All articles tagged with #automation
iPadOS 27 Beta 3 overhauls Siri with a top-swipe trigger, adds customizable voice for supported iPads, and introduces automation that adapts to keyboard presence by switching between full-screen productivity and windowed modes, plus keyboard connect/disconnect events for automations; plus minor visual tweaks like a liquid glass Reminders icon and a new Notification Center animation, with a public beta expected soon.
A KPMG survey of 2,145 executives across 20 countries finds 29% don’t understand AI costs and about a third lack a plan to deploy AI profitably, as usage-based pricing replaces flat-rate contracts, suggesting AI is more about cost control and labor discipline than instantly replacing workers.
A KPMG survey of 2,145 senior executives across 20 countries finds widespread confusion over AI costs, with 29% unsure where AI spending comes from and about a third lacking a plan to deploy AI productively. As usage-based pricing becomes standard, firms must forecast and monitor AI spending, challenging the old hope that AI subsidies would keep costs low. The piece also notes AI is used to discipline labor and justify layoffs or surveillance, and questions whether current AI advances will ever deliver scalable payoffs, especially since the bill is ultimately borne by workers who feel the strain.
Small businesses are increasingly using AI to cut costs and speed operations, with 58% of SMBs adopting AI in 2025 (up from 23% in 2023). While AI aids tasks from marketing to customer service, it also creates new expenses, missteps, and reliance on external software. Per‑employee spending among firms with 0–49 workers rose from about $607 in 2025 to an expected $1,034 in 2026, and many companies use multiple AI services, prompting budgeting and guardrails like spending limits to avoid price shocks and overdependence.
GM has installed 50 Fanuc cobots at its Detroit Factory Zero EV plant, idling about 1,000 workers who are effectively laid off as automation takes over panel assembly; the move draws criticism from the UAW as a blow to workers and comes amid EV production slowdowns and looming 2028 contract talks, with some viewing it as a test of cobots and a cost-cutting measure.
Goldman Sachs and MIT researchers warn AI could soon affect entry-level hiring as adoption accelerates in finance, management and professional services where grads are concentrated; while many tasks in fields like law, architecture and engineering are highly automatable, the long-run view is more nuanced—AI may augment labor and create new roles, offsetting displacement as younger workers adapt, and students are already shifting majors toward healthcare to ride the AI-enabled shift.
Google announced Gemini Spark for the macOS Gemini desktop app, adding a Spark tab that lets the AI agent act on locally stored files to automate desktop workflows. Users can grant Spark access to specific folders (which can be revoked), enabling tasks like sorting PDFs from Downloads into labeled subfolders or pulling data from invoices to populate a Google Workspace budget sheet on a schedule. A future update will allow starting Mac tasks from a phone. New web/mobile integrations with Google Tasks, Keep, Canva, Dropbox, Instacart, OpenTable, and Zillow Rentals are rolling out, along with MCP server support for additional services. Spark for macOS is in beta for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the US, starting with app version 1.80.15.516; AI Ultra starts at $99/month.
AI coding tools like Claude and Codex are reshaping software work, and Business Insider’s Great Coding Reset shows engineers split into enthusiasts, skeptics, and those in-between. A 2025 Stack Overflow survey found about 60% hold a positive view of AI coding, but the picture is nuanced as many say coding is increasingly about understanding customers, products, and end-to-end business outcomes rather than just writing code. The piece profiles seven engineers worldwide—some embrace AI to boost productivity and leadership, others pivot to noncoding paths or warn of surveillance and displacement—illustrating a shift toward “mini business owners” who guide AI-driven development. It frames the era as a move from pure coding to orchestrating AI-enabled systems and strategies.
Ford cut about 5,000 jobs since 2020 due to automation, but has rehired roughly 350 veteran engineers—the so-called “greybeards”—to augment AI-driven design and manufacturing checks after AI systems showed notable gaps. executives say AI is powerful but only as good as the data and expertise behind it, underscoring the enduring value of human experience on the factory floor.
Cursor data shows a rising share of AI-generated code changes reaching production without a separate human review in the past six months, signaling growing developer trust in AI to handle larger portions of software development. While quality metrics aren’t fully measured, AI-produced changes are surviving at higher rates, hinting that AI coding is becoming more reliable and could reduce the need for manual review, with implications for workflows and human roles.
Goldman Sachs says the next AI surge will move from software into the physical economy—boosting AI infrastructure investments in factories, mines, utilities and oil rigs. The firm estimates about $7.6 trillion globally will be spent on AI infrastructure (compute, data centers, and power) from 2026–2031 as automation accelerates in industry.
Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary says the companies he backs are bypassing traditional consultants by using internal AI to test strategic questions, a shift he says has accelerated over the last two years. Major firms are adapting to AI and reporting rising AI-related work, while he warns that consulting as a long-term career path may have a ceiling as AI enables cheaper, self-directed problem solving.
AI researchers are embracing 'loop engineering'—automated agent loops that keep tasks running without constant prompting, a trend highlighted by Claude Code's Boris Cherny and OpenAI's Peter Steinberger, with core components (automation, worktrees, skills, plugins, connectors) and cost considerations for token usage.
OpenAI is rolling out a new Scheduled Tasks feature in ChatGPT, available to Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users on web and mobile, with a dedicated Scheduled page to view, pause, resume, edit, or delete tasks; it supports reminders, recurring work, and monitoring across connected apps, and tasks run at most once per hour, with unattended tasks possibly pausing after inactivity. Pulse will be removed in 14 days.
Microsoft president Brad Smith says the surge of AI backlash at graduation events should be a wake‑up call for the tech industry to honor workers’ agency; AI is transformative, but graduates want control over chatbots and the future of work, and Microsoft aims to guide the transition while reviving the dignity of work.