Good morning! This is your daily โ๏ธ Techpresso.
On this day, 38 years ago, Voyager 2 made history with the first fly-by of Uranus and continues to send data back to Earth, with updates shared via a dedicated Twitter feed.
In today's Techpresso:
๐ Leaked documents reveal Google's plans for AI
๐ Apple Car may be coming much, much later than we hoped
๐คซ Former Google CEO is quietly building a kamikaze drone startup
๐ Tesla to build new model in 2025, report claims
๐ฅ๏ธ Google Chrome adds new AI features to boost productivity and creativity
๐ + 8 other news you might like
๐ฎ + 5 handpicked research papers and tools
๐ Leaked documents reveal Google's plans for AILINK
Google believes 2024 is going to be the year in which they will launch one of the biggest and most powerful AI models to have ever existed. An internal document highlights Google's seven strategic AI goals, including the development of their platforms, cloud services, and work environment, amidst a competitive AI field and recent company layoffs. As Google works to integrate AI into its existing products, rumors of a new chatbot based on the advanced Gemini Ultra model arise while competitors like OpenAI and Microsoft continue to advance in the AI market.
๐ Apple Car may be coming much, much later than we hopedLINK
Apple has scaled back its autonomous car project, reducing the target from Level 5 full automation to a Level 2+ system requiring driver attention.
The company now aims to launch a Tesla-like electric vehicle by 2028, which is a two-year delay from its initial target.
Despite concentrating on a more conventional EV with the T172 car, Apple continues to explore potential for Level 4 automation in the future.
๐คซ Former Google CEO is quietly building a kamikaze drone startupLINK
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is developing a kamikaze drone startup, White Stork, aiming to supply advanced AI drones to Ukraine's military efforts.
Schmidt, who has fostered connections between Silicon Valley and the Pentagon, envisions AI significantly changing warfare and promotes kamikaze drones as a cost-effective weapon.
Operating through shell companies, White Stork, with industry veterans on its team, aligns with Schmidt's advocacy for increased use of drones, potentially challenging tech companies' humanitarian stances.
๐ Tesla to build new model in 2025, report claimsLINK
Tesla plans to start production of new electric vehicles in mid-2025 at its Texas factory, with expectations for weekly production of 10,000 units.
Elon Musk has discussed making affordable electric vehicles and a robotaxi, with targets of a $25,000 entry-level car and a dedicated self-driving taxi model.
Delays in product launches and challenges in achieving profitability from low-cost electric vehicles are noted as typical for Tesla's ambitious plans.
๐ฅ๏ธ Google Chrome adds new AI features to boost productivity and creativityLINK
Google has integrated new AI features into the Chrome browser, including an Organize Tabs tool that groups similar tabs together to declutter the user's workspace, available in Chrome version 121.
A custom wallpaper generator using AI technology to create themes based on user-specified subjects, styles, and moods has also been introduced, accessible through the New Tab page's customization options.
An upcoming AI feature called โHelp me writeโ is set to be released in the following month's Chrome update, aiming to assist users with writing tasks by expanding, polishing, or altering the tone of text entered into any text field in the browser.
Other news you might like
eBay is laying off 1,000 employees, 9% of its workforce, to become a more nimble company despite solid profits last quarter.LINK
Spotify is set to enable in-app purchases in the EU, challenging Apple's 30% fee and leveraging the Digital Markets Act to offer seamless transactions for subscriptions and audiobooks within their app.LINK
Google terminates Appen's contract, the firm that trained AI for Bard, amid efforts to streamline vendor operations and cost efficiency.LINK
Meta's retreat from news on Facebook slashes publishers' social traffic, hits smaller outlets hardest, and changes content dynamics.LINK
Mozilla calls for fair competition in the browser market, exposing technical obstacles for Firefox on Windows, Android, and iOS with its new Platform Tilt tracker.LINK
Research indicates that despite blockchain's popularity, most situations likely don't require it, as current decision tools are biased and may misguide users.LINK
ClearSpace partners with Orbit Fab to create an in-orbit spacecraft refuelling service, aiming to extend satellite lifespans and reduce space debris.LINK
Scientists successfully grew chickpeas in modified lunar soil, potentially enabling astronauts to cultivate a nutritious food source on the moon.LINK
Latest research and tools
Show HN: an open-source rule-based PDF parser tailored for RAG (rich annotation format) content.LINK
Spotting LLMs with Binoculars: researchers developed a method to identify text written by AI without any previous examples.LINK
SimSIMD: a platform for executing similarity and distance calculations quickly using hardware acceleration.LINK
Servo: an open-source browser engine written in Rust designed for parallel layout processing and improved safety.LINK
Show HN: an open-source script to quickly get your website indexed by Google.LINK
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