Company: GE
Filing Date: 2025-02-03
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000040545-25-000015
Chunk: 42

Company: GENERAL ELECTRIC CO
Filing Date: 2025-02-03
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 7
Chunk 42
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 of sales of our products or services in the future due to the long product development cycles in our business. The amounts that we do invest in research and development efforts may not lead to the development of new technologies or products on a timely basis or meet the needs of our customers as fully as competitive offerings, and we may face impairment charges for contract fulfillment costs that are capitalized as nonrecurring engineering costs if we determine recovery of the costs is not probable (see Note 1). 

Our business is also subject to technological change and advances, such as growth in industrial automation and increased digitization of the operations, infrastructure and solutions that customers demand. In addition, our use of emerging and evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, which we expect to increase over time, presents business, reputational, legal and compliance risks related to data sourcing, design flaws, integration issues, security threats, privacy protections and the ability to develop sufficient protection measures. Artificial intelligence technologies have rapidly developed and our business may be adversely affected if we cannot successfully integrate these technologies into our business processes and product and service offerings in a timely, cost-effective, compliant and responsible manner. The introduction of innovative and disruptive technologies in the segments in which we operate also poses risks in the form of new competitors, market consolidation, substitutions of existing products, services or solutions, niche players, new business models and competitors that are faster to market with new or more cost-effective products or services. Existing and new competitors offer parts or services for our installed base, and if the customers that purchase our products and services select our competitors or we otherwise fail to maintain or renew service relationships, this can erode our revenue and profitability. 

Government programs and contracts - Our defense business is subject to risks from changes in government spending that can adversely affect our business strategy or financial performance, in addition to risks related to regulations and compliance with government contracts. Our defense business is heavily influenced by the spending and policy actions of the U.S. federal government, as well as allied governments that rely on U.S. suppliers to provide products and services important to their national defense. Changes in U.S. or other government defense spending, including as a result of potential changes in policy or budgetary positions or priorities, in connection with the recent U.S. elections or otherwise, can negatively impact the results and growth prospects of our defense business. U.S. defense spending levels are difficult to predict and may be impacted by numerous factors such as the evolving nature of the national security threat environment, U.S. national security strategy, U.S. foreign