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Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Over the past few years, the tech industry has revolutionized productivity through the creation and investment in AI technology. Leaders in AI boast about the technology’s capabilities to bolster productivity. If AI is really saving us so much time and energy in the workplace, tech companies should be pushing for businesses to adopt a 4-day workweek. Since the pandemic, workers have argued against returning to the office for the 5-day workweek. While most white-collar workers were either working from home or adhering to a hybrid work model, it made some employees realize that much of their work doesn’t need to be completed daily in an office. Companies like Kickstarter and Microsoft Japan have operated on a 4-day workweek schedule since 2021 and 2019, respectively. Microsoft Japan has reported that it led to a 40% increase in productivity. According to a 2024 CNBC and Generation Lab poll , 81% of...
Voice assistants and speech recognition tools have struggled for years to understand the way many Black people naturally speak. Commands get misinterpreted. Responses often miss the mark, and as a result, users usually feel unheard unless they change their voices to fit technology that wasn’t built with them in mind. Howard University and Google Research are working to change that. The two institutions have collaborated on Project Elevate Black Voices and have released a first-of-its-kind dataset: over 600 hours of African American English (AAE) collected from communities across 32 states, according to a press release from Howard University, obtained by AFROTECH™. The goal is to help artificial intelligence systems recognize, respect, and respond to the full range of Black speech, not just edited, flattened, or code-switched versions of it. Project Elevate Black Voices is a multi-year research initiative co-designed and led by Black researchers to build high-quality AAE speech data...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. The New York Times inked a multi-year deal with Amazon last month to license its content to Amazon’s artificial intelligence models. Amazon will have access to The New York Times’ content, including NYT Cooking and its sports publication, The Athletic. Amazon’s AI services, such as Alexa, will produce real-time summaries and short excerpts. Similar to other news publishers, The New York Times views a licensing deal as a viable way to generate profits as AI companies attempt to siphon copyrighted content to train their chatbots. Attitudes towards AI use, especially regarding news organizations, can be polarizing. Other publishers such as The Washington Post, Associated Press, and Axios have also signed deals with AI companies to license their content. A few years ago, AI companies were using copyrighted material without permission. Media company Ziff Davis and The New York Times sued OpenAI and...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Data centers have been in the news lately due to their connection to AI, but they have been around in some form or capacity for decades. Data centers originally were created to hold mainframe computers because they would tend to overheat, needing to be stored in climate-controlled rooms. This was at a time when more businesses began relying on computers for their day-to-day operations, and things needed to be moved from single rooms to larger dedicated facilities. What caused data centers to explode in popularity was the rise of personal computing. With more and more data needing to be stored, more facilities needed to be created in order to house all of this new data that was being generated every day, not just from businesses but from people living their lives as well due to the adoption of mobile devices. What exponentially increased the amount of data centers was when software started “eating...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Google announced that it will now allow users under 13 years old to access its Gemini AI chatbot. Gemini is a direct competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and has quickly been integrated into other Google services. Gemini will be available to kids whose parents use Family Link, which enables Google services for children only with the permission of the family. Young users will be able to communicate with the chatbot for text responses and create images generated by the system. Artificial intelligence has become the center of our lives as it disrupts industries and employment opportunities, and companies look to replace workers with AI. But while the AI industry is growing, there’s still so much we don’t know or understand about the technology as adults. Though Google has stated it won’t use data from younger users to train its AI, we shouldn’t trust this technology in the hands of young, impressionable...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Trump’s tariffs have upended multiple industries. For bigger companies like Apple and Microsoft, or fast fashion behemoths like Zara, tariffs can be easily avoided by moving their distribution elsewhere. But for smaller businesses that don’t possess the same infrastructure, they don’t have that ability. Most Americans would agree that manufacturing should come back to the United States. Over the past decades, companies have moved their work abroad to take advantage of lower wages and the lack of unions that protect workers from abuses. In short, it’s easier to take advantage of the cheap labor offered in other countries like China, Thailand, and Vietnam. The whole system is inherently problematic, especially when we look at how workers in the United States are constantly berated and not treated properly. Moving manufacturing back to the states will also mean, unfortunately, that prices for goods...
There’s no need to walk into interviews blindly anymore. There are many AI tools designed for interview prep, offering features ranging from mock interviews to personalized feedback. These platforms allow users to receive guidance from knowledgeable AI and even connect with other real people for more realistic practice. Some of these platforms are specifically designed to aid interview candidates in certain fields, like tech, but others provide personalized practice for a variety of fields . With stiff competition in a job market that’s already hard to break into, using AI for prep can help take some of the stress out of interviewing. Let’s explore 10 AI tools designed for interview prep, what they do, and which interview candidates can benefit from them the most. Interviewing.io This resource is best for those pursuing technical roles, especially software engineering . Interviewing.io offers anonymous mock interviews with engineers from top tech companies that provide detailed...
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. President Donald Trump has gone all in on his tariff crusade, announcing last week a 10% tariff on almost every country with even higher tariffs on specific countries. From beauty and food to car automation , every industry is currently reeling with the stock market dovetailing, and the potential negative aftereffects will be felt for decades to come. However, the now billion-dollar AI industry is at risk of being decimated thanks to Trump’s tariffs. Pro-crypto and pro-AI fanatics have curried a lot of favor with the president, so much so that many of them have been appointed as high government officials to advance America’s standing in the global AI race. Even though Trump has reversed his initial thoughts towards technology, his insistence on tariffs may hurt the AI industry after all. According to Time, AI companies, along with several other industries, lost billions of dollars when the tariffs...
By now you’re surely aware of generative AI software , since the newly-developed tech has become the hottest craze on the internet in recent years. One of the leading services in this niche, OpenAI’s ChatGPT , has been utilized by millions to create stylized images, videos and text from brief descriptive prompts. Though this technology is quite impressive, it has drawn heavy criticism from those who share concerns about AI’s impact on the environment , its effect on artists and the frequently incorrect information it delivers as fact. Now, OpenAI has released the latest model for their GPT software, titled GPT-4o. The 4o iteration allows GPT users to generate uncanny recreations of specific art styles, including those in the image of a Studio Ghibli film. As you can imagine, this new OS has wrought tons of use from curious users all over the world, and drawn criticism from fans of the Ghibli franchise. If you’re at all active on social media, you’ve no doubt encountered a sudden...
If you’ve ever hesitated at checkout, wondering whether you need that grocery haul, electronics upgrade, or self-care splurge—you’re not alone. And Klarna, the AI-powered payments and commerce platform, is betting big on that exact moment of hesitation. Klarna has joined forces with DoorDash and Walmart to give shoppers flexible pay options. These strategic partnerships don’t just mark a shift in how we handle money at checkout—they reflect a deeper story about consumer habits, trust, and the evolving economy in 2025. Klarna And DoorDash Team Up According to an announcement from Klarna, DoorDash customers in the U.S. will soon see Klarna listed as a payment option when ordering from the app or website. This will make it even easier to snag groceries, electronics, beauty items, and even the DashPass Annual Plan without having to pay the full amount upfront. The options? Pretty straightforward and stress-relieving: Pay in full at checkout Pay in 4 equal, interest-free installments Pay...
Ava DuVernay , Janelle Monáe, Chris Rock, and Cynthia Erivo are among over 400 Hollywood filmmakers, writers, actors, and musicians who signed an open letter urging President Trump’s administration not to roll back copyright protections at the request of AI companies. The creatives penned the letter in response to recent submissions to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), during which Google and OpenAI asserted that U.S. copyright law should permit AI companies to train their systems on copyrighted works without needing permission or compensation from the rights holders, according to Variety. “We firmly believe that America’s global AI leadership must not come at the expense of our essential creative industries,” the letter states. “America’s arts and entertainment industry supports over 2.3 million American jobs with over $229 billion in wages annually while providing the foundation for American democratic influence and soft power abroad. But AI companies are asking...
New AI tools pop up constantly, promising to make work easier and more efficient. But with so many options, the real question isn’t which AI is the best—it’s which fits your workflow. To help navigate this evolving landscape, we looked closely at two significant platforms, ChatGPT’s Custom GPTs and Google’s Gemini. The goal? To see how they handle real-world tasks and which delivers the best experience. Custom GPTs: Smarter AI, Less Effort According to a previous AFROTECH™ report, Custom GPTs are tailored versions of ChatGPT designed for specific tasks. Instead of repeatedly typing the same prompts, users can set up a Custom GPT once and let it do the heavy lifting. Whether drafting emails, generating research summaries, or assisting with customer support, these AI assistants streamline workflows by eliminating redundancy. The right setup lets users focus on results instead of processes, making work more efficient. Gemini: Google’s Integrated AI Assistant According to its website,...
The future isn’t coming — it’s already here. Artificial intelligence has moved beyond sci-fi speculation to become an integral part of our daily lives, reshaping the way we work, create, and connect. At the forefront of this transformation is the rise of custom GPTs — AI models designed to meet specific needs with precision and adaptability. Whether it’s streamlining content creation, enhancing customer engagement, or optimizing complex workflows, these intelligent assistants are revolutionizing productivity. By tailoring AI to fit unique goals, professionals aren’t just working smarter, they’re redefining what’s possible in real time. The question isn’t whether AI will shape the future — it’s how we’ll harness it to shape our own. How Custom GPTs Are Changing The Game The ability to craft precise and effective prompts is essential when working with AI. As discussed in the previous AFROTECH™ article on Advanced AI Prompting Techniques , mastering AI communication is crucial to...
Google has launched Career Dreamer, an advanced artificial intelligence analysis tool that evaluates users’ skills and experiences and suggests personalized career opportunities. According to a Feb. 19, 2025 blog post from Grow With Google Founder Lisa Gevelber, Claire Thorn, a military spouse who spent nearly 20 years as a stay-at-home mom before reentering the workforce , was one of the early testers of Career Dreamer. After answering a few questions about her background and interests, she learned how to translate her life experiences into skills and new career opportunities. “(Career Dreamer) helped identify skills that I take for granted and showed me that they’re important and useful in the workforce,” said Thorn, per Google. “Now, I’m armed with the confidence of knowing that I already possess exactly what employers need.” Career Dreamer identifies patterns and connects the dots between unique experiences, educational backgrounds, skills, and interests. The platform then...
Google is using artificial intelligence (AI) to save lives, successfully implementing Loss of Pulse Detection in the Pixel Watch 3. Initially announced in 2024 for the Pixel Watch 3 in the European Union, Google shared on Feb. 26, 2025, that it received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement the “first-of-its-kind feature” and begin its rollout in the United States at the end of March. In a previous blog post, Google explained that a loss of pulse happens when the heart suddenly stops beating. The condition can affect people at any age and may be caused by various issues, including primary cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, circulatory failure, overdose, or poisoning. When such a situation occurs, the watch automatically prompts a call to emergency services, potentially providing life-saving assistance. “For three years, Pixel Watch has given people peace of mind with safety and health features like Car Crash Detection, Fall Detection, Irregular...