Economists Seem Giddy -- Are They On To Something, Or Just On Something?

The case, brought by payday lenders, posed an existential threat to the consumer-focused agency, though critics had dismissed it as being legally flimsy. In a major legal win for consumers, the U. S. Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an existential challenge to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), ruling that the consumer watchdog does, indeed, have a legal funding structure.

Data and AI algorithms have potential, but we need wisdom to realize their full potential. The data flooding industries globally is staggering—from genomic sequences in healthcare to consumer behavior patterns in retail, to performance metrics in manufacturing. The potential of AI to transform these extensive data sets into practical knowledge is also undeniably staggering, yet there’s more value than just the data.

Two leaders in the AI wars announced chatbots this week that exploit the latest models’ multimodal and reasoning abilities. Welcome to AI Decoded, Fast Company’s weekly newsletter that breaks down the most important news in the world of AI. You can sign up to receive this newsletter every week here.

This is in stark contrast to a few years ago. EasyJet‘s big bets on package holidays and better-located airports are helping it win customers, its CEO and investors say, even as concerns linger about the high cost of the strategy for an airline known for its no-frills service.

Kern County is betting on carbon capture to replace oil jobs and tax revenue. But will the county’s new economy repeat the sins of the old one? This story was produced by Grist and was copublished with High Country News. It was supported by the Fund for Environmental Journalism of the Society of Environmental Journalists.

Opportunities abound for business leaders to tackle this tier of greenhouse gas emissions, but private industry needs more leadership and collaboration to do so. In talking with supply chain leaders around the world, I often hear that reducing Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) is either too confounding or too nebulous to warrant any meaningful investment or effort.