General Motors has announced it will no longer fund its commercial robotaxi business, instead absorbing Cruise, its self-driving car subsidiary, to focus on developing driver-assistance features and fully autonomous personal vehicles. This decision comes after a $1 billion acquisition in 2016 and over $10 billion in investments.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has released real-time video capabilities for ChatGPT, allowing users to point their phones at objects and receive responses in near real time. Google has also unveiled its first-ever AI agent that can take actions on the web, using a Gemini-powered browser interface to navigate websites like a human would.
Other notable developments include Duolingo’s collaboration with Netflix to help viewers learn Korean ahead of the next season of “Squid Game,” and Spotify’s discontinuation of Car Thing. Additionally, Bluesky has teased a paid subscription tier for its app, while Krispy Kreme faced a cyberattack that caused operational disruptions.
Finally, Freysa.ai is creating challenges designed to influence AI safety discussions, offering tens of thousands of dollars in prizes for those who can trick its AI character into saying “I love you.” The company’s image generator has also been making waves, producing unrestricted images of public figures.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/14/gm-blindsides-cruise-by-giving-up-on-robotaxis