The AI Super Bowl: The Week of February 10th
Super Bowl ads went all-in on AI, stealing some thunder from the Eagles’ big win and Kendrick Lamar’s fiery halftime show. Meanwhile, Trump’s slapping a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum, the UK job market is hitting its weakest point since Covid, and the CFPB is in chaos after Trump’s team ordered a freeze, triggering lawsuits. Oh, and the UK just told Apple to let them spy on encrypted data, setting up a major privacy showdown.
Check out all of the details:
AI-driven ads take the field during the 2025 Super Bowl: As everyone tuned in to watch the annual championship game, the biggest buzz wasn’t just about the Eagles’ blowout win and Kendrick Lamar performing his Grammy-winning diss track at the halftime show. It was also about AI being a consistent theme in several of the multi-million dollar ad spots.
Trump to impose 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum: President Trump on Sunday told reporters that he planned to announce new 25% tariffs today, targeting imports of steel and aluminum. The proposed levies would be in addition to existing duties and no timeline for implementation was specified. The two metals are vital components in various industries, including transportation, construction and packaging.
UK recruiters highlight toughest conditions in job market since Covid: A monthly survey by KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation points to the most widespread weakening in demand for staff since August 2020, with the survey’s vacancy index falling from 42.9 in December to 41.6 in January. Any reading below 50 means the share of recruiters reporting a weakening in the market outweighs the share reporting improving conditions.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau staff told to ‘stand down’ from all work: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees were told Sunday to stay at home because their Washington, D.C., headquarters would be closed through Feb. 14, according to a memo obtained by CNBC. The memo, from CFPB Chief Operating Officer Adam Martinez, follows an email sent Saturday from newly-installed acting CFPB director Russell Vought which instructed staff to suspend nearly all activities of the regulator, including supervising financial firms.
Union sues Trump admin over CFPB shutdown attempt and DOGE access: Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought was hit with two union lawsuits on Sunday after he issued directives freezing much of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) work. The CFPB has become the latest target of President Trump’s Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), threatening a critical oversight agency that safeguards consumers from unfair business practices.
U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts: Security officials in the United Kingdom have demanded that Apple create a back door allowing them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. The British government’s undisclosed order, issued last month, requires blanket capability to view fully encrypted material, not merely assistance in cracking a specific account, and has no known precedent in major democracies.
We hope you have a productive week! Check out more insights from the Vested team here.
