The all-electric Ram 1500 REV pickup truck is dead. Long live the extended-range Ram 1500 REV (once called the Ramcharger). Stellantis, the parent company of Ram, said Friday that it will no longer develop a battery-electric full-size pickup. The company cited low demand for full-size battery-electric trucks as the primary reason, according to a statement … Read more
Rainmaker Technology’s bid to deploy cloud-seeding flares on small drones is being met by resistance from the airline pilots union, which has urged the Federal Aviation Administration to consider denying the startup’s request unless it meets stricter safety guidelines. The Federal Aviation Administration’s decision will signal how the regulator views weather-modification by unmanned aerial systems … Read more
Software might be eating the world, but it’s taking some industries longer than others to realize its full potential. From iPhones to Teslas, people have grown accustomed to software updates improving the stuff they already own. But outside consumer electronics and automobiles, over-the-air updates aren’t commonplace yet. Yet that’s beginning to change, starting with an … Read more
OpenAI announced Thursday it reached a nonbinding agreement with Microsoft, its largest investor, on a revised partnership that would allow the startup to convert its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation (PBC). The transition, should it be cleared by state regulators, could allow OpenAI to raise additional capital from investors and, eventually, become a … Read more
California has taken a big step toward regulating AI. SB 243 — a bill that would regulate AI companion chatbots in order to protect minors and vulnerable users — passed both the State Assembly and Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Newsom has until October 12 to either veto … Read more
Armed with a new permit from the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles, Tesla is preparing to begin testing its autonomous vehicle technology on public streets in Nevada. The testing permit, which was first noted by Tesla influencer Sawyer Merritt, comes two months after CEO Elon Musk outlined the company’s plans to take its autonomous vehicle … Read more
There’s plenty of uncertainty to go around this year, including a global trade war, shifting policy priorities, and an economy that’s starting to stumble. Breakthrough Energy, a climate tech organization founded by Bill Gates, has also been shifting in response. The group always placed long bets, though it appears to be reappraising some of them. … Read more
The California State Assembly took a big step toward regulating AI on Wednesday night, passing SB 243 — a bill that regulate AI companion chatbots in order to protect minors and vulnerable users. The legislation passed with bipartisan support and now heads to the state Senate for a final vote Friday. If Governor Gavin Newsom … Read more
There’s been great interest in what Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab is building with its $2 billion in seed funding and the all-star team of former OpenAI researchers who have joined the lab. In a blog post published on Wednesday, Murati’s research lab gave the world its first look into one of its projects: creating … Read more
With Anduril’s help, Australia has done what the U.S. Navy has struggled to accomplish: transition an extra-large undersea drone from white board to under contract in just three years. Anduril announced Tuesday that a fleet of its XL uncrewed undersea vehicle (XLUUV) “Ghost Shark” will begin operations in Australian waters next year under a massive … Read more
