U.S. House committee recommends tough stance on China

A new nonbinding Congressional report says the U.S. should raise tariffs on Chinese goods and further restrict its access to cutting-edge technology. These are just recommendations, but the committee that released them is bipartisan, suggesting some measure of broader support. Notably, additional funding for U.S. research and development is among the recommendations — a potential boon for domestic technology companies.

Agricultural decarbonization offers opportunities

Thus far, most efforts to reduce or recapture carbon have focused on the energy sector. However, food production and agriculture produce about a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions, a larger share than transportation. Several companies are looking to create and apply new technologies in an effort to mitigate climate-changing impacts from farms.

Artificial intelligence keeps getting smarter

A video recently released by Google shows an engineer literally chatting with that company’s latest chatbot. In the “blue duck” video, the AI engages in casual, voice-based conversation, even when the engineer throws it curveballs — though it does sometimes indulge in encyclopedia-style asides. The rapid advances in the technology suggest that it has plenty of room to grow yet.

Europe’s wealthy less impacted by inflation

New data released by the European Central Bank show that while the continent’s wealthier residents felt the pinch of higher consumer prices, they generally didn’t rein in their spending habits. That could be good news for discount retailers, as Europe’s higher income cohort showed an inclination to shop around for good deals and were willing to open their wallets when they found them.