Agitators clashed with police Friday after breaking into a construction site for a new Microsoft data center.
One of the protest’s organizers told a local outlet that the group was planning to occupy the site to keep the data center from being built.
Some of the other protesters also climbed a crane and set off fireworks.
Other anti-data center protests are expected in cities across Europe over the weekend.
Microsoft condemned the group breaking into the site.
“We understand that people feel strongly about the project, and we respect their right to express those views peacefully," a Microsoft spokesperson said. “However, we do not condone any actions that are unlawful or that put people’s safety at risk.”
Police said as many as 200 protesters had been detained on suspicion of trespassing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democratic California Rep. Ted Lieu sent a cryptic message to artificial intelligence companies in an X post Friday, writing “Dear AI industry: Hello.”
Lieu, who just won his seventh term representing the Los Angeles area, shared a news story about Democrats promising to rein in AI after sweeping wins in Tuesday’s midterms.
Lieu said at the news conference he would advocate for “reasonable guardrails on AI.”
He also accused Republicans of letting the “AI industry run wild.”
A man accused of planting a bugging device in an OpenAI office pleaded not guilty in court on Friday.
Abdulrahman Alfozan pleaded not guilty while he was arraigned in a federal San Francisco courtroom, only speaking when asked to give his name and age.
Alfozan faces one count of interception of oral communications with a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
He is due back in court on Nov. 17.
The Saudi national has been held without bail since his arrest on Oct. 9.
He was indicted by a grand jury on Oct. 27.
{{#rendered}}Microsoft plans to lessen the amount of cloud computing partner or neoclouds that it rents from, including Oracle, as it works on building out its own data centers, according to Bloomberg and CNBC.
Microsoft has also had neocloud relationships with CoreWeave, Nebius, Chronoscale, IREN, Lambda and Nscale.
“We combine Microsoft-owned datacenters, leased facilities and strategic partnerships with third-party providers to deliver the capacity our customers need, where and when they need it,” a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC. “We regularly review these investments against customer demand. That includes tracking delivery and adjusting plans as circumstances change.”
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar told CNBC Friday that the company will continue building data centers across the United States, after voters overwhelmingly favored limiting data center development.
"When I think about the midterms, I need to keep thinking about how do we keep investing to meet that customer demand," Friar told CNBC in an interview. "It starts early with having built relationships with all of the hyperscalers, and it will continue to mean that we raise capital."
Ballotpedia found that voters backed restrictions or rejected proposals to support data center development in 40 of the 41 local ballot contests across 10 states. Voters approved 27 measures limiting development or expressing opposition and rejected 13 measures that would have supported it.
"If the midterm means more focus on data centers and communities, we’re going to keep doing the work to get into those communities and to build trust with them," Friar told CNBC.
President Donald Trump has thrown the federal government's weight behind massive data center build-outs needed to power the country's artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
But a historic Democratic sweep in Texas has put one of the nation's biggest AI infrastructure hubs under new political leadership, raising questions about the future of billions of dollars in planned investments.
The victories marked a historic midterm night for Texas Democrats, who captured the governor's mansion for the first time in more than three decades and won a U.S. Senate seat for the first time since 1988.
Texas is poised to overtake Virginia as the nation's largest data center market and is projected to account for roughly a quarter of new U.S. data center power capacity through 2030.
With at least 248 projects planned across the state, investment bank Jefferies estimates that 13.3 gigawatts of announced developments could be at risk under a moratorium backed by Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa.
This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital's Amanda Macias.
{{#rendered}}Investors pushed AI stocks higher Friday, though they remained below Thursday’s levels, signaling a tentative rebound after the historic selloff.
Nvidia, considered a bellwether for the chip sector, climbed 3.5% as of 11:50am ET. Shares retreated around 9% in Thursday's trading session.
AMD, another chipmaker, rose just under 10%, recouping some of its 17% loss the previous day.
Broadcom and Intel, each down about 10% at Thursday's closing bell, have increased 1.75% and 6.8%, respectively.
Tech stocks also enjoyed a recovery early Friday, with Alphabet, Meta and SpaceX all posting moderate gains.
Anthropic announced it is introducing the beta version of a personal finance tool on Claude in the United States, allowing users to get AI-inspired advice on their financial decisions.
Users connect whichever accounts they choose, including bank, credit card, loan and investment accounts. Users can then ask detailed questions about their finances.
"Claude gives you answers in everyday language, from your balances and transactions, and explains any term that's new to you," Anthropic wrote in a blog post. "Like the rest of Claude, Personal Finance has no ads or sponsored recommendations, and it doesn’t offer credit cards, loans, or savings accounts of its own, so your money questions get a straight answer."
Anthropic made clear that its access to users' bank or credit card accounts would be read-only and that "Claude can't move, manage, or invest your money."
The personal finance tool will be made available in beta for paid customers on the Pro, Max and Ultra plans.
This comes after OpenAI's ChatGPT launched a similar product back in May.
The Nasdaq Composite opened higher on Friday after a selloff hit artificial intelligence stocks and sent the exchange into correction territory.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 1.28%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was 474 points, or 0.92% lower. The S&P 500 was up 0.38%.
Technology and chip stocks were among those hardest hit on Thursday as investors weighed what Democrats' sweeping midterm election victories could mean for AI regulation and data center development.
The selloff came just one day after stocks rallied following the midterm elections.
"The obvious catalyst for the sharp selloff is that markets are pricing in the midterm results, after yesterday saw markets rise across the board as the political risk premium unwound," eToro market analyst Jakub Rochlitz said.
This is an excerpt from a story by Fox Business' Matthew Kazin.
{{#rendered}}ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — At the opening of the world's largest energy conference in Abu Dhabi, artificial intelligence took center stage alongside oil and gas as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined senior UAE officials for the announcement of a major partnership aimed at bringing advanced AI into the energy industry.
The opening ceremony of ADIPEC 2026, attended by Fox News Digital, brought together senior government officials and energy industry leaders at a time when the war involving Iran and disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz have placed extraordinary pressure on global energy supplies.
But amid discussions about oil production, shipping routes and energy security, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology and chief executive of state-owned energy giant ADNOC, delivered a different challenge to the technology industry.
"From the moment ChatGPT was born, the world has asked what energy can do for AI. And now, together, we will find out what AI can do for energy," Al Jaber told the audience, introducing a partnership between ADNOC, OpenAI and Abu Dhabi-based technology company G42.
This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter.
Elon Musk said Friday that Tesla will stop producing the Cybertruck at its gigafactory in Texas by mid-2027, a move that comes after years of worse-than-expected sales for the futuristic model, which was pitched as an alternative to traditional trucks.
Musk said winding down Cybertruck production would make room at the factory to increase Cybercab output. The two-seat vehicle is designed to serve as the basis for Tesla’s robotaxi service, which currently offers Cybercab rides in Austin.
It's not clear if Cybertruck production is being moved to another facility or being phased out entirely. The Texas site is the only known site with the ability to manufacture the vehicles specialized components, Reuters reported.
In response to a user on X, Musk called the Cybertruck, which debuted in November 2023, the "best vehicle Tesla has ever made" and the wind-down is the "end of an era."
Tesla sold 20,237 Cybertrucks in the U.S. last year, a 48% drop from 38,965 in 2024, according to Kelly Blue Book.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
As Democrats prepare to unleash a wave of subpoenas and investigations when they take a Congressional majority in January, Elon Musk will be squarely in their crosshairs.
A Washington Post report claims that they are preparing to investigate President Donald Trump's use of the AI chatbot Grok, an Elon Musk creation, in the the Venezuelan operation that saw special forces capture and extract former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
Private law firms are already pitching Musk on serving as his primary counsel as they anticipate Democrats putting Congressional pressure on the world's richest man.
Musk, who spent $474 million to largely help boost Republican candidates in the midterms, may just be one piece of the incoming Congress' highly charged oversight gameplan.
The Post reports that Democrats are widely expected to scrutinize Silicon Valley and tech companies broadly, with Apple and Meta listed as other potential marks.
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump, perhaps in a bid to restore investor confidence, said Friday morning that he is "100% in favor of Super Intelligence (SI)" after Thursday’s steep selloff in tech and AI stocks.
He also said he will work with states that "want to become rich" by building out artificial intelligence infrastructure.
He described the technology as "GOLD" and called it "foolish" of leaders to reject it. Trump has long backed data center expansion, while many Democrats have been more skeptical — a divide that could put the new Congress at odds with the White House.
AI stocks took a beating Thursday, with some suffering double-digit losses, but several of the biggest losers were edging higher in premarket trading Friday.
Chipmaker AMD was among the hardest hit, plunging more than 17% Thursday. It was up roughly 7.5% before the opening bell Friday.
Nvidia and Broadcom, which each fell about 10% Thursday, were up roughly 3% and 4.5%, respectively, in the premarket.
Intel too was down more than 10% and had recovered more than half of those losses this morning.
Alphabet, Meta and SpaceX were also among the stocks that fell Thursday but were showing tentative gains ahead of the bell.
Artificial intelligence stocks suffered steep losses Thursday, pushing the Nasdaq into correction territory as investors worried that tougher restrictions on data center construction could threaten the industry's rapid expansion.
The Nasdaq Composite fell 5.5% in late trading, putting it more than 10% below its recent record, while the S&P 500 dropped 4.3% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed more than 1,800 points, according to CNBC.
AI chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom each tumbled roughly 9%, while Oracle lost 7% and cloud computing company CoreWeave declined 11%.
The selloff followed sweeping Democratic midterm victories that raised concerns about potential limits on new data centers, adding uncertainty to the billions of dollars technology companies are investing in AI infrastructure.
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