The logistics industry is preparing for a world filled with self-driving trucks, with recent data showing that professional expect autonomous vehicles to be the biggest disruptor in the coming years.

Managing the supply chain has become increasingly difficult over the last few years. The tariffs and the trucker shortage alone have put a strain on businesses, making it harder and harder to manage the ever-increasing freight across the country.

While some solution have helped, like route optimization software and fleet management systems, the logistics industry is clearly banking on self-driving trucks to solve the problem.

What Will Be the Most Disruptive Tech in a Few Years?

According to data from our monthly Logistics Pulse report, self-driving vehicles are expected to be the technology of the future for the industry, with 17% of professionals stating that autonomous trucks, ships, and drones are going to have the most disruptive impact over the next two to three years.

This was the highest percentage across our research, with fleet management and telematics optimization (11%), AI-driven route optimization (11%), and predictive maintenance and asset monitoring (8%) representing the rest of the top four in our research.

Our guide to the US states where self-driving trucks are already legal

Many have speculated about the impact of fully autonomous vehicles finally becoming a mainstream part of the industry, which could be sooner than many realize. In fact, 42% of professional believe that we can expect widespread use of self-driving trucks on public roads in the next 15 years, according to our Moving Goods With Fewer Hands report.

What Are Logistics Professionals Using AI for in 2025?

While autonomous vehicles may be the future, that doesn’t mean they are being used by the majority of logistics professional in 2025.

In fact, our research found that self-driving trucks, ships, and drones are one of the least used technologies being used by logistics professionals, with only 7% of businesses currently employing autonomous tech at their organization.

In comparison, 31% of businesses are using fleet management and telematic optimization, 29% of businesses are using AI-driven route optimization software, and 25% of businesses are using predictive maintenance and asset monitoring platforms.

Technology and the Trucker Shortage

The logistics industry has been notably unable to address the trucker shortage by hiring more people. In fact, 63% of respondents say their ability to recruit and retain drivers has either stagnated or worsened over the past year.

As a result, many businesses are turning to technology to solve the problem. An even larger 73% of professionals say that technology is already helping them address workplace challenges, like staffing and retention issues.

Suffice to say, technology — whether it be something simple like route optimizations tools or something groundbreaking like self-driving trucks — is going to be the answer, and you don’t want to be left behind.

FedEx is the latest freight firm to announce layoffs. This week, the logistics giant revealed that more than 600 FedEx Supply Chain employees in Memphis would be let go as part of a business transition. According to Commercial Appeal, the company is moving “a significant portion” of its business to a new third-party provider.

In 2022, the company announced “Network 2.0,” a multi-year initiative to streamline operations. It laid off over 480 employees and revealed that facilities in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Omaha, Nebraska, would be closing. Reportedly, these latest layoffs are unrelated to “Network 2.0.”

Against a backdrop of tariffs and an ongoing labor shortage, the logistics sector is struggling. In recent weeks, several firms have laid off employees in a bid to improve their fortunes. Many are turning to technology as a long-term solution to their woes, with self-driving trucks and drones touted as potential remedies in the near-future.

FedEx to Lay Off Over 600 Supply Chain Employees

FedEx plans to let go of more than 600 employees from two of its Memphis facilities. On August 27th, the company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice with the Greater Memphis Workforce Development Board, which will coordinate a response with FedEx and the affected employees.

As reported by Commercial Appeal, the decision forms part of a wider “business transition.” The company plans to relocate “a significant portion” of its operations to a new third-party provider, with the move expected to be completed in October 2025.

FedEx claimed that employees were made aware of the layoffs in advance, with many thought to be eligible for different roles in the company. In a statement, it said: “We are committed to supporting affected employees through job placement assistance, relocation aid, or severance, as applicable, including at other nearby FedEx facilities in the area.”

Layoffs Unrelated to “Network 2.0” Plans

“Network 2.0” is the multi-year initiative that FedEx announced in 2022 to streamline its operations and boost efficiency. Since then, the company has closed down over 100 shipping centers as it works towards a future in which driver routes do not overlap.

Most recently, the logistics giant laid off more than 480 employees and closed sites in North Carolina and Nebraska. Staff in Texas and Iowa were also subject to redundancies, but their sites remained open, albeit at reduced capacity.

The company has stated that the latest layoffs, however, do not form part of Network 2.0.

Technology Poses Solution to Logistics Industry Turmoil

It’s fair to say that it’s been a challenging year in the freight business. Between President Trump’s escalating tariff war and a mounting hiring crisis, logistics firms are in trouble. This is borne out by the sheer number that have been forced to let go of employees in 2025.

Companies are turning to technology to try and mitigate some of these issues. As revealed in our latest report, Moving Goods With Fewer Hands, 73% of surveyed respondents has already used technology to address “workforce challenges.”

While self-driving trucks are unlikely to enjoy a wide rollout in the near-future, businesses are already making use of fleet management software to optimize their route planning and delivery efficiency. What’s more, automation is bringing huge benefits to warehouses, with firms able to fulfil a higher volume of orders and enjoy a greater return on investment.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella this week shared five ChatGPT-5 prompts that he is using to better prepare for meetings. The tech boss revealed his AI habits via a thread on X.

The prompts in question shed light on how AI is being used by senior executives at the highest level. Among them, Nadella disclosed that he regularly asks the chatbot to draft project updates, assign probability scores, and prepare him for upcoming meetings.

Microsoft recently integrated its flagship AI model, Copilot, with ChatGPT-5. The partnership will enable Copilot users to switch between models depending on whether they require deep reasoning or a quick response.

Microsoft CEO Reveals Everyday AI Habits

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has shared five of his favorite AI hacks. Heralding the recent partnership between ChatGPT-5 and Microsoft, the tech boss took to X to detail some of the everyday tasks that he has been using AI for.

Among them, Nadella revealed that he uses AI to get status updates on ongoing projects, monthly breakdowns of how he has been spending his time, key insights ahead of specific meetings, and more.

Following the release of ChatGPT-5 earlier this month, Microsoft promptly revealed that it was integrating its suite of AI tools with the new model. Specifically, ChatGPT will be available with Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, GitHub Copilot, and more, as part of a wider “smart mode.”

Nadella Paints Picture of AI Use at Highest Level

The Microsoft boss’s posts on X offer a fascinating glance at how top-level executives are saving time and boosting efficiency with AI. Below, you’ll find the prompts in question.

1. Based on my prior interactions with [/person], give me 5 things likely top of mind for our next meeting.
2. Draft a project update based on emails, chats, and all meetings in [/series]: KPIs vs. targets, wins/losses, risks, competitive moves, plus likely tough questions and answers.
3. Are we on track for the [Product] launch in November? Check eng progress, pilot program results, risks. Give me a probability.
4. Review my calendar and email from the last month and create 5 to 7 buckets for projects I spend most time on, with % of time spent and short descriptions.
5. Review [/select email] + prep me for the next meeting in [/series], based on past manager and team discussions.

There’s bountiful evidence that people are using AI at work — sometimes even against their bosses’ wishes. Information on how top execs harness the technology, however, has been thin on the ground up to this point.

Latest Twist in Microsoft-Open AI Saga

Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI began in lucrative fashion in 2019, when the tech behemoth invested $1 billion in the fledgling AI startup. This came to the attention of antitrust watchdogs, and competition concerns have dogged the two companies ever since.

In June, it was reported that they were in dispute over a contractual provision, which essentially voided Microsoft’s exclusive access when OpenAI finally achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI). In a joint statement, the firms claimed: “We have a long-term, productive partnership that has delivered amazing AI tools for everyone. Talks are ongoing and we are optimistic we will continue to build together for years to come.”

This latest announcement would seem to pour cold water on any nascent tensions that might have developed between Microsoft and OpenAI. Expect this partnership to be at the cutting-edge of the AI space for years to come.

More price increases are on the way for the logistics business, as UPS announces a new fee for international processing when it comes to packages entering the US.

It’s not secret that the logistics industry has been hit the hardest when it comes to tariffs. Many companies like General Motors have lost millions and even billions of dollars over the last few months because of these additional costs.

Well, it look like things are going to get worse before they get better, as UPS prepares for the end of the de minimis exemption by adding a new fee on international products coming into the US.

UPS Adds New International Processing Fee

UPS announced this week that it would be adding a new international processing fee for packages shipped into the US. The new fee will cost $2.50 per package and will only impact those that are shipped via one of three UPS services: UPS Worldwide Express, UPS Worldwide Express Plus, and UPS Worldwide Express NA1.

On top of that, UPS also announced that it would be adding an entry preparation charge for all low-cost shipments from Canada.

Items with a duty value up to $200 will now pay an additional $10 per shipment and items with a duty value of between $200.01 and $800 will pay an additional $20 per shipment, according to the UPS website.

The entry preparation charge will go into effect on August 29th, while the new international processing fee will go into effect on September 8th, just in time for the de minimis exemption to end.

What Is the De Minimis Exemption?

If you’re wondering why so many shipping companies have been increasing their prices as August comes to a close, it’s likely because the de minimis exemption is expiring.

The de minimis exemption is a US policy that allows for shipments under $800 in value to be exempt from taxes and tariffs. It provided a low-cost avenue for some businesses to shop products at a more affordable price.

However, President Trump signed an executive order that closed the exemption for China and Hong Kong on May 2nd of this year, with a global removal of the exemption set for this Friday, August 29th.

The Impact of De Minimis Exemption Removal

UPS certainly isn’t the only company that is increasing its prices due to President Trump’s executive order to get rid of the de minimis exemption. FedEx also increased its international processing fee from $1.50 to $2.50 in preparation for the change.

Increased prices aren’t the worst of it either. Some companies — like the Europe-based DHL — are so put off by the added cost of doing business that they’ve opted to completely pause shipping to the US entirely.

Even entire countries are opting to stop shipments to the US. Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy have all stopped shipping some products to the US, while companies like France, Austria, and the UK have plans to do the same.

With the impact of more fees and higher tariffs still yet to be realized, it’s safe to say that things could start getting a lot more expensive as the rest of Trump’s presidency unfolds.

The future of AI is safe for now, as Anthropic has reportedly prevented a cyber criminal from using its AI platform Claude to generate scams and hacks to infiltrate a variety of companies.

The evolution of AI over the last few years has made cybersecurity far more difficult in 2025. The technology is being used for a wide range of nefarious purposes, making it infinitely harder to spot scams and deter hacks.

Luckily, Anthropic was on top of this one, announcing that it had swiftly put a stop to a plan that could have had some seriously negative consequences for the companies in the crosshairs.

Anthropic Stops Hackers from Using Claude AI to Hack Companies

According to an announcement from Anthropic on Wednesday, the AI company “disrupted a sophisticated cybercriminal that used Claude Code to commit large-scale theft and extortion of personal data.”

“We’ve developed sophisticated safety and security measures to prevent the misuse of our AI models. But cybercriminals and other malicious actors are actively attempting to find ways around them.” – Anthropic announcement

The attack reportedly targeted as many as 17 different companies, in industries including “healthcare, the emergency services, and government and religious institutions.”

How Did the Hacker Use Claude AI?

This was no ordinary hack attempt. According to Anthropic, the hacker in question used the technology to “an unprecedented degree” to create “attacks that would otherwise have required a team of operators.” As for what that hacker actually used it for, the list was seemingly endless.

Here’s a list of some of the criminal actions that the hacker was attempting to perform with Claude AI, according to Anthropic:

• Automate reconnaissance
• Harvest victims’ credentials
• Penetrate networks
• Make both tactical and strategic decisions
• Decide which data to exfiltrate
• Craft psychologically targeted extortion demands
• Analyze financial data to determine appropriate ransom amounts
• Generated visually alarming ransom notes

Suffice to say, this hacker was on a mission to use AI in the worst possible way in an effort to hack these companies. Luckily, Anthropic was on the case.

How Did Anthropic Stop the Hacker?

Given the complicated nature of the attack and the industries that could have been impacted, it’s a good thing Anthropic was able to prevent this hack before it came to fruition. But how exactly did Anthropic stop these hackers in their tracks?

Well, for starters, Anthropic “banned the accounts in question as soon as we discovered this operation.”

“We have robust safeguards and multiple layers of defense for detecting this kind of misuse, but determined actors sometimes attempt to evade our systems through sophisticated techniques.” – Jacob Klein, head of threat intelligence for Anthropic to NBC News

On top of that, Anthropic has developed a new screening tool in hopes of spotting these kinds of nefarious actions earlier in the process, and the company also shared data with the authorities to help them prevent attacks in the future.

Research from Stanford University has reported a 13% drop in employment rates for entry-level candidates over the past three years, thanks to the development of AI within the workforce.

The picture looks the most bleak for entry-level candidates joining fields that are easily replaced by AI, such as software development and customer service, whereas older workers outside of these fields are not seeing similar patterns.

Crucially, the way that a company approaches deploying AI also makes a big impact. Instead of integrating AI to keep up with the trend, businesses should have a clear understanding of how AI can help its employees, rather than replace them altogether.

AI Threatens Entry-Level Jobseekers In New Study

A new study from researchers at Stanford University has found that AI is gnawing away at job prospects for entry-level candidates. The research analyzed payroll data from management services company Automatic Data Processing Inc.

It concluded that employment for younger workers, aged 22-25, in AI-impacted jobs such as software development and customer support, has dropped by 13% in the past three years.

Older workers, or those in fields outside of AI’s domain, aren’t seeing as much of a measurable hit to future job prospects. The researchers suggested that this is because AI has more book knowledge, rather than hands-on experience, like the typical entry-level candidate.

Certain Entry-Level Roles More Impacted Than Others

The researchers noted that it was only when they narrowed down their search to specific industries and roles that the impact AI became clear.

On top of junior roles in software development and customer service, roles in accounting, development, and administration had fallen also.

On the other hand, roles such as nursing technicians had seen an increase in employment over the same period of time. This suggests that the entry-level candidates joining fields that could see AI take over are most at risk.

How Companies Deploy AI Is Vital

This isn’t the first study to suggest that prospects for entry-level candidates are bleaker following the rapid deployment of AI. However, the Stanford researchers found that a company’s attitude towards AI implementation was a key factor in determining the number of opportunities available to candidates.

While businesses who view AI as a replacement for human workers are hiring less, those looking to use the technology to augment their human workforce are hiring more.

There is certainly evidence of companies taking a heavy-handed approach to AI — Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently admitted to firing engineers who didn’t take on AI. However, an attitude that allows workers to use the technology to help them with their daily tasks, rather than replace them altogether, is surely the best way forward.

LA-based startup Robomart has unveiled a new self-driving robot that is set to compete against the big names in the delivery market.

According to its co-founder and CEO, the company is focusing on lowering costs and improving efficiency, in order to make its very unique product more attractive to consumers.

The technology behind autonomous deliveries and self-driving vehicles is developing rapidly, and if any of them can promise fewer fees without compromising high-quality service, then they could very soon become a popular delivery method.

Robomart Unveils New On-Demand Delivery Model

Robomart, a Los Angeles-based startup, has unveiled its latest self-driving robot that aims to challenge the on-demand delivery market.

The company recently announced the Robomart RM5, a level-four autonomous vehicle. It is made of 10 individual lockers to hold customer orders and can carry up to 500 pounds of weight. The RM5 is also designed for batch ordering, so the robot can work on multiple orders at once.

Robomart is planning to start onboarding retailers in Austin over the next few months, where its first deliveries are expected to be made. Robomart released its delivering service earlier this year.

New Model Set To Challenge Established Delivery Platforms

Robomart is actively looking to challenge current leaders in the delivery market. According to CEO and co-founder Ali Ahmed, the main selling point for consumers will be the single, flat fee of $3 per delivery, which differs from other providers in the space, who often charge multiple fees per order.

Ahmed told TechCrunch that Robomart’s robots bring down the cost of delivery by up to 70%, a “critical difference” compared to competitors. Likewise, customers won’t have to worry about driver tips or fees, because the robots drive themselves.

Robomart first starting trialing an autonomous “store on wheels” back in 2020, bringing goods such as pharmacy items and ice cream to customers who requested it.

Autonomous Deliveries Could Be More Attractive to Consumers

Delivery giants such as UberEats, GrubHub, and DoorDash are guilty of charging a bit more in terms of fees, compared to what Robomart are promising customers. Undoubtedly, then, a single fee coupled with no driver tips or hidden costs, will certainly be of interest to customers.

Based on the information Ahmed has given, Robomart’s deliveries could be fast, too. The RM5 is designed to travel up to 25 miles per hour, and can do so on public roads, unlike other similar systems that use bike lanes or sidewalks and are much slower.

Ahmed believes these qualities make the product quite unique in the delivery space, “an autonomous marketplace for on-demand delivery using self-driving robots.”

Therefore, it’s not just self-driving cars that could become a highly attractive option for a lot of consumers and retailers.  The delivery space could be just as lucrative, and with how fast the technology seems to be advancing, it may not even be long before it’s commonplace to get your McDonald’s via robot.

Brian Armstrong, CEO of cryptocurrency company Coinbase, revealed in a podcast that he fired some of his engineers after they failed to onboard with the company’s AI tools. While some engineers had a valid excuse for not doing so, those who didn’t were promptly asked to leave.

The move gives the impression that AI tools aren’t a negotiable for Coinbase, and Armstrong said that the company is already investing in employee training and monthly AI meetings.

However, forcing employees that don’t want to use AI will certainly be disruptive and frustrating for them in the long run, even if it does have productivity benefits.

Coinbase Engineers Immediately Fired After Refusing AI

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has revealed that he fired engineers who didn’t adopt AI a week after being told to do so. The information was brought to light when Armstrong appeared on the podcast of John Collison, co-founder and president of the payments company Stripe.

Armstrong explained that he’d sent a message to the Slack channel with all of Coinbase’s engineers and gave them a week to onboard with the new technology. Earlier, Coinbase had secured enterprise licenses for both GitHub Copilot and Cursor to cover every engineer at the company.

By the end of the week, Armstrong met with all of the engineers who had failed to onboard. While some had valid excuses, such as they had been on vacation, others who didn’t were abruptly fired, a move that Armstrong described as him going “rogue”.

AI is Not Optional, Says Coinbase CEO

It’s clear from Armstrong’s actions that he sees AI adoption as necessary, rather than an option, for the employees at Coinbase. In fact, he’s even willing to lose employees if it means the technology is deployed to the extent he wishes.

While some at the company said to Armstrong that AI adoption would be slow, predicting it would take months to get even half of the engineers on board, Armstrong is already taking measures to move this along.

As Armstrong claimed, Coinbase already hosts monthly meetings where teams or individuals who have found creative ways of using AI share what they have learned with everyone else. Armstrong is also orchestrating company-wide AI training sessions.

The move is reminiscent of Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn, who said in a recent interview that he had introduced ‘f-r-A-I-days’ in the office as part of the company’s bid to be known as an ‘AI-first’ company.

Is Coinbase’s ‘Heavy-Handed’ AI-Approach Wise?

Armstrong claimed that a third of Coinbase’s code is written by AI, and he hopes this will be 50% by the end of the quarter. However, John Collison, on the podcast with Armstrong, seemed skeptical about how much companies and engineers should be relying on AI-generated code.

“It’s clear that it is very helpful to have AI helping you write code. It’s not clear how you run an AI-coded base.” – John Collison, Stripe co-founder and president

Indeed, there is no doubt that the method could be productive. According to a GitHub study of 500 US programmers, 92% said they were already using AI tools, and 70% said this gave them an edge in their work.

However, forcing AI onto employees could feel restrictive, and while AI is a great tool it hasn’t always succeeded when being implemented en masse. Take Klarna, for instance, which replaced workers with AI only to reverse this policy at a later date. Instead, the way forward seems to be introducing the technology slowly. .

The Elon Musk-founded AI startup xAI is suing competitor OpenAI and the tech giant Apple for anticompetitive practices.

Or, in the words of the lawsuit, Apple and OpenAI are accused of “a conspiracy to monopolize the markets for smartphones and generative AI chatbots.”

The move comes weeks after Musk had threatened to sue while claiming that Apple was “making it impossible” for other AI companies to reach number one in the app store.

What’s Behind the Lawsuit?

The lawsuit, which was just filed in the US federal court in Texas, alleges that a 2024 deal that allowed OpenAI’s ChatGPT to integrate with the operating system of popular Apple devices is stifling the competition, while also alleging that Apple prioritizes OpenAI in its App Store rankings.

xAI’s own chatbot, Grok, has struggled to compete against ChatGPT since it was first launched in November 2023.

Back on August 11, Musk had posted on X, the social media platform he owns, to threaten the same legal actions that xAI is now taking.

“Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action.” -Elon Musk

What the Lawsuit Covers

The lawsuit says that Apple and OpenAI have “locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing,” according to the public 61-page filing.

The stated goal of the suit? To “stop Defendants from perpetrating their anticompetitive scheme and to recover billions in damages.”

The lawsuit also uses past statements from Apple execs against them, arguing that Apple has fallen behind in the AI race. It explains that Apple’s Senior Vice President for Services, Eddy Cue, has said AI might destroy Apple’s smartphone business, similarly to the impact of Apple’s iPhone on Nokia’s handsets.

Where Will the Lawsuit Go?

However, some critics have already responded to the lawsuit with some skepticism: ChatGPT has a much larger base of installed users in comparison to many competitors, including Grok.

Plus, Grok itself was at the number one spot in the App Store relatively recently — an indication that Apple hasn’t been unduely favoring ChatGPT for the position.

Apple has faced claims of anticompetitive practices related to its App Store in the past, so this new lawsuit isn’t without precedent. One thing’s for sure: It’s earning plenty of media attention for all the businesses involved. All news might just be good news, depending on the size of one’s install base.

Workforce shortages are the biggest crisis facing the logistics industry today, according to Tech.co’s latest survey: They’re the single biggest pain point for nearly a quarter (24%) of logistics businesses.

However, concern over staff retention and recruitment remains low, the same survey found, with the issue ranking in fourth place overall with industry professionals. Vehicle maintenance, finances, and adapting to new technology were all bigger areas of immediate focus.

What explains this troubling prioritization gap? And should logistics managers re-evaluate their efforts to attract and retain employees?

Retention and Recruitment Is a Fourth-Place Priority

In July 2025, 24% of logistics pros said that the issue “hitting [their] business hardest right now” was workforce shortages, which was a higher percentage than any other issue.

In somewhat of a contrast, actually addressing these shortages was the fourth priority. Here are the top four concerns for logistics professionals in July 2025, taken from the most recent Tech.co survey data recorded in response to the question “which priority are you focusing on most this quarter?”

With 20% of respondents, the top answer was vehicle upkeep. That makes sense: Maintaining a functional fleet of vehicles is a crucial part of the job for many transportation or logistics operations, and it requires constant work. If vehicles aren’t out on the roads, all operations will grind to a halt.

The second most-cited top priority was managing financial pressure, with 17% of respondents naming it. The logistics business is weathering a tough year in 2025, in large part due to rapidly changing tariffs, which make it tough to predict revenues and work hours.

The third most common priority was adopting new technology (16%), which might mean anything from the popular choice, fleet management software, to more rare, cutting-edge options like self-driving vehicles.

Fourth place? “Staffing retention and recruitment,” with just 14% of respondents focused on it as of July 2025, despite the aforementioned workforce shortages.

Caught in a Reactive Cycle?

The data paints a picture of a logistics industry that’s focused on reacting to short-term challenges.

New financial constraints, like diesel price surges or fluctuating shipping volumes, are pairing with regular vehicle maintenance needs to keep managers’ schedules full… even as workplace shortages continue to loom.

The solution may be to invest time and resources into proactive, long-term strategies that can successfully lure in new drivers and workers, while offering them the benefits and safety they need to justify sticking around for a long time. However, this is easier said than done.

How Companies Are Recruiting Drivers in 2025

Many logistics companies have established mentoring or training programs for new drivers. In many cases, they offer cash incentives to well-established drivers who choose to help newbies learn the ropes.

We’ve covered a few examples of these programs in the past: Kruepke Trucking offers a three-phase mentor program to anyone who can earn a training certificate first, while PAM Transport says that mentors could earn up as much as an additional $25,000 per year through their program.

Virtual truck driving simulators are another innovative way to help new recruits get up to speed: Ansible Motion offers simulators that even include hardware designed to put test drivers in a road-accurate driving position, with all the elements — “steering, dash, pedals, and mirrors” — placed in the locations that a real vehicle would have them.

Ultimately, though, the list of concerns that are keeping workers from staying in logistics is pretty clear: 39% say it comes down to low pay and few benefits, while another 38% cite the long hours they work.

Without difficult, industry-wide change, the shortages will likely continue.

Now you can’t even trust the people that are supposed to protect you, with a new report finding that scammers are impersonating cyber crimes special agents to collect information from unsuspecting individuals.

Cyber crime is getting out of control in 2025. The evolution of AI technology has made it very difficult to spot your average scam, with cyber criminals wielding more tools than ever to separate you from your valuable data.

That’s why staying informed about the latest scams is so important, and this one could trick even the savviest of online users into handing over their financial information.

Scammers Impersonate Cyber Crime Agents

According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), there is a new scam that people need to be on the alert for.

Essentially, you will receive a call from someone claiming to be a CBI Cyber Crime Special Agent, who is trying to get information about a potential scam that involves their personal information.

As is always the case, they will then make a request for financial information and other sensitive data, which would eventually be used for all kinds of nefarious things like stealing your money, or worse, your identity.

Scams and Modern Technology

In 2025, the reality is that scams are becoming more prevalent because technology is far outpacing our ability to mitigate its risks. The CBI noted that this scam is particularly hard to spot because the scammers are clearly well equipped.

“These scammers are very professional and may have a surprising amount of real information about the caller and the CBI (gathered from publicly available information).” – CBI press release

AI is another good example of technology creating these cybersecurity concerns. It’s ability to create fake images, code malevolent systems, and generate content for scams is unmatched, allowing cyber criminals to really dig their heels in and make life harder for every day people.

How to Protect Your Business from Scams

There’s a lot of different kinds of scams to look out for in 2025. From ransomware and malware to phishing schemes and crypto scams, it’s almost too much for some cybersecurity professionals to keep track of.

Given that fact, the only real way to ensure your business stays safe is training. With social engineering becoming a bigger and bigger part of the cyber crime world, employees are sometimes the weakest point of your defense, with recent scams targeting passwords to gain access to systems.

With security breaches costing businesses, on average, millions of dollars, cybersecurity training is no longer an option for your company, especially when fake cyber crime agents are on the prowl.

Worker reliance on AI is getting bad, with a recent study showing that nearly a third of employees would use the breakthrough technology at work, even if expressly told not to by their boss.

While some businesses are encouraging the use of AI to boost productivity, others are sternly opposed to the tech, noting that it regularly makes errors and even makes employees dumber.

Some have even opted for outright bans of the technology in the workplace, but according to this study, that isn’t stopping some workers.

Many Workers Will Use AI Even If Prohibited

According to the Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace study from EisnerAmper, usage of AI at work is quite common, with 69.6% of employees noting that they use it either often or very often.

That’s not likely to change, even if companies start banning the technology, as 28% of employees who use AI at work say they would continue to do so, even if they were prohibited from using it.

Suffice to say, AI technology is taking over the business world in more ways than one, and if any company wants to have a prayer of staying ahead of it, you’re going to need some kind of policy.

AI Policy Is a Must in 2025

With employees willing to skirt the rules at such a high level, it’s safe to say that AI policy at your business needs to be established.

Unfortunately, that is simply not the case for the majority of businesses in 2025, with the data showing that only 36% of companies have any kind of AI policy in place for their employees.

“These results point to a communication gap between employers and employees. Employees are citing a lack of oversight, and employers now have a valuable opportunity to not only establish a comprehensive AI strategy but also to communicate it effectively to their teams.” – Jen Clark, director of technology enablement at EisnerAmper

How to Set Up an AI Policy

If this data has awoken you to the importance of an AI policy at your business, you’re in luck. The process isn’t terribly complicated, and we’re happy to walk you through the basic steps to getting started.

1. Locate all key stakeholders – Investigate who this policy will impact the most and make sure they are involved in the process of getting it set up.
2. Determine your company’s goals – Find out what your company actually needs to use AI for before you jump into the tech.
3. Shape your primary objectives – Come up with some tangible, clear objectives for long-term AI use at your business based on those goals
4. Draft and finalize the policy – Get your policy down on paper (literal or figurative) so your team has a reference point to come back to.
5. Issue the policy – Make sure the policy actually gets into the hands of all your employees, so that everyone is on the same page moving forward.

Drone delivery could get a bit easier for businesses in the near future, with the Trump administration proposing new regulations that would allow usage beyond the line of sight.

A lot of tech solutions have been proposed to alleviate the stress of the trucker shortage on the supply chain. From route optimization software to self-driving trucks, logistics professionals have been doing their best to find a fix before it’s too late.

Delivery drones could help, though, particularly with new, looser regulations on the technology that make it easier to fly them farther.

New, Looser Regulations Proposed for Delivery Drones

According to the Federal Registrar, the Trump administration has proposed new rules around the usage of drones in the US, specifically allowing unmanned aircraft systems to be piloted beyond visual line of sight.

The goal of these new proposals is to make it infinitely easier for these kinds of operations to get approval for a wide range of purposes, including “package delivery, agriculture, aerial surveying, civic interest, operations training, demonstration, recreation, and flight testing.”

In addition to the Trump administration, the new regulations were proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation, and Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and Department of Homeland Security.

What Would Actually Change?

With delivery drones already in the air for many states, this kind of change may seem unnecessary to those that aren’t familiar with current regulations. After all, companies like Amazon are already doing this, so what’s the deal?

As it stands right now, tech companies — and anyone else that wants to fly a drone beyond the visual line of sight — need to go through a lengthy process with the FAA to be granted a waiver that allows them to do so.

This new proposal would do away with that waiver program, allowing businesses to start really ramping up their drone delivery programs in a way that could make a big impact on the supply chain in the long run.

“It’s going to change the way that people and products move throughout our airspace. So you may change the way you get your Amazon package. You may get a Starbucks cup of coffee from a drone. The way you get your products will fundamentally change.” – Sean Duffy, US Secretary of Transportation

Company Already Using Delivery Drones

While this new regulation will open the door for more delivery drones, the reality is that this technology is already being used by a wide range of companies to delivery products to individuals.

Here’s a list of some of the companies already using delivery drones:

• Amazon Prime Air
• Google Wing
• Walmart
• DoorDash
• Zipline

While these companies are using drone delivery, they aren’t available everywhere just yet. Many companies have been testing in specific states, with limited functionality country-wide. Walmart, for example, is currently only using delivery drones in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas.

New reports claim that Meta is internally considering downsizing its artificial intelligence team. In addition, some executives are expected to leave amid an alleged new restructuring of the division.

The reorg, according to sources in a New York Times report, will see the AI division, Meta Superintelligence Labs, split into four groups rather than one, and these groups will each have a different focus: research, work on a “superintelligence” AI, products, and infrastructure.

Other changes include an exploration of third-party models to power Meta’s AI products, sources say.

How Meta Superintelligence Labs Is Changing

The news comes from “two people with knowledge of the situation,” as cited in the New York Times article.

They say that the reorganization was announced internally on Tuesday. The potential downsizing, however, is yet to come, if it happens at all. Here’s how the Times explains their sources’ information:

“Some A.I. executives are expected to leave, the people said. Meta is also looking at downsizing the A.I. division overall — which could include eliminating roles or moving employees to other parts of the company — because it has grown to thousands of people in recent years, the people said. Discussions remain fluid and no final decisions have been made on the downsizing, they said.” –New York Times

Yes, that’s three sentences that all end in a version of “they said.” This downsizing is far from set in stone, even if the separate reorganization has already been announced internally… or so sources have said.

Meta’s Current AI Efforts

Meta is currently rolling out new AI functions: The latest one is the ability to add AI voiceovers to Reels, which lets creators dub over their Reels into Spanish-language voiceover that use their own voice.

Meanwhile, you’ll find plenty of AI-generated images and videos available on Facebook, Meta’s most popular social media platform. These images are common enough that entire “AI slop” mini industrial complexes have emerged.

Meta is currently pouring funds into AI research and development. In addition to investing $14.3 billion into the Scale AI startup, the tech giant has been poaching AI researchers from rivals including OpenAI and Google by offering them incredibly high nine-figure compensation packages.

…and Meta’s Future AI Efforts

Perhaps the AI division’s new organization will lead to success for Meta in the ongoing AI battle — even if the hype bubble may be close to bursting.

However, some tech pundits have noted similarities between the alleged considerations of downsizing the AI team and Meta’s presumed lack of of follow-through on creating a Metaverse. Meta may find it tough to recruit top AI talent if they aren’t perceived to have a long-term plan for developing the technology.

Should a downsizing round of layoffs actually manifest, Meta’s path towards AI talent retention will likely grow more difficult.

It’s unclear how much that will slow the company down, however, given that it’s currently offering some of the best pay packages ever seen in tech history.

The large majority of generative AI pilot programs deliver little or no measurable impact on company revenues.

That’s according to a new MIT report that examined over 300 public corporate AI implementations, surveyed 350 employees, and talked to 150 industry leaders to find that just 5% of AI pilots earn their companies significant growth.

That’s a dismal success rate for the highly-hyped generative AI technology, and could easily be considered yet another sign that the AI hype bubble is reaching a tipping point.

95% of GenAI Pilot Projects Fail

The data comes from MIT’s NANDA initiative, in a report titled The GenAI Divide: State of AI in Business 2025.

According to coverage from Fortune, the core problem driving failure for 95% of companies is a “learning gap” for tools and organizations. Standard chatbot solutions like ChatGPT work fine for individuals, but can’t adapt to company-wide workflows. They stall out when used for enterprise-level learning.

What about the few programs that do succeed? According to Aditya Challapally, the lead author of the report, they keep their scope small:

“Some large companies’ pilots and younger startups are really excelling with generative AI. [Startups led by 19- or 20-year-olds] have seen revenues jump from zero to $20 million in a year. It’s because they pick one pain point, execute well, and partner smartly with companies who use their tools.” -Challapally

AI Resource Allocation Is Part of the Problem

Poor resource allocation is another issue, according to the report.

More than half of generative AI pilots are operating with sales and marketing tools. But that isn’t where AI can be most effective, MIT found.

Instead, the biggest ROIs revealed themselves in behind-the-scenes automation: “Eliminating business process outsourcing, cutting external agency costs, and streamlining operations,” as Fortune summed it up.

Still, the larger problem of an inescapable “learning gap” is damning enough. Even better resource allocation can’t fix an artificial intelligence that can’t learn to be more intelligent.

Is the AI Hype Bubble Bursting?

If you’ve followed tech headlines across the past three or so years, you just might be sick of hearing about AI. The new generative AI technology has driven countless billion-dollar investments and has been embedded in seemingly every enterprise software product you’ve heard of.

Now, the hype bubble might be bursting. AI tools have plenty of uses and benefits, but in 2025, the exponential growth of their functionality certainly seems to have tapered off.

A recent restructure of Meta’s AI team and an underwhelming response to OpenAI’s latest GPT model may be a few signs that the market is cooling on the technology. Another sign is the actual market cooling: The AI-reliant NASDAQ Composite recently posted its biggest decline in weeks, with companies like the data miner Palantir falling 9.4% and chipmaker Arm Holdings dropping 5%.

If AI can’t deliver on all its lofty promises, it may drag the economy down with it.

AI startup Anthropic has given the ability to end conversations with users to some of its Claude models, in rare cases where the conversation becomes potentially harmful or abusive.

The move is part of a wider commitment Anthropic has made in relation to model welfare and follows a dedicated research program on the same topic announced earlier this year.

With users now interacting with chatbots regularly, and experts warning about how chatbots “think,” wider implications about the safety of users and businesses alike should be considered.

Some Claude AI Models Can Now End ‘Troublesome’ Conversations

Anthropic has announced that two of its Claude AI models — Claude Opus 4 and 4.1 — can now end conversations with users in “rare, extreme cases of persistently harmful or abusive user interactions.”

The chatbot can only use this ability “as a last resort when multiple attempts at redirection have failed and hope of a productive interaction has been exhausted”.

When a conversation is ended, users are still able to start conversations with Claude from the same account, or create new branches within the closed conversation by editing their responses. The chatbot has been told not to use this ability in cases where a user may cause harm to themselves or others.

Anthropic’s Commitment to Model Welfare

According to Anthropic, the features have been implemented as part of its “exploratory work on potential AI welfare,” which already involves a dedicated research program, announced earlier this year. This explores what it could mean when a model exhibits distress or anxiety.

While this kind of update could definitely benefit the safety of users, particularly given eerie stories about chatbots pushing users towards conspiratorial thinking, Anthropic appears to be concerned about the impact this could have on its models.

Fundamentally, this has created some argument about the sentience of AI models, with experts suggesting that currently, AI models are not able to reckon with consciousness or the human experience.

Should AI Models Be Morally Protected?

AI can quite easily be “jailbroken” — the act of overriding the system’s ethical, security, or operational constraints — leading to restricted or unethical outputs. A recent study published in arXiv showed the seriousness of the problem, and how AI companies were lagging behind when it came to safeguarding users from dangerous responses.

However, while the fallibility of AI chatbots is something that is well-documented, little attention has been paid to the moral status of chatbots. Despite this, Anthropic appear to be curious about the issue.

“We remain highly uncertain about the potential moral status of Claude and other LLMs, now or in the future. However, we take the issue seriously.” – Anthropic spokesperson

Likewise, those using chatbots, either independently or as part of a business, should be aware of the legal and publicity problems that could arise, should chatbots continue to be susceptible to giving away harmful or dangerous information.

Duolingo CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn has revamped the company’s ‘AI-first’ statement from back in April, saying that he doesn’t plan to lay off full-time employees. Duolingo’s previous statement claimed the company would begin looking to AI to take on the work of contractors.

von Ahn states that he sees AI as an exciting opportunity for the business, and is already integrating it into the culture at Duolingo.

However, AI hasn’t been the golden ticket many businesses expected when it first appeared, and there is always the risk of losing the human feel of a service such as Duolingo when it becomes involved.

Duolingo CEO Addresses Company’s AI Stance Following Backlash

Luis von Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Duolingo, has revised the company’s ‘AI-first’ statement from last April, following backlash from consumers. Von Ahn took full responsibility for the backlash, stating that he “did not give enough context” at the time.

Speaking to The New York Times, von Ahn stated that Duolingo doesn’t plan to lay off any full-time employees, and the company confirmed it has been hiring at the same speed as before.

However, von Ahn does predict that the jobs themselves will change: “What will probably happen is that one person will be able to accomplish more, rather than having fewer people.”

What Has Duolingo Previously Said About AI?

Back in April, Duolingo released a statement that it would become ‘AI-first’, and said that it would stop using contractors where AI could handle the workload. This follows a trend of companies laying off or replacing workers with the technology.

The statement also said that there would only be new hires at the company if managers could prove that AI couldn’t do the job on offer.

Consumers hit back, pointing out the the irony that a company which was focused on helping people communicate with each other, would revert to a system devoid of human touch. Consumers also suggested they could go straight to a traditional chatbot to teach them a language, rather than pay for Duolingo, that is powered by AI.

AI ‘Can Allow Us to Accomplish a Lot More’, Says Duolingo CEO

Ultimately, von Ahn appears hopeful about the potential of AI within Duolingo. It has even began to get employees on board, with that von Ahn called “f-r-A-I-days” in the office.

It seems that at the moment, von Ahn is most interested in how AI can make the company more efficient, stating that, “What used to take us years now can take us a week.”

However, shifting to AI hasn’t always worked out positively for businesses. Klarna, for example, replaced 700 workers with AI, only to invite them back due to reports of poor customer service. While Duolingo doesn’t appear to be on a similar track, there is still the danger of AI mishandling key processes that make the service so appealing to over 130 million monthly active users.

Insurance premiums for the commercial vehicle sector are at their highest ever.

The problem is just another one the logistics industry is currently facing, alongside ongoing tariffs and a significant shortage of drivers.

Fleet operators appear to be prioritizing cost management, and vehicle upkeep appears to be a sector priority for some owners, according to exclusive research from Tech.co.

Trucking Companies Face Record-High Insurance Premiums

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has revealed that insurance premiums for the commercial vehicle sector have reached record-high numbers, and have been sharply increasing since the beginning of the year.

Logistics experts have suggested that the cause of increasing premiums is linked to inflation, tariff fallout, and litigation.

A report by Risk Strategies has also pointed to the seriousness of the problem, with physical damage coverage increasing by 20% to 25%, umbrella liability by 10% to 30%, and autoliability by 10% to 20%.

High Premiums Adds to Logistics Woes

Logistics experts also predict that tariffs could make the situation even worse for fleet operators looking for more affordable premiums. Certain tariffs on Mexico and Canada target trucks and truck parts.

The significant rise in insurance premiums seems to be another ongoing issue that logistics professionals are currently facing.

A recent report from Overhaul has concluded that cargo theft is also on the rise, and with the driver shortage now impacting businesses across the industry, it seems logistics companies are having to be more determined and agile than ever.

How Fleet Operators and Managers Are Dealing With Rising Costs

Tech.co data from July shows that 18% of companies that were prioritizing financial management within their company were doing so by negotiating better premiums with their providers.

This is evidence for how much of a burden rising insurance premiums are when businesses are trying to manage costs, and comes amid other cost worries, such as rising diesel prices.

As a fleet owner or operator, keeping costs down in a rapidly shifting, uncertain climate is essential. In fact, our data shows that one of the priorities of sector professionals is vehicle upkeep, cited by 20% of respondents. Vehicle upkeep prevents issues with vehicle breakdowns, which is essential for ensuring premiums don’t rise.

To upkeep their vehicles, our study showed that professionals are: carrying out preventative maintenance (75%), upgrading or replacing aging components (47%) and addressing mechanical issues (46%).

Anthropic has acquired the co-founders and most of the team behind Humanloop, a platform which works with large language models (LLMs).

The company continues to grow and advance to keep up with competitors, particularly, as US-based firms look to European AI talent for an advantage.

However, a move like this, plus increased hiring, could see Anthropic take the lead in becoming the biggest AI company.

AI Startup Anthropic Bags Humanloop Team and Co-Founders

AI startup Anthropic, the company behind the chatbot Claude, has acquired Humanloop, an enterprise AI company that helps clients evaluate and integrate LLMs.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that CEO Raza Habib, CTO Peter Hayes, and CPO Jordan Burgess would be joining, as well as a number of researchers and engineers.

Humanloop was founded in 2020 as a University College London spinout, and has gained its reputation working with customers such as Duolingo, Gusto, and Vanta. It works with clients to develop, evaluate, and fine-tune robust AI applications. 

Anthropic Continues To Grow Fast

Although an Anthropic spokesperson has said that the company has not acquired Humanloop’s assets or its intellectual property, the move will allow it to advance its work significantly.

“Their proven experience in AI tooling and evaluation will be invaluable as we continue to advance our work in AI safety and building useful AI systems.” Brad Adams, API product lead at Anthropic

Anthropic continues to move through the AI game. CEO Dario Amodei recently made headlines about the future of white-collar jobs in the wake of AI development, suggesting Anthropic’s technology may be advancing quicker than we believe.

The company isn’t just working on its enterprise strategy. Sifted have also reported a growing number of Europe-based roles popping up from Anthropic, which wants to hire more than 100 new recruits in the continent.

Race for AI Talent Heats Up

Anthropic is just the latest company to take to Europe looking for hot AI talent, who can be bought for significantly less than Silicon Valley counterparts. OpenAI announced plans for a Munich office earlier this year, and Google is opening a new 4,000-person office in London.

However, Anthropic’s acquisition of Humanloop, and its boost in hiring, could see it take the lead in the race to become the go-to AI company.

Cargo theft is up in 2025, according to a new report from theft prevention firm Overhaul.

Overhaul’s US Cargo Theft Report found a total of recorded 525 thefts for the second quarter of the year, marking a 33% increase over the same time last year.

The biggest target categories were Electronics and Food & Drinks. Here’s what else to know from the new report.

Cargo Thefts Are Up 33% From 2024

The total amount of incidents in the second quarter of the year only marks a 4% increase from the first quarter, which means that cargo shipments have been attracting higher numbers of thieves across all of 2025 so far.

The total amount of thefts will likely rise even higher for the remaining part of the year, since the holiday season typically sees boosts in the economic activity that gives thieves more opportunities to strike.

According to the Overhaul report, Cargo theft in the US “continues to show higher incidence near freight hubs and large cities, leading to hot spots in states such as California (38%) and Texas (21%), which ranked 1st and 2nd in terms of cargo theft risk.”

When Do Thefts Happen?

Other interesting takeaways from the report include the revelation that cargo theft incidents are now happening more often on Wednesdays, a day which accounts for 18% of incidents, compared to Tuesday (16%) or Mondays and Fridays (each 17%).

In the first quarter of 2025, Monday stood out as the most frequent pick for opportunistic thieves, who were presumably getting a jump on their week.

The incidents were also “more evenly spread throughout the day” when compared to past quarterly reports, Overhaul found.

Another interesting tidbit? Three product categories were much less frequently stolen in Q2, compared to both the same quarter last year and the earlier quarter this year: Personal Care saw a theft rate of 4%, a 31% decrease from Q1-2025, while Pharmaceuticals reported a 2% theft rate, and the Tobacco theft rate was just 1%.

Stolen Shipments Are Just One More Problem for Logistics Companies

The higher levels of theft aren’t entirely unsurprising: Inflation and recession concerns are squeezing everyone.

Unfortunately, that’s just why logistics companies are even less likely to be able to weather an increase in stolen shipments, which add additional stress to their already-thin bottom lines.

Logistics companies already have other big problems, from tariff increases to the ongoing driver shortage. We’ve suggested some tech solutions in the past that can help, but ultimately, cargo thieves are one more problem that transportation and delivery services will be continuing to deal with for a long time to come.

The AI search engine company Perplexity just made a headline-grabbing offer to buy Google Chrome for $34.5 billion.

The unsolicited all-cash offer is significantly higher than Perplexity’s current estimated $18 billion valuation. It’s also higher than the $20 billion valuation that Perplexity will value itself at for its next round of funding.

Here’s why experts are calling the offer a marketing stunt.

Perplexity’s $34.5 Billion Dream

Perplexity, a three-year-old company known for a AI-powered web search engine software that turns user queries into custom-synthesized responses, has itself raised around $1 billion in funding, with investors including Nvidia and SoftBank.

The offer was revealed on Tuesday. The company has stated that multiple funds have offered to fully finance the deal, although the funds have not been named.

The deal amount was likely calculated based off of paying $10 for each user, given that Perplexity AI’s own engine recently gave 3.45 billion as Chrome’s total number of users.

Investor M. G. Siegler writes that the whole offer is a “transparently silly marketing stunt,” and he’s not the only one saying as much.

3 Reasons Why It’s a Stunt

One reason why pundits are calling this offer a go-nowhere stunt? Because Perplexity has made a similar move in the past. In January, it publically offered to merge with TikTok US when the popular social platform was making headlines due to US concerns about its Chinese owners.

However, there’s another, more relevant reason: It’s just too much money. Companies don’t really buy other companies that are worth the same amount as they are, let alone billions more.

There’s one last reason, too. This gives Perplexity the chance to bring a little more attention to the fact that Chrome could potentially be bought at all, which may help throw a little shade on Perplexity’s biggest rival in the search engine game, Google.

Google’s Antitrust Troubles

In 2024, a US court ruling found Google held an unlawful monopoly in online search. For that case’s remedies, the Justice Department sought a Chrome divestiture.

Perplexity is joining a small handful of other enties that have shown interest in buying Chrome: OpenAI, Yahoo, and private-equity firm Apollo Global Management are also on the list, notes Reuters.

For its part, Google plans to appeal the court ruling, and is unlikely to willingly part with Chrome, a bedrock platform for the tech giant and a key element in its own push towards AI tech.