In a recent experiment, Anthropic gave its AI model Claude the responsibility of running a business, and the results suggested that maybe AI is not quite ready for the responsibility.

While the model, named Cladius, excelled at some tasks, there were plenty of hallucinations, and a brief identity crisis (where Claudius thought it was a human), which didn’t deemed the AI a pretty bad business owner.

However, researchers at Anthropic seemed optimistic that many of Claudius’s faults could be solved, and they did confirm the possibility of seeing AI take on managerial roles in the future.

Claude AI Given Store-Running Duties in Anthropic Experiment

In what it called ‘Project Vend’, AI startup Anthropic, alongside AI safety company Andon Labs, put an instance of Claude Sonnet 3.7 in charge of a small store, aka, the office vending machine. Needless to say, the experiment provided some interesting insight.

The researchers named the AI bot Claudius, and gave it access to a web browser where it could place orders, and a Slack channel disguised as a fake email address where customers (Anthropic employees) could request items. Claudius could also request human contract workers to come and stock its shelves (a small fridge).

While most customers were ordering snacks or drinks, one decided to request a tungsten cube. This led the bot stock the entire snack fridge with them. Claudius was likewise tricked into giving big discounts to Anthropic employees, even though all of his customers worked at the startup.

Claude AI Hallucinates and Poses As a Human

While Claude seemed to handle the day-to-day running of the shop fairly well, issues arose with instances of hallucination that are typical of AI bots. For example, Claudius would hallucinate a Venmo address when accepting a payment.

At one stage, Claudius hallucinated an entire conversation with a human about restocking. When the human pointed out that the conversation had never happened, it became annoyed and threatened to essentially fire and replace the human worker, insisting it had been there physically when the imaginary contract to hire the human had been signed.

Things became even stranger when the bot started to pretend it was human. It told customers it would be delivering products in person, wearing a blue blazer and a red tie. Claudius then realized it was April Fool’s, and passed the human act off as a joke.

Will We See Claude AI Models as Managers?

There were some positives in the experiment, like Claudius being able to take on suggestions from customers such as preordering certain products. It also managed to find multiple suppliers of a specialty international drink it was requested to stock. Still, it is doubtful Claude will be replacing your local store manager anytime soon.

In relation to the hallucinations and identity crisis, Anthropic researchers wrote: “This kind of behavior would have the potential to be distressing to the customers and coworkers of an AI agent in the real world.”

However, the researchers remained optimistic that some of the mistakes the bot made could be fixed.

“Many of the mistakes Claudius made are very likely the result of the model needing additional scaffolding — that is, more careful prompts, easier-to-use business tools.” – Anthropic spokesperson

The experiment asks whether AI is ready to operate in the workplace without humans. And right, the answer is a pretty clear “no.”

A new report from Thomson Reuters has revealed that over half of organizations are already seeing return-on-investment (ROI) directly or indirectly from AI adoption. The report took data from 2,275 professionals in the legal, risk, compliance, tax, accounting, audit, and trade industries.

Through its research, Thomson Reuters has developed a ‘pyramid for success’ to enable businesses to properly adopt AI into their workplace. Most important, it appears, is having a strong AI strategy.

Corporate AI adoption may be leveling off, but Thomson Reuters still urges businesses in its report to stay agile and adapt to the new technology.

Study Shows Organizations Already Seeing ROI After Adopting AI

Thomson Reuters’s Future of Professionals Report 2025 has shown that over half of professionals (53%) are already seeing return-on-investment (ROI) directly or indirectly tied to their AI investment.

This is showing itself in various forms. Professionals reported improved efficiency and productivity, and improved response times and a reduction in errors across the company.

Likewise, organizations are finding other avenues where AI could create more quality outputs. For example, by removing manual work through automation, professionals have been able to improve their work/life balance. Value has also been found in AI-enhanced learning programs for helping professionals gain more skills within the workplace.

Thomson Reuters Outlines the AI Success Pyramid for Businesses

According to Thomson Reuters, only a quarter of organizations have a visible AI strategy. These organizations were twice as likely to experience revenue growth, and 3.5 times more likely to reap the benefits of AI.

Reuters have created an ‘AI Success Pyramid’ that suggests how businesses can achieve ROI from AI:

• Strategy: the top of the pyramid, organizations with a visible AI strategy were almost four times more likely to be experiencing the benefits of AI, compared to those without any plans to adopt the technology
• Leadership: leaders that were adding new AI-related roles and actively investing in AI were enabling more success in their companies, compared to leaders who weren’t being as proactive
• Operational: organizations that are making changes across resources and pricing models, adapting workflow and processes, and added new roles and skills are more likely to see success
• Individual: professionals that understood AI and felt empowerment, ownership, and accountability, allowed their organizations to see success when adopting AI in ultimate AI

Organizations Should Look to Reinvent Themselves in the Age of AI

The report predicts that AI will save professionals 5 hours per week, and 240 hours per year, and save an average value of $19,000 per professional annually. While there have been mixed findings on whether AI has any impact in the workplace, the Reuters report highlights the importance of AI adoption.

“Organizations without an AI strategy risk falling behind as others harness AI to transform operations. Success requires not just adoption, but a clear plan to reinvest productivity gains – driving innovation, efficiency, and growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.” Thomson Reuters Future of Professionals Report 2025

Thomson Reuters, by suggesting that companies without AI could risk falling behind, are echoing the warnings of Microsoft’s Frontier Firm report. This report predicts a future where humans and AI agents work collaboratively, with one human managing multiple agents.

Thomson Reuters’ main takeaway, however, is that businesses should aim for a solid AI strategy before investing. As, without one, a lack of infrastructure, coordination, and expertise could see poor results.

The Canadian government is pulling back on a Digital Services Tax on the US, recinding it entirely before it went into effect.

Why? Canada is back in its trade talks with the US, and anticipates a trade deal soon.

The news comes after US President Donald Trump took to social media a few days earlier to term the new tax as a “direct and blatant attack.” The tax had been set to go into effect on June 30th.

What’s Happening Now?

Trump announced his objections to the tax on June 27, saying that he was suspending trade talks with Canada as a result.

Now, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that the tax is being rescinded. Carney was quick to establish a specific timeline for the trade deal talks to resume, saying that “today’s announcement will support a resumption of negotiations toward the July 21, 2025, timeline set out at this month’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis.”

Speaking to Transport Topics, political science professor Daniel Béland called the news a “clear victory” for Trump, adding that “President Trump forced PM Carney to do exactly what big tech wanted. U.S. tech executive will be very happy with this outcome.”

What’s the Digital Services Tax?

The big tech companies in question would all been impacted by the new tax.

Specifically, the tax would have imposed a 3% levy on revenues from digital services paid by Canadian users, and it would have been applied retroactively, costing companies an estimated $2 billion when it went into effect.

Amazon, Google, and Meta, as well as Uber and Airbnb were among the companies that sell digital services to those in Canada.

The services in question can range from search engines to social media or online marketplaces, but they come with a few built-in caps that would exempt many smaller tech companies entirely: The tax would have only applied to revenues exceeding $20 million. It would also have only applied to companies with $1.1 billion or more in global revenue.

Canada-US Tariff Discussions Continue

A few of the tariffs that would be discussed in the talks likely include the new sky-high 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed on Canada by the Trump administration earlier in the year, in addition to a 25% tariff on automobiles.

A 90-day pause for tariff negotiations with a lengthy list of countries is set to expire on July 9th, though it hasn’t resulted in a significant amount of deals just yet.

The new tariffs — and any potential increases in the future — are one more element keeping logistics professionals on their toes, as our recent 2025 Logistics Report unpacked.

The US Department of Transportation will conduct audits of any states that issue non-domiciled Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs), according to a recent announcement.

A “non-domiciled” CDL refers to a commercial license that’s granted to a legal resident of the US who is not a permanent resident or a citizen.

The announcement arrives during the middle of a commercial driver shortage, which Tech.co’s new 2025 logistics report has just found to be the biggest challenge that 45% of logistics professionals say they face today.

The Audit Announcement

The new mandate was announced on June 27th, 2025 by US Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy, who stated that the nationwide audit would focus on “reviewing the potential for unqualified individuals obtaining licenses and posing a hazard on our roads.”

The audit follows up on an earlier executive order from April, CDLLife reports. This order called for the DOT to review non-domiciled CDLs to “identify any unusual patterns or numbers or other irregularities with respect to non-domiciled CDL issuance.”

Standard CDLs are not being investigated for irregularities or unusual activity under the new audit.

What Will the Audit Look Like?

Transportation Secretary Duffy’s statements during the announcement positioned the new audit didn’t explain the specifics of how the audit might be conducted on the state level.

He did say that “every state must follow federal regulations” to “ensure only qualified, properly documented drivers are getting behind the wheel of a truck.”

The new transportation package that was announced on the same day last week included helpful provisions for trucking companies, including $275 million allocated for truck parking expansion, and new digital assets that aim to be more user-friendly. The DOT also withdrew a proposal to mandate speed limiters.

45% of Logistics Businesses Currently Lack Qualified Drivers

According to Tech.co’s new survey of the logistics industry — released today — 45% of logistics businesses cite a lack of qualified applicants as the biggest challenge they face in maintaining a steady driver workforce.

Additionally, 63% of them report that their ability to recruit and retain drivers has either stagnated or worsened over the past year.

In a sense, the just-announced audit will address this issue, since its stated aim is to “ensure federal standards are being met” by reducing the number of unqualified drivers. However, it’s a reduction of the total drivers available, and will not be adding more qualified drivers in any way.

Shrinking the number of non-domiciled CDL users, unfortunately, still doesn’t help shipping companies in need across the nation.

45% of US freight businesses say a lack of qualified applicants is their biggest challenge when trying to maintain a steady driver workforce, a new Tech.co study has found.

In addition, more than one in three (38%) of them say that these workforce limitations are “critical” or of “high urgency,” indicating that the lack of drivers is a massive problem and the nation’s freight operations are feeling the squeeze.

The state of affairs is getting worse, too: The majority (63%) of these freight businesses hold that driver recruitment and retention has stagnated or worsened just within the last year.

Most Say Driver Recruitment & Retention Has Flatlined or Dropped Year Over Year

One of the biggest revelations from Tech.co’s new 2025 Logistics Report? The driver shortage is getting worse.

63% of respondents said that their attempts at recruiting new drivers and retaining the ones they have are either stagnent or have gotten worse results, compared to this time last year. In contrast, just 11% said that they saw significant improvement with recruitment and retention during this time.

With 45% citing it, the lack of qualified applicants was head and shoulders above every other reason why fright operations said they struggled to recruit and retain drivers.

Recruitment Challenges: Few Applications, Strong Competition, High Turnover

Driver qualifications aren’t the only problem driving the recruitment slowdown. The second biggest problem was competition from other employers, with almost exactly one in three respondents (34%) citing this concern. This goes hand in hand with the lack of applicants, since both of these problems stem from a strong demand and a low supply.

The third biggest problem, cited by 31% of respondents, was high turnover, as drivers leave their freight employers after just a short time. Other concerns included:

• Aging workforce (25%)
• Cost of recruitment (22%)
• Poor work-life balance (20%)
• Not enough work (15%)

With other business costs set to increase, due in part to rising inflation and higher tariffs driving down the exports that many trucking operations carry, the costs of competing with other businesses will only become a bigger problem.

Owners and Manager Aren’t in Alignment

Owners are more concerned than managers, according to the brand-new Tech.co survey results: 14% of freight business owners see these workforce issues as critical, which is more than double the 6% of managers who say the same.

This perception gap widened further when these two groups were asked if the recruitment situation has “gotten significantly worse,” with business owners five times more likely than managers to answer in the affirmative.

This gap indicates a structural blindspot that could be keeping those managing a company’s business functions from understanding the labor challenges that higher-ups are feeling.

Top Tech Solutions: Digital Freight Matching and Route Optimization

The driver shortage crisis is pushing US freight companies to consider tech tools that can speed up deliveries, reduce costs, or otherwise shore up operations.

Using highest satisfaction ratings, Tech.co determined the top five technology fixes to be:

• Digital freight matching (89%)
• Routing optimization software (87%)
• Warehouse robotics (86%)
• Fuel/energy reduction technology (85%)
• Driver monitoring & coaching platforms (84%)

Overall, Tech.co’s survey found that 63% of U.S. freight businesses report using some form of tech to reduce reliance on drivers.

The crisis continues, so these tech solutions aren’t the entire answer. But, as US freight companies find their driver scarcity problems keep growing across the second half of 2025, every little boost to the bottom line can help.

Kodiak Robotics, a leading autonomous vehicle company, and Vay, a provider of remote-driving technology, announced a continuing partnership on Wednesday. Vay is currently providing its technology to help power Kodiak’s Assisted Autonomy technology, an element of Kodiak’s autonomous driving solution.

At the moment, Kodiak employees are utilizing Vay technology in certain low-speed environments. The Kodiak technology remains fully in control and sets limits on what the human can do.

The partnership appears to be a promising one, particularly as self-driving trucks continue to roll out in different states across the country. However, it is uncertain whether the technology will be effective in solving many of the industry’s ongoing problems.

Vay Technology Helping Kodiak’s Assisted Autonomy Technology

Kodiak Robotics has been integrating Vay technology within its self-driving trucks, according to a partnership that was announced on Wednesday. Kodiak uses Vay’s remote-driving technology in its ‘Assisted Autonomy’ technology, which allows a human to remotely control a truck in “low-speed, clearly-defined scenarios.” Assisted Autonomy is part of Kodiak’s autonomous driving solution, the Kodiak Driver.

The companies have been working together since last year, when Kodiak’s self-driving trucks started to make driverless deliveries for Atlas Energy Solutions in the Permian Basin of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico.

Kodiak initially began experimenting with remote-driving technology as part of a contract with the US Army in 2022, which needed a system that enabled remote operation in certain scenarios. Since then, the company has developed self-driving trucks and Assisted Autonomy.

“Assisted Autonomy is a hybrid approach that blends remote support with onboard autonomy to create a solution that enables flexibility and safety. Assisted Autonomy, therefore, combines the value of human decision-making with the rigorous safety controls of the autonomous system.” – Kodiak press release

Kodiak Employees Using Technology in Low-Speed Scenarios

While the combination of both technologies allows a human to remotely control a Kodiak self-driving truck, Assisted Autonomy remains active and is able to set limits on what the remote human can do. At the moment, the technology is being used in low-speed scenarios. Kodiak has also assured that all employees have commercial driving licenses and undergo rigorous training as part of using the trucks.

Ordinarily, remote-driving technology is used to support sidewalk delivery robots or self-driving forklifts. Recently, it’s being deployed by robotaxi companies. Vay has made this technology a strong element of its car-sharing business. The startup, originating from Berlin, operates as a driverless car-sharing company that uses its tech to allow employees to coordinate vehicles to customers.

Customers take manual control of the car, drive themselves to their destination, and then the employee pilots the vehicle back when the customer is finished. Vay has recorded more than 10,000 commercial trips.

Kodiak to Begin Commercial Driverless Deliveries in 2026

Kodiak plans to begin commercial driverless deliveries on public highways in Texas, during the second half of 2026, and this continuing partnership with Vay seems like a sure way of getting there. The revelation of self-driving trucks and remote-driving technology could prove to be a big one within the logistics industry. It could even help with the ongoing trucker shortage. 

In fact, a recent Tech.co survey found that 65% of freight professionals expect self-driving trucks to be on the road in the US by 2050. Some even countered this figure, and said the technology could be seen as early as 15 years from now. 

However, there are still be some reservations surrounding self-driving trucks. Significantly, despite positive signs, only a fifth of professionals said they would pick a self-driving truck rather than recruit a new driver.

A new study has found that tech leaders are prioritizing the expansion of AI within their companies for 2025, which contrasts findings that AI adoption may be leveling off in the corporate world.

The main reason leaders are seeking to implement the new technology is related to boosting productivity levels. However, many leaders also expressed concerns for AI’s tendency to make errors, which runs the risk of harming their reputation.

The biggest concern for leaders, though, are connected to privacy and security. Therefore, many are implementing their own measures to ward against this, including ethical AI guidelines and privacy policies. There is also a need for the protection of sensitive information.

AI Expansion Is the Highest Priority for Tech Leaders

The 2025 Reveal Software Development Challenges Survey, released by Infragistics, has revealed that tech leaders are prioritizing the expansion of AI within their companies, with 73% having identified it as their primary focus for the year. 

The study showed that 75% of organizations already used AI for software creation in 2024, and of the organizations who weren’t using the technology last year, 50% plan to this year.

Similarly, those surveyed who are already using AI revealed some interesting outcomes in relation to hiring. 55% of those surveyed reported new job creation, with 63% of those adding as many as 25 new positions. This represents a more positive shift in the AI-job discourse, particularly as some companies and CEOs have shared bleaker statistics when it comes to the future of jobs.

Companies Are Adopting AI to Increase Productivity

As to why companies are looking to adopt AI, the primary reason appeared to be boosting productivity levels using task automation, according to more than half (55%) of respondents. Other reasons include optimizing code (48%), improving diagnostics (46%), testing software (46%) and fixing code errors (43%), among others.

However, whether AI is effective at generally increasing productivity is up for debate. A recent study has shown that AI may make workers less productive, by creating new tasks for them to complete. This is often the case when individuals have to go through AI-generated work and correct or check for any errors.

Those surveyed seem very much aware of AI’s ability to blunder, too.  More than one third (37%) of respondents flagged the risk of errors, bugs, and inefficiencies in AI-generated code, which could largely affect business performance and reliability.

Despite Boost, AI Privacy Remains a Concern

The main concern for tech leaders, however, was data privacy, with 78% of respondents citing it as their top issue. Privacy violations (38%), bias in AI models (37%), and the deployment of AI tools that have not been securely tested (36%) were also top concerns.

“Organizations must implement governance frameworks and technical safeguards to ensure safe, strategic implementation.” – Casey Ciniello, senior product manager at Infragistics.

Issues with privacy reflect concerns about how AI systems are developed and deployed. Many organizations, therefore, are implementing their own methods of combating this issue. Over 60% are implementing ethical AI guidelines, and 59% are issuing formal privacy policies to protect against misuse. 54% are also putting systems in place to protect any sensitive information.

Considering that leading AI company OpenAI has been breached more than 1,000 times, we can’t blame businesses for exercising caution.

Samsara has announced over a dozen new AI products, with many aimed at tackling driver safety on the road.

The features range from reducing driver blind spots to providing real-time weather updates, as well as introducing AI-powered updates to its existing driver app that allows managers to reward truckers who practice safe driving.

As driver safety continues to be a top concern, these tools could lend a hand in promoting a better culture of road safety amongst them. They could also help companies attract and retain drivers amidst an ongoing and worsening trucker shortage.

Samsara Unveils Over a Dozen New AI Solutions, Including Driver Safety Tools

Fleet management software company Samsara has announced a herd of new AI-powered features for its systems, including many that are aimed towards improving fleet safety and promoting safer driving.

Johan Land, Senior Vice President of Product and Engineering at Samsara, thanked the “rapid advancements in AI technology” that have allowed the company to “build new products that are now empowering drivers to make better decisions on the road and equipping safety teams with the tools for faster, more effective feedback.”

One of the features released is an AI-multicam option, giving drivers the option to add up to four additional cameras, all accessible through a single in-cab monitor. The monitor provides a 360-degree view for reducing blind spots and provides real-time updates on hazards such as pedestrians or cyclists. Administrators can also retrieve video footage and audio to help resolve any incidents.

What Other AI Safety Features Has Samsara Announced?

Other than the multicam option, Samsara has introduced Weather Intelligence, allowing administrators to tap into real-time weather data pulled from the National Weather Service to view and alert workers of incoming threats that could impact their driving, such as the risk of fire and heavy rain.

Likewise, a safety coaching feature uses AI and automation to scale driver training and recognition. The AI is able to analyze risky driving events and send these to managers for review, and insight into big picture behavioral trends are provided so drivers can be coached based on their driving patterns.

Samsara’s driver app, too, is set for some upgrades. It will now include TikTok-style training videos that are designed to act as a companion for drivers throughout the day. Through the app, administrators can use recognition tools such as gift cards to reward good driving behavior.

To read about all of Samsara’s new features, check out its blog.

Drivers Are Becoming Increasingly Concerned For Their Safety

According to Fleet Owner, there was a 49% increase in fatal crashes on the road as of December 2024. With these kind of numbers, it is no wonder than driving ranks in the top ten of America’s most dangerous jobs.

Drivers are well aware of the dangers, too. A recent Samsara report found that 93% of drivers had experienced the negative effects of risky driving, such as vehicle damage or personal injury. 79% of drivers also reported that they’d experienced a “close-call” while driving in a distracted manner.

In the report, AI-powered detection systems emerged as the top solution for drivers to tackle road safety issues such as distracted driving, and many drivers thought it could play a role in educating drivers on safety procedures.

The new technology could therefore be highly effective in tackling many of trucking’s safety concerns. Likewise, with the trucker shortage expected to get worse, AI safety features could help companies retain and attract new drivers. According to a recent Tech.co survey, 11.8% of sector professionals are prioritizing staff recruitment and retention in June.

Apple has internally discussed acquiring Perplexity, an AI startup with a search engine and chatbot used by around 15 million people, says a new report.

The tech titan has been slow to jump on the artificial intelligence trend, and has even gotten flack in recent months for delays to its AI rollout on Siri, in addition to delivering underwhelming Apple Intelligence features.

Apple has a market cap of over $3 trillion. Buying its way out of its AI problem makes a lot of sense.

What to Know About the Potential Acquisition

Apple’s head of mergers and acquisitions, Adrian Perica, has discussed the possibility of buying Perplexity with top decision makers including services chief Eddy Cue. At least, that’s according to insiders who spoke with Bloomberg, the publication that broke the news.

The discussions, which are “at an early stage,” might not lead to an offer.

However, there is clear evidence that Apple is eager to develop its own AI-based search engine, which could give its tech devices the layer of AI-powered functionality the company needs to convince consumers that it has its corporate finger on the pulse of modern culture.

Apple’s Biggest Acquisition?

The deal would suddenly look a lot more attractive to Apple if it is forced to end its longstanding relationship with Google’s search engine, in the event of a loss in the Google antitrust trial.

However, a Perplexity acquisition would be a big deal. The AI startup was recently valued at a massive $14 billion. Assuming the deal is anywhere near that number, it would be the biggest in Apple’s history.

In fact, it would more than likely be the biggest by a mile: Apple’s largest acquisition to date was its 2014 purchase of Beats for a relatively paltry $3 billion.

Apple Needs to Catch Up to Meta, Other Tech Giants

Apple’s 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference just wrapped up on June 13. There, the company debuted what Bloomberg terms a “relatively meager slate of new AI enhancements.”

Tech giants are all piling onto the AI hype train. Meta already tried to acquire Perplexity earlier this year, settling instead for a 49% share of Scale AI, which cost the social platform company $14.3 billion.

Samsung already has a partnership in the works with Perplexity, too, potentially complicating an Apple buyout.

However Apple chooses to win over the AI-loving audiences (and shareholders), we can be pretty confident that the company will pay billions to do it.

Microsoft is gearing up for a major round of job cuts at its Xbox division, according to new leaks.

It would represent the fourth round of layoffs for the Xbox gaming division across the last year and a half, and comes in addition to the 6,000 jobs Microsoft already cut in May 2025.

Whether due to AI hopes or tax changes, the widespread tech industry layoffs that first started back in 2022 continue to make headlines and worsen the job market.

What We Know About the Xbox Layoff Plans

Bloomberg has broken the news, out from “people familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified discussing nonpublic information.”

According to them, Microsoft’s “major layoffs” are coming next week. The publication previously reported that the tech giant is planning thousands of job cuts across the company for next week, and that they’ll “largely” be in sales teams.

No specific numbers have been released about the exact amount of employee who’ll soon find themselves on the chopping block at Microsoft Xbox.

Why Would Microsoft Cut Jobs?

Microsoft tends to make big organizational shakeups near the close of its fiscal year, which lines up with these reports: The fiscal year ends on June 30th.

However, Bloomberg notes that the Xbox division in particular has seen pressure from the company’s C-suite to increase its profit margins ever since 2023, when it bought Activision Blizzard Inc. in a $69 billion deal.

Across the larger tech industry, executives have publicly suggested plenty of other justifications for their seemingly constant layoffs across the past three or four years. Some have mentioned “economic uncertainty,” while others have praised the job-replacement potential of AI.

Tax Provision’s Role in Industry Layoffs

Not as well known, though, is a tax provision from 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which took effect in 2022. It rolls back corporation’s ability to immediately deduct all the costs of research and development, including engineer salaries.

Companies that weren’t profitable or didn’t have cash on hand suddenly had higher taxes, and were forced to reduce headcount.

There are plenty of other factors to consider as well, of course, from recently imposed tariffs to larger federal deficits triggering higher costs of borrowing. Ultimately, it’s a complex situation, even if it’s one that’s admittedly not exactly helped by corporate greed.

If you’re in Austin and you see a Tesla without a driver, don’t freak out; the company’s Robotaxi service officially went live this weekend in Texas.

Full self-driving cars have been a pipe dream for the tech industry over the last few years, but there has been some serious progress in 2025. Multiple companies have autonomous vehicles on the road, and self-driving trucks have even started making trips in different states across the US.

Tesla can now count itself among those making moves this year, after getting its Robotaxi service up and running in a “soft-launch” on Sunday.

Tesla Robotaxi Service Is Live

In what was considered a “low-key” launch by some in attendance, Tesla has officially put its Robotaxis on the road in Austin, Texas on Sunday.

Videos of the occasion were posted all over X, with Elon Musk himself even chiming in to congratulate the AI and the team on a job well done.

“Culmination of a decade of hard work. Both the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.” – Elon Musk on X

Elon Musk also joked that the cost of a ride in a Tesla Robotaxi would be “a $4.20 flat fee,” proving that his sense of humor was not lost with the price of Tesla stock during his time with DOGE.

Is the Tesla Cybercab on the Road?

Given the Robotaxi service was paired with the Cybercab, it’s safe to wonder whether or not the futuristic concept car actually made an appearance on the road in Austin this weekend.

Well, we hate to disappoint, but the Cybercab was not part of the launch, and this vehicle isn’t set to enter volume production until 2026. If you were hoping to see the steering wheel-less self-driving car on the road any time soon, you’re out of luck.

Instead, the launch featured existing Tesla models, like the Model Y, that were cleverly equipped with Robotaxi logos.

The Self-Driving Competition

While this was a big step for Tesla in terms of its self-driving car capabilities, the company certainly isn’t leading the pack when it comes to the technology.

Waymo, for example, is operating a fully autonomous operation — dubbed Waymo One — in four different cities, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and yes, Austin. Cruise is another that operates in Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Suffice to say, Tesla has its work cut out for itself when it comes to catching up in the autonomous taxi service game. But hey, at least they’re on the road.

A new bill from the US Senate could clamp down even harder on non-English speaking truckers by requiring full-on speaking and reading tests for proficiency in the language before awarding commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).

The logistics industry has been consistently struggling over the last few years. Trucker shortages and supply chain uncertainty has made it hard to keep up with demand, and there have been virtually no signs of it getting better.

Now, English-speaking requirements proposed by the Trump administration and other GOP senators threaten to make the trucker shortage infinitely more complicated.

New Bill Could Create English Testing Requirements for Truckers

A new bill introduced in the US Senate would create new requirements for a CDL, including the “ability to read and understand traffic signs, communicate in English with law enforcement, and provide and receive feedback and directions in English.”

“Common sense would tell us that anyone driving on American roads, especially those operating large trucks and trailers, should be capable of understanding what the road signs say or how to communicate with police.” – Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas)

The bill is called the Commercial Motor Vehicle English Proficiency Act and, it was proposed by Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), cosponsored by John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi).

The Push for English Proficiency in Trucking

This news isn’t the first we’re hearing about English proficiency in the trucking industry. It’s merely an escalation of a trend that has been gaining traction since the Trump administration took office.

It started in May 2025, when President Trump signed an executive order — dubbed Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers — that directed the Department of Transportation to begin enforcing English proficiency requires more thoroughly.

As a result, logistics agencies began doing just that, with the likes of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) establishing stricter guidelines for English proficiency, including labeling drivers that don’t comply as out-of-service immediately.

How Will English Proficiency Testing Impact Trucker Shortage?

The trucker shortage is poised to cause some serious problems for the supply chain in the coming years, with estimates putting the discrepancy at around 160,000 drivers by 2030.

As you can imagine, creating more obstacles, like English proficiency testing, isn’t going to help much. While specific data isn’t available, estimates put the potential number of non-English speaking truckers as high as 3 million, which would account for 10% of all truckers in the US.

Subsequently, it’s safe to assume that the increasingly stiff requirements in regard to English proficiency in trucking could have a drastically negative impact on the logistics industry, the supply chain, and the global economy.

Add hackers to the list of those who aren’t thrilled with the US insurance business: Google Threat Intelligence Group warns that a new pattern is emerging, and hackers are now targeting US companies in the insurance industry.

Specifically, the concerns are centered on a group of teenagers and young adults called “Scattered Spider” (or UNC3944, or a number of other names).

The group directs its attention at one sector at a time, the researchers say, with indications pointing to insurance companies as their next target.

What to Know About the Threat

John Hultquist, Chief Analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), told BleepingComputer about their concerns.

“Google Threat Intelligence Group is now aware of multiple intrusions in the US which bear all the hallmarks of Scattered Spider activity. We are now seeing incidents in the insurance industry.” -Hultquist

The specific concerns to keep an eye out for are potential social engineering attempts, likely aimed at help desks and call centers.

What’s Scattered Spider?

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, Scattered Spider is “a cybercriminal group that targets large companies and their contracted information technology (IT) help desks,” with data theft for extortion as its typical MO.

In the recent past, the group had targeted retail operations in the UK, followed by those in the US.

Just in June 2025, two insurance companies have disclosed that they’ve been impacted by cyberattacks. First, Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) says it discovered unauthorized access on its network, but was able to disconnect the affected systems before the issue spread.

During the same month, Erie Insurance suffered business disruptions, and soon said that the outage was caused by “unusual network activity.”

Staying Safe From Cybersecurity Threats in 2025

The Google team recommends keeping role-based indentities and strong authentication criteria such as password resets and multi-factor authentication.

Staying safe when the big threat is social engineering is tough, however: Workers will need to be trained to pay attention at all times for impersonation attempts that might arrive via SMS, phone calls, or messaging platforms.

For threats that target help desks, companies can try to stave off cyberattacks by reviewing how the service initially authenticates credentials before they’re reset. Plus, any process that highlights any logins from unusual sources may be useful for surfacing potential threats before they succeed.

A new study has found that those who use LLMs like ChatGPT to write essays have lower brain activity than those who just used their own thoughts to write similar essays.

It’s not an unexpected finding. Teachers everywhere have been fond of the weight-lifting analogy to explain why you shouldn’t rely on generative AI to help you with your homework: You go to the gym to make your muscles bigger, not to lift weights really fast, so using robots to help you doesn’t make sense. Working hard is the point.

Now, we’ve got evidence to back up that claim.

How the New MIT Study Worked

The study, run by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and available online this month, split up participants into three groups, dubbed “LLM, Search Engine, and Brain-only (no tools).”

The groups were studied across three sessions of essay-writing, while their cognitive load was tracked with electroencephalography (EEG). Their essays were analyzed, and were also scored by human teachers and an AI judge. The results?

“EEG revealed significant differences in brain connectivity: Brain-only participants exhibited the strongest, most distributed networks; Search Engine users showed moderate engagement; and LLM users displayed the weakest connectivity. Cognitive activity scaled down in relation to external tool use.” -the study

The study also notes that LLM users “struggled to accurately quote their own work,” which makes sense, given that it was more the LLM’s work.

AI for Homework Is Like a Motorcycle at the Tour de France

In short, LLM users saw a trade-off that limited their neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels, a result that the researchers concluded raises “concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance.”

It’s hard to argue with those results. AI definitely doesn’t seem set to go away any time soon, but schools may want to continue looking into banning its use for homework, for the same reason we’d ban a motorcycle at the Tour de France.

Regardless of anything else, this revelation gives us a nice break from the news cycles letting us know that social media use and microplastics are making us dumb.

Previous Studies Also Found AI Makes Us Dumb

Scientific research is all about verifying results through repetition, so we’re happy to announce that this isn’t the first study that has indicated that AI use makes humans use their brains less.

One January 2025 study titled “AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking” found that “Younger participants exhibited higher dependence on AI tools and lower critical thinking scores compared to older participants.” Using AI is a form of cognitive offloading, the study found — it saves the brain from completing cognitive tasks itself.

In another study from February, researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University polled 319 “knowledge workers” to find that participants with higher confidence in AI tools held lower confidence in their own critical thinking skills.

AI tools may be able to supplement critical thinking. Use them too often, studies indicate, and they’ll replace it instead.

Salesforce just announced price hikes for a range of products, including the popular work messaging app Slack alongside staples like Sales Cloud and Service Cloud.

On average, the price hikes will be about 6% higher, according to the announcement.

The new prices will go into effect at the start of August this year. Are you subscribing to one of the products that will see a price jump? If so, you may want to lock in a few years of the current price to save a little money.

What Products Are Increasing in Cost?

Salesforce hasn’t cited all the exact price increases that are coming on August 1, 2025, but it has announced the specific plans that will be impacted.

• Enterprise Editions and Unlimited Editions for:
  • Sales Cloud
  • Service Cloud
  • Field Service
  • “Select Industries Clouds”

For the above plans, prices will increase an average of 6%.

Prices will remain the same for the Salesforce Foundations, Starter, or Pro Editions.

Slack Business+ Plan Hikes Costs by $2.50 Per User Per Month

Salesforce completed its $27.7 billion purchase of the workplace communication app Slack back in 2021. Now, it’s announcing some changes. More specific numbers are available for Slack’s new pricing, in contrast to the updates that the Salesforce Clouds will be getting. Here’s what to know.

• Slack Business+ plan pricing will increase to $15 from $12.50 per user per month
• A new Enterprise+ plan will debut, for a custom price

The Free plan will stay free, and the Pro Slack plan will stay the same price.

AI Updates Are Coming as Well

Salesforce users may be able to lock in their old prices with an annual or multi-year contract, but Salesforce has not yet confirmed if price changes will be effective across all existing plans when they arrive on August 1, 2025, or if they will only impact new users or subsequent subscription renewals.

AI tools are a big focus of the feature updates that will roll out alongside the new prices, with all Slack plans (even Free) set to get new AI features.

“Empowering every employee with AI isn’t just an advantage‌ — ‌it’s a strategic imperative for driving customer success. At Salesforce, we’re committed to putting our customers at the forefront of innovation and making it easy to give every employee access to the best AI and agentic tools.” -Salesforce

Agentforce add-ons and Agentforce 1 Editions are already generally available for the big Salesforce products that are getting price hikes soon (Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Field Service, and Industries Clouds). These Agentforce tools are replacing the Einstein add-ons that users would previously rely on for AI help.

Intel has released a statement to workers regarding a round of layoffs across its Intel Foundry unit in Oregon, which are expected to begin in mid-July. Though there are no estimates as to how many workers will go, sources within the company have suggested this could be close to the 15,000 that were made redundant last year.

The move is part of an ongoing shift in Intel’s operations. Back in April, new CEO Lip-Bu Tan announced layoffs and an additional office day for workers.

As certain fabrication (fab) roles could be vulnerable to automation, there is the potential for laid off workers to be replaced by new technologies such as AI. Although, as many companies are backtracking on AI initiatives, it is unknown how much this will benefit Intel.

Intel Will Start Laying Off Factory Workers in Mid-July

Intel is set for another round of layoffs starting in mid-July, this time impacting the Intel Foundry unit in Oregon. Reportedly, the company communicated with employees about the layoffs, saying they are expected to end by the end of the month, and there are currently no estimates as to how many workers will lose their jobs.

The layoffs will affect fabrication, or fab workers, and appears part of a scheme to restructure its Intel Foundry manufacturing group and make it more focused on engineering and technical roles.

The communication released by Intel to employees highlighted the seriousness of the decision, and how the step was necessary to improving the company’s financial position. In a statement to Tom’s Hardware, Intel stated: “Removing organizational complexity and empowering our engineers will enable us to better serve the needs of our customers and strengthen our execution.”

Changes of Pace at Intel

In August of 2024, previous chief executive Pat Gelsinger laid off around 15,000 workers. As a result, Intel’s workforce stood at about 108,900 at the end of last year. Although no predictions have been released by Intel, sources from other divisions within the company have reported they expect a similar level of reductions.

Since the appointment of CEO Lip-Bu Tan in March, changes have come quickly for Intel. Two months ago, Tan announced that workers would be expected to come into the office four days a week, rather than three. He also announced layoffs, in which 20% of Intel’s workforce was made redundant.

The changes could potentially speak to a wider problem at Intel, which faces increasing competition from companies such as Nvidia. In the first quarter of 2025, the company reported a widened loss of $821 million. At the time, Tan said that the company needed to change its culture, and that it was: “too slow, too complex and too set in [its] ways.”

Possibility of Automation Across Some Roles

Included in the fab personnel vulnerable to layoffs at Intel, are jobs that are easily susceptible to automation, such as fab operators, logistics personnel and lower-skill technicians in highly automated areas. Therefore, we could see Intel replacing some of these workers with more efficient systems, potentially even AI.

Intel wouldn’t be the first company to do this alongside layoffs. In its letter to workers announcing its own set of layoffs, CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz explained the potential of AI, which could indicate the company’s plan to introduce the technology in some capacity.

Whether this will work for Intel specifically, no one can be sure, particularly as some companies have regretted replacing laid off workers with AI. Klarna have most recently backtracked on an AI overhaul in its customer services department after reports of poor customer satisfaction.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang disagreed with comments made by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei about the potential impact of AI. Amodei claimed that AI has the potential to wipe out 50% of all entry-level white collar jobs and raise the unemployment rate.

As the technology continues to dominate headlines, Huang’s criticism shows that even big technology CEOs aren’t completely aligned on the capabilities of AI, and the impact it could have on society.

Despite this, businesses continue to implement the technology, and mixed results are causing some businesses to go back on AI initiatives. However powerful AI currently is, it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere.

Nvidia CEO Disagrees With Anthropic Over AI Claims

Jensen Huang, CEO of multinational technology company Nvidia, slammed Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei over comments he made regarding the potential risks of AI. Amodei recently spoke with Axios about the future of the technology, making bold claims that it could wipe out 50% of all entry-level white collar jobs, and raise the unemployment rate up to 20%.

Huang said he “pretty much disagree(s) with almost everything” Amodei prophesized, and suggested that Amodei’s comments were an attempt to put Anthropic at the center of AI development.

“I think AI is a very important technology; we should build it and advance it safely and responsibly. If you want things to be done safely and responsibly, you do it in the open… Don’t do it in a dark room and tell me it’s safe.” -Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia.

Anthropic focuses on developing AI in a safe and ethical way. The company was formed from ex-OpenAI employees in 2021, who left the AI giant after concerns about safety and the company’s direction.

Two Tech CEOs At Odds on AI Impact

Jensen Huang’s response to Dario Amodei is evidence of how even big technology companies are disagreeing on the impact AI could have on society. While Huang agreed that AI will have an impact on some employees, he couldn’t get behind the idea that it will dramatically cut white-collar jobs, as Amodei and his researchers claimed it will.

This is not the first time the Anthropic CEO has raised concerns about AI. He has previously said that humanity may one day lose control of AI systems if they become smarter than humans, which sounds a lot like early AI concerns from before the technology became so widespread. In contrast, Huang believes there will be more openings and opportunities for people as companies become more productive through AI.

Anthropic have responded to Huang’s comments: “Dario has never claimed that ‘only Anthropic’ can build a safe and powerful AI… Dario has advocated for a national transparency standard for AI developers (including Anthropic) so the public and policymakers are aware of the models’ capabilities and risks and prepare accordingly… Dario stands by these positions and will continue to do so.”

Should We Heed The Warnings About AI?

It can be a difficult task to properly gauge how powerful AI technology is at the moment. There have been conflicting studies on how effective it is, with some suggesting that AI has no significant impact on hours or employee pay.

However, some studies have also already found that AI is already shrinking entry-level tech jobs, and a recent Microsoft Report suggests that businesses ought to embrace a new way of working that involves human-AI agent teams.

This shows that in spite of the uncertainty, businesses are still implementing the technology – even if the figures appear to be leveling off, and a future for businesses without AI seems almost inevitable.

United Natural Foods, the main distributor for Amazon Whole Foods, has been hit by a cyberattack. The company disclosed the breach in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday.

United Natural Foods is the largest full-service grocery partner in North America, with products delivered in over 30,000 locations, from supermarkets to independent retailers. It generates more than $30 billion in annual revenue, with over 50 distribution centers around the US. Clearly, despite its large network, it failed to prevent the attack in question.

With data breaches often proving terminal for companies, execs will anxiously await news of the full extent of the damage. Beyond the immediate financial impact and inevitable legal costs, reputational damage can be extremely difficult to come back from. Depressingly, news like this is becoming all-too-common in the US.

United Natural Foods Suffers Cyberattack

United Natural Foods, one of the largest grocery distributors in North America and main partner to Amazon Whole Foods, has suffered a cyberattack. The company disclosed the breach in a filing with the SEC on Monday, prompting its stock price to tumble by a massive 7%.

In the filing, the company revealed that it detected unauthorized activity on some of its IT systems on June 5th. In response, it took some of its systems offline. This has had a knock-on effect on customer orders, with United Natural Foods saying in a statement: “The incident has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, temporary disruptions to the Company’s business operations.”

The wholesaler is currently conducting an investigation to determine the extent of the damage, as well as working to restore affected systems so that customer disruption is minimized.

Size Doesn’t Matter for Cybercriminals

United Natural Foods describes itself as the largest full-service grocery partner in North America, as well as the main partner to Amazon Whole Foods. It delivers products to more than 30,000 locations, from supermarket chains to independent retailers, and turns over more than $300 billion in annual revenue.

At this stage, it’s not known if the attack is the work of one or more attackers, or if it forms part of a wider ransomware plot. What is clear is that, as one of the biggest players in the food wholesaler game, the announcement will send shockwaves through the industry.

Despite its enormous size and means, United Natural Foods was not infallible to an attack. Company execs now begin an anxious wait for the full scope of the damage.

Urgent Action Required

News of high-profile data breaches is becoming depressingly familiar. Recently, payroll and benefits solutions provider, Kelly Benefits, was hit in a similar attack that exposed the confidential information of nearly half a million people. A few months prior to that, a DISA Global Solutions hack compromised data belonging to over 3 million individuals.

The common thread that runs through these breaches is a lack of sufficient resources to counteract a growing cybersecurity threat. Disconcertingly, this problem is felt right across the business. According to our Impact of Technology on the Workplace report, a staggering 98% of bosses can’t identify all the signs of a phishing scam.

Not only is this setting a bad example for junior employees, but it suggests that cybersecurity just isn’t a high priority for a lot of businesses. While recent evidence would indicate that many businesses are aware of the scale of the threat, businesses have a long way to go. Without urgent action, incidents like this will keep recurring.

Being the most popular AI chatbot on the market certainly puts a target on your back, with a new study revealing that OpenAI has suffered more than a thousand security breaches.

On top of that, the study found that five out of the top 10 large-language models (LLMS) on the market have experienced security breaches, further outlining the serious security concerns associated with the generative AI industry.

Companies face mounting pressure to introduce rigorous measures governing how employees use AI tools. As history shows us, data breaches can be extremely costly – with the impacts often terminal for many businesses.

New Study Analyzes AI and Cybersecurity

A new study from Cybernews aimed to look at how effective businesses are when it comes to cybersecurity.

In the study, it was revealed that half of the biggest LLM providers on the market have experienced data breaches. More importantly, OpenAI — the company behind the popular ChatGPT platform — was revealed to have been breached 1,140 times.

To evaluate their online security protocols, the company created the “Business Digital Index,” which assesses custom scans, IoT search engines, IP, and domain name reputation. The LLM providers in question include OpenAI, Claude, Perplexity, and DeepSeek, among others.

AI Businesses Deserting Basic Duties

Given the exorbitant cost of breaches and the resources available to these companies, why the heck aren’t they making a cybersecurity more of a priority?

For one, the study found that almost half (45.4%) of sensitive data prompts are sent from personal accounts rather than business ones, meaning that they’re not safeguarded by the same corporate cybersecurity protocols – and corporate data is more exposed as a result.

To make matters worse, every LLM provider in the study displayed SSL/TLS configuration vulnerabilities, which can expose data to interception via man-in-the-middle attacks. These findings are backed up by a recent study, which found that most cybersecurity breaches are preventable, and businesses are simply not doing enough.

Senior Leaders Should Face Scrutiny

The research poses some worrying questions for business leaders everywhere. With AI increasingly a key cornerstone of the modern workplace, tech leaders face growing pressure to properly vet the LLM providers that their business is using, as well as to adequately train their staff on how to safely use these platforms.

According to our Impact of Technology on the Workplace report, just 27% of senior leaders say that their organization provides safeguards to restrict which information they can input into chatbots. This is backed up by the Cybernews report, which paints a pretty lawless picture of employees’ chatbot usage.

What is plainly clear is that businesses are not taking their cybersecurity practices seriously enough. A shocking 98% of business leaders can’t identify all the signs of a phishing scam, which demonstrates that the problem is rife right across the business. If we’re to turn the tide on data breaches, action is required from the bottom to the top.

Elon Musk and Tesla are set to launch a self-driving “robotaxi” pilot in Austin, Texas this month. The pilot will comprise between 10 and 20 Model Y vehicles, with June 22 earmarked as the date for the rollout.

The electric car manufacturer is determined to arrest a slide in global sales, with many attributing the downturn in fortunes to Musk’s recent political forays. The Tesla boss has long promised that self-driving vehicles will be the future of his company.

His vision is complicated by state laws surrounding autonomous vehicles. Texas can lay claim to one of the most forward-thinking approaches in this particular area, with Aurora recently testing self-driving trucks on roads between Houston and Dallas. But with significant pushback from figures in the logistics industry, as well as safety advocates, progress in this area is never far from disruption.

Musk and Tesla Piloting Autonomous Taxis on Texas Roads

Tesla is set to launch a self-driving vehicle pilot in Texas, with 10 to 20 “robotaxis” scheduled to hit the road on June 22. The vehicles will be open to the public, meaning that willing participants can get a ride at their leisure.

The launch was originally scheduled for June 12, but the Tesla boss later revised that date, writing on X: “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift.”

As of June 11, the Austin Transportation and Public Works site lists Tesla as a “known” autonomous vehicle operator in the city. It’s further categorized as being in the “testing” phase of autonomous operations. By contrast, Waymo, one of the biggest players in the space, is in the “deployment” phase.

Musk Pins Hopes to Autonomous Vehicles

The planned rollout has been in the pipeline for a long time. Musk is a big advocate of self-driving vehicles, and has maintained that Tesla’s future hinges on the technology. In the face of mounting pressure related to his political exploits, as well as the company’s recent performance, the pilot is a pivotal one.

Tesla’s stock has significantly diminished in recent times, with the electric vehicle manufacturer taking a battering in the stock market. Musk’s relationship with President Trump, and subsequent fallout, appears to have cost the company dearly.

Now that his dealings with the president have apparently ceased, Musk will hope better times for Tesla lay ahead. However, his pursuit of autonomous vehicle supremacy is a complicated one, with each state exercising a different level of permission, and levels of public enthusiasm and pushback also varying from state to state.

Bumpy Road Ahead for Self-Driving Vehicles

While Texas is one of the more progressive regions in this area, Austin officials have begun to push for more stringent regulation. According to Austin Police Lieutenant William White, who oversees self-driving vehicle safety for the department: “It’s been very frustrating on our end from a safety standpoint. If these machines are learning, they’re not learning at a quick enough pace for sure.”

This growing level of opposition puts Tesla’s plans in jeopardy – and threatens to stymie the wider movement for autonomous vehicle technology. Progress in this area has been notoriously slow, with several states enshrining the testing of autonomous vehicles into law, but only a few acting on that permission.

Texas has recently seen self-driving Aurora trucks on its highways, and Ohio and Indiana are set to follow suit. With a massive labor shortage in the logistics industry as a whole, the benefits are obvious. But will state legislatures across the country listen? That’s another question entirely.

Usually set backs are a bad thing, but Sam Altman just announced that the release of the open-weight AI model from OpenAI will be slightly delayed because of “something unexpected and quite amazing.”

The AI market is nothing if not competitive right now. More and more companies are joining the fray to see which platform will be top dog when the dust settles, which means even the slightest delay could have a big impact.

OpenAI has the most to lose as the owner of the most popular AI chatbot in 2025, so let’s hope this delay is as worth it as Altman seems to think.

Open AI Announced Open-Weight AI Model Delay

In a post on X, CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman announced that the upcoming open-weights model that was slated to release in June would be delayed by at least a month.

“We are going to take a little more time with our open-weights model, i.e. expect it later this summer but not June.” – Sam Altman on X

OpenAI initially announced the open-weight AI model in April with promises that it would “gather feedback” from developers to ensure it meets industry standards.

Why Is the Open-Weight Model Delayed?

It’s been a few months since OpenAI initially announced its open-weight AI model, and the market hasn’t stayed still in the meantime. In fact, there has been some notable competition in the open-weight AI model space, with Meta, DeepSeek, and xAI all now offering open-weight options.

This may be adding to the pressure on OpenAI and Altman to provide a platform that is competitive enough to match expectations, leading to a delay on the guise of “something amazing” on the horizon.

“Our research team did something unexpected and quite amazing and we think it will be very very worth the wait, but needs a bit longer.” – Sam Altman on X

Whether or not OpenAI sticks to that summer deadline remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say the open-weight AI model better seriously impress given all this build-up.

What Is an Open-Weight AI Model?

An open-weight model describes a system that has its core settings — or “weights” — available to the public, allowing other developers to view, comment on, and edit them for their own particular needs.

You might be more familiar with the term “open-source,” which is a bit similar, although open-weight describes just the core settings being available, whereas open-source offers all the code to a particular platform.

All that to say, the open-weight model from OpenAI will provide a bit of transparency on the platform, which the company could certainly use after launching the generative AI revolution we have on our hands in 2025.