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Bristol Myers Squibb and Microsoft will partner for medical advancements in lung cancer. An agreement was signed that will allow biopharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb to benefit from Microsoft’s AI-enabled radiology platform that can detect lung cancer in its early stages, Reuters reports. The drugmaker markets itself as a global leader in addressing complex diseases such as cancer and HIV, per its website . This agreement between the two will open doors for the deployment of radiology AI algorithms via Microsoft’s Precision Imaging Network — tools that have been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , according to a press release. The network can analyze X-ray and CT images, which is helpful in detecting lung nodules sometimes difficult to recognize, the release added. The technology would also contribute to the improvement of radiologists’ workflows and be used by the majority of U.S. hospitals, per the release. “By combining Microsoft’s highly scalable...
The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia, celebrated the platform’s 25th anniversary by announcing new partnerships with several leading technology and AI companies. In a news release issued Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, the foundation shared that Ecosia, Microsoft, Mistral AI, Perplexity , Pleias, and ProRata have joined existing tech partners — including Amazon, Google, and Meta — to support Wikipedia’s sustainability. Wikipedia And The AI Age Under the agreements, partner companies will be able to access content from Wikimedia projects at customized volumes and speeds, notes the release. The partnerships are part of Wikimedia Enterprise, a program that allows companies to pay for structured access to Wikipedia’s data to develop and train AI models. “Wikipedia shows that knowledge is human, and knowledge needs humans. Especially now, in the age of AI, we need the human-powered knowledge of Wikipedia more than ever,” Selena Deckelmann, Wikimedia...
Google has been hiring “tons” of workers without college degrees, according to its co-founder. Google co-founder Sergey Brin is a Stanford University graduate who studied computer science, according to Fortune. Various students have also flocked to pursue their college studies in that field, as they’ve been told it will provide a good salary. However, those promises have looked more bleak of late. Forbes notes that 170,000 undergraduates majored in the field in 2024, which was double that of a decade before, and that those students are now facing some of the highest unemployment rates (6.1%). The outlet also points out that there aren’t many six-figure starting salaries in big tech anymore. And though AI has raised concerns for many graduates, Brin suggests, per Fortune, that it doesn’t mean people should steer clear of pursuing their studies. “I wouldn’t go off and switch to comparative literature because you think the AI is good at coding,” he said, according to Fortune. “The AI...
Here’s the latest on the Verizon outage. Is Verizon Still Down? WSFA 12 News reports that many U.S. customers were unable to call, text, or access cellular data since their phones went into SOS mode as a result of a disruption in Verizon’s wireless network on Wednesday. According to Downdetector, more than 175,000 customers reported outages by 12:51 p.m. ET. The outage lasted nearly 10 hours and impacted more than 1.5 million customers, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Areas affected include New York City, southern New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Boston, and Houston, per USA Today. “It’s frustrating, especially when I pay a three-hundred-dollar Verizon phone bill,” Ernesto Lake, a truck driver passing through Alabama, expressed to WSFA 12 News. “I rely on my devices — my tablet for GPS and my phone for communication.” Wednesday evening, Verizon notified customers, “the outage has been resolved,” per the Tallahassee Democrat. Verizon...
Meta has announced it is reducing its workforce. In January 2025, Meta said it would lay off 3,600 employees, nearly 5% of its workforce, who were classified as “low performers,” as AFROTECH™ previously reported. This announcement came as the company was preparing for its most “ intense year, ” according to the internal memo that CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted, sharing news of the workforce reduction. “Meta is working on building some of the most important technologies of the world,” Zuckerberg said at the time, according to CNBC. “AI, glasses as the next computing platform and the future of social media.” Layoffs In Reality Labs Division In 2026, Meta announced another round of layoffs, according to The New York Times. Its Reality Labs division — which develops augmented and virtual reality products, including Meta’s metaverse virtual-reality world and Meta’s Ray-Ban sunglasses — will primarily be affected. The tech company plans to lay off up 10% of employees, per the outlet . Reality...
Character.AI and Google have agreed to settle a lawsuit regarding a 14-year-old’s suicide. Character.AI was founded by former Google engineers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas in 2021, and the platform allows millions of users to create and chat with AI characters that can simulate a friend, a girlfriend, or another intimate partner, according to The New York Times. The platform has secured $200 million in investments, and Google has also paid the company nearly $3 billion to license Character.AI’s technology, with the founders returning to their posts at Google. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III developed a romantic attachment to a Character.AI chatbot with the likeness of the “ Game of Thrones ” character Daenerys Targaryen. The attachment was described as toggling between platonic and romantic. Various messages were exchanged , and Setzer became increasingly disconnected from the real world, even losing interest in activities he once enjoyed such...
For those wondering, “What’s happening with Apple’s credit card?” — the tech giant announced on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, that Chase will become its new issuer. The change will replace Goldman Sachs, which has backed Apple Card since its launch in 2019, and will take place over the next two years. “Apple is an iconic brand recognized globally for its innovation, design excellence, and commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences,” Allison Beer, Chase’s CEO of Card & Connected Commerce, said in a statement. She added, “We share a commitment to supporting consumer financial health, and we’re proud to deepen our relationship by welcoming them as the newest partner in our industry-leading co-brand credit card program. We’re excited to innovate together in the future.” Apple Card users can continue to use their cards as usual during the transition. Managing balances, accessing savings accounts , and applying for new cards will remain the same for now. Mastercard will also...
Some Amazon Prime members can now file a claim in a multi-billion-dollar settlement. Lawsuit Explained As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Amazon was sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2023. The FTC alleged that Amazon enrolled millions of consumers in Prime subscriptions without their knowledge and made it difficult for them to cancel . The agency also alleged that Amazon obtained consumer billing information without clearly disclosing the material terms of the Prime membership , according to the settlement. The FTC said Amazon violated the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act. Amazon Prime Refund FTC Settlement The lawsuit was settled in September 2025 for $2.5 billion, which includes a $1 billion civil penalty and $1.5 billion in refunds to nearly 35 million customers, per an FTC news release. The settlement also requires Amazon to end the challenged Prime enrollment and cancellation practices. Amazon has not admitted any wrongdoing. “Today, the Trump-Vance FTC made...
Universal Music Group (UMG) aims to leverage AI to enhance the experience of music lovers worldwide. According to a news release, the company is teaming up with NVIDIA to improve fan engagement globally by deploying NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure alongside UMG’s music catalog, which spans millions of tracks across genres. Per the release, the partnership focuses on three key objectives — music discovery, engagement, and creation — and the first two goals will utilize NVIDIA Music Flamingo, a large audio–language model that can understand and capture harmony, structure, timbre, lyrics, and cultural context for tracks of up to 15 minutes. The press release states the model has a “ human-like understanding of songs, ” and is expected to help fans discover music in new ways while giving artists opportunities to expand their audiences. “We’re entering an era where a music catalog can be explored like an intelligent universe — conversational, contextual, and genuinely interactive,” said...
The Justice Department is looking closely into the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives of major U.S. companies, Reuters reports. Google and Verizon are among the companies being investigated for their diversity initiatives in hiring and promotions. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Verizon publicly announced that it planned to remove references to DEI from its website and training materials. Additionally, it claimed it would be removing its internal human resources team focused on diversity policies and would no longer offer bonuses or set goals to increase the representation of women and minority employees. “We are committed to creating a culture that leverages and values each person’s unique strengths and talents,” Verizon Chief Legal Officer Vandana Venkatesh said in a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr on May 15. “However, we recognize that the regulatory and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (‘DEI’)...
Has the time finally arrived to change the user address of a Google email account? The tech giant shared a hopeful update just in time for the holidays. The New York Times reports that, although users had previously been able to change their email usernames, if they wanted to keep their data and services such as Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube, Google Play, or Google Drive, the address had to remain unchanged. Some users have now been able to change the address for all their accounts ending in @gmail.com, while still having access to their data, such as photos, messages, and emails, unlike before. The feature is not available to all users yet. It appears only on the Hindi-language version of Google’s support page, suggesting it may be available first in India or Hindi-speaking markets for now, according to CNBC. “The ability to change your Google Account email address is gradually rolling out to all users, so this option may not be available to you right now,” according to an English...
TikTok appears to have avoided a ban in the U.S. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, the social media platform used by more than 170 million Americans and owned by a China-based company, ByteDance Ltd., was required to sell TikTok’s USA operations to U.S. investors, or it would be banned. In 2024, lawmakers passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which was intended to bar “foreign adversaries, such as China, from targeting, surveilling, and manipulating the American people through online applications like TikTok,” a press release states. While TikTok initially said it did not intend to sell, it later revealed a proposed transaction to form a joint venture that would allow ByteDance to maintain a minority stake. In the latest update, shared by CNN, an agreement has been reached for the U.S. TikTok app to be controlled by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX, who will own a 50% stake in the company. Certain existing investors in ByteDance will...
As AI continues to spread across the United States and its influence shows no signs of fading, several Democratic lawmakers reintroduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Civil Rights Act on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA) first introduced the AI Civil Rights Act in 2024 to “establish protections for individual rights with respect to computational algorithms, and for other purposes,” The Grio reports . On Dec. 2, the progressive senator explained that AI tools are “biased against marginalized communities,” per the outlet. “We must address AI-powered bias and discrimination in the AI age,” Markey said in a news release shared on Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s website. “Under the AI Civil Rights Act, America would show leadership in AI — not just technological leadership, but moral leadership ,” he continued . “We cannot abandon our principles in reckless pursuit of technological superiority. Otherwise, we risk building a future where innovation races ahead,...
Amazon employees are pushing back against the company’s AI-heavy pivot, accusing leadership of prioritizing AI investments over climate commitments and the human workforce. Thousands have signed an open letter to CEO Andy Jassy and senior leadership. The letter, published last week, has drawn more than 1,000 signatures from Amazon employees — who can sign anonymously while listing their roles — and over 2,000 people outside the company. “We, the undersigned Amazon employees, have serious concerns about this aggressive rollout during the global rise of authoritarianism and our most important years to reverse the climate crisis. We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth,” the letter states. “We’re the workers who develop, train, and use AI, so we have a responsibility to intervene.” In the letter, employees accused Amazon of “casting aside its climate goals to build AI,” noting...
Google has unveiled a new project that will reduce the environmental impact of AI on Earth. The tech company unveiled Project Suncatcher, which aims to launch data centers in space powered by solar energy, Business Insider reports. Google is exploring bringing the project to life through a web of solar-powered satellites, equipped with its Tensor Processing Unit AI chips, according to a press release. The project aims to “one day scale machine learning in space.” “Inspired by other Google moonshots like autonomous vehicles and quantum computing, we’ve begun work on the foundational work needed to one day make this future possible,” notes the press release. Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed that the company plans to launch the space data centers by 2027. “We’ll send tiny, tiny racks of machines, and have them in satellites, test them out, and then start scaling from there,” Pichai said, according to Business Insider. “At Google, we’re always proud of taking moonshots. One of our...