GLENDALE, Ariz. — One of Arizona’s most anticipated entertainment developments continues to make visible progress, but visitors eager to experience Mattel Adventure Park and VAI Resort will likely have to wait longer.

Located near State Farm Stadium in Glendale, the massive VAI Resort project and the adjacent Mattel Adventure Park have been under construction for several years. While the development has transformed the skyline west of Phoenix, recent updates indicate that neither attraction currently has a confirmed opening date.

New Reports Suggest Further Delays

Recent reports published in spring 2026 indicate that VAI Resort officials continue to maintain their policy of announcing an opening date approximately nine months before welcoming guests. Because no such announcement has been made, industry observers and local media outlets now believe a 2026 opening is becoming increasingly unlikely.

The uncertainty extends to Mattel Adventure Park, which was originally expected to open in 2022 before being delayed multiple times. After missing its latest target of late 2025, references to a specific opening date were removed from public materials. Park representatives have stated that they currently have no update regarding an opening timeline.

Construction Continues Across the Property

Despite the delays, construction remains active throughout the resort and theme park complex. Visitors traveling along Loop 101 can easily spot the towering Hot Wheels-themed roller coasters that have become some of the most recognizable structures on the site.

Drone footage and construction updates posted throughout 2026 show ongoing work on hotel towers, entertainment venues, infrastructure, and various attractions within Mattel Adventure Park.

The official VAI Resort website continues to promote its future offerings, including luxury accommodations, restaurants, entertainment venues, retail spaces, and the world’s first Mattel Adventure Park.

What Guests Can Expect

When completed, Mattel Adventure Park is expected to feature attractions inspired by some of Mattel’s most recognizable brands, including:

• Barbie™ Beach House
• Hot Wheels™ Bone Shaker™: The Ultimate Ride
• Hot Wheels™ Twin Mill™ Racer
• Thomas & Friends™ attractions
• Masters of the Universe-themed experiences
• Mattel Games-themed attractions and activities

The park will be Arizona’s first fully themed indoor-outdoor amusement park and is designed to offer experiences for guests of all ages.

Meanwhile, VAI Resort is planned to include four hotel towers with approximately 1,100 rooms, a large entertainment district, multiple restaurants, retail shopping, convention facilities, and a state-of-the-art amphitheater designed to host major concerts and events.

A Growing Vision

One factor contributing to the project’s lengthy timeline appears to be the continued expansion of the resort’s scope. Developers have repeatedly described VAI as a destination that has evolved far beyond its original vision, adding new hospitality, dining, entertainment, and retail components over time. Earlier project statements noted that these expansions affected scheduling for the adjacent theme park.

The development remains one of the largest tourism and hospitality projects currently underway in Arizona, with investments estimated at more than $1 billion.

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Looking Ahead

For now, both VAI Resort and Mattel Adventure Park remain works in progress. Construction activity continues, new attractions are still being promoted on official websites, and developers have shown no indication that the project has been abandoned. However, without an announced opening date, Arizona residents and visitors will need to remain patient as Glendale’s ambitious entertainment destination moves closer to completion.

While many expected to be riding Hot Wheels coasters by now, the latest updates suggest that the world’s first Mattel Adventure Park is still a destination for the future rather than the present.

Related External Links

• Mattel Adventure Park Official Website
• VAI Resort Official Website
• City of Glendale Economic Development News
• State Farm Stadium Official Website
• Visit Glendale Arizona Tourism Guide
• Epic Resort Destinations

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Alan Jenn, University of California, Davis

The U.S. government is in full retreat from its efforts to make vehicles more fuel-efficient, which it had been prioritizing, along with state governments, since the 1970s.

The latest move came on Feb. 12, 2026, when President Donald Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule rescinding the landmark “endangerment finding,” and reversing various emissions limits on cars and trucks. The 2009 finding stated that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare. If the new rule stands up in court and is not overruled by Congress, it would undo a key part of the long-standing effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

As a scholar of how vehicle emissions contribute to climate change, I know that the science behind the endangerment finding hasn’t changed. If anything, the evidence has grown that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the planet and threatening people’s health and safety. Heat waves, flooding, sea-level rise and wildfires have only worsened in the decade and a half since the EPA’s ruling.

Regulations over the years have cut emissions from power generation, leaving transportation as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

The scientific community agrees that vehicle emissions are harmful and should be regulated. The public also agrees, and has indicated strong preferences for cars that pollute less, including both more efficient gas-burning vehicles and electric-powered ones. Consumers have also been drawn to electric vehicles thanks to other benefits such as performance, operation cost and innovative technologies.

That is why I believe the EPA’s move will not stop the public and commercial transition to electric vehicles, but it will make that shift harder, slower and more expensive for everyone.

Putting carmakers in a bind

The most recent EPA rule about vehicle emissions was finalized in 2024. It set emissions limits that can realistically only be met by a large-scale shift to electric vehicles.

Over the past decade and a half, automakers have been building up their capability to produce electric vehicles to meet these fleet requirements, and a combination of regulations such as California’s zero-emission-vehicle requirements have worked together to ensure customers can get their hands on EVs. The zero-emission-vehicle rules require automakers to produce EVs for the California market, which in turn make it easier for the companies to meet their efficiency and emissions targets from the federal government. These collectively pressure automakers to provide a steady supply of electric vehicles to consumers.

The new EPA move would undo the 2024 EPA vehicle-emissions rule and other federal regulations that also limit emissions from vehicles, such as the heavy-duty vehicle emissions rule.

The possibility of a regulatory reversal puts automakers into a state of uncertainty. Legal challenges to the EPA’s shift are all but guaranteed, and the court process could take years.

For companies making decade-long investment decisions, regulatory stability matters more than short-term politics. Disrupting that stability undermines business planning, erodes investor confidence and sends conflicting signals to consumers and suppliers alike.

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A slower roll

The Trump administration has taken other steps to make electric vehicles less attractive to carmakers and consumers.

The White House has already suspended key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act that provided tax credits for purchasing EVs and halted a US$5 billion investment in a nationwide network of charging stations. And Congress has retracted the federal waiver that allowed California to set its own, stricter emissions limits. In combination, these policies make it hard to buy and drive electric vehicles: Fewer, or no, financial incentives for consumers make the purchases more expensive, and fewer charging stations make travel planning more challenging.

Overturning the EPA’s 2009 endangerment finding would remove the legal basis for regulating climate pollution from vehicles altogether.

But U.S. consumer interest in electric vehicles has been growing, and automakers have already made massive investments to produce electric vehicles and their associated components in the U.S. – such as Hyundai’s EV factory in Georgia and Volkswagen’s Battery Engineering Lab in Tennessee.

Global markets, especially in Europe and China, are also moving decisively toward electrifying large proportions of the vehicles on the road. This move is helped in no small part due to aggressive regulation by their respective governments. The results speak for themselves: Sales of EVs in both the European Union and China have been growing rapidly.

But the pace of change matters. A slower rollout of clean vehicles means more cumulative emissions, more climate damage and more harm to public health.

The EPA’s move seeks to slow the shift to electric vehicles, removing incentives and raising costs – even though the market has shown that cleaner vehicles are viable, the public has shown interest, and the science has never been clearer. But even such a major policy change can’t stop the momentum of those trends.

This is an updated version of an article originally published Aug. 5, 2025.

Alan Jenn, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Stay ahead of the curve with STM Daily News’ Tech section, featuring the latest on innovation, consumer technology, digital trends, startups, AI, and the stories shaping how we live and work.

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Last Updated on June 14, 2026 by Rod Washington

Consumers today are increasingly making purchasing decisions based on more than just price. Many actively seek out local businesses, family-owned companies, veteran-owned enterprises, and Black-owned businesses in an effort to support communities and entrepreneurs they believe in.

Unfortunately, scammers are exploiting that goodwill.

A growing number of fraudulent online stores are using artificial intelligence to create convincing business identities designed to gain consumer trust. These AI-powered storefronts often feature realistic founder photos, emotional backstories, glowing customer reviews, and professional-looking websites that appear legitimate at first glance.

In reality, some of these businesses may not exist at all.

The Rise of AI-Generated Storefronts

Artificial intelligence has made it easier than ever to create realistic images, videos, and written content. While these tools have many legitimate uses, bad actors are increasingly using them to create fake online businesses.

These websites often claim to be small businesses facing hardship, family-owned operations struggling to survive, or businesses representing specific communities. Their marketing is designed to connect emotionally with consumers who want their purchases to make a positive impact.

Social media advertisements frequently promote urgent “closing sales,” liquidation events, or limited-time discounts that encourage shoppers to act quickly before researching the company.

Why These Scams Work

Trust has become a powerful marketing tool.

Many consumers intentionally support businesses they believe align with their values. Scammers understand this and use carefully crafted stories to create an emotional connection before a purchase is made.

AI-generated founder photos and biographies can make a website appear authentic even when the people featured do not exist. Combined with fake testimonials and professional branding, these tactics can create the illusion of a thriving small business.

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The Impact on Legitimate Businesses

The consequences extend beyond individual consumers who lose money.

Authentic small businesses work hard to earn customer trust through years of service, community involvement, and reputation building. When fraudulent websites falsely present themselves as community-focused businesses, they can damage confidence in legitimate entrepreneurs.

As consumers become more skeptical, genuine business owners may find it harder to convince customers that their stories, products, and missions are real.

Warning Signs to Watch For

Before making a purchase, consumers should look for potential red flags:

• Founder photos that appear overly polished or artificial.
• Business histories that cannot be independently verified.
• Recently created social media accounts with little engagement.
• Deep discounts and constant “going out of business” sales.
• Generic customer reviews lacking specific details.
• Limited contact information or nonexistent customer service.
• Return policies that require shipping products overseas despite claims of being U.S.-based.

Protect Yourself Before You Buy

A few minutes of research can prevent costly mistakes.

Consider searching for independent reviews, verifying business addresses, checking domain registration history, and conducting a reverse image search on founder photographs. Consumers should also be cautious when encountering emotional stories that create a sense of urgency or pressure immediate purchases.

Trust but Verify

Artificial intelligence is transforming commerce and communication, but it is also creating new opportunities for deception.

Supporting small businesses remains one of the most effective ways to strengthen local economies and communities. In the age of AI, however, consumers may need to take an extra step to ensure the businesses they support are truly who they claim to be.

The best defense against AI-powered scams is simple: trust, but verify.

Closing Footnote

As artificial intelligence continues to transform online commerce, consumers should remain vigilant when shopping online. A compelling backstory, professional website, or realistic founder photo is no longer proof that a business is legitimate. Taking a few minutes to verify a company’s identity can help protect your wallet and ensure your support goes to genuine entrepreneurs rather than scammers. https://apnews.com/article/2b83cb87d450f22ac0211bfa52ee7b7f?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Related External Links for Further Reading

You can include these resources in your research or share them with readers interested in learning more about AI-generated business scams, online shopping fraud, and consumer protection.

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• FTC Consumer Alerts – Official consumer warnings and scam prevention resources from the Federal Trade Commission.
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• FTC Shopping & Online Buying Advice – Guidance on safe online shopping, evaluating reviews, and avoiding deceptive sellers.
• Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker – Search reported scams and see examples of online shopping fraud reported by consumers.
• BBB Scam Tracker – Report a Scam – Report suspicious businesses and learn how scam investigations work.
• National Cyber Security Centre: Online Shopping Fraud – Advice on identifying suspicious online stores and protecting yourself from shopping fraud.
• AP News: Beware of Online Ads with Elaborate Backstories – Investigation into fake online boutiques that use emotional stories and misleading branding to gain consumer trust.
• FTC Cracks Down on Fake and AI-Generated Reviews – Overview of federal efforts to combat deceptive reviews and AI-generated testimonials.
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Additional Research Resources

For a deeper dive into the growing problem of AI-assisted scams:

• ScamFerret: Detecting Scam Websites with Large Language Models – Research paper exploring how AI can be used to identify fraudulent websites.
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• LOKI: Proactively Discovering Online Scam Websites – Research paper examining methods used to identify thousands of previously unknown scam websites.
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Protect yourself from the latest online scams with STM Daily News. From AI-powered fraud schemes to consumer safety tips, our Consumer Corner delivers practical information to help you make informed decisions. Visit STM Daily News for more news you can use this moment, and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for updates delivered straight to your inbox.