ANN ARBOR - A new Gartner study is raising serious questions about one of corporate America’s biggest assumptions surrounding artificial intelligence: that companies can rapidly replace workers with AI systems and dramatically improve profits. Instead, Gartner analysts found many organizations pursuing AI-driven layoffs are discovering the financial returns are far more complicated than expected. The
GRAND RAPIDS - West Michigan’s economy continued to expand in April, but rising oil prices, tariff uncertainty and growing fears about a broader national slowdown are beginning to cloud the outlook across the entire state of Michigan. That was the takeaway from the latest monthly industrial survey by Grand Valley State University economist Brian Long,
Part 2 or a 2 part series on the national debt crisis. WASHINGTON DC - America’s national debt is approaching $39 trillion, and the federal government is now borrowing at a pace once associated only with wars, recessions and economic emergencies. But unlike previous crises, today’s trillion-dollar deficits are becoming permanent. The Congressional Budget Office
ANN ARBOR - Michigan’s economy could face mounting pressure later this summer as rising oil prices tied to the growing Middle East conflict begin spreading through the state’s three largest economic pillars — the auto industry, tourism and agriculture. Economists warn the full impact of the global energy shock may not hit consumers and businesses
DETROIT - Automotive News reported Monday that General Motors has eliminated additional information technology jobs as the automaker continues restructuring efforts aimed at lowering costs and accelerating its transition into a software-driven automotive company. The layoffs come as GM faces a difficult balancing act: funding billions of dollars in electric vehicle development, battery plants, software
WASHINGTON DC - Michigan drivers heading into the Memorial Day holiday weekend could soon face gasoline prices approaching $5 per gallon as the escalating Iran conflict rattles global oil markets and raises fears of prolonged supply disruptions through one of the world’s most important energy corridors. The national average price for regular gasoline has climbed
ANN ARBOR - AI is evolving beyond chatbots into autonomous “AI agents” capable of performing real work — researching information, writing reports, managing workflows, analyzing data and even making decisions with minimal human supervision. Major tech companies are investing billions into agentic AI, which many experts believe could become the next great technology revolution. In
WASHINGTON DC - The United States national debt is rapidly approaching an almost unimaginable milestone: $39 trillion. The number is so enormous that economists, policymakers and ordinary Americans alike often struggle to truly grasp what it represents. A trillion dollars is not merely “a lot of money.” It is wealth on a scale that defies
COLUMBUS - An Ohio courtroom battle over hemp-derived cannabinoid products is highlighting a much larger national fight that increasingly mirrors what businesses in Michigan’s hemp and cannabis industries say they are already facing. At issue is Ohio Senate Bill 56, a law that sharply restricts hemp-derived THC products including gummies, beverages, tinctures and vape products
ANN ARBOR - The artificial intelligence boom is fueling an unprecedented global race to build massive data centers. But while most of the public discussion has focused on electricity demand and water usage, researchers now say another environmental issue is rapidly emerging: heat. In some cases, that heat may be raising temperatures for miles around
