The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a nonprofit launched by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife aimed at curing all disease, on Thursday announced it was restructuring to focus on using artificial intelligence to achieve that goal.

The move narrows the focus of the philanthropic organization founded in 2015 with a vow to devote most of the couple’s significant wealth to charitable causes, including social justice and voter rights.

Zuckerberg is among the high-profile tech figures who has backed away from diversity, equality and fact-checking initiatives after US President Donald Trump took office in January.

The organization this year ended its diversity efforts, curbed support of nonprofits that provide housing and stopped funding a primary school that gave education and health care to underserved children, according to media reports.

The philanthropic mission created by the Meta co-founder and his spouse, Priscilla Chan, said that its current priority involves scientific teams centralized in a facility called Biohub.

“This is a pivotal moment in science, and the future of AI-powered scientific discovery is starting to come into view,” Biohub said in a blog post.

“We believe that it will be possible in the next few years to create powerful AI systems that can reason about and represent biology to accelerate science.”

Biohub envisions AI helping advance ways to detect, prevent and cure diseases, according to the post.

The mission includes trying to model the human immune system, potentially opening a door to “engineering human health.”

“We believe we’re on the cusp of a scientific revolution in biology—as frontier artificial intelligence and virtual biology give scientists new tools to understand life at a fundamental level,” Biohub said in the post.

The first investment announced by the Zuckerbergs when the initiative debuted nearly a decade ago was for the creation of a Biohub in Silicon Valley where researchers, scientists and others could work to build tools to better study and understand diseases.

Shortly after it was established, the initiative bought a Canadian startup which uses AI to quickly read and comprehend scientific papers and then provide insights to researchers.

“Our multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers have built incredible technologies to observe, measure and program biology,” Biohub said of its progress.

Meta is among the big tech firms that have been pouring billions of dollars into data centers and more in a race to lead the field of AI.

© 2025 AFP

Back in the day, Verizon proved their expansive reach with the spokesperson who asked “Can you hear me now?” With the spokesman pulling a Benedict Arnold and moving to T-Mobile, Verizon is now called the “Network America Relies On,” proven by their 4G LTE network covering 99% of the U.S. population, and 5G network expanding daily (though hovering around 13% now). The telecommunications conglomerate is the second-largest wireless carrier in the US and the largest network in America; now including everything from wireless home internet to headphones, smartwatches and cell phone accessories. We know how important it is to stay in communication, so we’ve found some of the best ways to save money, even without a Verizon promo code.

Latest Verizon Coupons: Up to $1,100 on Phones and Plans

You can get up to $1,100 off the newest smartphone models when you trade your phone in and get a new line on the Verizon Unlimited Ultimate plan. The Verizon promo credit will be applied over 36 months and the trade in phone must be from Apple, Google, or Samsung. With this deal, you can get a free Galaxy S25, Watch, and Tablet when you sign up for a new line on MyPlan; a free Google Pixel 10, Watch, and Tablet with a new MyPlan, with no trade-in needed; a free iPhone 17 Pro with a new line of Unlimited Ultimate; or a free Galaxy S25+ with a new line of Unlimited Ultimate, no trade-in required. Plus, you can get an iPhone 17 Pro Max for less than $5 per month with the Unlimited Ultimate line. And both new and existing customers can get free Google Pixel 10 Pro with a trade-in in any condition. You can also save up to $1,100 off the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, or get a free Motorola Rzr, with no trade-in required when you get a new Unlimited Ultimate line.

Plus, now both new and existing customers have tons of different options to save. You can get up to $1,100 off on the latest phones when you buy a new plan—along with overnight shipping included for new customers signing up for a phone plan. Plans are locked in at $0 per month for the first three years. You can also receive a free phone when you trade-in your old phone—no matter the condition.

There are also sweet deals, like $1,100 off the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7. You’ll get a free Samsung Galaxy S25+ when you set up a new line with an Unlimited Ultimate plan, and you’ll have a $0 monthly payment plan for 36 months.

Verizon Promo Codes and Free Phone Deals

There are even more ways to save with rotating Verizon deals. Right now, you can get cutting edge smartphones including the Galaxy Z Flip7, Fold7, iPhone 16 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S25+ with AI for free—with no trade-in required and free 2-day shipping. More details can be found at the link, but you’ll need to get a new line on an Unlimited Plan and overall you’ll be saving $999.99 after credits of $27.77 per month for 36 months.

Verizon just seems to be handing out phones at this point—you can get a Samsung Galaxy Watch8 for free when you buy an Android and new plan when you purchase a 5G smartphone with select Unlimited Plans. You can also get a free iPhone 16 Pro, or an Apple Watch SE or iPad 10th generation for free when you purchase a 5G iPhone with select Unlimited Plans. Even without a trade-in, customers can get four iPhone 15 Plus phones when they buy a new myPlan line. Existing customers will save $830 when they buy an iPhone 15 Plus device and upgrade to (or already have) an Unlimited Plus or Unlimited Ultimate plan.

Our Favorite Verizon Phones From $5 per Month at Verizon

Apple’s iPhone 16 is available right now, and looking better than ever—it’s ready for Apple’s new AI rollout, a battery that’s easier to replace, and has a host of games. We put together a handy guide to which iPhone 16 or Galaxy you should buy, in case the various iPhone 16 models to choose from are a bit overwhelming, along with some great cases and accessories to keep your most-used device safe and stylish. If you’ve been eyeing an iPhone 16 Pro, Verizon is offering a great deal where you can get the phone for as little as $5 per month—or it’s free when you add a new line. Stay tuned here for updates, because most Verizon promo codes are for new customers.

We at WIRED review and write about the newest line of Samsung products as well, and have created a guide to help you decide which Samsung Galaxy S24 model you should buy and some of our favorite Samsung Galaxy S24 accessories to upgrade your device. Like competitors, Samsung has worked to continuously integrate AI to make the phone even smarter, helping test for Google’s Gemini.

Another popular non-iPhone model line is the Google Pixel, which are our favorite Android phones. We have a bunch of recommendations for great cases and accessories to keep your phone tip-top, and write often about the company’s ever-evolving AI features.

Verizon Home Internet Deals

Verizon also offers excellent home internet, so if you’re like me and are perpetually unhappy with your wifi speeds while WFH, now might be the perfect time to switch. Plans start at just $35 a month with a price guarantee, and $0 due when you switch. You can also save on entertainment, like $12 per month off the Disney Bundle and $7 a month off Netflix and Max.

Score up to $300 Off With Verizon Bundle Offers

Verizon has tons of ways to bundle your plans with various entertainment and streaming services to spend less. Both new and existing customers can save up to $300 a year with discounts on internet and mobile bundle deals. If you’re new to Verizon, make sure you buy the mobile plan first, then add home internet and your discount will be applied to your bill. Depending on your needs, they have add-on bundles with YouTube TV, NFL Sunday Ticket for the sports lovers, Netflix and Max with ads, and Unlimited Plus with the Disney Bundle, which includes Disney, Hulu, and ESPN+.

Students, Teachers, Military, and Nurses Can Save Up to $45 on Verizon

They also have discounts on mobile plans and home internet for students, military, teachers, and nurses. This means right now, students can get up to $12 off per month of MyPlan line and $20 off Fios Home Internet; members of the military can get discounted lines of $25 per month with 4 lines on Unlimited Welcome and $30 for Fios Home Internet, which includes an extra $15 per month when you bundle mobile with home internet; and nurses get $25 or more off per month, per line and Fios Home Internet starting at $45.

Check out our roundup of deals above, with no Verizon promo code needed to save big on your (arguably) most important tech purchases.

International Airlines Group (IAG) has announced a partnership to implement Starlink-enabled high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity for more than 500 aircraft across its fleet.

IAG is one of the world’s largest airline groups, carrying more than 122 million customers to 260 destinations across 91 countries each year. Its leading airlines in the UK, Ireland and Spain include Aer Lingus, British Airways (BA), Iberia, Level and Vueling. It also includes two complementary businesses, IAG Cargo and IAG Loyalty.

The airline believes that transformation and innovation enable it to maximise value and efficiencies across the group. It has to date been focusing on innovation as part of its group-wide transformation programme, with initiatives including AI to optimise engine maintenance and the launch of the IAGi venturing fund to invest in high-potential startups and scaleups.

As of 31 December 2024, the IAG fleet comprised 601 aircraft, and all of its aircraft not due for retirement will receive the Wi-Fi. Implementation plans will vary by airline and be communicated as the roll-out plan is finalised in the near future. The first aircraft due to go live with the Starlink service connectivity are due to take off in early 2026, covering short-haul journeys in Europe, as well as all of the group’s long-haul transatlantic and global routes.

Starlink offers download speeds of up to 150-450Mbps and upload speeds of 20-70Mbps. IAG noted that a download speed of 150Mbps will allow passengers to download an HD movie of approximately 5GB in around five minutes.

This, according to IAG, will allow passengers to stay connected in the skies with download and upload speeds as good as or better than home connectivity, enabling fast downloads, streaming and online gaming for customers. According to UK comms regulator Ofcom, UK homes’ average maximum download speed was 223Mbps in 2024.

“Staying connected in the skies is increasingly important to our airlines’ customers,” said IAG chief executive Luis Gallego. “The introduction of high-speed Wi-Fi from Starlink will transform onboard connectivity, improving both the connection speed and reliability for customers. Customers from all IAG airlines will be able to benefit from the service from next year. This demonstrates how IAG is working together as a group, to drive innovation and secure major deals to benefit all our stakeholders.”

The roll-out of Starlink satellite connectivity at BA follows a similar move with BA’s arch-rival, Virgin Atlantic, earlier in 2025. Virgin will begin installing streaming-quality Wi-Fi on its Boeing 787s, Airbus A350s and A330neo aircraft from the third quarter of 2026, with an expected completion date by the end of 2027.

In addition, in May 2024, a trio of Boeing 777-300 aircraft belonging to Qatar Airways were the first of its planes to receive Starlink low-latency satellite Wi-Fi connectivity, with the entire fleet set to be upgraded with technology from the company by 2026.

At the time, Qatar Airways was the largest airline to partner with Starlink, and said the move solidified its commitment to elevating the passenger experience onboard, with plans to progressively extend SpaceX-powered technology.