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Intelligence for the New World Economy

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Intelligence for the New World Economy
Semafor World Economy

Semafor Technology

AI Super Bowl ads show tech divides

Critics say the ads sent an “out of touch” message to consumers already skeptical of AI.
A screenshot of Anthropic’s Super Bowl ad.Amazon Alexa/YouTube

Researchers use AI to decode ancient Roman board game

Researchers used AI agents to play thousands of games using 100 different ancient and modern rulesets, and compared results to the levels of wear on the board.
Restaura/Crist W, Piette É, Jeneson K, et al. Ludus Coriovalli: using artificial intelligence-driven simulations to identify rules for an ancient board game. Antiquity. 2026;100.

Meta and Google social platforms face trial

The trial, which began in Los Angeles this week, tests claims that the social media platforms are designed to be addictive.
Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on online child sexual exploitation.Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/Reuters

Trust in tech companies dropped globally: report

Trust fell not only in technology, but across nearly every institution since last year, including education, health care, and financial services.
A data center.Toby Melville/File Photo/Reuters

AI’s challenge is not the tech, but the user: OpenAI chief economist

“There’s a difference between what our models can do and how people use them, and that’s the biggest story in AI in 2026 — closing that gap,” Ronnie Chatterji said.
Ronnie Chatterji speaking at Semafor World Economy in 2025. Kris Tripplaar/Semafor.

Ex-Google exec launches AI firm for oil refineries

Archimetis joins firms like Cursor and Harvey that have grabbed market share by creating tailored products for specific industries.
An oil refinery in California. Brittany Hosea-Small/Reuters.

Anthropic safety researcher quits, warning ‘world is in peril’

Other AI safety researchers have also left leading firms, citing concerns about potentially catastrophic risks.

How OpenAI got comfortable with the Pentagon using ChatGPT

The tech giant announced the US military will now have access to its chatbot.

Google goes long with 100-year bond

Alphabet’s $11.5 billion bond sale is notable for two things: Its debt is really cheap, and a chunk of it will outlive anyone who bought it.

Chinese firms race to ease global memory-chip shortage

US PC makers are considering sourcing memory chips from China as shortages bite.

Wall Street still doesn’t understand AI

The way the market views AI is completely irrational, driven more by viral “it’s so over” X posts than logic or fundamentals.

Startups builds underwater robots to better track ocean movements

The robots will record movement, temperature, and salinity daily, aiming to reduce the cost of gathering ocean data by a factor of 1,000.

The team behind Fitbit is back with an AI health app

The Luffu app tracks a person’s diet, fitness, daily activity, and lab results, and shares information with family members.

Crusoe launches cloud product to take on hyperscalers

The move is part of a trend among neocloud companies to offer higher-margin services on top of the data centers they’re building.

OpenAI in talks with Abu Dhabi’s G42 to create specialized ChatGPT version for UAE

Chatbot would be fine-tuned for government use to accommodate local language and speech restrictions.

US automakers race to replace Chinese tech in vehicles

New rules banning the software on national-security grounds are due to take effect.

Alphabet to double infrastructure spending as it bets on AI

Google is seen as the “biggest winner” in AI, one analyst told The New York Times, and its shares rose 65% in 2025.

Why OpenAI’s drug royalties proposal won’t work

OpenAI offering biotech firms free AI software in exchange for a share of drug revenues is like offering free Microsoft Word to Stephen King for royalties on his books.