Marketplace All-in-One

There's an emerging industry that uses artificial intelligence to create simulations of people who've died. These post mortem avatars are also called griefbots.

Some critics, including Tomasz Hollanek, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, say this practice raises a number of ethical issues. He walks us through the mechanics of how this technology works, and how it may or may not be used responsibly.

When gas prices go up, Americans freak out. It doesn’t matter that gas prices often fluctuate independently of all the other stuff we have to buy and pay for; more expensive fuel makes an impact on the consumer psyche. In this episode, Americans’ unique emotional relationship to gas costs. Plus: Airlines contend with jet fuel price growth and TSA shortages, the trucking industry is hit by a diesel price-immigration restriction double whammy, and a federal tax code change could reduce charitable giving.

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Farm bills are huge, sprawling pieces of legislation that affect all Americans — not just farmers. But as they’ve gotten more expensive, they’ve gotten tougher to pass. And due to the SNAP cuts in Congress’s big budget bill passed last summer, the coalitions that have historically gotten this legislation over the finish line may be fractured beyond repair. Kimberly talks with Chris Neubert, agriculture policy expert at Arizona State University, about what this could mean for this year’s farm bill prospects.

Two of the three major credit bureaus are dismissing a larger share of consumer complaints. At the same time, the Trump administration has attempted to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the government watchdog agency established following the Great Recession. Today, we'll delve into what it means for consumer protections. Also, the price of a barrel of Brent crude is about 50% higher than it was a month ago. Where do things go from here?

If you are one of the millions of people who haven't done your taxes yet, you've got a month and a day left to file. Something to look forward to, though? Refunds are up over 10% on average so far this year, and more people are receiving tax refunds. But first, we'll check in on how discount retailers are doing and learn how the war in the Middle East is impacting Federal Reserve officials' thinking about a rate cut.