Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Company’s weekly newsletter that breaks down the most important news in the world of AI. You can sign up to receive this newsletter every week via email here. A draft report leaked from the Treasury Department warns of the risks posed by the hot-burning AI economy, likening it to the dotcom bubble of the early 2000s and noting its circular financial nature that has many of the key players investing in each other. The document, obtained by the nonprofit newsroom NOTUS, reveals more jitters over AI within the Trump administration, which won the support of tech industry elites by promising…
Author: Staff Writer
With its ensemble of doctors, nurses, interns and patients squeezed together into a small emergency department with scripts that play out in real time, “The Pitt” feels like a lab made to grow great performances. The Emmys rewarded it accordingly Wednesday.Thirteen of the 25 nominations for HBO Max’s drama about a Pittsburgh ER went to its actors in one of the great achievements for a cast in Emmy history.In its rookie season last year, “The Pitt” got just three acting nominations but it won all three: best actor in a drama for star Noah Wyle, best supporting actress for Katherine…
This week, the White House announced the opening of the first “Freedom Fuel” gas station. The gas station chain loosely ties the price of a gallon of gas to President Trump’s presidential number “47.” Here’s what you need to know about the stations, the price they charge for gas, and the mystery around their ownership. What’s happened? On July 7, the White House posted on social media announcing the arrival of the first Freedom Fuel Network gas station. “FREEDOM FUEL HAS ARRIVED,” the post read. “The FIRST Freedom Fuel Network gas station has LANDED in Philadelphia, lowering the price at…
A talking cat recently sat next to me on the couch, thanked me for interviewing his creator, and proceeded to tell me a series of dad jokes. It was the work of a company called Pixi Platforms, which recently launched an iPhone and iPad app that can send the augmented reality equivalent of talking greeting cards to other users of iOS devices. Other featured characters include a talking robot who can play a mean game of tic-tac-toe and Pixi’s newest creation: an envelope that can follow a user across the room, moving its flap as it delivers a message. Cofounder and CEO Mark Drummond, who…
For Anica John, the pandemic was a revelation. At the beginning of the lockdown, she had a 5-year-old child and worked in product management at Walmart Labs. John, whose husband is a professor at Stanford University, became the default parent while working remotely. By the time return-to-office mandates began to roll in, John had two children and was working at Amazon. “Things became impossible,” she says. “We outsourced household tasks as much as we could, but I didn’t feel like life was getting better. With the implementation of AI, the expectations increased at work and it became more and more…
The ability to use AI isn’t just important when it comes to applying tech roles. Per recent data, the skill appears on job listings across industries. And when it comes to a number of fields, the resume attribute is now a more sought-after one outside of tech than within it. According to new research from Indeed’s Hiring Lab, the number of job listings with “AI” in the title has multiplied in a few short years. From 2022 to 2026, job postings with titles mentioning AI went from 264 (just 2.6% of all titles with at least 5 postings) to 822…
I’m a goalkeeper, and it’s the best job in football. At least I don’t have to spend 90 minutes running up and down the pitch at full intensity. But I play under constant psychological pressure. I am the last line. I have to be switched on every single second, and the cost of my mistake can be the team’s defeat. Over years in professional football, I’ve developed five rules that help me stay mentally present when my body is already at its limit. They work on the pitch but, as I’ve gradually come to realize, they work far beyond it…
Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, and Greece are projected to exceed NATO’s new 3.5% core-defense spending target this year, nearly a decade ahead of the 2035 deadline. Lithuania is projected at 5.33% of GDP, Estonia 5.1%, Latvia 4.92%, Poland 4.68%, and Greece 3.65%. These are not small accounting changes. This is the militarization of Europe before the people have even been asked whether they want this future. NATO pretends this is about “security.” Governments always use that word when they want unlimited money and no debate. The old 2% target was once treated as unbearable. Now they have moved the goalpost…
Key Takeaways Meta’s latest $800 Display smart glasses allowed CEO Mark Zuckerberg to take a work call on a jet ski, and have the audio come in crystal clear. Zuckerberg insisted that the person on the other end of the call couldn’t tell that he was on a jet ski. Meta has a solid long-term vision for its smart glasses products and is already preparing its 2028 offerings. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stands behind his company’s products. The 42-year-old CEO recently vouched for Meta’s $800 smart glasses, insisting that the glasses allowed him to take calls in loud places with…
The Federal Reserve minutes from the June 16–17 meeting showed policymakers divided over where interest rates should go next. The official minutes admit the problem plainly. Inflation had “increased further and remained well above” the Fed’s 2% objective, while officials blamed tariffs, supply disruptions tied to the Strait of Hormuz, and demand from the AI boom. That is not a normal business cycle. That is government-created chaos colliding with war, energy, trade barriers, and capital flows. The Fed voted 12–0 to hold rates at 3.50% to 3.75%, but unanimity on the vote hides the split underneath. The minutes state that…