Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Hochul announces $40 million to launch Empire AI Beta supercomputer
ALBANY, N.Y. — Empire State Development (ESD) has approved $40 million to launch Empire AI Beta, the second phase of the supercomputer powering New York’s Empire AI (artificial intelligence) initiative. SUNY and Cornell University are among the seven founding members of Empire AI, and the group also includes CUNY (City University of New York), Columbia […]

Instacart, Wegmans launch pilot of AI-powered smart carts
DeWITT, N.Y. — Instacart (NASDAQ: CART), a grocery-technology company, says Caper Carts, the company’s AI (artificial intelligence)-powered smart carts, are now available at the Wegmans store in DeWitt. It marks the first deployment of Caper Carts at Wegmans, as part of an initial in-store program offering customers a “smarter, more seamless way to shop in-store,”

New York municipalities required to use “.gov” website domain by year-end
Legislation passed early this year amends New York general municipal law and requires that all municipal websites use a “.gov” domain name. The change, which goes into effect on Dec. 21, 2025, also requires that all municipalities with a population of 1,500 or more establish and maintain an official website. The website must be updated

Upstate’s mobile mammography van reaches 5,000 mammograms milestone
ELBRIDGE, N.Y.— Upstate University Hospital’s mobile mammography van in mid-June provided its 5,000th mammogram, which Upstate called an “important milestone.” Anna-Marie Peters, of Elbridge, was welcomed with balloons and a bouquet of flowers when she arrived at the van, which was parked outside the Jordan Elbridge Medical Center. “It was wonderful, and I loved it,”

Survey: Half of managers use AI to decide who gets promoted, fired
A new Resume Builder survey of 1,342 U.S. managers with direct reports, found a majority of those using AI at work are relying on it to make high-stakes personnel decisions, including who gets promoted, who gets a raise, and who gets fired. According to the survey, six in 10 managers deploy AI to make decisions

Barclay pushes for NYPA to develop a new upstate nuclear-power plant in Oswego
New York State Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R–Pulaski) believes Oswego would be the “ideal site” for a new nuclear-power plant. The lawmaker issued a June 23 statement after Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wants the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to develop and construct a zero-emission, advanced nuclear-power plant somewhere in upstate New York.

Survey finds majority of Gen Z workers use AI to navigate workplace issues
About three-quarters of Gen Z workers use AI chatbots to help them solve workplace problems, according to a new survey report from Resume.org, a platform for building résumés, The June 2025 survey of 1,022 full-time Gen Z workers explored how they use AI to navigate workplace dynamics. It found that 76 percent use AI chatbots

L3Harris wins nearly $30M Army contract for communications equipment
L3Harris Global Communications Inc., of Rochester, was recently awarded a $29.6 million firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Army for communications equipment and accessories. Bids were

VIEWPOINT: From Burden to Breeze: Redefining Compliance with AI-Powered Solutions
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are steadily transforming the way businesses approach risk, regulation, and operational oversight. With an ever-evolving cyber ecosystem, compliance is regularly playing catch-up. Revelations regarding zero-day attacks, where no prior knowledge of the exploitation exists, promote additions and amendments to what defines a “secure environment.” New software and breakthroughs in industry

Sylvan Beach making significant progress on $51 million wastewater-treatment plant project
SYLVAN BEACH, N.Y. — The Village of Sylvan Beach says it is making “significant progress” on its $51 million construction project to modernize the East
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