Technology

What Big Tech got out of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill

Published

8 months ago

July 17, 2025

What Big Tech got out of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill

The massive budget bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on Independence Day didn’t include everything on Big Tech’s wishlist, but the industry’s largest players stand to gain significantly from several provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The Republican-backed legislation is best known for its tax cuts on tips, deduction caps that could primarily benefit wealthy taxpayers, restriction on healthcare coverage for low-income and disabled Americans, cuts to renewable energy incentives, and tens of billions of dollars in funding to immigration enforcement. But it also includes restored tax deductions for research and development and other items that could benefit the tech industry, among other businesses.

In one high-profile fight, the tech industry failed to secure a moratorium on state AI laws, a proposal which had been supported by several trade groups and might have also affected a host of other state tech protections. But after months of lobbying from Congress to Mar-a-Lago, the industry will see slashed taxes and may receive new contracts from border enforcement funding, the Tech Oversight Project finds in a new report shared exclusively with The Verge. Some changes will likely benefit businesses of all sizes and sectors — while others may offer large companies in the tech industry the biggest benefits.

The budget bill essentially reverses a policy from Trump’s first term that limited how companies could write off research and development on their taxes. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) forced companies to spread write-offs for domestic R&D costs across five years, rather than deducting them fully in the year they were incurred. Now, Congress is restoring the previous, more generous deduction setup, and small businesses can get retroactive tax write-offs for the last couple years when the changes — which took effect in 2022 — were in place.

In a recent report, Quartz linked the R&D deduction changes to the wave of layoffs across the industry, describing how it made it so companies could effectively only write off one-fifth of their R&D costs in the year they were incurred, rather than the full sum, making salaries for engineers and other high-skilled roles much more costly. The nonpartisan Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) found that in the three years in which the TCJA changes took effect, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Tesla saw their tax bills rise a collective $75 billion as a result.

“The loss of full R&D expensing disincentivizes firms from significantly increasing their R&D investments”

So unsurprisingly, tech-backed groups like the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the Business Software Alliance (BSA) pushed to revert the rule. “The loss of full R&D expensing disincentivizes firms from significantly increasing their R&D investments because the cost of those investments has risen,” ITIF wrote in a blog post earlier this year.

Maintaining a lower corporate tax rate

Conversely, business groups successfully pleaded with lawmakers to keep a different change from the TCJA: a massive reduction in the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. In a letter to lawmakers last year, tech-backed Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) told lawmakers that the reduction had brought the US in line with peer countries, and provided US companies “a more level playing field against their international competitors,” which the nonprofit Tax Foundation found helped boost US investment. Democrats who have opposed the lower tax rates have framed it as a handout to corporate America.

Extending lower international tax rates

The new budget law also blocks a scheduled increase in the effective tax rates on things like the money companies make abroad based on US-based patents or other intangible assets.

These kinds of taxes — the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT), global intangible low-taxed income tax (GILTI), and the foreign-derived intangible income tax (FDII) — are generally meant to prevent shifty accounting practices like moving assets to a foreign subsidiary. Before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed, the effectively lowered rates through these three policies were set to expire at the end of 2025.

The tech industry argued protecting those low rates would keep US companies competitive with other countries, like France and the UK. “Several other nations already offer IP incentives,” ITI told lawmakers in an October letter. “It is essential that the FDII rate remains as low as possible.”

“The tax break disproportionately benefits large corporations with significant intellectual property portfolios”

But groups like the nonpartisan Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition and ITEP see lower rates for taxes like the FDII as a giveaway to the biggest players in the tech industry, which deal heavily in intangible assets like patents and trademarks.

“The tax break disproportionately benefits large corporations with significant intellectual property portfolios while doing little for smaller firms that lack similar assets,” ITEP wrote in a blog post last year, where it found that Google parent Alphabet reported over $11 billion in tax benefits from 2018 to 2023 as a result of the FDII.

Border protection funding could flow to tech

Alongside a significant budget increase for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other immigration-related funding, the law includes about $6 billion for border technologies, including surveillance systems. That money could flow to several large tech firms already engaged in the space.

Those include Peter Thiel-founded data company Palantir, which currently has a $30 million contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to build “ImmigrationOS” to create “near real-time visibility into instances of self-deportation.” Thiel-backed Anduril also stands to gain if the agency expands infrastructure like the surveillance towers it already supplies to the government. MIT Technology Review reported in 2018 that Amazon Web Services hosted Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases related to immigration, including a deep pool of biometric data.

Other tax-saving adjustments

Tech companies and other businesses will also benefit from changes in how business interest deductions are calculated, and a permanent extension of rules allowing companies to take a full deduction of certain equipment expenses. House Democrats have previously called this kind of tactic a “Tax Scam,” writing, “Two-thirds of the benefits go to corporations making over $250 million in revenue, and from 2018 through 2021, about two dozen of the largest corporations received roughly $50 billion in tax breaks through this provision.”

Some of the tax changes in the bill will benefit smaller firms and businesses across many different industries. But large tech companies are particularly well positioned to benefit from changes in how foreign profits on intellectual property are taxed and fuller R&D write-offs. After months of cozying up to the Trump administration with little to show for it, it looks like the largest players in the industry have finally notched some wins.

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Technology

AI influencer awards season is upon us

Published

3 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

First came the AI beauty pageant. Then the AI music contests. Now, there is an award for AI Personality of the Year — perhaps the inevitable next step for the AI influencer economy as it transforms from quirky novelty into a serious and lucrative industry.

The contest, a joint venture between generative AI studio OpenArt and AI-powered creator platform Fanvue, with backing from AI voice company ElevenLabs, opens on Monday and runs for a month. The organizers said it is intended to “celebrate the creative talent ‘behind’ AI Influencers” and recognize their growing commercial and cultural clout.

Contestants will compete for a total prize fund of $20,000, which will be split between an overall winner and individual categories of fitness, lifestyle, comedian, music and dance entertainer, and fictional cartoon, anime, or fantasy personality. Victors will be celebrated at an event in May that the organizers are dubbing the “‘Oscars’ for AI personalities.”

To enter, you must develop your AI influencer on OpenArt’s platform and submit it at www.AIpersonality.ai. You’ll be asked for social media handles across TikTok, X, YouTube, and Instagram, as well as the story behind the character, your motivations for creating it, and details of any brand work.

Among those assessing contestants are 13‑time Emmy‑winning comedy writer Gil Rief, the creators of Spanish AI model Aitana Lopez, and Christopher “Topher” Townsend, the MAGA rapper behind AI-generated gospel singer Solomon Ray. According to a copy of the judges’ briefing seen by The Verge, contestants will be scored on four criteria: quality, social clout, brand appeal, and the inspiration behind the avatar. Specific points include reliably engaging with followers, portraying a consistent look across social channels, accurate details like having the “right number of fingers and thumbs,” and having “an authentic narrative” behind the avatar.

The contest is open to established creators and novices alike, though existing AI influencers will still need to submit material produced on OpenArt’s platform, Matt Jones, head of brand at Fanvue, told The Verge.

Despite being designed to celebrate creators of virtual influencers, Jones said that entrants don’t need to publicly identify themselves. “If a person who created this amazing piece of work wants nothing to do with the press or to expose themselves or to have their name out there, that’s obviously fine,” he said. “There would be no need to thrust anybody into the limelight here. We would just celebrate the piece of work.”

That creators can remain anonymous feels odd for a contest judging authenticity, particularly in an AI influencer ecosystem built on fictional people, fake personas, and fabricated backstories. That same anonymity has also helped grifts flourish with little accountability, from the AI white nationalist rapper Danny Bones to MAGA fantasy girl Jessica Foster.

There’s familiar baggage too, including persistent questions about originality, whether AI-generated work, or even a likeness, has been lifted from real creators, and whether these tools simply reproduce the same old biases in synthetic form. Organizer Fanvue has already faced criticism for this in the past: in 2024, a Guardian columnist described its “Miss AI” beauty pageant as something that “take(s) every toxic gendered beauty norm and bundle(s) them up into a completely unrealistic package.”

To Fanvue’s Jones, creators inevitably leave something of themselves in the AI characters they make. “You can’t help but put a little bit of yourself into the stories that you tell and the characters that you make,” he said, urging creators to “lean into that.” The idea feels at home in the influencer economy: not strictly real, but a form of synthetic authenticity the internet already knows how to handle.

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Robert Hart

Technology

Amazon Health AI brings a doctor to your pocket

Published

4 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Amazon Health AI brings a doctor to your pocket

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Most people have had this moment. You feel a strange symptom, open your phone and start searching online. Within minutes, you are deep in medical forums reading worst-case scenarios. By the end, you are either terrified or more confused than when you started.

Health care should feel clearer than that. Yet for many of us, it rarely does. Appointments take weeks. Medical records are hard to understand. You often have to repeat the same health history at every visit. Insurance rules feel like a maze.

According to the American Academy of Physician Associates, many Americans say navigating the healthcare system feels overwhelming and they wish doctors had more time to listen. Now, a new tool from Amazon hopes to change that experience. It is called Amazon Health AI.

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$163K IN FAKE MEDICAL BILL CHARGES, AI UNCOVERS IT FOR YOU

Amazon Health AI lets you ask health questions, review records and connect with care directly through the Amazon app. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What Amazon Health AI actually does

Amazon Health AI, available at amazon.com/health-ai, acts as a digital health assistant that can answer medical questions and help guide you through your care. The tool lives inside the Amazon app and website.

You start by typing a health question into a chat box. From there, the system can:

Explain lab results in plain language
Review symptoms and suggest next steps
Help schedule care with a provider
Assist with prescription renewals
Recommend relevant health products if asked

Health AI connects directly with clinicians from Amazon One Medical when professional care is needed. You can message a provider, start a video visit or schedule an in-person appointment. The goal is to make getting care simpler. Instead of spending time searching for appointments or jumping between different apps, you can move from a question to a provider more quickly. If symptoms suggest a possible emergency, the system may advise you to contact emergency services, such as calling 911.

Amazon is gradually rolling the Health AI tool out to U.S. customers, and availability varies by location.

CyberGuy reached out to Amazon for comment about the new service. Andrew Diamond, Ph.D., M.D., chief medical officer at Amazon One Medical, said the goal is to reduce some of the everyday frustrations people face when navigating healthcare.

“Nearly two-thirds of Americans feel overwhelmed by the healthcare system and wish their doctors had more time to understand their concerns,” Diamond said. “Health AI is designed to handle the logistical and informational work that creates friction in healthcare, so patients and providers can spend more time on what matters most: the human relationship at the heart of healing.”

How Amazon Health AI uses your medical history

Health AI becomes more useful when it understands your medical history.

With permission, the system can access information such as:

Past diagnoses
Medications
Lab results
Doctor’s notes

This data flows through a secure national network called the Health Information Exchange. Health AI can access records from hundreds of thousands of providers nationwide once permission is granted.

For example, imagine someone with asthma develops a cough during flu season. A generic search might treat that symptom like any other cough. Health AI can look at your history and ask follow-up questions based on your specific risk factors.

Health AI can provide general information about someone else’s health question, but personalized answers are limited to the medical history of the account holder.

That context helps the system provide more relevant guidance. Still, the assistant does not replace doctors. When the situation requires medical judgment, it connects you with a real clinician.

CHATGPT COULD MISS YOUR SERIOUS MEDICAL EMERGENCY, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS

Health AI can help explain lab results, check symptoms and connect you with care through your phone. (Amazon)

How Amazon connects AI with real medical care

The service works closely with Amazon One Medical providers. Prescription renewals can also move through the system, with requests sent to a One Medical provider who reviews the request before approval. You can fill prescriptions through Amazon Pharmacy or another pharmacy you prefer. This approach helps reduce the steps people often face when trying to get care. Instead of spending time searching for appointments or jumping between different apps, you can move from a question to a provider more quickly.

Special access for Prime members

Amazon is also adding a limited introductory benefit. Eligible members of Amazon Prime can receive up to five free message-based consultations with a One Medical provider.

Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services, said the goal is to make care easier to access through the tools people already use. “Eligible Prime member accounts get up to five free direct message care consultations with a One Medical provider for any of the 30 common conditions,” Lindsay said.

These visits cover common conditions, including:

Colds and flu
Allergies and acid reflux
Pink eye and UTIs
Hair loss and skin care

Outside the promotion, message or telehealth visits typically cost about $29. A full One Medical membership provides broader virtual care and costs less for Prime members than for non-members.

How Amazon says it protects health data

Health information raises serious privacy questions. Amazon says Health AI runs inside a HIPAA-compliant environment with strong encryption and strict access controls. According to the company, personal health data is not used to sell ads. Amazon also says protected health information from One Medical and Amazon Pharmacy is not used for advertising or sold to third parties.

The system also includes safety guardrails. If the AI cannot confidently answer a question, it directs you to a human provider. Behind the scenes, the technology runs on Amazon’s AI platform called Amazon Bedrock.

Amazon also emphasized that Health AI was designed alongside medical professionals rather than built purely as a technology product.

“This isn’t a chatbot with a healthcare skin,” said Prakash Bulusu, chief technology officer at Amazon Health Services. “It’s a system designed from the ground up to be personalized, trustworthy and useful.”

Bulusu said he personally tested the system with his own health data, and it surfaced lab work he had forgotten to complete after a physical exam.

CHATGPT HEALTH PROMISES PRIVACY FOR HEALTH CONVERSATIONS

You can ask Health AI about symptoms and receive guidance before deciding whether to seek medical care. (Amazon)

Why Amazon believes AI belongs in healthcare

Millions of people already search Amazon for vitamins, blood pressure monitors and health products. The company believes AI can help guide those searches and connect them with medical advice. Amazon also partnered with major health systems, including the Cleveland Clinic and Rush University System for Health, to create smoother referrals between primary care and specialists. The idea is continuity. You should not feel like you are starting from scratch every time you see a new provider.

What this means for you

Tools like Health AI show how quickly artificial intelligence is moving into everyday health decisions. For patients, the potential benefits are clear. Faster answers. Simpler records. Easier access to doctors.

Yet it also raises big questions about privacy, data control and how much we rely on automated systems for health advice. AI can help people understand their health. But the human doctor still plays the absolute most important role. The challenge will be finding the right balance.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Healthcare can be frustrating. Long waits, confusing records and disconnected systems often leave you feeling lost. Amazon believes AI can help guide you through that process. If the technology works as promised, it could help millions of us understand our health faster and reach care sooner. Still, any system that handles sensitive medical information must earn trust over time. That trust will depend on transparency, security and how responsibly companies use personal health data.

Would you feel comfortable letting an AI assistant review your medical history and guide your health decisions? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Crimson Desert dev apologizes for use of AI art

Published

15 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Crimson Desert dev apologizes for use of AI art

Reviews of Crimson Desert have been mixed, but the bigger issue for the game has been the discovery of what appeared to be AI-generated assets in the final release. Now the developer has acknowledged that AI art was indeed used during the game’s creation, but says that it was intended to be replaced before release. In a statement on X, the company said it was conducting a “comprehensive audit” to identify and replace any AI-generated content.

The company apologized for both its inclusion in the final release and for not being more transparent about its use during development. “We should have clearly disclosed our use of AI,” it said.

The use of generative AI in gaming has become a hot-button issue of the last couple of years as it’s made its way into several high-profile titles. While some large studios have embraced it, many smaller developers have revolted against the trend, proudly proclaiming their games to be “AI free.”