Chamber of Progress vs The Next Web

New Report: Automated Ridehailing Could Add Nearly $1.34 Billion to Canada’s GDP by 2050

Chamber of Progress released a new report today finding that automated ridehailing services (or “robotaxis”) could deliver significant economic and social benefits across Canada, adding CAD $1.34 billion...

New Jersey Bans Dynamic Pricing

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the Fair Price Protection Act on July 23, 2026, prohibiting businesses from using consumer data to set individualized prices. The law also imposes a one-year moratorium on the new adoption of electronic shelf labels (ESLs) while the newly created New Jersey Innovation Authority studies the technology's impacts. The legislation preserves retailers' ability to set prices for loyalty program members and offer discounts to broadly defined groups (e.g., teachers, veterans). The move drew mixed reactions: trade groups and tech coalitions urged changes or criticized the law, while labor unions praised it as consumer and worker protection. The law's text states it will take effect on the first day of the seventh month following enactment.

• New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed the Fair Price Protection Act on July 23, 2026.
• The law bans businesses from using consumer data to set individualized prices.
• A one-year moratorium is placed on new adoption of electronic shelf labels (ESLs) for retailers that haven't already installed them.

Airbnb tests AI search, says AI speeds product delivery

Airbnb told investors that AI is accelerating its product development and is beginning tests of an AI-powered search feature. CEO Brian Chesky said AI has reduced time from concept to launch by up to 60% and increased shipped features by nearly 80% compared with the same six months a year earlier. The company uses AI across search, sign-up, checkout, payments and host onboarding, and has expanded an AI customer-support bot (launched in North America in 2025) to over 50 languages. About 45% of issues that start with the AI agent are resolved without human intervention, lowering support cost per booking by 16% year‑over‑year. Airbnb reported Q2 revenue of $3.6 billion (up 17% YoY) and adjusted EBITDA of $1.3 billion (up 21%).

• Airbnb said AI has reduced its time from concept to launch by as much as 60%.
• Compared to the same six months last year, Airbnb increased the number of features and improvements shipped this year by nearly 80%.
• Airbnb is beginning tests of an AI-powered search with an opt-in toggle supporting natural-language queries and more visual results.

AI Labs Urge Government to 'Pace the Frontier'

An essay reflecting on the accelerating pace of technology argues that societal institutions lag behind rapid technical change. It highlights an open letter titled "Pacing the Frontier," published July 28, 2026, which lists 1,178 signatories from frontier AI labs and asks the U.S. government to support an international effort to build technical and governance tools to deliberately pace automated AI development. The author discusses the personal and organizational consequences of tools and platforms changing faster than people and institutions can evaluate them, and recommends deliberate selection of what to follow rather than attempting to keep up with everything.

• On July 28, 2026 more than a thousand employees of frontier AI labs signed a statement called "Pacing the Frontier."
• The pacingthefrontier.com site listed 1,178 signatories at the time the author checked and the form remained open.
• Signatories represent major AI organizations including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and Meta, including several CEOs and chief scientists.