s four sides are the benevolent eyes of the Buddha — wide, calm, and unblinking...
TikTok signs deal to form new U.S. unit with investors, including Oracle, Silver Lake
SAN FRANCISCO — TikTok has signed agreements with three major investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States. The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to...
One Tech Tip: Spend quality time with loved ones, not a screen, over the holidays
The Christmas holiday season is a time to step back from the busy pace of modern life and connect with our nearest and dearest instead of screens, apps and chatbots. Here are some suggestions on how to unplug from the online world for the next few weeks as you sit...
Chinese whistleblower now living in U.S. is being hunted by Beijing with help from U.S. tech
MIDLAND, Texas — Retired Chinese official Li Chuanliang was recuperating from cancer on a Korean resort island when he got an urgent call: Don’t return to China, a friend warned. You’re now a fugitive. Days later, a stranger snapped a photo of Li in a cafe. Terrified South Korea would...
Trump signs executive order to block state AI regulations
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at blocking states from crafting their own regulations for artificial intelligence, saying the burgeoning industry is at risk of being stifled by a patchwork of onerous rules while in a battle with Chinese competitors for supremacy. Members of Congress from both...
Disney invests $1B in OpenAI in deal to bring characters like Mickey Mouse to Sora AI video tool
Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will bring characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Luke Skywalker to the AI company’s Sora video generation tool, in a licensing deal that the two companies announced on Thursday. The agreement makes the Walt Disney Co. the first major content licensing...
Trump approves sale of more advanced Nvidia computer chips used in AI to China
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he would allow Nvidia to sell an advanced type of computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. There have been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips to be sold to China as it could help...
ICEBlock app maker sues Trump administration over its pressure on Apple to remove it
The maker of an iPhone app that flagged sightings of U.S. immigration agents sued the Trump administration for free speech violations on Monday, alleging that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi used her “state power” to force Apple to remove the app. Apple in October removed ICEBlock and other apps from...
Cloudflare investigates outage that brought down sites including Zoom and LinkedIn
MADRID — Internet infrastructure company Cloudflare on Friday said it was investigating an outage that took place in the morning that brought down several global websites including LinkedIn, Zoom and others, the second such crash to affect the company in less than three weeks. Cloudflare said the issue had been...
Driverless cab service Waymo coming to Pittsburgh
Driverless cabs are coming to Pittsburgh. Autonomous ride-hailing service Waymo is expanding into the Steel City along with Baltimore, St. Louis and Philadelphia, the company announced in a blog post Wednesday. Human-led test drives will start this week in Downtown Pittsburgh as Waymo confirms its technology works on the city’s...
Legislation from Summer Lee, Democratic colleagues would combat discriminatory AI
Artificial intelligence is transforming the world, one algorithm at a time. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, wants to make sure those algorithms don’t violate people’s civil rights. Lee and three of her Democratic colleagues in the House are introducing a bill that would aim to prevent companies from using discriminatory...
Apple launches knitted pocket to hold iPhone
Apple launched a new accessory for iPhone this month — and it’s already sold out before the holidays. Called the “iPhone Pocket,” the product is a sock-looking sleeve that’s mean to carry people’s iPhones like a purse. It comes in long and short version. The pocket, which is made by...
X’s new feature raises questions about the foreign origins of some popular U.S. political accounts
They go by names such as TRUMP—ARMY— or MAGANationX, and their verified accounts proudly display portraits of President Donald Trump, voter rallies and American flags. And they’re constantly posting about U.S. politics to their followers, sounding like diehard fans of the president. But after a weekend update to the social...
What to know about Trump’s draft proposal to curtail state AI regulations
President Donald Trump is considering pressuring states to stop regulating artificial intelligence in a draft executive order obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, as some in Congress also consider whether to temporarily block states from regulating AI. Trump and some Republicans argue that the limited regulations already enacted by states,...
Roblox to scan users’ faces to verify age amid persistent child safety concerns
Roblox, a popular gaming platform that’s faced growing scrutiny over child safety concerns, said Tuesday it will require users to verify their age if they want to chat with other players. To do so, people will provide an ID or take a selfie through the Roblox app to prove they’re...
Ford Motor shows off new high-tech HQ
DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Co.’s new headquarters, the carmaker’s first central office switch since Dwight Eisenhower was president, is double the size of its old one with room for twice as many employees. The new HQ has seven restaurants as part of a 160,000-square-foot (14,864 square-meter) food hall, office...
CMU researchers find selfish traits in cutting-edge AI
Artificial intelligence can be oh so human. New research from Carnegie Mellon University shows AI systems meant to mimic human reasoning have selfish tendencies, compared to simpler models. Teacher-student duo Hirokazu Shirado, an associate professor at the university’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and doctoral candidate Yuxuan Li released their findings last...
Musk the trillionaire? Debate over his Tesla pay package rages
NEW YORK — Elon Musk turned off many potential buyers of his Tesla cars and sent sales plunging with his foray into politics. But the stock has soared anyway and now he wants the company to pay him more — a lot more. Shareholders gathering Thursday for Tesla’s annual meeting...
Apple to enter low-cost laptop market with budget Mac, Bloomberg News reports
Apple is preparing to launch a budget Mac in the first half of next year, entering the low-cost laptop market for the first time, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. The device, aimed to lure customers away from Google’s Chromebooks and entry-level Windows PCs, is made for students, businesses and casual...
