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Happy Friday. Enjoy the end of the week with these stories from WTTW News. |
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(dolgachov / iStock) |
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A recent MIT study found that 95% of firms that adopt generative AI have seen no return on their investment.
Amazon recently eliminated 14,000 roles in a company-wide reorganization effort in which AI was listed as one of the principal reasons. The company faced scrutiny as many debate whether the integration of AI into a company’s workflow can really do the job of actual employees.
The MIT study suggests that generative AI has not yet reached the capability needed to improve a company overall, let alone replace jobs.
“Research found limited layoffs from GenAI, and only in industries that are already affected significantly by AI,” the study found. “There is no consensus among executives as to hiring levels over the next 3-5 years.”
Although adoption of the technology is high, “transformation is rare. Only 5% of enterprises have AI tools integrated in workflows at scale and 7 of 9 sectors show no real structural change.”
Experts divided:
Joel Shapiro, professor of data analytics at Northwestern University, remains skeptical of the study, saying that measuring return on investment for AI integration is difficult.
“If we are talking about huge transformations of the way a company works, ROI is very hard to measure; it’s very hard to capture and it’s very hard to, you know, quantify,” Shapiro said.
With the emerging development of AI, many have critiqued the businesses that are developing AI training models with copyrighted material. There are also ethical concerns regarding misinformation and the environmental toll it takes to produce enough computing power for AI computing at scale.
Ben Zhao, professor of computer science at the University of Chicago, has testified in favor of guardrails on AI development, so protections can be made that ensure intellectual property.
“Companies feel like they must embrace it full on or else they’re going to miss out,” Zhao said. “...That type of pressure has led not just AI developers, but also the application developers and society at large to really think about this as a must. And along the way we sort of pushed aside issues like copyright, consent, licensing, we’ve thrown away issues of right of publicity for personal images.” |
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City Hall. (Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News) |
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Mayor Brandon Johnson on Thursday revised his proposed 2026 spending plan to reduce his proposed corporate tax hike to spare companies with fewer than 200 employees.
The current proposed budget would impose a monthly $21 per employee tax on companies with more than 200 employees to generate $82 million to fund violence prevention and youth employment programs.
More context:
Originally, the so-called head tax would have applied to businesses with more than 100 employees to generate $100 million.
Johnson has steadfastly campaigned for the tax, noting that business leaders have told him his highest priority should be public safety. The proposal immediately triggered outrage in the city’s business community, which blasted the tax as a job killer.
To make up the difference, the revised budget proposal would boost the tax levied on software licenses, cloud services and other digital goods from 11% to 15% to generate $416 million, according to the proposal. The mayor has touted that as a tax hike on “big tech,” but Ald. Samantha Nugent (39th Ward) said it “sends a message that we are not a good place to do business.”
What’s next?
Johnson’s $16.6 billion proposed spending plan for 2026, which eliminates a $1.19 billion projected shortfall, is set to face its first test Monday, when it is set to be considered by the City Council’s Budget and Finance committees.
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Officials and environmentalists gathered to unveil the future Park #608 on Nov. 12, 2025. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News) |
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A stretch of Chicago’s southernmost lakefront long used as a toxic landfill is now one step closer to becoming parkland open to all.
On Wednesday, with the sun shining on a brisk fall day, the Chicago Park District unveiled signage for the future home of Park #608. The name is a placeholder for 43 acres adjacent to Calumet Park that have, since 1984, been home to a disposal facility used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to hold polluted sediment dredged from the Calumet River and Cal-Sag Channel.
“What was once a dumping ground will be a destination,” said Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, CEO and general superintendent of the Chicago Park District.
Ramirez-Rosa also announced a $500,000 allocation to kick off the collaborative planning process for the park’s future design and eventual opening, milestones that officials acknowledged are still several years down the road.
More context:
Wednesday’s celebration was in many ways a victory lap for the environmental organizations and community members who challenged the Army Corps’ bid to expand the landfill by 20 vertical feet and extend its life for another 20 years. The Corps’ proposal would have reneged on a decades-old promise to close the facility once it was full and hand the land over to the Park District. |
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A day care worker who was detained by federal immigration agents last week at a North Center preschool and whose arrest was caught on video and widely shared online, has been released from custody, her attorney said Thursday.
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Back in the Day: Nov. 14, 2014 - Jane Byrne, Chicago’s First Woman Mayor, Dies at 81
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In 1979, Jane Byrne was elected mayor of Chicago, becoming the first woman to do so in the city's history. She shocked the Machine establishment by defeating incumbent Michael Bilandic in the Democratic primary and cruised to a general election victory in April of that year. While she only served one term, losing a hotly contested three-way Democratic primary in 1983 against Richard M. Daley and future Mayor Harold Washington, her tenure was still historic. On this day, 11 years ago, Byrne died at 81, from complications related to a stroke she suffered the year prior.
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The 2025 Holiday Events Guide
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"Lightscape" at the Chicago Botanic Garden. (Andrew Ogilvy Photography) |
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Every Friday, WTTW News highlights the must-attend fairs, festivals, markets and neighborhood gatherings this holiday season.
Opens Friday, Nov. 14: Lightscape | Chicago Botanic Garden (Glencoe)
Walk a 1.3-mile trail of seasonal lights and displays. The event runs through Jan.4, and you can buy tickets here. Prices vary between Chicago Botanic Garden members and nonmembers.
Opens Friday, Nov. 14: Willow Hill Lights | Willow Hill Golf Course (Northbrook)
Speaking of lights, this north suburban golf course puts on a spectacular holiday drive-through experience, boasting two-and-a-half miles of trail and 1.5 million LED lights. Buy tickets here for the event that runs through Jan. 4.
Opens Saturday, Nov. 15: Illumination: Tree Lights | Morton Arboretum (Lisle)
Morton Arboretum's holiday series "Illumination: Tree Lights" returns for its 13th year and runs through Jan. 3. Buy tickets here to the light show, which USA Today called one of the nation's "Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights."
Through Dec. 23: Chicago Fair Trade Pop-Up Shop | Lincoln Park
Head to 2717 N. Clark St. for Chicago Fair Trade’s 12th annual Holiday Pop-Up Shop. Support dozens of local businesses with ethically sourced, eco-friendly products and trinkets to fill up your holiday shopping list.
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What’s your favorite place for tavern-style pizza in the Chicago area? Tell us where and why.
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Email DailyChicagoan@wttw.com with your responses and your answers might be published. Here's what you had to say:
“Pete's Pizza on Western. So good!” — Laurie A.
“Barnaby’s” — Fred B.
“[Westmont's] Kim's Uncle Pizza” — Davin L.
“There is a small family pizzeria at 94th and Robert’s Rd in Hickory Hills called Vito and Nicks II. We love their sausage pepperoni thin-crust pizza. It’s so thin that the edges are as crispy as crackers.” — Ed |
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Newsletter Producer: Josh Terry |
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