investment
AI100 longitudinal study examines how AI has entered the mainstream
The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100) is a longitudinal study that assesses AI's development and societal impact. Reports are released once every five years, with the 2026 edition being the third in the series. The title of this year's report is . The panel behind the project is an international committee of experts tasked with examining AI's evolution across technical, ethical, economic, and societal domains. They respond to 12 standing questions about AI's advances, opportunities, dangers, and societal effects, and compare developments since 2021 with the previous panel's assessments.
Here's the latest.
The Consumer Price Index for October will show how price pressures are trickling through the U.S. economy. See more of our coverage in your search results. Colby Smith covers the Federal Reserve. U.S. inflation has accelerated this year as the war with Iran, along with an artificial intelligence investment boom, have stoked price pressures across the country. Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday will show just how potent those pressures continue to be. Economists broadly expect a reprieve in October, with overall prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index rising 0.3 percent for the month after a 0.6 percent jump in September. "Core" prices, which strip out volatile food and energy items, are forecast to have risen just 0.2 percent. But don't expect a year-over-year comparison. The agency will not release one given that it was unable to collect data during last year's government shutdown, which ran from Oct. 1 through Nov. 12. The trajectory of inflation is being closely watched by the Federal Reserve. Tuesday's C.P.I. report will be the last before the central bank meets for its final gathering of the year on Dec. 8 and 9. November's report comes out the day after the meeting. Policymakers have broadly signaled that they will raise rates next month as they seek to stamp out price pressures that have pushed inflation further away from their goal.
Here's why last year's government shutdown will haunt October's inflation data.
The Consumer Price Index for October will show how price pressures are trickling through the U.S. economy. See more of our coverage in your search results. Colby Smith covers the Federal Reserve. U.S. inflation has accelerated this year as the war with Iran, along with an artificial intelligence investment boom, have stoked price pressures across the country. Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday will show just how potent those pressures continue to be. Economists broadly expect a reprieve in October, with overall prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index rising 0.3 percent for the month after a 0.6 percent jump in September. "Core" prices, which strip out volatile food and energy items, are forecast to have risen just 0.2 percent. But don't expect a year-over-year comparison. The agency will not release one given that it was unable to collect data during last year's government shutdown, which ran from Oct. 1 through Nov. 12. The trajectory of inflation is being closely watched by the Federal Reserve. Tuesday's C.P.I. report will be the last before the central bank meets for its final gathering of the year on Dec. 8 and 9. November's report comes out the day after the meeting.
SoftBank logs 7 billion loss after U.S. data center costs swell
SoftBank logs $7 billion loss after U.S. data center costs swell SoftBank is increasingly seen as a proxy for sentiment toward OpenAI and the broader AI sector. Its shares have plunged more than 50% from their record high in June. SoftBank Group reported Tuesday its first net loss in almost two years after swallowing a $3.7 billion writedown over a U.S. data-center project amid rising fears around the sustainability of AI growth. The Tokyo-based backer of OpenAI tumbled to a ¥1.12 trillion ($7.1 billion) loss in its fiscal second quarter around nonrefundable advance payments made to secure equipment and manufacturing capacity for its Ohio data-center campus. Analysts on average expected a profit of ¥129 billion. Declines in the stock prices of chipmakers Arm Holdings and Intel, as well as South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang, further dragged down SoftBank's bottom line.
Kaveh Madani
Follow this author to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Mandel is a senior editor at TIME. This year, the U.N. issued its landmark Global Water Bankruptcy report, authored by Kaveh Madani, who is known for coining the concept of "water bankruptcy."
Santiago Gowland
The nonprofit Rainforest Alliance, headed by Santiago Gowland, runs one of the world's largest sustainability certification programs--partnering with farmers and brands around the world to support climate resilient growing practices under its iconic green frog seal. In 2025, the organization's efforts resulted in some 5.5 million metric tons of emissions being avoided or sequestered. The group recently announced a new regenerative agriculture standard aimed at transforming the way tropical commodities are grown, certified, and traded. The standard supports farmers looking to better understand and employ regenerative agriculture practices--focusing on areas such as soil health and fertility, biodiversity, and crop resilience. The first crop the framework is focusing on is coffee, but the organization plans to extend the certification to cocoa, citrus, and tea.
Japan picks 28 priority items for 370 trillion in investments
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the Council for Japan's Growth Strategy at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday. The government has selected 28 priority products and technologies, including semiconductors and artificial intelligence, for public and private investments totaling over ¥370 trillion, which are a pillar of its growth strategy, sources said Friday. The list was presented at the day's meeting of the Council for Japan's Growth Strategy, chaired by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. "Large-scale and strategic investment support measures are essential for establishing a domestic semiconductor supply chain," Takaichi said at the meeting. The 28 priority items were picked from 62 products and technologies in 17 strategic fields. They are expected to have significant economic spillover effects.
Did a data centre revolt affect the US mid-term election results?
Did a data centre revolt affect the US mid-term election results? A US midterms voter poll has suggested data centres were a highly motivating issue for many Americans, leading some to argue public backlash against the artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure construction boom might have helped shape the election outcome. BBC Verify has looked at its role in the campaign and examined the potential consequences for the AI industry. What did the voter poll suggest? The poll for AP and a consortium of news organisations found 56% of surveyed voters said data centres were a "crucial or major" factor in their vote, while 76% said they would oppose the construction of a new data centre in their community.