Meta tests 'Community Notes' to replace fact-checkers

SAN FRANCISCO — Social media giant Meta on Thursday announced it would begin testing its new Community Notes feature across its platforms on March 18, as it shifts away from third-party fact-checking toward a crowd-sourced approach to content moderation.

Metas chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the new system in January as he appeared to align himself with the incoming Trump administration, includ...

Launch pad problem delays SpaceX flight to replace NASA's stuck astronauts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — A launch pad problem prompted SpaceX to delay a flight to the International Space Station on Wednesday to replace NASAs two stuck astronauts.

The new crew needs to get to the station so that Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams can head home after nine months in orbit.

Concerns about a critical hydraulic system arose less than four hours before the Falcon rockets planned eveni...

Dirt-powered sensors help farmers optimize their fields

An innovative solution to remotely power devices using natural biological processes could help farmers get the most from their fields. VOAs Kane Farabaugh has more.

US drops antitrust case against Google over AI, not Chrome

The U.S. Department of Justice dropped a proposal Friday to force Alphabets Google to sell its investments in artificial intelligence companies, including OpenAI competitor Anthropic, to boost competition in online search.

The DOJ and a coalition of 38 state attorneys general still seek a court order requiring Google to sell its Chrome browser and take other measures aimed at addressing what a judge said wa...

Greenland and Afghanistan: Frontiers in race for critical minerals

Just as discoveries of fossil fuel reserves helped to shape the 20th century, the race for critical minerals is shaping the 21st. These minerals are seen as strategically crucial for modern economies, including those used in construction, energy and manufacturing — particularly for semiconductors and other technology applications.

Where mineral resources are located and extracted has often played a major ...

Trump to host White House crypto summit

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday hosts top cryptocurrency players at the White House, a political boost for an industry that has struggled to gain legitimacy -- and where the Republican president faces conflict of interest concerns.

The presidents crypto czar, Silicon Valley investor David Sacks, has invited prominent founders, CEOs and investors along with members of a Trump working gr...

Trump calls to end US government's semiconductor subsidy program

President Donald Trump is signaling a major change in how the U.S. will support growth in key domestic industries such as semiconductors. Michelle Quinn reports.

Musk fails in bid to block OpenAI becoming for-profit business

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — A U.S. judge on Tuesday denied Elon Musks request to prevent OpenAI from becoming a for-profit business in a loss for the Tesla tycoon amid his feud with Sam Altman. 

U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Musk and his xAI startup failed to prove an injunction against OpenAI was necessary as the case heads to trial. 

Musk sued in California federa...

VOA Mandarin: Who has better humanoid robots, US or China?

Chinese tech firms and state media have spotlighted humanoid robots, which have grown in popularity since the Unitree G1 appeared to run, jump, dance and perform martial arts-like movements in a recent demonstration.

Both the United States and China are leaders in humanoid robot technology. But industry analysts believe that the United States is superior in AI technology, which is responsible for the robots...

China uses DeepSeek, other AI models, for surveillance and information attacks on US

The United States may become the second country after Australia to ban Chinas DeepSeek artificial intelligence on government devices.

U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer and Darin LaHood introduced a bipartisan bill proposing the ban.

In their letter to 47 U.S. governors and the mayor of Washington, the congressmen warned that DeepSeek could pose security risks to sensitive government data and cyber...

Trump, Taiwanese chipmaker announce new $100 billion plan to build five new US factories

WASHINGTON — Chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced on Monday plans to make an additional $100 billion investment in the United States and build five additional chips factories in the coming years.

TSMC CEO C.C. Wei announced the plan in a meeting at the White House with President Donald Trump.

We must be able to build the chips and semiconductors that we need right here, Tru...

2 lunar landings in a week for NASA's private moon fleet

WASHINGTON — More than 50 years passed between the last Apollo mission and the United States return to the lunar surface, when the first private lander touched down last February 2024.

Now, starting Sunday, two more missions are set to follow within a single week, marking a bold push by NASA and its industry partners to make moon landings a routine part of space exploration.

First up is Firefly Ae...

With $500B US investment, Apple pulling away from China, analysts say

Apple announced this week it would spend $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years and create 20,000 jobs, signaling its pro-U.S. jobs and investment policy. U.S. President Donald Trump also announced he would double tariffs on China, where most Apple products are made. Michelle Quinn reports.

Private company's craft rockets toward moon in latest rush of lunar landing attempts

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — A private company launched another lunar lander Wednesday, aiming to get closer to the moons south pole this time with a drone that will hop into a black crater where the sun never shines. 

Intuitive Machines lander, named Athena, caught a lift with SpaceX from NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Its taking a fast track to the moon, with a landing on March 6. The company hopes to avoid...

Musicians release silent album to protest UK's AI copyright changes

LONDON — More than 1,000 musicians including Kate Bush and Cat Stevens on Tuesday released a silent album to protest proposed changes to Britains copyright laws which could allow tech firms to train artificial intelligence models using their work.

Creative industries globally are grappling with the legal and ethical implications of AI models that can produce their own output after being trained on popula...