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Elon Musk is clashing with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project touted by President Donald Trump, the latest in a feud between the two tech billionaires that started on OpenAI's board and is now testing Musk's influence with the new president. Trump on Tuesday had talked up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion through a new partnership formed by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, alongside Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, is already starting to build out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of fast-evolving AI technology. Trump declared it “a resounding declaration of confidence in America’s potential” under his new administration, with an initial private investment of $100 billion that could reach five times that sum. But Musk, a close Trump adviser who helped bankroll his campaign and now leads a government cost-cutting initiative, questioned the value of the investment hours later. “They don’t actually have the money,” Musk wrote on his social media platform X. “SoftBank has well under $10B secured. I have that on good authority.” Altman responded Wednesday to say Musk was “wrong, as you surely know” and inviting Musk to come visit the first site in Texas that is already under construction. "(T)his is great for the country. i realize what is great for the country isn’t always what’s optimal for your companies, but in your new role i hope you’ll mostly put (America) first,” Altman wrote, using a U.S. flag emoji to represent America. Behind the feud The public clash over Stargate is part of a years-long dispute between Musk and Altman that began with a boardroom rivalry over who should run OpenAI, which both men helped found. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company last year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Read: Musk's inauguration role cements place in Trump's orbit Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. A hearing is set for February in a California federal court. The world’s richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI, that is building its own big data center in Memphis, Tennessee. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. When did Stargate start? Tech news outlet The Information first reported on an OpenAI data center project called Stargate in March 2024, indicating that it's been in the works long before Trump announced it. Another company — Crusoe Energy Systems — announced in July it was building a large and “specially designed AI data center” at the northwest edge of Abilene, Texas at a site run by energy technology company Lancium. Crusoe and Lancium said in a joint statement at the time that the project was “supported by a multibillion-dollar investment” but didn't disclose its backers. AI technology requires huge amounts of electricity to build and operate and both companies said the project would be powered with renewable sources such as nearby solar farms, in a way that Lancium CEO Michael McNamara said would “deliver the maximum amount of green energy at the lowest possible cost.” Crusoe said it would own and develop the facility. It's not clear how and when that project became the first phase of the Stargate investment revealed by Trump. Abilene Mayor Weldon Hurt said construction began about nine months ago but “we didn’t know it was going to be quite this big. We thought it was going to be about a third of this size.” Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison said Tuesday that the Abilene project is the first of about 10 data center buildings currently being built and that number could expand to 20. Hurt told The Associated Press that the region surrounding Abilene, a city of about 130,000 people, benefits from a wealth of energy sources, including oil, gas, solar and some of the “largest wind farms in the world,” though Trump signaled opposition to wind power this week by temporarily halting approval of wind projects on federal lands. Read more: Trump Administration shuts down White House Spanish-language page, social media “We have the capability to produce the energy for this market so it really means a lot for a town like Abilene,” Hurt said. “To have this opportunity here in west-central Texas, to have something like this to make Abilene substantial, we’re just excited about it.” Where is Microsoft? Missing from Trump's press conference Tuesday was Microsoft, which has long supported OpenAI with billions of dollars in investments and enabling its data centers to be used to build the models behind ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. Microsoft said this week it is also investing in the Stargate project but put out a statement noting that its OpenAI partnership will “evolve” in a way that enables OpenAI “to build additional capacity, primarily for research and training of models.” Asked about Musk's comments about the Stargate deal Wednesday during a CNBC interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pivoted to his company's own $80 billion plan to build out its global AI infrastructure, of which $50 billion is being spent in the U.S. “Look, all I know is, I’m good for my $80 billion,” said Nadella, laughing.

Within hours of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the new administration took down the Spanish-language version of the official White House website. The site — currently https://www.whitehouse.gov/es/ — now gives users an “Error 404” message. It also included a “Go Home” button that directed viewers to a page featuring a video montage of Trump in his first term and on the campaign trail. The button was later updated to read “Go To Home Page”. Hispanic advocacy groups and others expressed confusion at the abrupt change and frustration at what some called the administration’s lack of efforts to maintain communication with the Latino community, which helped propel him to the presidency. The Spanish profile of the White House’ X, @LaCasaBlanca and the government page on reproductive freedom also were disbanded. Meanwhile, the Spanish versions of other government agencies such as the Department of Labor, Justice and Agriculture remained available for users on Tuesday. Asked about the changes, White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields responded Tuesday that the administration is “committed to bringing back online the Spanish translation section of the website.” “It’s day two. We are in the process of developing, editing and tweaking the White House website. As part of this ongoing work, some of the archived content on the website went dormant. We are committed to reloading that content in a short timeline," he said without elaborating. Trump removed the Spanish version of the page in 2017. At that time, White House officials said they would reinstate it. President Joe Biden reinstated the page in 2021. The page's removal coincided with Trump’s first-day wave of executive orders highlighted by the launch of an illegal immigration crackdown that was one of his key campaign pledges. Trump on Monday declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and announced plans to send U.S. troops to help support immigration agents and restrict refugees and asylum. According to 2023 Census Bureau estimates, about 43.4 million Americans — 13.7% of the U.S. population age 5 and older — speak Spanish at home. The U.S. has no official language. Monica Rivera, a brand and communications strategist in New York City of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, said the shutdown sends a clear signal. Read: Trump announces 500 bln USD AI infrastructure investment in U.S. “There are 43 million Latinos who speak Spanish as their first language and removing access to information directly from the White House draws a distinct line as to who they are serving and more dangerously, signals to the administration’s MAGA base that we as Latinos are ‘other’ and a less significant part of this country," Rivera said. Anthony Hernandez, a paralegal in the nation's capital, wasn’t initially aware of the move and said it suggests what the coming years of a second Trump presidency would look like, with specific issues making headlines while “minor but equally malicious things like that go unnoticed.” “A move like shutting down the Spanish White House page and X profile serves no purpose other than to cut off resources for millions of Hispanic Americans and immigrants attempting to enter the United States legally," Hernandez said. "And it’s a slap in the face to the millions of Hispanic voters that supported him in this recent election.” Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, is Cuban American and speaks Spanish. At his swearing-in Tuesday, he gave remarks in Spanish, thanking God, his family and Trump. Meanwhile, Hispanic leaders and communication strategy experts expressed surprise with the page's removal, given Trump’s popularity with certain Latino voters. “If the White House is seriously interested in engaging with Latinos, the second largest group in this country, then they need to make sure that updates can also be distributed in Spanish, a preferred language for millions in our community,” said Frankie Miranda President and CEO of the Hispanic Federation. He called that a way to ensure "everyone is a part of the civic process.” Kris Klein Hernández, a U.S. historian specializing in race, gender, and sexuality at Connecticut College, said the content removal from official White House websites not only limits the access available to Spanish-speaking U.S. citizens and migrants but leads "some to question which constituencies the administration prioritizes.” Read more: Rhino.ai announces $50M series A to transform enterprise modernization Jeff Lee, former deputy cabinet secretary and deputy director of external and international affairs for former California Gov. Jerry Brown, said the move seems counterintuitive given the opportunity to “showcase” policy changes, especially ones related to economics and border security. “I didn’t see any other language mediums that got the kibosh. So I think that’s a really interesting thing to single out — if that’s the case," Lee said. AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters, found Trump won a larger share of Black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, and most notably among men under age 45. Young Latinos, particularly young Latino men, also were more open to Trump than in 2020. Roughly half of young Latino men voted for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, compared with about 6 in 10 who went for Biden.

Dhaka's traffic congestion is a persistent challenge, often leading to long delays in reaching destinations, increased pollution, and commuter stress. These traffic woes significantly impact productivity and quality of life for city dwellers. In Dhaka, finding routes with minimal traffic is crucial to avoid wasted time on the roads and ensure smoother commutes. Staying updated on traffic scenarios has become essential in navigating the city's ever-evolving road networks. Let's explore effective ways to stay ahead of the traffic curve in Dhaka. 6 Smart Ways to Stay Updated on Traffic Jams in Dhaka . Google Maps Real-time traffic monitoring has become crucial for navigating the city's chaotic roads, and Google Maps excels in providing accurate, live updates. By leveraging data from the web and other sources, the app continuously tracks road conditions and highlights congested areas with color-coded routes–green for clear, yellow for moderate, and red for heavy traffic. Users can receive alternative route suggestions in real time, helping them avoid delays. In addition, Google Maps informs drivers of accidents, road closures, and construction, ensuring they know of potential disruptions. Previous traffic data also helps predict traffic patterns on certain routes. The app’s voice-guided navigation adds further convenience, enabling users to concentrate on the road while receiving updates. Read more: Best Free Personal Safety Android, iOS Apps for Women in 2024 Waze Known for its community-driven approach, Waze gathers real-time traffic data from users on the road. Drivers actively report road conditions, accidents, and other hazards, sharing their insights with the Waze community. This collaboration enables Waze to suggest users avoid congested areas and even alert them about sudden traffic incidents ahead. The software recalculates routes with time on changing traffic conditions, securing drivers’ uninterrupted navigation. Additionally, Waze allows users to report police presence, hazards, and road closures, providing a comprehensive traffic monitoring experience that helps commuters stay informed and make better decisions on the road. Ride-sharing Mobile Apps Through real-time traffic tracking and optimised route suggestions, ride-sharing apps have transformed the way to navigate urban transportation. These platforms continuously analyse road status, affirming that vehicle drivers and passengers avoid major congestion. Read more: 7 Food Delivery Apps for Dhaka For instance, the Uber app integrates live traffic data, providing alternative routes to sidestep delays and recalculating paths as needed. Similarly, the Pathao app uses up-to-date traffic information to optimise the journey, adjusting routes dynamically based on congestion. Both platforms offer a seamless commuting experience, helping users bypass traffic jams and reach their destination more quickly.

President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday featured several high-profile tech CEOs occupying some of the most exclusive seats, a notable break from traditional inaugural guest lists. Despite branding himself as a champion of the working class, Trump reserved spots close to the president typically held for family, former presidents, and distinguished guests for some of the world’s wealthiest tech leaders. Photos from the event revealed tech magnates interacting with several of Trump’s key cabinet members, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state. In one image, Rubio is seen in the background as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pose alongside Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk. Musk, regarded as one of Trump’s closest advisers, also leads Tesla, SpaceX, and the social platform X. Trump says 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico coming on Feb. 1 as he signs several orders on economy Other tech executives present at the event included Apple CEO Tim Cook and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. The involvement of billionaires in national politics is not new. Many influential donors, including billionaires, supported Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, during the campaign. Former President Joe Biden, in his final days in office, honored liberal donor George Soros with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. However, the prominence of tech billionaires at Trump’s inauguration underscores the significant influence they could wield in his administration. In his farewell address, Biden cautioned against the growing power of tech oligarchs, warning they posed a threat to democracy. Responding to Biden’s remarks, Trump dismissed the criticism, claiming the executives had shifted their allegiance from Democrats, particularly Biden, whom they no longer supported. “They were all with him, every one of them, and now they are all with me,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. Trump sworn in as 47th President of the United States, promises new 'golden age of America' Despite receiving substantial donations for his inauguration committee and more than $200 million in campaign support from Musk, Trump insisted he remained independent of their influence. “They’re not going to get anything from me,” Trump asserted. “I don’t need their money. What I do want is for the country to succeed, and they are smart people creating jobs.”

TikTok content creators who make a living promoting their businesses and personal brands on the app were afraid Sunday that they would have to find new ways to engage consumers and make money as the app's future in the United States remained uncertain. TikTok told U.S. users that it was beginning to restore service just hours after the popular video-sharing platform went dark in response to a federal ban, which President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to pause by executive order on his first day in office. Some users reported Sunday that the app was working again, but it remained unavailable for download in Apple and Google’s app stores. Others remained locked out of accessing their profiles and the communities they had built online. Read: Xiaomi Redmi Turbo 4 Review: Is It a Value-for-money Midranger? Here's how content creators are reacting: Esthetician mourns her online community On a typical morning, esthetician and social media personality Lee Zavorskas scrolls on TikTok while she sips coffee. Sunday morning was different – she scribbled a to-do list instead, which included playing with her cats and dog and plotting how to bolster her presence on other platforms like YouTube since TikTok went dark for her Saturday night. “I’m a 58-year-old content creator that found a seat at the table that’s not available on Instagram,” Zavorskas said. While Zavorskas has more followers on Instagram, she found a large crowd of people over the age of 40 on TikTok, making it easier to build her audience. She held out some hope that she would be able to return to the community she found on the app. “It’s like going to your favorite restaurant and ordering your favorite food, and they’re like, ‘You know what? We took it away,’” she said. Small business owner fears for the future Tiffany Cianci, a Maryland-based content creator who owns small businesses, stopped posting on Twitter and Instagram and cut her advertising with Meta and Google out of frustration. “It’s TikTok or nothing for me,” she said. Read more: OpenAI, Retro Biosciences working to extend ‘human lifespan’ She thinks lawmakers unfairly punished TikTok for succeeding alongside its profitable competitors. And they played “political football” with an app that millions of small businesses rely on to survive, she said. “I spoke to small businesses in the last three days that have sobbed on my livestreams, afraid they’ll have to lay their employees off tomorrow morning,” Cianci said. “They are so afraid because they have other people’s lives in their hands.” Beauty creator shifts to YouTube Tiffany Watson, a 20-year-old beauty content creator, had been making videos since the days of Musical.ly, and was just starting to figure out the kind of content she was passionate about when TikTok went dark. “The community on TikTok is like nothing else, so it’s weird to not have that anymore,” she said. With spare time on her hands, Watson plans to focus on bolstering her presence on Instagram and YouTube. She also wants to devote more time to school as the psychology major and criminal justice minor prepares to graduate from Wingate University in North Carolina and enter “the real world." But being a content creator remains her “main dream," she said. If Trump lifts the ban, Watson plans to return to TikTok, but said she will “probably be more tuned into my YouTube since this ban has kinda spooked me.”

Prompt engineering has become a critical skill in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), empowering users to create clear and effective instructions for generating accurate outputs. To meet growing demand, several online platforms are offering free online prompt engineering courses that teach you how to unlock the full potential of AI tools. Best Free Online Prompt Engineering Courses  . ChatGPT for Everyone by OpenAI and Learn Prompting This 1-hour beginner-level course, led by Sander Schulhoff and Shyamal Anadkat, introduces the fundamentals of ChatGPT and generative AI. It explains how ChatGPT works, its diverse applications, and techniques for crafting effective prompts. The syllabus covers using ChatGPT as a personal assistant, enhancing productivity, and creating content.  Participants will learn prompt-writing strategies, including role assignment while understanding ethical considerations and ChatGPT's limitations. Real-world case studies further enhance the learning experience. The course is free, self-paced, and offers a certificate of completion through Learn Prompting Plus to showcase your skills. Read more: 10 Best Free AI Image Generators in 2025 Course Link: https://learnprompting.org/courses/chatgpt-for-everyone Free Prompt Engineering Course by Simplilearn This 1-hour beginner-level course offers a free and comprehensive introduction to AI, NLP, and prompt engineering. It covers the fundamentals of AI and NLP, the concept and applications of prompt engineering, types of prompts, and techniques for creating effective and engaging prompts.  Taught by industry experts, the course combines theory with practical examples, real-world case studies, and hands-on exercises to enhance learning. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate, which can be shared on LinkedIn. Perfect for AIML engineers, chatbot developers, and data scientists, this course equips learners to design and optimize prompts for conversational AI systems. Read more: 12 Most In-Demand Tech Skills for 2025: Stay Ahead in the Job Market Course Link: https://www.simplilearn.com/prompt-engineering-free-course-skillup Prompt Engineering for Everyone by IBM Led by Antonio Cangiano, IBM’s AI specialist, this 5-hour beginner-level course offers a comprehensive introduction to prompt engineering. It uses notes, audio recordings, and hands-on labs to teach the art of crafting compelling prompts. The course covers foundational techniques, such as Persona and Interview Patterns, and advanced approaches like Chain-of-Thought and Tree-of-Thought prompting.  Learners will also explore bias mitigation, verbosity control, and IBM's Watsonx Prompt Lab. An optional final project allows participants to apply their knowledge. This free course, offering a certificate, is perfect for professionals aiming to revolutionize their interactions with AI systems. Course Link: https://community.ibm.com/community/user/watsonx/blogs/nickolus-plowden/2023/10/15/learn-to-build-with-ai-series Read more: 10 Best Free AI Infographic Generators for 2025: Transform Ideas into Stunning Visuals Essentials of Prompt Engineering by Coursera This 1-hour beginner-level course by Amazon Web Services introduces the foundational concepts of prompt engineering. It covers crafting, refining, and optimizing prompts, with techniques such as zero-shot, few-shot, and chain-of-thought prompting. Participants will also learn to identify and mitigate potential risks in prompt engineering.  A hands-on assignment allows learners to apply the skills acquired. Offered via a free trial with an optional $49/month subscription, the course includes a certificate upon completion. Updated in July 2024, this course is ideal for those interested in AI/ML and generative AI, providing in-demand skills for a competitive edge. Course Link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/essentials-of-prompt-engineering Advanced Prompt Engineering by Learn Prompting Designed for intermediate to advanced learners, this 1-week course led by Sander Schulhoff provides in-depth training on advanced prompt engineering techniques. It explores concepts like in-context learning, chain-of-thought (CoT) prompting, problem decomposition, and self-criticism methods to craft effective prompts for complex AI applications.  Read more: How to Detect an AI-generated Image Learners will enhance their understanding of AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E 3, GPT 3.5, and GPT 4. Taught by a renowned AI expert, the course combines theory with practical strategies, offering a certificate upon completion. Available with a free trial, access to all paid courses is $39/month via Learn Prompting Plus. Course Link: https://learnprompting.org/courses/advanced-prompt-engineering Prompt Engineering Specialization by Vanderbilt University on Coursera Led by Dr. Jules White, this beginner to intermediate-level specialization spans 1 month (10 hours/week) and teaches participants to use generative AI for automation, productivity, and intelligence augmentation. The course includes three modules: composing queries for ChatGPT, advanced data analysis, and trusted generative AI.  Participants will gain hands-on experience in crafting prompts, automating tasks, and applying AI tools to real-world scenarios like social media content creation, data visualization from Excel, and PDF information extraction. The course is free with a trial and offers a certificate from Vanderbilt University upon completion. Read more: Best Text-to-Speech Software  Course Link: https://www.coursera.org/specializations/prompt-engineering Prompt Engineering and Advanced ChatGPT on edX The Advanced ChatGPT course is an intermediate-level program designed to teach advanced techniques for using ChatGPT effectively. Spanning one week with 1-2 hours of learning per week, the course covers critical areas such as advanced prompting methods to generate accurate and engaging responses.  Learners explore how ChatGPT can be applied across various industries like healthcare, finance, education, and customer service. The course also addresses the integration of ChatGPT with tools like NLP and ML for developing sophisticated chatbot applications. Additionally, it discusses ChatGPT's limitations and how to mitigate them to build more robust applications. This self-paced course is free with limited access, but a certificate can be earned for $40. Course Link: https://www.edx.org/learn/computer-programming/edx-advanced-chatgpt Read more: Free Online AI Courses by Harvard University from Basic to Advanced Levels Takeaways These free online prompt engineering courses offer excellent opportunities to master AI tools like ChatGPT and enhance your skills in crafting effective prompts. With courses catering to different levels, from beginners to advanced learners, they provide valuable insights, hands-on exercises, and certification options to help you excel in AI applications and improve productivity in various industries.

The U.S. moves closer to a potential TikTok ban as the Supreme Court upholds a law halting new downloads of the app starting Sunday. However, questions remain about how the ban will be enforced and its implications, leaving millions of users, including content creators and small business owners, in limbo. Comedian and influencer Terrell Wade, with 1.5 million TikTok followers, describes the looming ban as a source of chaos and uncertainty. “I really don’t know what to believe,” he said. The ruling demands TikTok’s China-based parent company sell the platform before Jan. 19, citing national security concerns, but a sale appears unlikely before the deadline. Biden declines to enforce TikTok ban, leaves decision to Trump The Biden administration, while maintaining the need for a sale, indicated it wouldn’t enforce the ban immediately, leaving the task to President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to preserve access to TikTok. However, Trump’s approach after his inauguration remains unclear. If implemented, the ban will stop new downloads and updates, rendering the app eventually unusable, though it won’t vanish from existing devices immediately. For many creators, this prospect threatens livelihoods and forces them to adapt to other platforms. Kelsey Chickering, a principal analyst at Forrester, notes the ban is a stark reminder that social media platforms can rise and fall, disrupting the lives of influencers and businesses reliant on them. Los Angeles-based content creator Janette Ok says TikTok is central to her work, helping her secure brand deals and promote her art. The app, she says, has been life-changing. “It’s a beautiful app that’s brought people together,” she said, calling the ban disheartening and “un-American.” Small business owners share similar fears. Jordan Smith, owner of The Elevated Closet in Austin, Texas, and Alejandro Flores-Munoz, a Denver-based caterer, credit TikTok for finding niche audiences and growing their businesses. Losing the platform, they say, will have a significant impact on their operations. Ruben Trujillo, who markets coffee-themed cards through TikTok, is frustrated with the shifting political dynamics. “Small business owners are told to be creative and build from the ground up, and now it feels like those opportunities are being taken away,” he said. As Sunday’s deadline looms, users like Wade and Ok remain hopeful for a last-minute reprieve, though uncertainty continues to overshadow the future of TikTok in the U.S.        

President Joe Biden will not implement a TikTok ban scheduled to take effect just before he leaves office, according to a U.S. official. Instead, the app's future now depends on President-elect Donald Trump. Congress passed a law last year, signed by Biden, requiring TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. operations by Jan. 19, a day before the presidential inauguration. However, the outgoing administration has decided to defer enforcing the law and any associated ban to Trump. Anonymously discussing the Biden administration’s perspective, the official revealed that Trump, who once advocated banning TikTok, has since promised to keep it operational in the U.S. However, his transition team has not clarified their approach to achieving this. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration, potentially signaling the incoming administration’s intent to prevent the app’s shutdown. National security adviser-designate Mike Waltz told Fox & Friends on Thursday that the federal law permits an extension of the divestment deadline if viable negotiations are underway. The debate over TikTok has bridged party lines. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer stated he discussed the issue with Biden, advocating for more time to secure an American buyer and protect the livelihoods of influencers reliant on the platform. However, Republican Senator Tom Cotton blocked a legislative effort to extend the deadline, arguing TikTok has had sufficient time to comply. “Tiktok is a Chinese Communist spyware app that exploits children, harvests data, and spreads propaganda,” Cotton remarked. Meanwhile, TikTok’s legal challenge to the divestment law was recently heard by the Supreme Court, where justices appeared inclined to uphold the statute. The law cites national security concerns as grounds for ByteDance’s divestiture or TikTok’s ban in the U.S. “If the court upholds the law, President Trump is clear: TikTok is a valuable platform, but he will prioritize protecting Americans’ data,” Waltz said. He suggested the administration would work toward a deal to keep the app functional. In another development, Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee for attorney general, avoided committing to upholding a TikTok ban during her Senate hearing. Trump has shifted his stance on TikTok since his initial attempts to ban it during his first term, now praising its role in engaging younger voters during his campaign. He has even credited the platform for boosting his appeal to younger demographics, particularly male voters, and pledged to safeguard TikTok during his campaign.        

Google says its artificial intelligence chatbot Gemini will deliver up-to-date news from The Associated Press in the tech giant's first such deal with a news publisher. Google announced the deal in a blog post Wednesday, saying that AP “will now deliver a feed of real-time information to help further enhance the usefulness of results displayed in the Gemini app.” AP's chief revenue officer, Kristin Heitmann, said it is part of a longstanding relationship with the search giant “based on working together to provide timely, accurate news and information to global audiences.” "We are pleased Google recognizes the value of AP’s journalism as well as our commitment to nonpartisan reporting, in the development of its generative AI products,” Heitmann said in a written statement. Neither company has disclosed how much Google will pay AP for the content. Google declined further comment on how it would present information from AP’s journalism and whether it would credit the news organization or link back to the original articles. Gemini, formerly known as Bard, has been Google's answer to the demand for generative AI tools that can compose documents, generate images, help program code or perform other work. AP has sought to diversify its revenue stream in recent years and in 2023 signed a deal with OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, enabling the AI company to license AP's archive of news stories to train future versions of its AI systems. The financial terms of that deal were also not disclosed, but it sparked an increasing number of similar partnerships between OpenAI and news organizations around the world. At the same time, news organizations have expressed concerns about AI companies using their material without permission — or payment — and then unfairly competing with them for advertising revenue that comes when people use a search engine or click on a news website. The New York Times and other outlets have sued OpenAI and other AI companies for copyright infringement and, on Tuesday, presented their arguments before a New York federal judge. Tech companies have argued that freely taking publicly available text from the internet to teach their AI models constitutes a “fair use” under U.S. copyright laws. But faced with legal challenges and a technology that is prone to spouting errors known as hallucinations, AI companies have also sought to license high-quality data sources to improve the performance of their products. Read: Trump adviser says president-elect exploring options to 'preserve' TikTok Publishers are at a disadvantage as tech companies integrate AI-generated summaries of information into an array of online services, but such deals are also beneficial in giving news outlets much-needed revenue and improving the overall quality of information that people are seeing online, said Alex Mahadevan, director of The Poynter Institute’s Mediawise, a digital media literacy initiative.   “You either sign a deal with an AI company and work with them and kind of take what they offer for all of your hard work, all of your articles, all of your data, or you fight, the way that The New York Times and others are trying to do in court,” he said. The AP prides itself on being an unbiased news source and offers news stories, pictures, video, audio and interactive content direct to consumers via the website APNews.com. But the bulk of its business comes from selling its journalism to organizations that use it. The AP has experienced a precipitous loss in revenue from newspaper customers, including losing Gannett and McClatchy -- two of the largest traditional U.S. newspaper publishers -- last year. The AP has increasingly secured other sources of revenue, including philanthropic funding, but is still hurt by the news industry’s overall woes. “The AP has copious amounts of data and text, which are the equivalent of gold in terms of training advanced generative AI models,” said Sarah Kreps, a professor and director of Cornell University's Tech Policy Institute. While such deals might help offset some revenue losses, they also present dangers. Read more: Biden’s semiconductor law to boost US chip output at high cost, says report “By outsourcing their value to tech companies, news outlets may cede control over how their work is used and monetized,” Kreps said by email. “Instead of building stronger, direct relationships with readers, they risk becoming suppliers of raw material for platforms that then commodify and repurpose their journalism.”

Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, said in an interview on Wednesday that the president-elect is exploring options to “preserve” TikTok. Waltz made the comment when Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked him about a report from The Washington Post that said Trump was considering an executive order to suspend enforcement of a federal law that could ban the popular platform nationwide by Sunday. Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a legal challenge to the statute brought by TikTok, its China-based parent company ByteDance, and users of the app. The Justices seemed likely to uphold the law, which requires ByteDance to divest TikTok on national security grounds or face a ban in one of its biggest markets. “If the Supreme Court comes out with a ruling in favor of the law, President Trump has been very clear: Number one, TikTok is a great platform that many Americans use and has been great for his campaign and getting his message out. But number two, he’s going to protect their data,” Waltz said. US TikTok users flock to Chinese app Xiaohongshu as TikTok ban looming “He’s a deal maker. I don’t want to get ahead of our executive orders, but we’re going to create this space to put that deal in place," he added. Separately on Wednesday, Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, dodged a question during a Senate hearing on whether she’d uphold a TikTok ban. Trump has reversed his position on the popular app, having tried to ban it during his first term in office over national security concerns. He joined TikTok during his 2024 presidential campaign and his team used it to connect with younger voters, especially male voters, by pushing content that was often macho and aimed at going viral. He pledged to “save TikTok” during the campaign and has credited the platform with helping him win more youth votes.