good morning. Who will solve the problem of trust in the age of intelligence?
Here is a list of things we are currently distrustful of: Artificial intelligence as a concept, companies manufacturing AI, tools powered by AI, the label “AI generated”, election information synthesized by AI, workplace transformation centered around AI, healthcare informed by AI. AI, cars driven automatically by AI, videos created using AI. And that’s just the tip of the generated iceberg.
I don’t know whether to blame it on the prevalence of frustrating chatbots or the amount of late-night viewing. total recallbut here’s what I know: Too many of us don’t enjoy the ride. —Andrew Nazca
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China arrests iPhone factory workers
If there’s one thing companies love, it’s stability. And there is nothing secure about authorities entering your facility to detain an employee, much less on charges that cannot be fully analyzed.
That’s exactly what happened in China this week. According to be wall street journal reportfour employees working at the Zhengzhou factory of Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group, Apple’s main manufacturing partner for the iPhone, were “charged with crimes bordering on breach of trust” and removed from the premises.
Is this a Taiwan-China problem? perhaps. The Taiwan Mainland Affairs Commission, which governs the so-called Straits relationship with China, warned that inappropriate detention could undermine investor confidence.
It’s best to think that Taiwan’s business leaders are scratching their heads. Foxconn alone makes devices for Google, Nintendo, Sony, and Xiaomi, as well as Apple products. And Taiwan’s TSMC remains one of the largest chipmakers on the planet. some large fabs Its client list in mainland China includes Apple, Nvidia, and Intel.
of course, it’s complicated. Watch this space. —Anne
Behold, Tesla’s robotaxi
The public has finally gotten a glimpse of the self-driving Tesla taxis that Elon Musk has been promising for years.
Musk unveiled his long-awaited CyberCab last night. It’s a two-seater with no steering wheel or pedals, can only be inductively charged, and is said to cost “less than $30,000” and be in production “by 2027.”
People will be able to buy the vehicle themselves, and strangers will be able to use it when the owner is not around, but Musk avoided key details. Who will maintain it or provide support when you get stuck?
Musk also unveiled a self-driving bus called RoboVan (he insisted on pronouncing it “rah-bo-van”) and said Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot would be “the biggest product of any kind ever.” insisted.
He also promised to delay the rollout of true, unsupervised, fully self-driving features in existing Tesla cars for at least the seventh time, bringing them to Texas and California next year.
Investors weren’t impressed, with Tesla shares falling 5% in premarket trading. —David Meyer
AMD debuts AI chip to compete with Nvidia’s Blackwell
When I talk to people in the semiconductor business, there is one question above all else. It’s about who will beat Nvidia.
It’s not that people despise Jensen Huang and his high-flying company. A longing ago, far away (jealousy?) luck Business Person of the Year It’s real.
But this dominance, with Silicon Valley companies reaping huge profits in the fast-growing data center AI market (by many estimates, Nvidia’s share stands at an astonishing 90%), means that at least serious competition remains. Most people realize that if they don’t endure it, it won’t last forever.
Enter AMD. Led by cousin Lisa Su. The Silicon Valley company on Thursday announced the Instinct MI325X, a chip it believes will rival Nvidia’s Blackwell. AMD says it’s a chip start production It will go on sale by the end of the year, but the price has not been disclosed.
AI chips are just one part of the broader data center chip business, but demand for them is exploding. AMD says it is accelerating its roadmap to catch up. There is one thing to note. Because AMD uses a different programming language than Nvidia, there is a lock-in effect that must be overcome to force customers to switch. But, as the old saying goes, money talk. —Anne
Apple’s Vision Pro executive resigns
Dan Riccio, a former Apple hardware executive turned Vision Pro leader, said: I am retired It has been 26 years since I joined the company.
Riccio led Apple’s iPad division through the early days of tablets before becoming senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2012. He was succeeded by John Tarnas in 2021. Riccio then took over what turned out to be Apple’s Vision Pro virtual reality headset.
The $3,500 goggles have struggled to gain traction. “a little too far,” wired Said. “it happens sometimes in my life too” writes CNET. “Magic, until it’s not anymore” confirmed The Verge. This gives a contradictory image.
Ternus will now oversee Riccio’s vision product group and possibly establish a new vision for spatial computing. —Jen Bryce
X avoids new European technology regulations
Elon Musk’s X appears to be able to avoid the toughest parts of the EU’s new technology antitrust laws.
According to Reuterssocial media services will not be designated as “gatekeepers” under the Digital Markets Act, meaning they will not have to take steps such as making direct messaging services interoperable with services on other platforms.
Additionally, X is not forced to provide advertisers with tools to independently verify ads on the platform. This is good for X, even if not the advertiser.
But avoiding the worst of DMA doesn’t mean X is immune from problems in Europe. You must also comply with the new Digital Services Act, which governs content.
× I was hit with a DSA claim. In the past few months, the company has been criticized for its “deceptive” blue checks and lack of transparency around advertising and research data, which could carry fines of up to 6% of global revenue.
In other words, one crisis has been averted, but the other still remains. —DM
Further data
—Lina Khan seeks another term as FTC Chair. Reid Hoffman thinks [message redacted].
—Crypto returns to Stripe in the US We love stablecoins.
—Darktrace co-founder becomes UK investment minister. Start your computer into founder mode.
—The US government currently controls $4.4 billion worth of Bitcoin.. The IRS says proceeds were stolen from the Silk Road darknet market.
—Silicon Valley’s real strength is not in creating new technology. Vivek Wadhwa claims that they are improving and extending existing technology.