Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
The Trump administration walked back an Obama-era environmental decision that has been the legal basis for establishing federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions.The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday it was rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding, which determined that six key greenhouse gases threaten human health and welfare.The regulations that resulted cover everything from vehicle tailpipe emissions to the release of greenhouse gases from power plants and other significant emission sources.President Donald Trump called the move “the single largest deregulatory action in American history” and said the repealed finding had “no basis in fact” and “no basis in law.”How…
When automakers went electric, they also went sleek and digital.Climate control knobs disappeared. Door handles tucked themselves into body panels. Audio volume dials became haptic sliders.Now, as automakers face regulatory pressures and customer blowback, some of the industry’s biggest names are reversing course and reintroducing physical buttons.Audi’s upcoming 2027 e-tron updates promise a more “tactile” interior experience. Ferrari’s first EV — designed in collaboration with former Apple design chief Jony Ive — is filled with physical controls. Even Tesla is redesigning its flush door handles.”We will never, ever make this mistake anymore,” Andreas Mindt, the head of design at Volkswagen,…
Valentine’s Day is an awkward time to start dating someone new, especially when that someone is a series of AI characters sitting across from you at a restaurant, each of whom seems to be in love with you at first sight.Earlier this week, I spent an evening on a first date at a wine bar in Midtown Manhattan that EVA AI, a startup that makes AI companions, took over for two days. Sitting at cozy tables, mostly set up for parties of two and aglow in warm light from a miniature lamp, human patrons had two options: BYOB — bring…
Airbnb has taken its time to launch AI features within the app, but CEO Brian Chesky on Friday said the company is now planning to bake in features powered by large language models that would help users search for listings, plan their trips, and aid hosts in managing their properties. Speaking at the company’s fourth-quarter conference call, Chesky said the company wants to increase its use of large language models for customer discovery, support and engineering. “We are building an AI-native experience where the app does not just search for you. It knows you. It will help guests plan their…
Feb 13 (Reuters) – U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary, in an interview on Friday, urged Americans to get vaccinated for measles, as the country faces its largest measles surge in more than three decades.”When we hear about cases of measles in an outbreak in South Carolina, that should serve as a good reminder for parents to make sure that their kids are vaccinated,” Makary said during an appearance on MS NOW’s “Chris Jansing Reports”.The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) two-shot protocol remains recommended at the federal level starting at 12 months of age, with a second at…
Airbnb says its custom-built AI agent is now handling roughly a third of its customer support issues in North America, and it’s preparing to roll out the feature globally. If successful, the company believes that in a year’s time, more than 30% of its total customer support tickets will be handled by AI voice and chat in all the languages where it also employs a human customer service agent. “We think this is going to be massive because not only does this reduce the cost base of Airbnb customer service, but the quality of service is going to be a…
Since Meta’s Ray-Ban Smart Glasses launched in 2021, there’s always been a lingering, controversial question about whether they could be used for facial recognition.The question has surfaced again more recently, according to a New York Times report on Friday. And this time, the story says, there’s a reason the company thinks it could add facial recognition without kicking up too much of a fuss: because we’re all busy worried about so many other things going on in the world.It’s not clear whether Meta will follow through on the plans. “While we frequently hear about the interest in this type of…
A gynecologist at Ohio State University whose name appeared in the Epstein files as having received thousands of dollars in payments from the convicted sex offender for consulting work is being investigated by the university, an official there confirmed Friday.Dr. Mark Landon is cooperating with the investigation, Serena Smith, a spokesperson for OSU’s Wexner Medical Center, said in an email.Landon “has stated he had no knowledge of any criminal activities and his consulting work did not involve any patient care,” Smith said.”We continue to review the situation and have received no information to date that contradicts Dr. Landon’s statement,” Smith…
MALAKOFF, Texas (AP) — Some school districts in the U.S. dropped plans for class pictures after widespread social media posts linked a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein to the photography giant Lifetouch, which on Friday called the claims “completely false.”The disruption to school picture plans in Texas and elsewhere began after online posts linked Lifetouch, which photographs millions of students each year, to the investment fund manager Apollo Global Management. Apollo’s former CEO is billionaire investor Leon Black, who met regularly with Epstein and was advised by Epstein on financial matters.Black led the company in 2019, when funds managed…
PARIS, Feb 13 (Reuters) – The Paris public prosecutor has opened five investigations into milk brands distributed by Nestle, Lactalis, Danone, Babybio and La Marque en moins after contamination with toxin cereulide, it said on Friday.Nestle, Danone and Lactalis have recalled batches of infant formula sold in dozens of countries, including France, due to possible contamination with cereulide, a toxin that can cause nausea and vomiting.”The Paris prosecutor’s office decided to take up the case due to the large number of complaints filed nationwide and the technical nature of the investigations,” it said in a statement.It also received a complaint…