Lots has happened this past week in the tech world! With California suspending a self-driving taxi company, Sony’s PlayStation 5 officially stocked worldwide, Apple releasing iOS 17.1, and more, there’s much to catch up on. So, let’s get started!
California Suspends Self-Driving Taxi Company
After two months of the state allowing robotaxis to pick up paying passengers, California has officially suspended self-driving vehicles operated by the General Motors subsidiary Cruise in San Francisco. This decision is after an accident on Oct. 2 that resulted in a pedestrian getting struck and trapped under a self-driving car for about 20 feet.
On Oct. 24, Cruise released a blog post that explains what the company plans to do moving forward: “This incident will be included in future suites of simulation tests to allow the vehicle to better determine if it should pull over safely or stay in place, and to validate that the AV’s behavior remains safe and reasonable. We aim to continuously learn and improve AV behavior, and in developing new simulation tests and rare scenarios, we can assess multiple variations of this type of incident and increase the robustness of the AV’s response.”
Sony’s PlayStation 5 Is Fully Stocked
After continuous shortages, Sony’s Playstation 5 is now fully stocked in stores around the globe. According to the executive at the company, Sony will now hit the sales target of 25 million units for 2023. These changes are possible due to the rebalance of supply and demand in the industry.
Eric Lempel, Sony’s head of business operations, spoke with CNBC about the issue: “We launched back in 2020. We suffered from the same supply chain issues that everybody was dealing with. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to deliver PS5 to every consumer that wanted one.”
Apple Releases iOS 17.1
Apple released the iOS 17.1 on Oct. 25, the latest version of its operating system for the iPhone. The update includes a few adjustments that’ll enhance the tech users’ experience.
The new favorites feature for Apple Music allows listeners to add specific songs, artists, and playlists to their library, which then helps the tech with its recommendation algorithms. The new StandBy feature also lets users have control while the phone’s display turns off when used in smart display mode. Plus, iOS 17.1 offers AirDrop upgrades, which allow content to be transferred over the internet when stepping out of the AirDrop range. There are various other improvements and bug fixes, a handful being region-specific additions.
Ford Begins Testing Drone Delivery
Ford is restoring Detroit’s Michigan Central Station to become a new tech hub. On Oct. 26, the Ford subsidiary that controls operations at this location announced that they’ll work with the Department of Transportation in Michigan to test drones. This new tech is under a testing trial for delivering food, medicine, and other small necessities to residents within a three-mile radius.
This new testing project’s primary goal is getting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which can allow drones to operate beyond visual sightlines. Plus, drones would open up new revenue opportunities for Ford.
British Government Focuses on AI Safety
The British government is tackling the ethical issues of AI head-on. On Oct. 26, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gave a speech prior to the AI Safety Summit, which will take place next week. Sunak announced that the U.K. will set up the world’s first AI safety institute to understand and test new AI applications to evaluate the risks.
“AI will bring a transformation as far-reaching as the industrial revolution, the coming of electricity, or the birth of the internet,” Sunak said. “In the most unlikely but extreme cases, there is even the risk that humanity could lose control of AI completely through the kind of AI sometimes referred to as super intelligence.”
