The New York Times

From The New York Times Opinion Section: A.I. may be able to replicate a character's voice, but could it ever capture the soul? Hank Azaria the man who breathed life into some of the most iconic characters on "The Simpsons," argues that there is a lot more to voicing a character than just opening your mouth. It's a full-bodied performance informed by a character's fears and motivations, by their humanness. And when it comes to the human condition, it takes one to know one — for now at least. Video by Elliot deBruyn, Jan Kobal, Emily Holzknecht and Jonah Kessel. Read more here. https://nyti.ms/3EydBvr 

A.I. companies typically train their chatbots using supercomputers packed with 16,000 specialized chips or more, but the Chinese start-up called DeepSeek said it needed only about 2,000. Here's how.

President Trump promised voters that he would enact policies to bring prices down on “Day 1.” Inflation figures released on Wednesday showed that consumer prices ticked up unexpectedly, with the cost of food at home, primarily eggs, as one of the biggest factors fueling the increase. https://nyti.ms/43c6oM3

Stocks on Wall Street slumped at the start of trading on Wednesday, dragged lower by data that showed consumer prices rose more than expected in January, leaving the Federal Reserve little cause to lower interest rates again soon.

“It is more chaotic than it’s ever been.” People now watch so many TV programs at so many different times in so many different ways that it is increasingly challenging for the industry to agree on the best way to measure viewership.

"She's almost like a Carrie Bradshaw of her generation." Emily Sundberg's business newsletter, Feed Me, has made her a rising Substack star.

The pace of hiring slowed slightly in January, signaling more subdued employment growth even as joblessness remained low. The numbers suggest that the labor market may be losing momentum as President Trump's policy agenda could affect both employment and the availability of workers. https://nyti.ms/4gvsrQv

Hundreds of thousands of students with disabilities who are eligible for similar assistance do not receive it. The federal and state governments spend about half a billion dollars each year for such services, but most parents — and even some school officials — don’t even know the program exists. In 2023, New Jersey had the nation’s lowest proportion — roughly 2% — of eligible students getting help, according to a Hechinger Report analysis of government data. For 10 years, New Jersey’s program has languished. And the state’s decentralized school governance system has hampered efforts to get the services into schools. Interviews with dozens of advocates, educators and parents depict a confusing bureaucratic maze, one that leaves tens of thousands of students without services. And New Jersey officials acknowledge the problem. Read more.

Electronics, clothes and textiles are among the top categories of goods imported into the U.S. from China. Tariffs on items like these are poised to hit small businesses that rely on the goods, and cause sticker shock for customers.

The U.S. Education Dept. told K-12 schools and colleges it would revert to policies put out during President Trump’s first term. The guidance limits schools’ liability in sexual misconduct cases, bolsters the rights of students accused of sexual misconduct and scraps rules extending LGBTQ protections.