LABOR
Security officers at Harvard officially ratify new union contract
Nearly 300 security officers at Harvard University have officially ratified a new union contract, their union announced Thursday, after the officers’ previous agreement expired in November. The officers, who are employed by Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., which Harvard contracts with, secured a $4-an-hour wage increase over the course of the four-year contract, said their union, 32BJ SEIU. A union spokesperson said that currently, on average, the officers are making around $26 an hour. The agreement also includes a $500 bonus for each officer, new language on workplace harassment and on job security for immigrant officers, and prayer accommodations for all faiths, the union said. “I’m proud of the unity demonstrated by the custodians and security officers at Harvard over this long campaign, so that they could protect their employer-paid healthcare and win wage increases that catch up with the rising cost of living,” said Kevin Brown, executive vice president of New York-based 32BJ SEIU, in a statement. The officers announced a tentative agreement earlier this month. The officers’ vote to approve the new contract comes on the heels of Harvard custodians — who, too, are members of 32BJ — also ratifying a new four-year contract earlier this month. — DANA GERBER
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
AI is giving bad advice to flatter its users, says new study on dangers of overly agreeable chatbots
Artificial intelligence chatbots are so prone to flattering and validating their human users that they are giving bad advice that can damage relationships and reinforce harmful behaviors, according to a new study that explores the dangers of AI telling people what they want to hear. The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, tested 11 leading AI systems and found they all showed varying degrees of sycophancy — behavior that was overly agreeable and affirming. The problem is not just that they dispense inappropriate advice but that people trust and prefer AI more when the chatbots are justifying their convictions. “This creates perverse incentives for sycophancy to persist: The very feature that causes harm also drives engagement,” says the study led by researchers at Stanford University. The study found that a technological flaw already tied to some high-profile cases of delusional and suicidal behavior in vulnerable populations is also pervasive across a wide range of people’s interactions with chatbots. It’s subtle enough that they might not notice and a particular danger to young people turning to AI for many of life’s questions while their brains and social norms are still developing. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
RETAIL
Macy’s says users of new AI chatbot spend about 400% more online
Macy’s Inc. has launched an AI-powered shopping assistant that’s upped spending online among those using the new tool, part of the company’s multiyear effort to reverse a sales decline. Customers who use “Ask Macy’s,” the chatbot that’s powered by Google’s Gemini platform, have spent around 4.75 times more than those who don’t, the company said. Macy’s gathered the data during the last several weeks while testing the shopping assistant with about half of visitors to its website. As of Monday, “Ask Macy’s” is available across the company’s digital platforms, including its app. Magni said users have gravitated to the chatbot’s “complete the look” option – where it suggests shoes and a belt to go with a suit, for example – and the virtual try-on feature that enables shoppers to see what an item looks like on them. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
ENTERTAINMENT
The Oscars are leaving Hollywood
The Oscars are leaving Hollywood. In 2029, the year the telecast moves from ABC to YouTube, the ceremony itself will move from its longtime home at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles and the Peacock Theater, 9 miles away. The Academy announced Thursday that it has reached a 10-year agreement with AEG, which operates the L.A. Live complex where the Peacock Theater sits. It’s a surprising move, given that the Dolby was developed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself, expressly as a home for the Oscars. The ceremony has been held there since 2002 (with the exception of the COVID-driven downsized show at Union Station in 2021) and has provided an especially steady home for the Oscars, which have never stayed in a single venue for such a long stretch. The awards bounced between various LA hotels in its early years, before moving up to theaters in the mid-1940s. The Dolby will continue to host the show as it airs in its final years on ABC, concluding with the 100th Academy Awards in 2028. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
PAY
What men and women think about gender and pay, according to a new AP-NORC poll
Most working women in the US believe they are disadvantaged when it comes to earning competitive wages, but many men hold a different view, according to a new AP-NORC poll. Equal pay emerged as a major source of concern for working women in the poll and an area where men and women are far apart in their perception of gender equity. Most women who are employed full-time — about 6 in 10 — say men have more opportunities when it comes to earning competitive wages, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, while about one-third think neither gender has an advantage. About 3 in 10 employed women say they have personally experienced wage discrimination because of their gender. Men who are employed full-time are more divided: About 4 in 10 believe men have an advantage when it comes to wages, while about half think both genders have about the same opportunities and about 1 in 10 say women have more opportunities. Just about 1 in 10 men say they have personally experienced wage discrimination because of their gender. The survey also found that a majority of employed women say the amount of money they get paid is a “major” source of stress in their life right now, compared to about 4 in 10 employed men. The findings come at a time when men’s earnings are rising faster than women’s, and the gender wage gap has widened for two years in a row, according to the US Census Bureau. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
AVIATION
Air Canada chief apologizes for English-language condolences after plane crash
Air Canada’s chief executive, Michael Rousseau, apologized on Thursday for expressing condolences only in English in a country that is officially bilingual after two of his airline’s pilots were killed Sunday in a collision at LaGuardia Airport. Politicians had called for Rousseau’s resignation after a four-minute condolence video posted online Monday included only two French words, “bonjour” and “merci,” though subtitles were provided in both languages. Canada has two official languages, English and French. “I am deeply saddened that my inability to speak French has diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada’s employees, who have demonstrated outstanding professionalism despite the events of the past few days,” Rousseau, a native English speaker, said in a statement. Hours after his apology, the Quebec legislature voted in favor of a motion calling for the resignation of Rousseau, saying that his inability to speak French showed a lack of respect for French-speaking Canadians. The airline said on Thursday afternoon that Rousseau would remain in his position. — NEW YORK TIMES
STREAMING
Netflix raises subscription prices by as much as $2 a month
Netflix Inc. increased the price of its standard streaming subscription with ads in the US by $1 to $8.99 per month, making good on its promise to increase revenue this year. The company’s standard plan without ads rose by $2 to $19.99 per month while the premium plan, which supports up to four devices at once, climbed $2 to $26.99. The last time Netflix raised prices in the US was in January 2025. The changes are effective immediately for new customers. Existing customers will be notified by email a month before their new pricing starts. The company cited its continued investment in programming. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
GAMBLING
Credit problems jump after betting is legalized, Fed study finds
US states that have legalized sports betting have seen a rise in delinquency rates on consumer credit products and a decrease in credit scores, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Among people under 40 — the main demographic for sports betting — the share who were at least 90 days late on a credit card payment rose 7.9 percent after legalization, an analysis of consumer credit data found. For people in that age group, auto loan delinquencies increased by 5.6 percent, according to the paper by Jacob Goss, a former research analyst at the New York Fed, and Daniel Mangrum, a research economist at the bank. “Our findings suggest that sports betting can have dramatic implications for household financial stability,” the authors wrote this week. — BLOOMBERG NEWS