AP Technology SummaryBrief at 3:45 a.m. EST

Savannah Guthrie's demand for mom's 'proof of life' is complicated in this era of AI and deepfakes

Savannah Guthrie made a heart-wrenching plea for “proof of life” of her 84-year-old mother. And in this digital age, the NBC “Today” co-anchor says she knows that voices and images can be manipulated. At least three news organizations have reported receiving purported ransom notes about Nancy Guthrie that they handed over to investigators. As technology has advanced, some have grown savvy and used it to their benefit, confusing police and the public and masking their identities. A former FBI agent says “it just adds to the other shoe-leather work” of solving crimes.

Anthropic, OpenAI rivalry spills into new Super Bowl ads as both fight to win over AI users

OpenAI and Anthropic, the startups behind ChatGPT and Claude, are gearing up for a major showdown. Both need to prove they can turn a profit. Their main battleground is winning over corporate leaders who want AI tools to boost productivity. Anthropic is airing Super Bowl ads mocking OpenAI for introducing ads on ChatGPT. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called the ads funny but dishonest. This rivalry began when OpenAI leaders left to form Anthropic in 2021. Both companies launched product updates this week. They also face competition from Google, Amazon and Microsoft.

Renters use 'rent now, pay later' services to manage monthly payments, but fees raise concerns

NEW YORK (AP) — Renters facing high costs are turning to "rent now, pay later" services like Flex, Livble, and Affirm. These services let renters split rent payments, which they say will help them manage cash flow. However, consumer advocates warn the products often act like short-term loans with high fees, sometimes leading to triple-digit interest rates. Kellen Johnson used Flex to split his $1,850 monthly rent into two payments when he worked as an independently contracted delivery person for Amazon. He paid over $33 monthly in fees. Critics argue these services don't solve the issue of affordability in the rental market and may lead to higher rents.

Amazon's shares fall after announcing surge in capital spending but posts strong 4Q holiday sales

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon sales surged 14% during the fourth quarter, helped by strong holiday spending and a better-than-expected growth in its prominent cloud computing unit. But shares fell more than 11% in after hours trading on Thursday as investors appeared to be spooked by the Seattle-based tech company’s plans to increase its capital spending by nearly 60% to $200 billion from last year’s $128 billion as it sees opportunities in artificial intelligence, robots, semiconductors and satellites. The company’s fourth-quarter profits also were slightly below analysts’ projections.

US wants to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies to counter China

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it wants to create a critical minerals trading bloc with its allies and partners. It would use tariffs to maintain minimum prices and defend against China's stranglehold. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday the U.S.-China trade war over the past year exposed how dependent most countries are on the critical minerals that Beijing dominates. Critical minerals are needed for everything from jet engines to smartphones. The Republican administration is making bold moves to shore up supplies of critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, missiles and other high-tech products after China choked off their flow in response to President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs last year.

'I can't afford cooking gas,' shutdown of Kenya's Koko biofuel firm wipes out clean cooking options

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — In Nairobi's informal settlements, the closure of Kenyan supplier Koko Networks has left thousands of households without access to clean bioethanol cooking fuel. Once a simple, affordable alternative to smoky charcoal, Koko's network of over 3,000 fuel points shut down after a standoff with the Kenyan government over carbon credit approvals. Households that relied on the blue flame are now forced to choose between expensive gas or returning to more harmful fuels. Analysts say the company's collapse has exposed flaws in market-based clean energy fuels, which often benefit investors more than communities. Users say they feel abandoned, highlighting the urgent need for more affordable, reliable energy solutions.

TSMC to make advanced AI semiconductors in Japan in boost for its chipmaking ambitions

TOKYO (AP) — Taiwan’s TSMC, the world’s largest contract computer chip maker, has announced it will be manufacturing advanced 3-nanometer semiconductors in Japan to meet booming AI demand. The announcement came Thursday at a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and TSMC's CEO, C.C. Wei, in Tokyo. TSMC plans to produce the advanced semiconductors at its second factory in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture, on the southern island of Kyushu. The move is a boost for Japan’s chipmaking and artificial intelligence ambitions. TSMC already has a plant in Kumamoto, and is building other new plants in Arizona to meet surging global AI demand.

Musk vows to put data centers in space and run them on solar power but experts have their doubts

NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk is bringing the same revolutionary thinking that helped him upend the car industry to the data center business with promises this week to put up to a million new satellites in the sky. But it won’t be easy. Experts say it’s not clear how Musk will keep these orbiting AI supercomputers from overheating, fix glitches on gear in the sky, and stop space debris from punching a hole in his ambitious plans. To help him reach his goals, Musk combined SpaceX with his AI business on Monday and is planning massive IPO later in the year.

Google's quarterly results paint a picture of an internet powerhouse getting stronger in AI age

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google’s latest quarterly report provided further evidence that its internet empire is withstanding an artificial intelligence shakeup that’s turning into another potential boon for the company. The numbers released Wednesday marked the third consecutive quarter that Google has boosted its digital ad sales by more than 10% from the previous year while also posting revenue gains of more than 30% in its division that powers data centers for AI services. That growth during the October-December period propelled Google’s corporate parent Alphabet Inc. well past the earnings forecasts of stock market analysts.

Paris prosecutors raid X offices as part of investigation into child abuse images and deepfakes

PARIS (AP) — French prosecutors have raided the offices of social media platform X as part of a preliminary investigation into allegations that include spreading child sexual abuse images and deepfakes. They have also summoned owner Elon Musk for questioning. The investigation, which began in January last year, is looking into alleged complicity in possessing and spreading pornographic images of minors, among other charges. X and Musk's AI company xAI face scrutiny from Britain's data privacy regulator over their handling of personal data. The chatbot Grok, developed by xAI, sparked outrage after generating sexualized deepfake images. The investigation continues with support from Europol.