This Month's Latest Tech News in the US - Thursday July 31st 2025 Edition

The rapid evolution of AI and technology in the US is marked by the unveiling of America's AI Action Plan on July 23, 2025, which aims to strengthen US leadership through deregulation, increased investment in AI infrastructure, and global export controls, as detailed in a comprehensive Consumer Finance Monitor report.

This policy shift encourages states to align AI regulations with federal priorities, conditioning funding on regulatory environments, while fostering workforce development with incentives for AI skills training.

Complementing this, a McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2025 highlights artificial intelligence as a central transformative force, emphasizing trends like agentic AI - virtual coworkers able to autonomously execute complex workflows - and the rising adoption of application-specific semiconductors essential for AI's growing infrastructure needs.

Additionally, industry breakthroughs include Crescendo and Amazon's voice AI collaboration, enhancing natural, multilingual customer support and signaling broad AI integration across sectors.

For individuals seeking to keep pace with these demands, Nucamp offers tailored programs such as the AI Essentials for Work bootcamp, providing practical AI skills applicable in any business role without a technical background, available with flexible financing options - learn more and register here.

Staying informed and adaptive remains crucial as AI reshapes the economic and technological landscape of the US.

As quantum computing rapidly approaches practical application, maintaining American leadership in this transformative technology is critical for national security and economic competitiveness.

Microsoft President Brad Smith recently urged urgent federal action through a three-pronged strategy: increasing research and development funding, promoting workforce development, and securing supply chains for quantum technologies.

With China investing approximately $15 billion in quantum research and building extensive infrastructure like the National Laboratory for Quantum Information Sciences, the global race for quantum supremacy intensifies.

The U.S. has historically led in quantum R&D, bolstered by the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act and the creation of the National Quantum Coordination Office.

However, the FY2025 request for quantum funding dropped slightly to $998 million, signaling a need for renewed commitment. Workforce development is pivotal, given a global quantum talent shortage where demand outpaces supply by a factor of three; programs like the National Q-12 Education Partnership and expanded STEM initiatives aim to nurture domestic expertise, alongside facilitating higher skilled immigration pathways.

Equally vital is supply chain security, advocating domestic manufacturing of key components such as superconducting cables, lasers, and cryogenics to mitigate geopolitical risks.

Microsoft's Majorana quantum chip breakthrough, featuring stable qubits resistant to decoherence, exemplifies innovation driving toward a commercially viable quantum computer with millions of qubits.

As Brad Smith warned,

“Simply put, the United States cannot afford to fall behind, or worse, lose the race entirely.”

Sustained public-private collaboration and strategic federal policies will be essential to ensure the U.S. not only retains but accelerates its lead in quantum technology, impacting sectors from medicine to materials science.

For further insights, explore Microsoft's detailed call to action on quantum leadership, Microsoft President's warning on losing quantum supremacy to China, and the policy framework advocating increased federal support.

Bank of America is making a significant commitment to artificial intelligence and new technology initiatives in 2025, allocating $4 billion - nearly one-third of its $13 billion annual technology budget - to advance AI-driven productivity and customer service enhancements.

Since launching its AI-powered virtual assistant Erica in 2018, which now serves over 20 million active clients with more than 2.5 billion interactions, the bank has expanded AI integration extensively across its workforce of 213,000 employees and multiple business units.

Over 90% of employees utilize the internal version, "Erica for Employees," which has reduced IT service desk calls by more than 50% and supports a variety of functions including tech support, HR inquiries, and payroll.

AI adoption has yielded a 20% boost in developer coding efficiency, automated preparation of client meeting materials saving tens of thousands of hours annually, and improved client engagement through tools like askMERRILL® and askPRIVATE BANK®, which recorded over 23 million interactions in 2024.

Bank of America's approach focuses on scalable, pragmatic AI deployment with strong governance, leveraging a vast proprietary data set from 69 million clients as a foundation for its AI ecosystem.

This strategy is complemented by an extensive patent portfolio of nearly 7,400 patents, including over 1,200 AI-specific patents, securing its position as a leader in financial AI innovation.

As Chief Technology and Information Officer Aditya Bhasin stated,

“AI is having a transformative effect on employee efficiency and operational excellence... improving productivity, client service, and driving growth.”

The bank also employs generative AI to optimize customer service and sales teams, while maintaining risk-aware AI governance to navigate regulatory standards.

For more details on Bank of America's AI investment and impact, see their official press release from Bank of America, an in-depth analysis by Klover.ai on Bank of America's AI strategy, and recent coverage from Benzinga discussing Bank of America's AI investment.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has issued a stark warning that artificial intelligence could eliminate up to 50% of all entry-level white-collar jobs within the next five years, potentially causing U.S. unemployment to spike between 10% and 20%.

This sweeping impact is expected across sectors like technology, finance, law, and consulting, disproportionately affecting junior roles that form the critical entry point for many careers.

Amodei emphasizes the urgency of addressing this looming "white-collar bloodbath" by increasing public awareness, educating workers on AI augmentation, and engaging policymakers to implement measures such as job retraining programs and a proposed 3% "token tax" on AI usage revenues to fund social support.

While some CEOs have been reticent about the risks, industry trends already reflect AI-driven hiring freezes and layoffs at major firms like Microsoft and Walmart, underscoring the rapid shift towards automation.

Experts like LinkedIn's Aneesh Raman affirm that AI is eroding the foundational rungs of career ladders, and political discourse is escalating as this issue is set to dominate upcoming elections.

Amodei cautions that although halting AI's progress is unrealistic, society must act now to "steer the train" toward mitigating economic disruption. For a detailed overview of these developments, visit Axios' coverage on AI's impact on white-collar jobs, Fortune's report on Amodei's job loss warning, and The New York Times article on AI's effect on recent graduates.

The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly rejected a GOP-led proposal to impose a 10-year moratorium on state regulations of artificial intelligence (AI), striking it from President Trump's tax break and spending bill by a 99-1 vote.

This moratorium, initially included in the House version, aimed to prevent states from enacting AI laws for a decade, arguing that a patchwork of regulations would stifle innovation and undermine competitiveness against China.

However, the measure sparked widespread bipartisan opposition, including from conservative governors and state officials who emphasized the importance of preserving states' rights to protect consumers, children, and artists from AI-related harms such as deepfakes and unauthorized voice replication under laws like Tennessee's ELVIS Act.

Advocates like Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Congresswoman Luz Rivas (CA) underscored that states have been at the forefront of AI regulation, with over 40 states passing AI-related legislation addressing transparency, child safety, and fairness in high-stakes decisions.

Opponents feared the moratorium would grant Big Tech unchecked AI freedom without federal safeguards, while supporters viewed it as key to fostering AI innovation.

The Senate defeat catalyzes renewed momentum for comprehensive federal AI regulation, despite political challenges ahead. As Eric Kashdan from the Campaign Legal Center noted, this bipartisan rebuke signals

"political motivation for the folks who do want to regulate AI on Capitol Hill,"

preserving states' authority to enforce diverse AI rules that currently shape the U.S. regulatory landscape.

For further details, see PBS NewsHour's coverage on the Senate vote, Axios analysis of the legislative aftermath, and the Morrison & Foerster insight on the bill's evolution.

Purdue University has joined forces with pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly & Company to launch a national initiative aimed at expanding AI-enabled pharmaceutical manufacturing in the U.S., marked by Lilly's commitment of up to $250 million over the next eight years through the Lilly-Purdue 360 Initiative.

This collaboration, potentially the largest single industry-academic partnership of its kind in America, focuses on accelerating drug discovery and delivery by integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and big data analytics to enhance disease understanding, personalize treatments, and scale manufacturing efficiently with improved compliance and sustainability.

The partnership extends through 2032, adding four new projects and continuing existing programs like the Lilly Scholars at Purdue and the Lilly and Purdue Research Alliance Center, while facilitating collaboration with shared facilities at Purdue's West Lafayette campus and Lilly's Indianapolis and LEAP Innovation District sites.

Purdue President Mung Chiang highlighted the initiative as a transformative milestone linking “America's Hard Tech Corridor” and advancing both regional innovation and workforce development, with the goal of creating a resilient pharmaceutical supply chain and a highly skilled talent pipeline to support Indiana employers.

Eli Lilly's CEO David Ricks emphasized the critical role of innovation and workforce readiness in delivering life-changing medicines domestically. The coalition also includes partners from academia, industry, and public policy spheres, working collectively to reduce production costs, improve quality, and accelerate regulatory approval processes.

As Dr. Manish Oza of Google Public Sector noted, AI-driven solutions are positioned to revolutionize medicine production, reflecting a broader commitment to reshoring critical pharmaceutical manufacturing at this pivotal moment for U.S. health security and economic leadership.

For more on the alliance and its goals, visit Purdue Strategic Initiatives, the detailed news release at Purdue Newsroom on Lilly Collaboration, and coverage of the national effort launch event at Purdue AI Pharma Initiative Event.

Duolingo is undergoing a transformative "AI-first" shift, as announced by CEO Luis von Ahn, aiming to integrate artificial intelligence deeply into its operations to enhance scalability and innovation in language learning.

The company plans to gradually replace contractors performing tasks that AI can automate, embedding AI proficiency into hiring processes and employee performance reviews, while prioritizing new hires only when automation cannot suffice.

This strategy is designed not to reduce the core workforce but to remove bottlenecks, enabling employees to focus on creative, impactful work rather than repetitive tasks.

AI is speeding up content creation dramatically - an essential move since manual efforts would take decades to scale - and enabling new features like AI-powered Video Calls that bring interactive experiences closer to those provided by human tutors.

Despite some public backlash and concerns over job security, von Ahn clarified that AI is intended as a tool to accelerate work quality and growth, not to replace Duolingo's employees, supporting this transition with training, mentorship, and adaptive tools.

For a detailed overview of this evolution, see the Duolingo CEO's AI-first announcement on The Verge, the Fortune article with CEO's clarification amid public reaction, and the Engadget coverage of Duolingo's AI-driven content creation shift.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has highlighted the intense competition and complex dynamics in the US-China AI chip technology landscape, emphasizing the critical need for the US to engage with global AI developers, notably the 50% based in China, to maintain technological leadership.

Huang downplays US concerns that Nvidia's advanced chips could significantly bolster China's military capabilities, stating that China “doesn't need Nvidia's chips” and can't fully rely on US technology due to existing export restrictions that nearly halved Nvidia's market share in China, impacting billions in sales.

Despite these challenges, Huang advocates for making the “American tech stack” the global standard by fostering widespread adoption rather than imposing bans, which he regards as counterproductive.

After extensive lobbying - including multiple meetings with former President Trump and US policymakers - export licenses for Nvidia's H20 AI chips to China have been approved, marking a reversal in restrictive policy and allowing Nvidia to resume shipments soon.

Huang's recent trip to Beijing underscored this diplomatic balancing act with engagements involving Chinese trade officials and tech leaders like Xiaomi's CEO, while also recognizing formidable Chinese competition from firms like Huawei, which is developing AI chips compatible with Nvidia's architecture to challenge its dominance.

Huang praised China's open-source AI contributions, such as DeepSeek's model, calling AI a “catalyst for global progress” revolutionizing industries worldwide.

This multi-faceted US-China relationship in AI reflects a race not only in technology but also in global adoption and influence, where Huang predicts future success will hinge on the widest model usage rather than just performance.

For a detailed view of Huang's position, see Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on U.S. Fears of China Using Nvidia Chips, the policy and market negotiation timeline at How Nvidia's Jensen Huang Persuaded Trump to Sell A.I. Chips to China, and insights into Nvidia's strategy and China market engagement in Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Woos Beijing as Nvidia Finds a Way Back into China.

On July 23, 2025, the Trump Administration unveiled its ambitious America's AI Action Plan, a comprehensive federal strategy designed to cement U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence through deregulation, infrastructure investment, and global diplomatic engagement.

The plan pivots on three pillars: accelerating AI innovation by removing regulatory barriers and promoting workforce development; building cutting-edge AI infrastructure with streamlined permitting for large-scale data centers and semiconductor manufacturing, as outlined in the related executive order on accelerating federal permitting of data center infrastructure; and leading in international AI diplomacy by promoting the export of the entire American AI technology stack, facilitating secure, full-stack AI export packages to allied nations under the executive order on promoting the export of American AI technology.

The administration revoked prior AI regulations considered obstacles to innovation and introduced new federal financial incentives for qualifying projects that meet high capital and energy load thresholds, emphasizing national security.

The plan also commits to ideological neutrality for AI systems, particularly within federal procurement, mandates transparency in AI performance, and targets rapid workforce retraining to ensure that American workers thrive alongside AI advances.

This bold initiative aims to accelerate America's AI infrastructure growth and maintain competitive advantage amid rising global competition, particularly with China, while addressing emerging challenges like synthetic media and cybersecurity.

As this policy reshapes the regulatory landscape, businesses and states are advised to monitor funding criteria linked to regulatory compliance, while leveraging expanded opportunities through federal support and international market access in the AI sector.

In a pioneering move to enhance public communication and trust, the Arizona Supreme Court has introduced AI-generated avatars named Daniel and Victoria to announce each ruling issued by the justices.

These avatars, created using the Creatify platform, serve as digital spokespersons presenting court news releases that are carefully drafted and approved by the justices themselves, ensuring accuracy and maintaining human oversight.

The initiative aims to meet the public where they consume information - through engaging video formats - while reducing the production time of official news releases from hours to mere minutes.

Chief Justice Ann Timmer emphasized that these avatars are tools designed to improve transparency and public understanding, not to replace human judgment or interpretation.

This approach marks the first use of AI avatars in a U.S. state court system to foster connection and clarity in legal communications, with plans to expand their role into legal education and community outreach.

Despite some debate over the ethical implications and potential for viewers to mistake avatars as real reporters, the court maintains clear disclaimers about their AI origins to preserve public trust.

This innovative step reflects broader legislative trends across the U.S. to responsibly integrate AI in government services, exemplified by Arizona's enactment of laws safeguarding lawful computational resource usage in residences.

For more details on this legal innovation, see the Arizona Supreme Court unveiling AI avatars, the NBC coverage on AI avatars delivering legal news, and the comprehensive 2025 AI legislation summary by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In 2025, US news publishers are vigorously campaigning for fair compensation amid rising concerns over AI's extensive use of their content without proper consent or remuneration.

Over 70 prominent authors including Dennis Lehane and Lauren Groff have publicly petitioned major publishing houses - such as Penguin, Random House, and HarperCollins - to prohibit the release of AI-generated books based on copyrighted works without author approval, highlighting risks of job displacement and devaluation of human creativity.

This movement underscores demands for publishers to avoid replacing employees with AI and to prioritize human narration in audiobooks, opposing trends amplified by companies like Audible expanding AI-driven audio production.

Concurrently, news publishers confront challenges as AI-powered search features increasingly divert traffic, reducing digital revenue and complicating licensing negotiations with tech giants.

While some publishers have reached licensing and revenue-sharing agreements with AI firms - including The New York Times' landmark deal with Amazon - many decry the minimal compensation offered and the opacity of deal terms.

Legal battles compound the complexity, with over a dozen lawsuits filed against AI companies for unauthorized use of journalistic content. Publishers also face the technical challenge of blocking AI crawlers amid evolving protocols and seek greater transparency and partnership with AI platforms to safeguard their intellectual property and business sustainability.

As AI reshapes content creation and distribution, publishers emphasize strengthening direct audience relationships and call for industry-wide collaboration to ensure journalism's value is recognized and fairly compensated in this transformative landscape.

For deeper insights, explore the full report on authors petitioning publishers on AI use, an analysis of AI licensing deals in publishing, and the comprehensive Tow Center study on how platforms and publishers are navigating AI.

The release of the Trump administration's “Winning the AI Race: America's AI Action Plan” marks a pivotal moment in the US technology landscape, setting an ambitious roadmap to cement American leadership in artificial intelligence through three central pillars: accelerating AI innovation by reducing regulatory barriers, building expansive AI infrastructure including data centers and semiconductor manufacturing, and leading international AI diplomacy and security efforts.

This strategy prioritizes rapid infrastructure expansion - fast-tracking permits and leveraging federal land - while emphasizing workforce retraining to prepare workers for AI-induced labor shifts.

However, the plan's environmental concessions, such as easing permits under the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, raise significant concerns given the rising energy consumption of AI data centers, which already account for a sizeable portion of U.S. electricity usage.

The federal push for global AI dominance contrasts with more cooperative international AI engagements, notably from China, amplifying geopolitical tensions in the AI race.

Businesses and stakeholders must navigate shifting regulatory landscapes as federal and state policies evolve. For individuals looking to adapt and thrive in this transformative era, Nucamp offers targeted educational paths, such as the AI Essentials for Work bootcamp, designed to build practical AI skills for business roles without technical backgrounds, and the Solo AI Tech Entrepreneur bootcamp, which empowers learners to launch AI startups globally.

These programs align well with the administration's emphasis on workforce development amid rapid AI integration, offering accessible routes for Americans to engage meaningfully with the emerging AI-powered economic landscape.