06/05/2026

BIZ & FINANCE WEDNESDAY | MAY 6, 2026

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Amazon opens logistics network to all businesses

White House weighs vetting AI models before public release: NYT SAN FRANCISCO: President Donald Trump’s administration is considering requiring US government oversight of artificial intelligence models before they are released to the public, a sharp reversal of the previous hands-off approach to the technology, The New York Times reported on Monday. The White House is discussing an executive order that would establish a working group of tech executives and government officials to examine potential review procedures for new AI models, the newspaper reported, citing US officials and people with knowledge of the deliberations. Senior administration officials briefed executives from Anthropic, Google and OpenAI on some of the plans in meetings last week, according to the report. The shift marks a dramatic pivot from the administration’s earlier stance. Trump had positioned himself as a champion of unfettered AI development, rolling back Joe Biden-era safety evaluation requirements and casting regulation as a threat to US competitiveness with China. The Biden administration had issued an executive order in 2023 that required AI developers to share safety test results with the government and directed federal agencies to set standards for the technology, measures Trump rescinded shortly after taking office. But mounting public anxiety over AI’s impact on jobs, energy costs, education and mental health – along with bipartisan concern in Congress – appears to have shifted the calculus, the Times reported. The immediate catalyst was the emergence of a powerful new AI model called Mythos, built by the San Francisco start-up Anthropic. The company has described the model’s ability to identify software security vulnerabilities as potentially leading to a cybersecurity reckoning and has declined to release it publicly. Administration officials want to avoid political fallout from a devastating AI-enabled cyberattack and are also evaluating whether advanced models could yield capabilities useful to the Pentagon and intelligence agencies, the report said. A White House official told the Times that buzz about a potential executive order was “speculation” and said Trump would make any policy announcement himself. The rethink comes amid a leadership shake-up on AI within the Trump administration. Silicon Valley insider David Sacks, the former White House AI czar who championed deregulation, departed from the role in March. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have stepped in, telling associates they intend to take a more active hand in shaping AI policy. Their efforts have been complicated by an ongoing legal battle between Anthropic and the Pentagon over a US$200 million contract and the terms of AI use by the US military. – AFP

margin segment for logistics firms where deliveries tend to be denser, more predictable and less expensive to serve than consumer shipments. The move is “Amazon trying to convert logistics from a cost burden into an infrastructure product”, said Equisights CEO Parth Talsania. It also takes a leaf out of Amazon’s cloud computing unit’s playbook – Amazon Web Services was launched in 2006 to revamp the company’s own IT infrastructure, and it later evolved into the world’s biggest cloud services provider. UPS and FedEx have been de emphasising retail shipments and pursuing higher-profit healthcare, data center and business-to-business shipments. “We would not be surprised to see near-term weakness across the less-than-truckload, air-freight, and forwarding complexes,” analysts at Baird said. – Reuters

among other distribution and fulfillment services. The move is “a direct competitive blow”, to parcel firms such as UPS and FedEx, analysts at Evercore ISI said in a note. Contract logistics firms DHL Supply Chain, Maersk Logistics and GXO Logistics are also among the most exposed, they said. Shares of DHL were down 7.3%, GXO was down nearly 13%, while Maersk was little changed. Amazon said companies can use its solutions across all of their sales channels, including their own website, social media and physical stores. It said it has already signed on consumer goods major Procter & Gamble, industrial heavyweight 3M and apparel firm American Eagle Outfitters. Amazon’s expansion takes aim at the business-to-business shipping market, a prized high

o Shares of UPS and FedEx fall more than 9% on intensified competition

SAN FRANCISCO: Amazon.com said on Monday it would allow other businesses to store and ship goods ranging from raw materials to final products through its vast network, as the e-commerce giant moves to challenge a market long dominated by UPS and FedEx. “Amazon Supply Chain Services” will allow companies across industries such as retail, healthcare and manufacturing to use the company’s supply-chain network spanning ocean, road, rail and air. The move could position Amazon as a major player in the US logistics industry, intensifying competition on pricing and speed for incumbents.

The company boasts a fleet of more than 100 cargo planes – behind only FedEx and UPS – along with a vast network of warehouses and sorting hubs. Shares of FedEx and UPS fell more than 9% each, while Amazon rose nearly 1%. It would also help Amazon unlock a new growth opportunity for its e-commerce unit, building on a service that already supports thousands of independent third-party sellers on the platform worldwide. Companies can take advantage of Amazon’s speedy two-to-five-day delivery timelines, as well as inventory forecasting capabilities,

Amazon’s warehouse facility DSD8 is shown in Poway, California. – REUTERSPIC

Palantir tops estimates on 85% revenue growth NEW YORK: Palantir Technologies raised its annual revenue forecast and beat estimates for quarterly results on Monday, a sign of growing demand for its data analytics software from the US government and commercial clients. data and identifies targets, is set to become an official programme of record for the Pentagon, locking in long-term use across the American military. software to defense and intelligence agencies, while its US commercial business provides enterprise AI platforms that help corporations integrate data and automate operational decisions.

earnings per share of 33 cents in the first quarter, beating estimates of 28 cents. Chief Financial Officer David Glazer reiterated on a post-earnings call that the company’s expenses are expected to ramp up in 2026 “as we remain committed to investing in the product plan and the most elite technical talent.” Last month, Palantir secured a US$300 million contract with the US Department of Agriculture. The firm forecast second-quarter revenue of US$1.797 billion to US$1.801 billion, above estimates of $1.68 billion. – Reuters

The company now expects fiscal 2026 revenue to be between US$7.65 billion and US$7.66 billion, compared with its prior expectations of US$7.18 billion to US$7.20 billion. “The United States remains the center, the constant core, of our business. And that business is erupting,“ CEO Alex Karp said in a letter to shareholders on Monday. Palantir’s US government segment sells data analytics and AI

Revenue rose 85% to US$1.63 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, exceeding LSEG-compiled analysts’ average estimate of US$1.54 billion. Palantir said its revenue from US commercial customers jumped 133% to US$595 million, while revenue from US government customers rose 84% to US$687 million. The company reported adjusted

The rising adoption of artificial intelligence tools in modern warfare has boosted demand for software platforms developed by companies such as Palantir that help defense departments analyse data and make real-time targeting decisions. Palantir’s Maven AI system, a command-and-control software platform that analyses battlefield