As the tech industry continues to evolve, especially with the rise of AI, tech secrets are more valuable than ever, with many even playing a role in national security concerns. According to Reuters, South Korea is cracking down on leaks that threaten its tech companies’ intellectual property.

“We will prevent illegal leaks of advanced technologies to raise the global competitiveness of our companies and strengthen technology leadership,” Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said.

As Reuters goes on to highlight, South Korea has experienced at 97 attempts to steal its tech secrets in the past five years, with many of those being attempts to steal semiconductor secrets. South Korea has already designated 12 industries as “national strategic technologies.”

While Choi said the South Korean government would introduce stronger penalties for leakers, he did not reveal what those penalties would entail.

Once the only truly competitive hardware platform, x86 has faced growing challenges from Arm, as well as the up-and-coming RISC-V. Intel and AMD want to spur further innovation in the x86 ecosystem, ensuring it remains viable and competitive for years to come.

For over four decades, x86 has served as the bedrock of modern computing, establishing itself as the preferred architecture in data centers and PCs worldwide. In today’s evolving landscape — characterized by dynamic AI workloads, custom chiplets, and advancements in 3D packaging and system architectures — the importance of a robust and expanding x86 ecosystem is more crucial than ever.

The advisory group includes Broadcom, Dell, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP, Lenovo, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, and Red Hat, as well as Linux founder Linus Torvalds and Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney.

“We are on the cusp of one of the most significant shifts in the x86 architecture and ecosystem in decades – with new levels of customization, compatibility and scalability needed to meet current and future customer needs,” said Pat Gelsinger, Intel CEO. “We proudly stand together with AMD and the founding members of this advisory group, as we ignite the future of compute, and we deeply appreciate the support of so many industry leaders.”

“Establishing the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group will ensure that the x86 architecture continues evolving as the compute platform of choice for both developers and customers,” said Lisa Su, AMD Chair and CEO. “We are excited to bring the industry together to provide direction on future architectural enhancements and extend the incredible success of x86 for decades to come.”

The group’s goals include unifying instruction sets and architectural interfaces to improve compatibility across x86 platforms. The group specifically wants to achieve the following:

• Enhancing customer choice and compatibility across hardware and software, while accelerating their ability to benefit from new, cutting-edge features.
• Simplifying architectural guidelines to enhance software consistency and standardize interfaces across x86 product offerings from Intel and AMD.
• Enabling greater and more efficient integration of new capabilities into operating systems, frameworks and applications.

The group touted the good that can come when Intel and AMD cooperate on standards, despite being competitors.

As vigorous competitors, Intel and AMD at the same time share a history of industry collaboration focused on platform-level advancements, the introduction of standards, and security vulnerability mitigation within the x86 ecosystem. Their joint efforts have shaped key technologies, including PCI, PCIe, Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). Both companies also played a pivotal role in developing USB, a vital connectivity standard for all computers regardless of the processor. This advisory group takes this industry collaboration to the next level for the benefit of the entire computing ecosystem and as a catalyst for product innovation.

Government agencies have already been adopting AI across the spectrum, using it for everything from healthcare to improving utilities and infrastructure. Google is hoping to help ease the adoption even more, using its new $15 million grants as a step in that direction.

At Google Public Sector Summit in Washington D.C., Google unveiled the grants to the Partnership for Public Service and InnovateUS.

The first $10 million grant is to the Partnership for Public Service and InnovateUS.

A $10 million grant to the nonpartisan nonprofit the Partnership for Public Service will help establish the Center for Federal AI, a hub launching in Spring 2025 that is dedicated to cultivating AI leadership and talent within the federal government. At the Center, everyone from interns to executives can learn how to use AI responsibly in their government agencies. As part of this, the Center will offer a federal AI leadership program, federal AI internship program, and initiatives to foster a vibrant learning community for federal AI leaders.

“AI is today’s electricity — it’s a transformative technology that is fundamental to the public sector and to our society,” says Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service. “Google.org’s generous investment will enable the Partnership to expand our current programming and research, and offer innovative new programming to empower agencies to capitalize on AI and better serve the public. We appreciate Google.org’s commitment to effective government, and we are excited to partner with them to launch the Partnership’s new Center for Federal AI this spring.”

The second $5 million grant is to InnovateUS.

An additional $5 million of funding will go to InnovateUS, supported by a consortium of federal, state, and local government partners. This organization has been at the forefront of providing no-cost AI training to public sector workers through at-your-own-pace courses, live workshops, and training programs. InnovateUS has trained more than 40,000 learners and has more than 100 agency partners.

“For government to work better and be more accessible to the people it serves, our workers must have the opportunity to take advantage of the latest tools and technologies,” said Beth Simone Noveck, Founder of InnovateUS and Chief AI Strategist for the State of New Jersey. “By continuing to invest in upskilling programs for public sector professionals offered through InnovateUS, we can improve the effectiveness of how we solve problems while restoring much-needed trust in our government.”

Google says AI is set to play a pivotal role in the future of AI, with these latest grants part of the existing AI Opportunity Fund.

The funding announced today is a part of Google.org’s $75 million AI Opportunity Fund, which aims to help Americans learn essential AI skills. This funding, along with the efforts of organizations like the Partnership for Public Service and InnovateUS, are paving the way for AI to play a central role in improving government services and addressing societal challenges. By investing in AI training and upskilling, we can help ensure the public sector harnesses the full potential of AI to support critical needs such as healthcare access, infrastructure management and public safety, which benefit us all.

Tesla has lifted the curtain on a series of major revelations about its upcoming robotaxi, providing a glimpse into its strategic efforts to revolutionize autonomous transport. The recent Tesla event left industry experts and analysts buzzing as Tesla executives discussed everything from the intricacies of the robotaxi’s engineering to its potential market impact.

Jeff Lutz, a seasoned supply chain executive, offered key insights on the Brighter with Herbert YouTube channel, noting that Elon Musk’s recent moves have been “mind-boggling” in their scope and ambition.

Revealing the Cyber Cab

One of the centerpieces of Tesla’s announcement was the unveiling of what insiders are now calling the “Cyber Cab,” a two-seater robotaxi designed to change how people experience urban transport. According to Lutz, this new prototype is more than just a concept vehicle; it represents the future of mass-produced autonomous transport. “They had twenty of these out there, and it wasn’t just for show. We got in them and experienced what Tesla has been working towards,” said Lutz, pointing to the impressive scope of the demonstration.

The design of the Cyber Cab is an embodiment of Tesla’s emphasis on efficiency and purpose-driven features. Lutz highlighted that every element, from the doors to the seats, has a reason behind it. “This isn’t just about aesthetics,” he said, emphasizing the utilitarian nature of Tesla’s choices. “Tesla has always been about pushing boundaries, and here it’s about engineering for functionality and cost-efficiency. This is what will make scaling these vehicles feasible.”

Autonomous Driving & Hardware 3

One of the major questions surrounding the Cyber Cab was whether it would run on Tesla’s existing autonomous technology. During the event, Kim Java interviewed Tesla executives Franz von Holzhausen and Lars Moravy, who confirmed that the Cyber Cab leverages Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, and even older vehicles equipped with Hardware 3 could be made ready for robotaxi duties. “Yes, it’s good to go even with Hardware 3,” Moravy stated, dispelling doubts about the capability of earlier models. This revelation points to Tesla’s broader approach of making its entire fleet adaptable, a strategy that promises to extend the operational life and usefulness of its older cars.

Lutz elaborated on this point, mentioning how Tesla’s steer-by-wire technology is playing a critical role in these advancements. “Tesla is using the Cybertruck as a platform to refine steer-by-wire technology, which is crucial for scaling the Cyber Cab,” Lutz explained. “They’ve figured out how to get it right with the Cybertruck, and now they can scale that to the robotaxi. It’s all about building on existing innovations to move faster.”

Why No Steering Wheel?

Another key feature of the Cyber Cab is the option to remove the steering wheel, an idea that seems counterintuitive but makes perfect sense in Tesla’s grand strategy. “Tesla wants to build a super set that leaves the factory in one way and then adapts to customer needs,” said Lutz. “If a customer needs a steering wheel, it can be added. If they don’t, it stays out, which ultimately reduces manufacturing complexity. Tesla’s objective here is clear—reduce changeover and maintain production efficiency.”

The robotaxi is a two-seater, which some analysts have speculated is part of a plan to eventually evolve the vehicle into a $25,000 mass-market car. Lutz commented, “It makes perfect sense. This is Tesla testing the waters. If they can do this with a robotaxi, then scaling down to a compact model, including options like a steering wheel, is entirely possible.”

Elon Musk’s Long-Term Vision

Lutz believes that Musk’s ambitious vision for Tesla’s robotaxi goes well beyond what other companies have managed so far. “You see companies showing off flashy prototypes that ultimately fail to scale economically. Tesla starts with production solutions—they design for scale from day one. That’s the difference,” Lutz emphasized.

Just unbelievable https://t.co/KpJV3j1W68

— Jeff Lutz (@thejefflutz) October 13, 2024

He also reflected on the significant improvement in AI and hardware integration since Tesla’s AI Day in 2022. “I was there, sitting in the third row. In just 24 months, they’ve gone from a single humanoid walking on stage to an entire army of Tesla Bots interacting and serving drinks,” Lutz said. “The rapid progress they’ve made—both with autonomous cars and robotics—is something no one else in the market has come close to achieving.”

The First Robotaxi Customers: Salesforce?

One of the unexpected revelations during the event was the potential for Salesforce to become one of the first major customers for Tesla Bots. Mark Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, was in attendance and appeared impressed with the capabilities of Tesla’s humanoid robots. Benioff hinted at a future collaboration, posting about using these robots to power Salesforce’s “agent force,” essentially putting Tesla Bots in customer service roles in various sectors.

“Mark knows partnerships,” said Lutz. “He was there for a reason—to see if Tesla’s vision could integrate into Salesforce’s ecosystem. The Bots’ ability to serve drinks and interact with people shows they’re beyond just a concept. It’s a functioning reality. If Salesforce signs on, it’s the beginning of a massive new market for Tesla.”

No $25,000 Compact Car—Yet

Despite speculation, Tesla did not unveil a new $25,000 compact car during the event, and Lutz wasn’t surprised. “Tesla is not going to introduce a lower-cost vehicle until they have the right timing to manage existing inventory and avoid any disruptions in their current supply chain,” he said. “It’s about avoiding what’s called ‘excess and obsolescence’ (E&O). Introducing a new model too soon would create a financial liability in the form of unsold inventory. Tesla is playing the long game, and they’re not going to risk their balance sheet just to satisfy market rumors.”

Lutz pointed out that Tesla’s approach to reducing the cost of the Cyber Cab—from the simple, non-motorized seats to the single-pane side windows—is all part of making autonomous vehicles economically viable. “Elon Musk said it would cost around $30,000, and that likely includes FSD,” Lutz added. “The economics of this vehicle are focused on hitting the price point needed for mass adoption, but not at the expense of Tesla’s production efficiency.”

Scale and Simplicity: The Tesla Advantage

At its core, Tesla’s robotaxi is built for scale. The company has thought through every aspect of the vehicle—from wireless charging to optimized seat designs that facilitate faster cleaning—all with the goal of reducing cost and increasing operational efficiency. “Tesla’s vision isn’t just about putting an autonomous car on the road,” Lutz said. “It’s about an integrated system, including charging, maintenance, and even cleaning—all designed to scale.”

According to Lutz, the absence of a charge port and the move towards wireless charging is a bold step. “Five years from now, wireless charging will be the norm, and Tesla is already building for that future. The reduction in complexity and cost from removing traditional charging components is significant.”

The Bigger Picture: Partnerships and the Future of Tesla

Lutz believes the event served as more than a tech showcase—it was a signal to potential partners that Tesla’s solutions are ready for real-world applications. “In 2022, the event was about recruitment, about showing off Tesla’s engineering prowess,” Lutz explained. “This year, it was about partnerships. There were CEOs and corporate executives everywhere—people who could see firsthand the potential of these robots and autonomous cars to transform their own operations.”

“What people don’t realize is that Tesla isn’t just selling cars anymore,” Lutz continued. “They’re selling solutions—FSD, Optimus, software, and now potentially, robots. The sum of Tesla’s parts is becoming far greater than the whole, and no one’s properly modeling this yet. Tesla is about to fundamentally change the game, and this event was just the beginning.”

Tesla’s robotaxi project is more than just a new model of transport—it’s the embodiment of Elon Musk’s vision for scalable, autonomous solutions. As Tesla navigates partnerships, prepares to scale its production, and explores new applications for its AI and robotics, it’s clear that the company is playing at a different level. Jeff Lutz summed it up well: “Tesla’s not just a car company anymore—it’s a technology company building the future.” As Tesla brings the Cyber Cab closer to reality, it signals the dawn of a new era in transport, manufacturing, and human-machine collaboration, with the potential to disrupt industries far beyond the automotive sector.

Perplexity, which launched two years ago, has positioned itself as an emerging challenger to search giants like Google, offering users AI-generated summaries with selected sources and links. Despite the demand from the New York Times, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas stated, “We are very much interested in working with every single publisher, including the New York Times. We have no interest in being anyone’s antagonist here.”

Tune in for the New York Times vs. Perplexity AI clash!

The Stakes for Publishers

The clash between Perplexity and the Times is not an isolated incident. Generative AI technologies are reshaping the landscape for media and content-driven industries, prompting publishers to recalibrate their strategies in the face of rapid advancements. News outlets, long reliant on advertising and subscription revenue, see both promise and peril in AI. The technology’s ability to analyze data and create content at scale offers efficiency, but it also introduces new risks of misuse and content theft.

The Times has been proactive in protecting its content, and this isn’t the first time it has taken legal action to curb AI firms from exploiting its journalism. The publisher has also filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, for alleged copyright infringement. “Perplexity and its business partners have been unjustly enriched by using, without authorization, The Times’s expressive, carefully written and researched, and edited journalism without a license,” the Times wrote in its notice to Perplexity.

The Current Lawsuit Against OpenAI

The New York Times’ legal action against OpenAI further highlights the intensifying struggle between publishers and AI companies over content rights. The lawsuit, filed late last year, accuses OpenAI of using millions of the Times’ articles without permission to train its language models, including ChatGPT. The Times claims that OpenAI’s actions constitute copyright infringement, as its chatbot generates summaries and responses based on the expressive content of the Times’ journalism.

OpenAI, for its part, has denied any wrongdoing, arguing that the data used in training ChatGPT falls under fair use, a defense often invoked by AI companies. The company also contends that some of the Times’ tests in support of the lawsuit were specifically designed to provoke outputs resembling original articles, which OpenAI claims were not representative of typical chatbot responses.

The implications of this lawsuit extend beyond just OpenAI and the Times. If successful, it could set a precedent for how AI companies can legally access and use publisher content, shaping the future of generative AI models and the scope of fair use. This legal battle underscores the broader concerns that media companies have about AI scraping and summarizing their work without appropriate compensation or licensing agreements.

The lawsuit against OpenAI shares many parallels with the current demands made to Perplexity, as both companies have been accused of unauthorized use of copyrighted content. As the generative AI landscape evolves, the outcomes of these legal actions could have significant ramifications for the boundaries between content ownership and technological innovation.

Perplexity’s Response

Perplexity has reportedly assured the Times in the past that it would stop using crawling technology that circumvents website restrictions, but the Times asserts that the company’s assurances have not been honored. The Times asked Perplexity to provide detailed information on how it has been accessing the publisher’s website despite the Times’s preventative measures.

In response, Srinivas emphasized that Perplexity “isn’t ignoring the Times’s efforts to block crawling of its site.” He added that the company plans to address the issues raised in the legal notice by the October 30 deadline. Perplexity has previously struck a handful of deals with publishers, though media companies have described the startup’s terms as less favorable compared to the lucrative licensing agreements that others, like OpenAI, have offered.

Perplexity’s Challenge to Google

Perplexity is backed by Jeff Bezos, and while the company is still a small player compared to Google, it has ambitious plans. In September, Perplexity reported processing 340 million searches, a tiny fraction of Google’s volume but still indicative of growing interest. Perplexity plans to introduce ads under its AI-generated responses later this month, with the company pledging to share up to 25% of the ad revenue with publishing partners whose content it utilizes.

The use of AI-generated search summaries is becoming an increasingly sensitive issue, as traditional publishers worry that users who find information from AI summaries may no longer click through to the full articles. Perplexity is sending some traffic to publishers’ sites, but the volume is still relatively small. According to data from digital measurement firm Similarweb, referrals from Perplexity to the Times’s website increased eightfold over the year ending in August 2024, but they remain a fraction of the traffic driven by Google.

Broader Concerns Across Media

The New York Times is not alone in raising concerns about Perplexity’s practices. Other major media companies, including Forbes and Condé Nast, have accused Perplexity of using their content without permission. Forbes alleged that Perplexity used its content to create stories “extremely similar” to the original reporting. “Any unauthorized use of Forbes’ Intellectual Property is a violation of Forbes’ intellectual property rights, depriving Forbes of those rights and threatening its reputation and goodwill,” Forbes wrote in a notice to Perplexity.

These grievances are part of a larger conversation within the media industry regarding the balance between AI innovation and intellectual property protection. Some publishers have opted to sign licensing deals with AI companies—OpenAI has agreements with media organizations such as News Corp (the parent of The Wall Street Journal), Dotdash Meredith, and Politico owner Axel Springer—that compensate them for the use of their content.

The Complex Dynamics of AI Content Usage

The Times and other publishers have long taken steps to block AI firms from scraping their content without permission. One of the key measures used is the inclusion of specific code in websites that indicates their content should not be scraped, but enforcement remains a challenge. As Perplexity and similar startups continue to gain traction, media companies face the ongoing task of safeguarding their content.

While Perplexity is attempting to carve out its own niche in the competitive search market, the startup is walking a fine line. Its current valuation stands at approximately $1 billion, following a new funding deal earlier this year. Most of its revenue currently comes from a subscription offering priced at $20 per month, which provides users access to more advanced AI capabilities. However, monetizing its AI-generated search through ads—and sharing that revenue with publishers—is a crucial part of its strategy going forward.

A Legal Landscape in Flux

The ongoing disputes between Perplexity, the New York Times, and other publishers highlight the unsettled nature of the legal framework surrounding generative AI. While Perplexity has positioned itself as willing to collaborate with publishers, the path to mutually beneficial agreements is far from straightforward. As Srinivas put it, “We are not interested in being anyone’s antagonist here.” Nevertheless, the tensions around content scraping and copyright issues suggest that the broader fight over content usage by AI is only beginning.

Publishers are finding themselves in a challenging position—embracing technological advancements while safeguarding their core assets. As more media companies weigh legal actions, partnerships, or licensing deals, the industry is grappling with how best to coexist with generative AI firms in a way that preserves both innovation and the value of journalistic content.

The next few months may prove pivotal as Perplexity responds to the Times’s cease-and-desist notice and as other publishers decide whether to follow a similar course. The questions raised by the use of AI in news search—including how to protect original content and fairly compensate creators—remain unresolved, and how these issues play out could define the future relationship between media and artificial intelligence.

1. Identifying Cost-Cutting Opportunities

Bookkeeping provides a granular view of your business’s expenses, enabling you to detect patterns and pinpoint areas where you might be overspending. For example, by regularly reviewing your financial statements, you can identify recurring costs that are unnecessarily high, such as excessive supply orders, inflated utility bills, or redundant software subscriptions. This detailed tracking allows you to make informed decisions about which expenses can be minimized or eliminated altogether.

By staying on top of your expenses, you can negotiate better terms with suppliers, seek out more cost-effective service providers, or reduce waste in your operations. These savings might seem small in isolation, but they can add up significantly over time, leading to improved profitability.

2. Preventing Late Fees and Penalties

One of the most straightforward ways that bookkeeping saves money is by helping you stay on top of payment deadlines. Inconsistent or disorganized financial records can lead to missed payments on bills, loans, or taxes, resulting in costly late fees and penalties. Proper bookkeeping ensures that you are always aware of your payment obligations and deadlines.

For instance, with a good bookkeeping system in place, you can set reminders for important due dates, ensuring that you never miss a tax filing deadline or a payment to a supplier. Avoiding penalties and interest charges on overdue payments not only saves you money but also helps preserve your business’s reputation and credit score.

3. Maximizing Tax Deductions

One of the most overlooked aspects of bookkeeping is its role in maximizing tax deductions. Accurate financial records allow you to claim all eligible business expenses during tax season. Without proper bookkeeping, you might forget or overlook deductible expenses such as travel, equipment purchases, office supplies, or business meals.

By keeping meticulous records of every transaction, your bookkeeper can help you identify deductible expenses that you might not have considered. For example, did you know that home office expenses, certain employee benefits, and even depreciation on business assets can be deducted? Maximizing these deductions can significantly reduce your tax liability, leaving more money in your business.

Furthermore, bookkeepers can ensure that you remain compliant with tax laws, so you don’t face fines or audits that could otherwise drain your resources.

4. Improving Cash Flow Management

One of the biggest challenges businesses face is managing cash flow effectively. Without a proper system in place, it’s easy to lose track of when payments are due or when revenue will arrive, leading to short-term cash shortages. These shortages can force businesses to rely on expensive overdraft fees, short-term loans, or costly financing to cover expenses.

Bookkeeping helps improve cash flow by giving you a clear picture of your accounts payable and receivable. You can anticipate upcoming expenses and income more accurately, making it easier to maintain a healthy cash balance. This reduces the need for emergency loans and helps you take advantage of discounts for early payments. Outsourcing accountancy services can help you get on top of your bookkeeping. Netsuite accounting pricing will more than pay for itself in the added time you gain when handing over finances to an expert. 

Additionally, with good bookkeeping practices, you can identify clients who are consistently late in paying invoices and implement strategies to ensure quicker payments, such as offering incentives for early payments or setting stricter payment terms.

5. Providing Data for Informed Decision-Making

The data gathered through bookkeeping serves as the foundation for making informed financial decisions. By analyzing financial reports, such as income statements and balance sheets, business owners can gain insight into the profitability of different aspects of their business. For instance, you might discover that certain products or services generate more profit than others, allowing you to allocate resources accordingly.

Bookkeeping also enables you to track the financial performance of your business over time. This allows you to identify trends, set realistic financial goals, and adjust your business strategy to reduce inefficiencies and maximize profits. Without accurate financial data, you may be making decisions based on assumptions rather than actual figures, which can lead to costly mistakes.

6. Preventing Fraud and Embezzlement

Fraud and embezzlement are unfortunate realities that can cripple a business’s finances. Poor financial oversight creates opportunities for dishonest employees or vendors to take advantage of weak systems. By maintaining a proper bookkeeping system, you introduce checks and balances that help detect and prevent fraudulent activities.

A well-organized bookkeeping system includes regular reconciliations, which compare your internal records to bank statements, supplier invoices, and receipts. This allows you to catch discrepancies early and investigate any irregularities. Additionally, having multiple people involved in the financial process – such as requiring two signatures for payments – adds another layer of security.

Bookkeepers can also help you spot patterns in your financial data that may indicate fraud, such as unexplained expenses, duplicated payments, or inconsistencies between inventory records and sales figures. Preventing fraud protects your assets and preserves the long-term financial health of your business.

7. Enhancing Efficiency Through Automation

Automation can significantly reduce the time and effort required for bookkeeping tasks, leading to lower labor costs and fewer errors. Many modern bookkeeping software platforms, such as QuickBooks or Xero, offer features like automated invoice generation, expense tracking, and bank reconciliation. By automating routine tasks, businesses can free up valuable time for higher-level strategic work.

Automation also ensures that records are updated in real-time, reducing the likelihood of mistakes that could result in financial discrepancies or missed opportunities. For instance, you’ll have an up-to-date view of your accounts receivable, enabling you to follow up on late payments promptly and maintain steady cash flow.

Investing in bookkeeping software or hiring a bookkeeper who leverages automation tools might seem like an added cost up front, but it often results in long-term savings due to increased accuracy and efficiency.

8. Helping with Financing and Investments

If your business is looking to secure a loan or attract investors, accurate and organized financial records are essential. Banks and investors will want to see detailed reports of your financial performance before offering any funding. Well-maintained bookkeeping ensures that you have this data readily available, improving your chances of securing financing with favorable terms.

Having up-to-date financial statements also allows you to negotiate better interest rates or loan conditions, as it demonstrates financial responsibility and reduces the risk to lenders. This can lead to substantial savings on interest and financing costs over time.

Additionally, clear and accurate bookkeeping can help you make smarter investment decisions, whether you’re investing in new equipment, expanding your workforce, or entering new markets. By understanding your financial position, you can assess whether you have the resources to invest without jeopardizing your cash flow or profitability.

9. Reducing Accounting Costs

While bookkeeping and accounting are closely related, they serve different functions. Bookkeeping is the day-to-day recording of financial transactions, while accounting involves analyzing, interpreting, and reporting financial data. By maintaining well-organized and accurate bookkeeping records, you reduce the amount of work required by your accountant during tax season or financial reporting periods.

Accountants typically charge by the hour, and disorganized or incomplete records will require more time to clean up and interpret. By providing your accountant with accurate financial records, you streamline the process, reducing the hours (and costs) spent on tax preparation and financial reviews. In essence, good bookkeeping can lead to lower accounting fees, which adds to your overall savings.

Conclusion

Bookkeeping is far more than just a task to fulfill tax obligations – it’s a powerful tool that can help businesses save money in unexpected ways. The benefits of well-maintained financial records go far beyond compliance, from identifying cost-cutting opportunities to improving cash flow management and preventing fraud. Whether you’re a small business or a growing enterprise, investing in proper bookkeeping practices can provide substantial long-term savings and help your business thrive financially.

“Europe has become less competitive and less innovative compared to other regions and now risks falling further behind in the AI era due to inconsistent regulatory decision-making,” the letter states. This plea echoes the sentiments of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, who recently co-authored a similar letter calling for Europe to embrace open-source AI to remain competitive on the global stage.

Listen to our conversation on Meta’s EU warning. Will Europe miss out on the AI boom?

Fragmented Regulation Stifling Innovation

At the core of the open letter is a stark critique of the EU’s regulatory framework, particularly the uneven application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). While GDPR was designed to harmonize data protection across Europe, business leaders argue that inconsistent interpretations and unpredictable enforcement are creating a barrier to AI development. The inability of European regulators to reach consensus on how AI should use data is, according to these leaders, hindering the continent’s AI innovation.

“Meta has been told to delay training its models on content shared publicly by adults on Facebook and Instagram—not because any law has been violated but because regulators haven’t agreed on how to proceed,” Zuckerberg and Ek wrote in a previous letter, underscoring the frustration with regulatory ambiguity. This delay, they warn, prevents European AI models from being trained on European data, effectively ensuring that the continent’s AI development lags behind its global competitors.

In the most recent letter, the signatories emphasize the growing urgency, warning that without clear, harmonized regulations, Europe risks missing out on the massive economic potential AI promises. “Research estimates that Generative AI could increase global GDP by 10 percent over the coming decade, and EU citizens shouldn’t be denied that growth,” the letter stresses.

The Role of Open-Source AI in Europe’s Future

A significant portion of the letter focuses on the critical importance of open-source AI models—AI technologies that are freely available for developers to build upon and modify. These open models, the letter argues, offer a way for Europe to level the playing field and reclaim its technological edge by enabling small businesses, researchers, and public institutions to harness AI’s transformative potential.

Zuckerberg and Ek have previously highlighted the role of open-source AI in driving innovation, pointing out that it democratizes access to cutting-edge technology and helps institutions maintain control over their data. “The internet largely runs on open-source technologies, and so do most leading tech companies,” the two CEOs wrote. “We believe the next generation of ideas and startups will be built with open-source AI because it lets developers incorporate the latest innovations at low cost and gives institutions more control over their data.”

The letter emphasizes that Europe is particularly well-positioned to capitalize on open-source AI, noting that the region has more open-source developers than the United States. However, without regulatory clarity and support, Europe risks losing its advantage in this critical area. “Fragmented regulation is holding back developers and preventing Europe from realizing its full potential in AI,” the letter warns.

The Economic Stakes

The business leaders who signed the open letter argue that AI presents an unparalleled opportunity to boost productivity, drive scientific research, and add hundreds of billions of euros to the European economy. However, they caution that the current regulatory environment is deterring investment and innovation, both of which are critical to capturing these benefits.

The stakes are particularly high when it comes to multimodal AI models—advanced systems that can process text, images, and speech simultaneously. These models represent the next leap in AI capabilities and could have a profound impact on industries from healthcare to education. However, without access to the latest models, European businesses and researchers will be left using outdated technology. “These concerns aren’t theoretical,” Zuckerberg and Ek warned in their earlier letter. “Given the current regulatory uncertainty, Meta won’t be able to release upcoming models like Llama multimodal… European organizations won’t be able to get access to the latest open-source technology.”

The letter goes on to argue that Europe’s regulatory environment is not just limiting AI development but actively reducing the continent’s competitiveness. “Laws designed to increase European sovereignty and competitiveness are achieving the opposite,” it says, pointing out that many of Europe’s brightest AI talents are leaving the continent for regions with more supportive regulatory frameworks.

A Call for Harmonization and Clarity

Both the open letter and the previous statement by Zuckerberg and Ek emphasize the need for regulatory simplification and harmonization. Europe’s complex and inconsistent regulations, they argue, are creating a hostile environment for AI development and threatening the region’s ability to compete globally. “Europe should be simplifying and harmonizing regulations by leveraging the benefits of a single yet diverse market,” the executives argue, pointing to the widening gap between the number of homegrown European tech leaders and those emerging from the U.S. and Asia.

The letter concludes by urging EU policymakers to take decisive action and create a regulatory framework that fosters innovation while ensuring privacy and security. “With the right regulatory environment, combined with the right ambition and some of the world’s top AI talent, the EU would have a real chance of leading the next generation of tech innovation,” the letter states.

The Race Against Time

As AI continues to evolve at breakneck speed, Europe faces a critical decision: adopt a regulatory framework that supports innovation and fosters growth, or risk being left behind in the global AI race. “On its current course, Europe will miss this once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Zuckerberg and Ek warned. “Because the one thing Europe doesn’t have, unless it wants to risk falling further behind, is time.”

For now, the message from Europe’s business leaders is clear: the continent’s fragmented regulatory environment is holding back AI innovation, and without urgent reforms, Europe risks missing out on the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. The time to act, they argue, is now.

The World of Prior Authorization

Traditionally, prior authorization is a manual, cumbersome process. It requires checking patient insurance details and medical charts, submitting requests, and following up with insurance companies. This often involves lengthy phone calls, waiting in queues, and navigating complex online portals, leading to an estimated 15-20 minutes spent on each request. If a request is denied, additional documentation or an appeal letter must be prepared, further complicating the process.

In contrast, an automated prior authorization system significantly enhances efficiency. Automated solutions can retrieve essential patient data, validate information, and prepare authorization requests in a fraction of the time. These systems also update medical records automatically and track the status of requests, streamlining workflows considerably.

The complexities and rigidity of the current prior authorization system have profound implications for healthcare. Providers face rising operational costs, with 35% hiring additional staff solely to manage prior authorizations. Manual processes can cost around $11 per authorization, and nearly 93% of physicians report experiencing high administrative burdens related to these requests. The impact on patient care is alarming; delays in authorization can lead to a 100% increase in time to access care, a 25% chance of hospitalization, and even life-threatening events in 19% of cases. Furthermore, 9% of patients risk long-term disabilities due to these delays.

Enter New Innovation

Compounding the issue, many physicians express concerns about the denial rates of prior authorizations. Approximately 27% say their patients’ requests are often denied, while 35% report that the criteria for authorization are rarely evidence-based. In recent years, nearly three in four doctors have noted a significant increase in denials, yet only one in five consistently appeals negative decisions due to time and resource constraints.

In this challenging environment, Orbit has emerged as a transformative solution. The company’s AI-powered prior authorization automation system has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness, saving providers approximately 60% on existing costs and generating an impressive $449 million in savings across the U.S. healthcare industry. Beyond cost reductions, Orbit’s technology enhances patient experiences by expediting care delivery.

Conclusion

By eliminating inefficiencies, Orbit can save provider groups operating with five or more prior authorization team members up to 24 hours of wasted time each day. Processing a patient’s information and scheduling appointments takes just five minutes, a stark contrast to the manual approach. The automated system reduces turnaround times by 55%, saving an average of 11 minutes per authorization. Additionally, it improves accuracy by capturing demographic and insurance data without human error, and decreases the labor dependency, allowing staff to reclaim nearly 12 hours per week.

Overall, Orbit’s automation solution not only addresses the pressing issues surrounding prior authorization but also paves the way for more efficient, patient-centered care in the healthcare landscape.

Foxconn is the the world’s leading electronics assembler, building phones, tablets, and computers for Apple and a host of other companies. According to Reuters, the firm is working closely with Nvidia, building it’s GB200 superchip components for its Blackwell AI platform.

To meet demand, Foxconn is building the plant in Guadalajara.

“We’re building the largest GB200 production facility on the planet,” Benjamin Ting, Foxconn senior VP for the cloud enterprise solutions business group, told the outlet.

Ting reiterated the high demand for Nvidia’s chips.

“The demand is awfully huge,” Ting said.

Foxconn Chairman Young Liu concurred, saying the plant’s capacity would be “very, very enormous.”

While the industry is understandably focused on Nvidia’s role in powering the AI revolution, as Reuters points out, Foxconn is similarly poised to benefit as one of the primary companies actually building the components most in demand.

Liu touted his company’s “advanced liquid cooling and heat dissipation technologies necessary to complement the GB200 server’s infrastructure.”

T-Mobile announced in May that it had reached a deal to purchase UScellular for approximately $4.4 billion. The deal was for the bulk of UScellular’s wireless operations, including customers and “certain specified spectrum assets.”

Given the size of the deal, and the ongoing consolidation of the US wireless market, regulatory approval could be a major sticking point. T-Mobile acquired Sprint, effectively reducing the number of nationwide carriers from four to three. While a regulators were keen to see Dish Network become a new fourth carrier, the company has failed to live up to the promise, leaving Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T as the nation’s largest carriers. While UScellular is considered a regional operation, it still has a large enough presence and user base for regulatory scrutiny to possibly be a factor.

In an effort to head off any issues, UScellular has written a letter to the FCC detailing its current condition and its prospects if the merger falls through.

UScellular representatives reviewed the company’s recent operational and financial challenges and their path forward absent this transaction, as detailed in the Public Interest Statement and the Declarations of Laurent Therivel and Michael Irizarry, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of UScellular. They explained that:

• UScellular has consistently lost subscribers in recent years despite deploying a variety of strategies to attempt to arrest that decline. 6 Subscriber losses accelerated in 2022, a year that UScellular invested heavily on promotions.7 UScellular anticipates that it will continue to lose subscribers going forward.8 The acceleration of subscriber losses is attributable to multiple factors:

• Competitive intensity has ramped up in UScellular’s footprint, with both traditional wireless providers and cable wireless providers increasing their competitive presence.9 That intensity has, in turn, led to aggressive pricing and promotions—and further challenged UScellular’s subscriber numbers and financials.
• UScellular took on significant debt to purchase the mid-band spectrum needed to compete in 5G.11 Declining subscriber revenue means that the cash to pay back that debt needs to come from reduced spending in UScellular’s operations. As a result, UScellular has reduced spending on its network12 and foregone certain other investments.
• While UScellular has been pulling back on its network investments, its competitors have been spending more to expand their networks and enhance their network quality and customer experience in UScellular’s footprint. UScellular has fallen behind its competitors and the gap is continuing to grow.
• In other words, fewer subscribers mean less revenue to spend on network improvements and the customer experience; that spend is further decreased by the need to pay back debt; and the resulting network experience in turn leads to even fewer subscribers.
• UScellular representatives noted additional challenges created by the structural disadvantages of its dispersed footprint, including its lack of scale, and described the company’s extensive review of strategic alternatives. UScellular determined that it could not reorganize itself out of these disadvantages and that its efforts to remain competitive would not materially improve its position.

The letter then goes on to tout the benefits to both companies’ subscribers if a deal goes through, providing better network coverage and data speeds. The letter also says that existing UScellular customers will have the option of staying on their existing plans or moving to a low-cost T-Mobile one.

The letter could go a long way toward alleviating regulatory concerns, as it paints a picture of a company on the verge of a death spiral.

SpaceX has been working to deploy its direct-to-cell service, alongside T-Mobile, with the goal of ensuring users are able to stay connected even when there is no cell towers nearby. Although the system is not complete, the FCC has cleared the companies to provide the service to impacted customers.

The satellite company announced the decision in a post on X.

While the service is being provided “on a best-effort basis,” it could provide one of the most compelling examples to date of the value of direct-to-cell options.

Once the thing of science fiction, technology that can read minds is quickly becoming reality. While there are some beneficial applications for the technology, such as medical uses, people’s private thoughts represent the ultimate gold mine for advertisers and data brokers.

Catch our chat on California’s new law to protect your thoughts!

California has now joined Colorado, becoming only the second state to have a law aimed at protecting the privacy of one’s thoughts. According to some reports, California’s legislation even surpasses Colorado’s, in terms of the protection it offers.

The legislation comes as an amendment to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, adding “neural data” to the long list of “personal sensitive information” covered by the CCPA.

The Neurorights Foundation, one of the bill’s cosponsors, applauded the legislation.

In doing so, the amended law now protects neural data from misuse and abuse by extending to neural data the same legal protections already granted to other forms of sensitive personal information, such as a consumer’s genetic data, biometric data, precise geolocation data, and credentials to access their financial accounts. These protections include the right to know what information is being collected and how it is used or shared; the right to delete collected information; the right to opt-out on the sale or sharing of information; and the right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information.

The Neurorights Foundation acknowledged the value of neural devices for medical use, but emphasized the potential for abuse.

Neurotechnology devices used in a medical setting must be licensed by the Food & Drug Administration as medical devices and the collected neural data is generally protected by HIPAA and state medical data privacy laws. But neural data gathered by consumer neurotechnologies is essentially unregulated, even though these consumer devices can use medical-grade technologies. This is particularly concerning given that neural data is capable of revealing highly sensitive information, including information about mental health, physical health, and cognitive processing.

Indeed, neurotechnologies have been rapidly expanding into the consumer sphere. In a landmark report published earlier this year, the Neurorights Foundation analyzed the data practices of 30 companies that sell consumer neurotechnology products and the rights provided to their users and concluded they fall far short global privacy standards. The report focused on five areas of concern: Access to Information, Data Collection and Storage, Data Sharing, User Rights, and Data Safety and Security. Significant deficiencies emerged across each category, which is particularly worrying given that 29 of the 30 companies appear to have unlimited access to the consumer’s neural data and can transfer consumer data to third parties.

“It was an extraordinary achievement that reflects the enormous importance of protecting neural data that not only was this new law adopted unanimously but it took less than eight months from its introduction to being signed into law,” said Jared Genser, General Counsel to the Neurorights Foundation. “This new law in California will make the lives of consumers safer while sending a clear signal to the fast-growing neurotechnology industry there are high expectations that companies will provide robust protections for mental privacy of consumers. That said, there is much more work ahead. This isn’t an issue that should just be regulated piecemeal by States. The U.S. Congress needs to act urgently to adopt a law to protect neural data at a Federal level. And neural data also needs to be protected by international law, multilateral regulatory processes, and national legislation around the world.”

Hopefully California and Colorado are not the last jurisdictions to pass laws protecting the most sensitive and private data imaginable.

According to Ives on the Brighter with Herbert YouTube channel, “Next week’s going to really be the start of an autonomous future of Tesla.” This prediction comes ahead of the much-anticipated event, tentatively titled “WeRobot,” set for October 10, which is expected to showcase Tesla’s advances in AI, robotics, and full self-driving (FSD) technology.

Catch our chat on next week’s Tesla Robotaxi reveal!

The Path to Full Autonomy

For Tesla, the journey to autonomy is more than just incremental improvements in driver assistance—it’s a revolution in how we understand transportation. During the interview, Ives emphasized the importance of the upcoming event, stating, “This event is not just about turning a page; it’s writing a whole new chapter, possibly a completely new book.” The event, he believes, will lay the groundwork for Tesla’s fully autonomous future, focusing specifically on Tesla’s RoboTaxi program. “This is all going to be about RoboTaxi, an autonomous future,” Ives noted, underscoring that this is where Tesla plans to reveal its roadmap for turning its FSD technology into an actionable, revenue-generating service.

While some analysts and institutional investors have continued to fixate on Tesla delivering a low-cost, $25,000 electric vehicle, Ives maintains a different focus. “They will not show any sort of model 2 Sub 30k vehicle,” he asserted. Instead, the spotlight will be on advancing their AI and robotics technology, with RoboTaxi being a key component. Ives also dismissed the idea that the RoboTaxi fleet is something far off in the future. He confidently predicted that within a year, Tesla’s autonomous service would begin to roll out: “This is not something for 2040—it’s going to be phased in within a year or sooner.”

FSD as the Core AI Play

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology lies at the core of what Ives considers the company’s most undervalued asset—its artificial intelligence play. “I continue to believe it is the most undervalued AI play in the market,” he said, emphasizing that Tesla’s FSD and autonomous capabilities represent the biggest and most impactful use case for AI in today’s tech landscape. The idea of AI driving mass adoption in the mobility space is what excites Ives the most, stating that “FSD and autonomous are truly the biggest use cases for AI.”

Despite skepticism from other analysts, Ives remains steadfast in his belief that Tesla is more than just an automotive company—it’s a robotics company at its core. “People still think Tesla is just an auto company. We’ve long seen it as an AI and robotics powerhouse,” he said. For Ives, the emphasis is on the transformative potential of AI, especially as it becomes embedded within Tesla’s operational and strategic framework. “This is where I think Tesla is setting itself apart—by turning every car on the road into a robotics and AI-driven data machine.”

AI and Robotics: Tesla’s Secret Weapon

Tesla’s AI and robotics ambitions are not just about autonomous driving; they are also about transforming the company’s overall operational capabilities. Ives pointed out how Tesla is leveraging artificial intelligence for not only consumer-facing products but also internal development processes. “Tesla is not just applying AI to cars. It’s also about productivity and operational efficiency,” he highlighted. He went on to say that AI tools are helping Tesla’s engineers learn new coding languages faster and assisting in peer code reviews, which significantly cuts down development time: “Generative AI helps accelerate time to market and improves code quality, which is vital for rapid feature deployments.”

A major focus of the upcoming Tesla event is also expected to be the potential for partnerships in the AI and robotics space. When asked about possible collaborations, Ives mentioned, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear Tesla talking about licensing and partnerships around AI and robotics technologies.” These partnerships could encompass collaborations with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) both in China and the United States. “You’re going to have partnerships on both sides, you’re going to have partnerships on the China side and partnerships on the U.S. side,” Ives said, hinting at the far-reaching implications of Tesla’s growing influence in AI and autonomous solutions.

The Industry Awaits—And Watches

Dan Ives made it clear that this upcoming event will not only be pivotal for Tesla but also for the global automotive and technology industries. “I was in Asia a few weeks ago, and every company, every investor, was talking about this event,” he said. According to Ives, this event is setting up to be a historic day, not just for Tesla, but for the industry at large. He likened the importance of this event to other significant technological milestones, like the unveiling of the iPhone by Steve Jobs. “The iPhone event was historic, but it wasn’t just about the device—it was about the platform. I think this Tesla event will be similar in many ways,” he observed.

The excitement is palpable, and the implications are profound. As Ives summed up, “This is not just a milestone for Tesla; it’s a statement to the industry about the future of mobility, AI, and robotics.” With Tesla’s emphasis on AI-driven decision-making and full autonomy, Ives predicts that the market and institutional investors will soon reevaluate Tesla, not just as a car company but as a transformative force in AI and robotics. “This is why I think the event is so critical—it’s about proving to the world that Tesla is not just a carmaker, but an AI robotics company that happens to make cars.”

A Historic Turning Point

What many analysts and market watchers will be paying attention to during Tesla’s “WeRobot” event will be proof points—tangible steps Tesla is taking towards full autonomy. According to Ives, this event isn’t about hype; it’s about delivering on the promise of an autonomous future. “For a lot of the analysts who have been skeptical, this is Tesla’s chance to show them the roadmap, to say: ‘Here is how we get there, and here are the tools we have to make it happen.'”

Tesla has been at the center of innovation in electric vehicles, and now, with its emphasis on robotics, the company is aiming to change the game once again. Ives believes that if Tesla can demonstrate a credible RoboTaxi solution at the event, it will be the starting point of a new era, not only for Tesla but for the mobility industry as a whole. “This is what differentiates Tesla. They are not just talking about an autonomous future—they are building it,” Ives concluded.

The Dawn of an Autonomous Era

Dan Ives believes we are witnessing the beginning of a fundamental transformation—what he calls “the start of an autonomous future for Tesla.” Tesla’s commitment to delivering a viable RoboTaxi platform is positioning it at the forefront of the autonomous movement. As Ives pointed out, “This is not just about turning a page; it’s about writing an entirely new book.”

This optimism stems from Tesla’s relentless focus on AI and Full Self-Driving (FSD) technologies, which Ives suggests could represent a trillion-dollar value proposition in the coming years. He believes that the advancements Tesla will showcase at its upcoming event, dubbed “WeRobot,” will mark a pivotal moment in the evolution of the automotive and technology sectors. “We don’t walk away from this event with a shrug of the shoulders,” Ives emphasized. “It’s going to be a game-changer, not just for Tesla but for how institutional investors perceive the potential of autonomous driving.”

What sets Tesla apart, according to Ives, is not only its ability to develop cutting-edge autonomous features but also its massive data advantage. With over six million vehicles already on the road gathering real-time driving data, Tesla’s ability to train and refine its AI systems is unmatched. “When you think about the billions of miles driven and the amount of real-world data Tesla has gathered, it’s a huge advantage that’s difficult for competitors to replicate,” said Ives. This data, combined with Tesla’s advanced neural network capabilities, gives the company an edge that positions it years ahead in the race towards full autonomy.

Ives is confident that Tesla’s upcoming milestones will change the perception of FSD adoption across Tesla’s vast fleet. He sees the “WeRobot” event as a historical day not only for Tesla but for the automotive industry and the tech sector as a whole. According to Ives, this event has parallels to other monumental moments in technology—like Apple unveiling the iPhone or Microsoft announcing its partnership with OpenAI. He described it as a moment “where the bell goes off for investors,” highlighting the immediacy and significance of what Tesla is trying to achieve in just the next six to twelve months.

Tesla’s approach contrasts sharply with the timeline suggested by many of its industry peers and skeptics. While other analysts have pushed the horizon for true RoboTaxi services to 2040 or beyond, Ives and others like ARK Invest believe the timeline is much closer—perhaps as soon as next year. “We’re not talking about two or three years down the road; this is happening now,” Ives argued. “Elon Musk is going to unveil something real—something that’s ready for the next step.”

Moreover, Ives acknowledges that Tesla is likely to expand beyond the confines of its own fleet, envisioning partnerships with other automakers. He mentioned that both Chinese and American OEMs are potential candidates for future collaborations, which would further extend the reach of Tesla’s technology. “Tesla doesn’t need to do this alone,” Ives said. “There’s an immense opportunity for partnerships, and I think OEMs will eventually recognize the value Tesla can bring to their own autonomous strategies.”

The unveiling of the autonomous future is not just about hardware and software; it’s about reshaping consumer behavior, market dynamics, and even the role of traditional car ownership. With Tesla leading the charge, the next few months could witness an acceleration toward a fully autonomous experience—one that transforms the way we think about mobility.

Ives also touched on how Tesla has evolved its narrative over time, successfully stabilizing its strategy, improving its communication with investors, and proving itself through solid delivery figures—even in a tough market. “This is no longer just a growth story or a speculative play; it’s now a reality that’s coming into focus,” Ives said. With the announcement of RoboTaxi services potentially within a year, Tesla is poised to be not only an automaker but a key player in the AI-driven transportation landscape.

As Tesla prepares for this transformative event, Ives underscores the broader impact: “This isn’t just about Tesla; it’s about the entire automotive industry stepping into a new era. The world is watching, and whether you are a competitor, an investor, or just a tech enthusiast, you have to recognize that something monumental is unfolding here.”

With all eyes on Tesla, the countdown to “WeRobot” isn’t just about unveiling a new product or feature; it’s about redefining an industry and showcasing the beginning of an autonomous future—one that Tesla is ready to lead.

“We are thrilled to partner with Hyundai as we further our mission to be the world’s most trusted driver,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO, Waymo. “Hyundai’s focus on sustainability and strong electric vehicle roadmap makes them a great partner for us as we bring our fully autonomous service to more riders in more places.”

Catch our chat on Waymo picking Hyundai for its new robotaxi fleet!

Hyundai says Waymo’s IONIQ 5, its “sixth-generation fully autonomous technology,” will be manufactured in the US, a major selling point amid the ongoing geopolitical turmoil between the US and China. The Biden administration is preparing new rules that would ban Chinese automotive components. As a result, the IONIQ 5 being manufactured within the US is a solid reason for Waymo to select it.

“We recently announced the launch of Hyundai Motor Company’s autonomous vehicle foundry business to provide global autonomous driving companies with vehicles capable of implementing SAE Level 4 or higher autonomous driving technology,” said Chang Song, President and Head of Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Vehicle Platform (AVP) Division. “There is no better partner for our first agreement in this initiative than industry-leader Waymo.”

Hyundai says it will deliver a modified version of the IONIQ 5, one that is specifically designed for autonomous modifications.

“Hyundai and Waymo share a vision to improve the safety, efficiency and convenience of how people move,” said José Muñoz, president and global COO of Hyundai Motor Company, and president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America. “Waymo’s transformational technology is improving road safety where they operate, and the IONIQ 5 is the ideal vehicle to scale this further. The team at our new manufacturing facility is ready to allocate a significant number of vehicles for the Waymo One fleet as it continues to expand. Importantly, this is the first step in the partnership between the two companies and we are actively exploring additional opportunities for collaboration.”

The latest recall relates to the rearview camera, with some users reporting delays of up to 8 seconds before an image appears. Federal regulations in the US mandate that rearview cameras display an image in 2 seconds or less.

Catch our chat on Tesla’s digital ‘recall’ for the Cybertruck!

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted the notice on its website.

A delayed rearview image reduces the driver’s view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Tesla, Inc. (Tesla) is recalling certain 2024 Cybertruck vehicles. The rearview camera image may be delayed after shifting into reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, “Rear Visibility.”

Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed November 25, 2024. Owners may contact Tesla customer service at 1-877-798-3752. Tesla’s number for this recall is SB-24-00-016.

Cybertruck owners should apply the update as soon as they are notified of it to avoid any safety issues.

One vehicle regulation that needs to change is, a software update is not a recall. @Reuters knows that, but they also know their readers are stupid, so they can continue to tell lies with their Tesla headlines. Actually, their last paragraph usually does mention a software… pic.twitter.com/koFXmfuKD8

— Maye Musk (@mayemusk) October 3, 2024

OpenAI has been released a slew of ChatGPT products and improved models, but its latest release is aimed specifically at writers and coders. Although writers and coders are already using ChatGPT, Canvas improves on the experience in important ways.

Catch our chat on OpenAI’s game-changing new coding tool, Canvas!

People use ChatGPT every day for help with writing and code. Although the chat interface is easy to use and works well for many tasks, it’s limited when you want to work on projects that require editing and revisions. Canvas offers a new interface for this kind of work.

With canvas, ChatGPT can better understand the context of what you’re trying to accomplish. You can highlight specific sections to indicate exactly what you want ChatGPT to focus on. Like a copy editor or code reviewer, it can give inline feedback and suggestions with the entire project in mind.

You control the project in canvas. You can directly edit text or code. There’s a menu of shortcuts for you to ask ChatGPT to adjust writing length, debug your code, and quickly perform other useful actions. You can also restore previous versions of your work by using the back button in canvas.

Interestingly, Canvas is designed to open automatically when writing or coding is detected.

Canvas opens automatically when ChatGPT detects a scenario in which it could be helpful. You can also include “use canvas” in your prompt to open canvas and use it to work on an existing project.

OpenAI says Canvas shows significant improvement over baseline GPT-4o in applicable tasks.

We measured progress with over 20 automated internal evaluations. We used novel synthetic data generation techniques, such as distilling outputs from OpenAI o1-preview, to post-train the model for its core behaviors. This approach allowed us to rapidly address writing quality and new user interactions, all without relying on human-generated data.

A key challenge was defining when to trigger a canvas. We taught the model to open a canvas for prompts like “Write a blog post about the history of coffee beans” while avoiding over-triggering for general Q&A tasks like “Help me cook a new recipe for dinner.” For writing tasks, we prioritized improving “correct triggers” (at the expense of “correct non-triggers”), reaching 83% compared to a baseline zero-shot GPT-4o with prompted instructions.

For writing and coding tasks, we improved correctly triggering the canvas decision boundary, reaching 83% and 94% respectively compared to a baseline zero-shot GPT-4o with prompted instructions.

Open AI has been transforming itself into a for-profit company, instead of a nonprofit organization. A large part of that is demonstrating use cases for which users are willing to pay for its AI products. Canvas is a big step in that direction.

Kingma announced his decision via X.

Catch our conversation on OpenAI Co-Founder Durk Kingma Joining Anthropic!

Personal news: I’m joining @AnthropicAI! Anthropic’s approach to AI development resonates significantly with my own beliefs; looking forward to contributing to Anthropic’s mission of developing powerful AI systems responsibly. Can’t wait to work with their talented team, including a number of great ex-colleagues from OpenAI and Google, and tackle the challenges ahead!

Durk Kingma (@dpkingma) | October 1, 2024

While Kingma has not been part of OpenAI for several years, it’s nonetheless a telling development that yet another OpenAI co-founder has joined Anthropic. Anthropic was formed by former OpenAI execs who were reportedly disillusioned by the direction OpenAI was taking and fearing it was moving too far away from its initial goal of safe, ethical AI development.

Kingma is just one of a number of OpenAI co-founders and execs who have left the company, with Anthropic picking up several of them.

LoRaWAN is a long-range, low-power wireless network protocol that is heavily used in the Internet of Things (IoT) industry to connect devices. Cisco offers a line of LoRaWAN, but the company has unexpectedly announced that the products are end-of-life (EOL).

Catch our chat on why Cisco is closing its LoRaWAN device business!

The company made the announcement on its website, including a series of phase-out dates.

Cisco announces the end-of-sale and end-of-life dates for the Cisco LoRaWAN. The last day to order the affected product(s) is January 1, 2025. Customers with active service contracts will continue to receive support from the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) as shown in Table 1 of the EoL bulletin. Table 1 describes the end-of-life milestones, definitions, and dates for the affected product(s). Table 2 lists the product part numbers affected by this announcement. For customers with active and paid service and support contracts, support will be available under the terms and conditions of customers’ service contract.

The announcement was made October 1, with the last day to order being January 1, 2025. The last ship date is April 1, 2025, and the end of software maintenance is January 1, 2026. Cisco will stop providing vulnerability and security support December 31, 2026.

The company made clear that it is not offering a replacement option, and plans to exit the space.

There is no replacement available for the Cisco LoRaWAN at this time.

Cisco will be exiting the LoRaWAN space. There is no planned migration for Cisco LoRaWAN gateways.

While Cisco is exiting the LoRaWAN business, it says customers can trade-in eligible products for other non-LoRaWAN Cisco hardware.

Customers may be able to use the Cisco Technology Migration Program (TMP) where applicable to trade-in eligible products and receive credit toward the purchase of new Cisco equipment. For more information about Cisco TMP, customers should work with their Cisco Partner or Cisco account team.

According to Downdetector.com, the reports started spiking early Wednesday afternoon. According to many of the reports, transfers are not showing up as an option, some accounts are showing a $0 balance, and other users having trouble with the website and the mobile app.

Catch our chat on Bank of America’s outage and reports of $0 balances!

Fortunately, users have reported that their ATM cards still work, which serves as confirmation that people’s funds are still in their accounts and the issue is likely just display/reporting issue.

Interestingly, Bank of America has yet to update its social media or website to address the issue, although it did provide the following statement to The Independent.

“Some clients are experiencing an issue accessing their accounts and balance information today. These issues are being addressed and have largely been resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

OpenAI is the world’s leading AI firm but, like all AI firms, the company is burning through money at an alarming rate. The company just concluded its latest round of funding, bringing in $6.6 billion for a total valuation of $157 billion.

Catch our conversation on OpenAI’s massive new $6.6 billion funding round!

The company announced the news in a blog post.

We’ve raised $6.6B in new funding at a $157B post-money valuation to accelerate progress on our mission. The new funding will allow us to double down on our leadership in frontier AI research, increase compute capacity, and continue building tools that help people solve hard problems.

We aim to make advanced intelligence a widely accessible resource. We’re grateful to our investors for their trust in us, and we look forward to working with our partners, developers, and the broader community to shape an AI-powered ecosystem and future that benefits everyone. By collaborating with key partners, including the U.S. and allied governments, we can unlock this technology’s full potential.

The company also revealed that it has some 250 million weekly ChatGPT users.

We are making progress on our mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. Every week, over 250 million people around the world use ChatGPT to enhance their work, creativity, and learning. Across industries, businesses are improving productivity and operations, and developers are leveraging our platform to create a new generation of applications. And we’re only getting started.

OpenAI is in the process of transitioning to a for-profit company, abandoning its nonprofit roots. As part of the transition, the company has been looking for ways to better monetize its tech. Although there were rumors that subscription fees as high as $2,000 per month were being floated within the company, the most recent report indicates the company will more than double the cost of ChatGPT Plus in the next five years, bringing the cost of the subscription up to $44.