This Week in Review highlights exciting developments, including Jeff Bezos’ investment in EV startup Slate, allegations against Meta from a former executive, insights into Waymo’s data usage, and significant moves in the tech industry. Read on to stay updated!
Highlights and Developments
Innovative EV Initiative: Slate, an electric vehicle startup, aims to revolutionize the market with its vision of an affordable two-seater pickup truck priced at $25,000. Backed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, this venture plans to push its vehicle into production by late 2026, bolstering hopes for accessible electric transport.
Accusations Against Meta: In testimony before the U.S. Senate, Sarah Wynn-Williams, a former head of global public policy at Meta, claimed that the company collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party. She argued that this partnership undermines U.S. national security and goes against American values.
A Surprising Bid: Trevor Milton, known for founding Nikola, is attempting to buy back the assets of his former company following his recent pardon from securities fraud convictions. It’s currently unclear if any competing offers exist for Nikola’s assets amid this legal drama.
Waymo’s Data Usage Initiative: An unreleased Waymo privacy policy indicates the firm plans to utilize data from its robotaxis, including video from interior cameras linked to user identities, to develop generative AI models. Users will have the option to opt out of data collection.
Energy Policy Developments: President Trump has signed an executive order supporting coal energy for data centers. This directive includes measures to classify coal as a critical mineral and mandates that certain coal-fired power plants remain operational.
Insights into Luxury Aviation: A data breach at NetJets, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, has disclosed preferences for servicing notable clients like Elon Musk. According to the internal guidelines, Musk prioritizes quick and direct flights, maintaining a cabin temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
OpenAI’s Talent Acquisition: Thinking Machine Labs, a new AI venture led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has bolstered its advisory team by recruiting significant figures, including Bob McGrew and Alec Radford, known for their contributions to transformative AI technologies.
Management Changes at Dropbox: Eric Cox, who joined Dropbox as chief customer officer last year, is stepping down. The company has not yet announced a successor.
HVAC Innovations: Matt Rogers, co-founder of Nest, shared his thoughts on the current trajectory of the company, emphasizing his ongoing passion for HVAC technologies despite the company’s direction diverging from his original vision.
Economic Implications in AI Testing
Rising Costs in AI Model Evaluation: The financial burden of developing and testing advanced AI models continues to escalate. For instance, assessing OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model incurs a cost of $2,767, while the Claude 3.7 Sonnet hybrid model evaluation costs $1,485.35. This contrasts sharply with the less expensive evaluations of earlier models, underscoring the rising complexity and expense associated with AI advancements.
