OpenAI launches GPT-5.4 with native computer use mode, financial plugins for Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets

The big headlines on this release are efficiency, with OpenAI reporting that GPT-5.4 uses far fewer tokens (47% fewer on some tasks) than its predecessors).
Journal of Accountancy

AI tools for finance professionals to prepare and visualize data

AI tools are frequently used in data visualization — this article describes how they can make data preparation more efficient ...
Houston Chronicle

How much water do AI data centers use? A new survey could help Texas regulators find out.

Water consumption by data centers and cryptomining facilities will be the focus of a new data-collection effort launched Friday by the Texas Public Utility Commission. Demand to build new data centers ...
CNET

Starlink Is Using Your Personal Data to Train AI. Here’s How to Opt Out

Starlink says it may also share personal data with partners to help it "develop AI-enabled tools that improve your customer experience.” Joe Supan is a senior writer for CNET covering home technology, ...
FedScoop

Federal judge blocks ICE from using IRS taxpayer data in enforcement

Federal immigration agents detain a man during an operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Jan. 27, 2026. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via ...
CNN

With ICE using Medicaid data, hospitals and states are in a bind over warning immigrant patients

The Trump administration’s move to give deportation officials access to Medicaid data is putting hospitals and states in a bind as they weigh whether to alert immigrant patients that their personal ...
Reuters

India gives 20-year tax holiday to foreign firms using local data centres

NEW DELHI, Feb 1 (Reuters) - India said on Sunday foreign companies using data centres built in the country to provide services to global clients will not face any taxes for doing so for more than 20 ...
Yahoo

ICE is using Medicaid data to find out where immigrants live

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. A masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent knocks on a car window in Minnesota on Jan. 12. A new court ruling allows ...
MIT Technology Review

Using unstructured data to fuel enterprise AI success

Organizations have a wealth of unstructured data that most AI models can’t yet read. Preparing and contextualizing this data is essential for moving from AI experiments to measurable results. In ...
JournalofAccountancy

How CPAs can use exponential smoothing in Excel for better forecasts

Q. I use Excel to do traditional linear forecasting, but I would like to upgrade to exponential smoothing for more accurate forecasts. Is there a way to do this in Excel? A. Accurate forecasting is ...
Wired

You’re Thinking About AI and Water All Wrong

Fears about AI data centers’ water use have exploded. Experts say the reality is far more complicated than people think. When I called him to talk more about AI and water, Masley emphasized that he’s ...
E&E

States push to end secrecy over data center water use

The effort is drawing bipartisan support and is expected to come up again next year as officials grapple with the artificial intelligence boom’s side effects. States facing drought and dwindling ...