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A Silicon Valley airport is easing travel snarls with its newest hire: ‘José’ the robot

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One of Silicon Valley’s main airports just made its newest hire, a robot named “José.”

San José Mineta International Airport is turning to artificial intelligence to ease the strain of modern air travel, debuting “José,” a humanoid robot, as some US airports grapple with staffing shortages and widespread delays.

Developed by Silicon Valley startup IntBot, José is designed to greet passengers, answer questions, and provide real-time updates while autonomously navigating busy terminals.

The robot will be stationed in SJC’s Terminal B as part of a four-month pilot, “singlehandedly running his own gate,” according to an email previewing the test that referred to José as the airport’s “newest hire.”

Airport officials said the launch highlights San José’s role as a testing ground for emerging technologies to improve customer service.

“By piloting IntBot, we’re exploring how artificial intelligence can enhance the passenger journey while reinforcing SJC’s role as the gateway to Silicon Valley,” said SJC Director of Aviation Mookie Patel.

The timing is notable. Airports across the US have been hit by long security lines and travel chaos, driven in part by many Transportation Security Administration workers not reporting to work during a partial government shutdown. With TSA agents going unpaid at the height of the spring break season, some airports have struggled to maintain normal operations.

José the robot represents a broader push to automate parts of the airport experience, from passenger assistance to information delivery.

SJC officials said the pilot will help evaluate how multimodal AI, combining vision, audio, and language, performs in real-world environments.

The future of air travel may include a robotic helping hand — and it can’t come fast enough for weary vacationers stuck in long lines.

Sign up for BI’s Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com.




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Amanda Goh

The newest villain in ‘Toy Story’ isn’t a toy — it’s screen time

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When “Toy Story” premiered in 1995, the enemy was plastic. In its latest chapter, it’s pixels.

More than 30 years after Woody worried about being replaced by Buzz Lightyear, the franchise is ready to take on a bigger threat: the screen.

The official trailer for “Toy Story 5” was released on Thursday and shows the toys vying for Bonnie’s attention against a frog-themed tablet named Lilypad. Bonnie is the young girl to whom Andy gave his toys when he left for college at the end of “Toy Story 3.”

In the clip, Bonnie receives the device in a package and is almost instantly absorbed, scrolling and tapping with a glazed look as her analog toys watch from the sidelines.

It all builds to a face-off between Jessie the cowgirl doll and Lilypad. Jessie says, “You’re not even listening to me,” only for the tablet to coolly reply, “I’m always listening.”

Jessie, voiced by Joan Cusack, has been in charge since Woody left at the end of “Toy Story 4.” Now, as Bonnie’s attention drifts elsewhere, the gang brings their old — and now balding — leader back.

“I don’t know, Jessie,” Woody says in the trailer. “Toys are for play, but tech is for everything.”

The film is set to be released on June 19, with Tom Hanks and Tim Allen returning to voice Woody and Buzz, respectively.

The storyline taps into a broader debate playing out in real life, as parents and experts wrestle with how screens are reshaping childhood.

Too much screentime has been linked to delays in social skills development, as well as problems with attention and behavior. Those concerns have prompted some governments to move toward banning social media use for children under 16.

The last installment in the Pixar franchise, “Toy Story 4,” was released in 2019. It surpassed $1 billion at the global box office and won an Oscar for best animated feature.




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Meet the newest generation of the Kennedy family, America’s most famous political dynasty

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Schlossberg, 32, is the youngest son of Caroline Kennedy, the former US ambassador to Japan and the only surviving child of John F. Kennedy, and Edwin Schlossberg, a designer and author.

In November, he announced would be campaigning for a congressional seat in New York City’s 12th district.

“I’m not running because I have all the answers to our problems,” he said in a video announcing his candidacy. “I’m running because the people of New York 12 do. I want to listen to your struggles, hear your stories, amplify your voice, go to Washington, and execute on your behalf.”

He was born in New York City and graduated from The Collegiate School, an all-boys private school in Manhattan, the New York Post reported. He later attended Yale University as an undergrad, and he graduated from Harvard in 2022. In 2023, Schlossberg told People he had passed the New York State Bar exam.

Schlossberg makes frequent media appearances and has written for publications, with op-eds in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

“I’m inspired by my family’s legacy of public service,” Schlossberg said in his first live television interview on “Today” in 2017. “It’s something that I’m very proud of.”

However, Schlossberg has been criticized in recent years for his out-there videos on social media, with even some family members criticizing his “trolling,” particularly of his cousin Robert F. Kennedy, online, The New York Post reported.

“I hope he gets the help he needs,” Kennedy’s daughter, Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, told The Post in February.




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