Research & Development news

• Amazon Tops Walmart in Revenue for First Time, Fueled by AI

  20-02-2026 19:58 via eweek.com
  Amazon has a new bragging right: For the first time, it generated more annual revenue than Walmart, the retailer that has dominated the top spot for more than a decade.The milestone marks a notable shift in global retail and enterprise technology. Amazon reported $716.9 billion in 2025 revenue, narrowly surpassing Walmart’s $713.2 billion for its most recent fiscal year. The difference reflects Amazon’s expansion beyond retail into cloud computing, advertising, and third-party market
  
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• Lawmakers Press Elon Musk Over Grok’s Sexualized AI Deepfakes

  20-02-2026 16:12 via eweek.com
  Three senior House Democrats are pressing billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk over his AI chatbot, Grok, accusing his company of failing to stop the creation of sexualized deepfake images of real people without their consent.In a letter sent Thursday, Reps. Frank Pallone, Jan Schakowsky, and Yvette Clarke, all senior Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, criticized what they described as “inaction” by Musk and his artificial intelligence company, xAI.“We are deep
  
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• Apple CarPlay to Add ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini in iOS 26.4

  20-02-2026 16:01 via eweek.com
  Siri is about to share the dashboard.Apple’s CarPlay will soon integrate ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, ending Siri’s long-standing role as the platform’s only in-car AI assistant. According to MacRumors, the shift is tied to an upcoming iOS 26.4 update, one that is shaping up to feel more like a major operating system overhaul than a routine refresh.For the first time, drivers will be able to tap into powerful third-party AI tools directly from their vehicle’s infotainment
  
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• Sam Altman Calls China’s AI Rise ‘Remarkable’ as Global Tech Race Heats Up

  20-02-2026 15:13 via eweek.com
  Altman praises China’s AI surge as global tech race intensifies.Speaking to CNBC, Sam Altman said the progress of Chinese technology companies across the tech stack is “remarkable.”Altman noted that advances in “many fields,” including AI, are moving at an “amazingly fast” pace. In some areas, he said, Chinese companies are “near the frontier,” while in others they still trail US rivals. His comments come as the United States and China push t
  
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• Code Metal Hits $1.25B Valuation With AI Code Fix

  20-02-2026 12:18 via eweek.com
  Code Metal just landed a $1.25 billion valuation. Its bet is that the hardest AI coding work is not writing new apps, it’s safely rewriting the old ones.
  Boston-based Code Metal raised $125 million in a Series B led by Salesforce Ventures, with Accel, B Capital, and J2 Ventures also participating, according to WIRED. The company, founded in 2023, told WIRED it’s already profitable and generating positive cash flow.
  The startup translates legacy code into modern targets, then verifies
  
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• Nvidia and OpenAI Rewrite a $100B Idea Into a $30B Bet

  20-02-2026 11:31 via eweek.com
  A $100 billion plan makes noise.A $30 billion check makes things happen.
  Earlier this month, eWeek reported Nvidia’s early $100 billion OpenAI framework was effectively on ice. The picture is clearer now: The companies have abandoned that unfinished $100 billion, multi-year framework in favor of a simpler structure, a $30 billion equity investment by Nvidia tied to OpenAI’s next funding round, according to the Financial Times.
  What changed since the earlier report
  The Financial
  
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• Economists Warn: Automation Surge Could Disrupt 20% of US Jobs

  20-02-2026 05:56 via eweek.com
  Robots are no longer confined to factory floors. They are moving into warehouses, trucking routes, hotel check-in desks, and retail counters. According to Oxford Economics, that shift could place up to 20% of US jobs at high risk of automation over the next decade or two. The firm’s latest analysis suggests the technology required to automate many physical risks already exists and is scaling. While generative AI has fueled concerns about white-collar disruption, economists say th
  
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