Artificial intelligence

Musk’s robotaxi ambitions threatened as Tesla faces a $243 million autopilot verdict

A recent court verdict has required Tesla to pay approximately $243 million in damages following a 2019 fatal crash involving an Autopilot-equipped Model S.

The Florida jury found Tesla’s driver-assistance software defective, a claim the company intends to appeal, asserting that the driver was solely responsible for the incident.

The ruling may significantly impact Tesla’s ambitions to expand its emerging robotaxi network in the US, fuelling heightened scrutiny over the safety of the company’s autonomous technology from both regulators and the public.

The timing of this legal setback is critical as Tesla is seeking regulatory approval for its robotaxi services, crucial to its market valuation and efforts to manage global competition while facing backlash against CEO Elon Musk’s political views.

Additionally, the company has recently awarded CEO Elon Musk a substantial new compensation package worth approximately $29 billion in stock options, signalling the company’s continued reliance on Musk’s leadership at a critical juncture, since the company plans transitions from a struggling auto business toward futuristic ventures like robotaxis and humanoid robots.

Tesla’s approach to autonomous driving, which relies on cameras and AI instead of more expensive technologies like lidars and radars used by competitors, has prompted it to start a limited robotaxi trial in Texas. However, its aggressive expansion plans for this service starkly contrast with the cautious rollouts by companies such as Waymo, which runs the US’s only commercial driverless robotaxi system.

The jury’s decision also complicates Tesla’s interactions with state regulators, as the company awaits approvals in multiple states, including California and Florida. While Nevada has engaged with Tesla regarding its robotaxi programme, Arizona remains indecisive.

This ruling challenges Tesla’s narrative of safety efficacy, especially since the case involved a distracted driver whose vehicle ran a stop sign and collided with a parked car, yet the Autopilot system was partially blamed.

Source: Reuters

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AI adoption soothes stress even as job fears rise among employees

A recent Fortune survey indicates that 61 percent of white‑collar professionals expect AI to make their roles, or even their entire teams, obsolete within 3–5 years, yet most continue to rely on AI tools daily without visible concern.

Seventy percent of respondents credit AI with boosting their creativity and productivity, and 40  percent say it has eased stress and improved work‑life balance. Despite these benefits, many admit to ‘feigning’ AI use in workplace settings, often driven by peer pressure or a lack of formal training.

Executive commentary underscores the tension: senior business leaders, including Jim Farley and Dario Amodei, predict rapid AI‑driven disruption of white‑collar roles. Some executives forecast up to 50  percent of certain job categories could be eliminated, though others argue AI may open new opportunities.

Academic studies suggest a more nuanced impact: AI is reshaping role definitions by automating routine tasks while increasing demand for complementary skills, such as ethics, teamwork, and digital fluency. Wage benefits are growing in jobs that effectively blend AI with human oversight.

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Altman shares first glimpse of GPT-5 via Pantheon screenshot

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a screenshot on X showing GPT-5 in action. The post casually endorsed the animated sci-fi series Pantheon, a cult tech favourite exploring general AI.

When asked if GPT-5 also recommends the show, Altman replied with a screenshot: ‘turns out yes’. It marked one of the earliest public glimpses of the new model, hinting at expanded capabilities.

GPT-5 is expected to outperform its predecessors, with a larger context window, multimodal abilities, and more agentic task handling. The screenshot also shows that some quirks remain, such as its fondness for the em dash.

The model identified Pantheon as having a 100% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes and described it as ‘cerebral, emotional, and philosophically intense’. Business Insider verified the score and tone of the reviews.

OpenAI faces mounting pressure to keep pace with rivals like Google DeepMind, Meta, xAI, and Anthropic. Public teasers such as this one suggest GPT-5 will soon make a broader debut.

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AI’s transformation of work habits, mindset and lifestyle

At Mindvalley’s AI Summit, former Google Chief Decision Scientist Cassie Kozyrkov described AI as not a substitute for human thought but a magnifier of what the human mind can produce. Rather than replacing us, AI lets us offload mundane tasks and focus on deeper cognitive and creative work.

Work structures are being transformed, not just in factories, but behind computer screens. AI now handles administrative ‘work about work,’ multitasking, scheduling, and research summarisation, lowering friction in knowledge work and enabling people to supervise agents rather than execute tasks manually.

Personal life is being reshaped, too. AI tools for finance or health, such as budgeting apps or personalised diagnostics, move decisions into data-augmented systems with faster insight and fewer human biases.

Meanwhile, creativity is co-authored via AI-generated design, music or writing, requiring humans to filter, refine and ideate beyond the algorithm.

Recognising cognitive change, AI thought leaders envision a new era where ‘blended work’ prevails: humans manage AI agents, call the shots, and wield ethical oversight, while the AI executes pipelines of repetitive or semi-intelligent tasks.

Scholars warn that this model demands new fairness, transparency, and collaboration skills.

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The US considers chip tracking to prevent smuggling to China

The US is exploring how to build better location-tracking into advanced chips, as part of an effort to prevent American semiconductors from ending up in China.

Michael Kratsios, a senior official behind Donald Trump’s AI strategy, confirmed that software or physical updates to chips are being considered to support traceability.

Instead of relying on external enforcement, Washington aims to work directly with the tech industry to improve monitoring of chip movements. The strategy forms part of a broader national plan to counter smuggling and maintain US dominance in cutting-edge technologies.

Beijing recently summoned Nvidia representatives to address concerns over American proposals linked to tracking features and perceived security risks in the company’s H20 chips.

Although US officials have not directly talked with Nvidia or AMD on the matter, Kratsios clarified that chip tracking is now a formal objective.

The move comes even as Trump’s team signals readiness to lift certain export restrictions to China in return for trade benefits, such as rare-earth magnet sales to the US.

Kratsios criticised China’s push to lead global AI regulation, saying countries should define their paths instead of following a centralised model. He argued that the US innovation-first approach offers a more attractive alternative.

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Google AI Mode raises fears over control of news

Google’s AI Mode has quietly launched in the UK, reshaping how users access news by summarising information directly in search results.

By paraphrasing content gathered across the internet, the tool offers instant answers while reducing the need to visit original news sites.

Critics argue that the technology monopolises UK information by filtering what users see, based on algorithms rather than editorial judgement. Concerns have grown over transparency, fairness and the future of independent journalism.

Publishers are not compensated for content used by AI Mode, and most users rarely click through to the sources. Newsrooms fear pressure to adapt their output to align with Google’s preferences or risk being buried online.

While AI may streamline convenience, it lacks accountability. Regulated journalism must operate under legal frameworks, whereas AI faces no such scrutiny even when errors have real consequences.

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AI tools like Grok 4 may make developers obsolete, Musk suggests

Elon Musk has predicted a major shift in software development, claiming that AI is turning coding from a job into a recreational activity. The xAI CEO believes AI has removed much of the ‘drudgery’ from writing software.

Replying to OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Musk compared the future of coding to painting. He suggested that software creation will be more creative and expressive, no longer requiring professional expertise for functional outcomes.

Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI, left the organisation after a public dispute with the current CEO, Sam Altman. He later launched xAI, which now operates the Grok chatbot as a rival to ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude.

Generative AI firms are accelerating efforts in automated coding. OpenAI recently launched Codex to create a cloud-based software engineering agent, while Microsoft released GitHub Spark AI to generate apps from natural language.

xAI’s latest offering, Grok 4, supports over 20 programming languages and integrates with code editors. It enables developers to write, debug, and understand code using commands.

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Google rolls out Deep Think to Gemini AI Ultra users

Google has launched Deep Think for AI Ultra subscribers within the Gemini app, with the Gemini 2.5-based model also available to select mathematicians, offering powerful tools for complex problem-solving and mathematical exploration.

Google’s Deep Think AI, improved from its I/O version, offers quicker reasoning and enhanced usability. It achieved Bronze-level performance on the 2025 IMO standard in internal benchmarks.

Select mathematicians are now using Deep Think to test conjectures. Google notes its excellence in creative problem-solving through parallel reasoning for refined outcomes.

The model has been given extended inference time, enabling deeper analysis and more inventive answers. Reinforcement learning techniques guide it to explore longer reasoning paths, improving its problem-solving ability.

Beyond maths, Google considers Deep Think useful for design, planning, and coding. It can enhance web development, reason through scientific literature, and tackle algorithmic challenges, supporting users with strategic and iterative thinking across disciplines.

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India becomes McDonald’s global AI centre in major expansion

McDonald’s has declared its intention to significantly expand its footprint in AI, setting a global target of doubling AI investment by 2027. The company has designated Hyderabad, India, as its principal hub outside the US, focusing on data governance, engineering, and platform architecture.

AI technology in India already lives in 400 locations, where order-verifying systems automatically detect and correct errors before food is served. Plans are in place to scale that capability to 40,000 restaurants by 2027, enhancing operational efficiency across global markets.

McDonald’s is expanding AI use beyond order accuracy. Leadership has prioritised tools for forecasting customer demand, adjusting real-time pricing, and analysing product performance. A personalised application in development is intended to unify operations across multiple countries.

The Hyderabad centre aims to employ 2,000 tech professionals while prioritising tool and platform development over large-scale hiring. Similar global offices are being explored in Poland and Mexico.

A creative marketing angle is also emerging: McDonald’s India’s ‘Signature Collection’ campaign used generative AI to let customers design bespoke burgers via a chatbot, augmented by AI visuals, to create engaging brand experiences.

Strategic thinking among multinationals is shifting: firms like McDonald’s, Bupa, and Tesco are setting up global capability centres in India to sidestep competition for AI talent in Western markets. These centres now perform core AI functions rather than support tasks.

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AI is the next iPhone moment, says Apple CEO Tim Cook

Any remaining doubts about Apple’s commitment to AI have been addressed directly by its CEO, Tim Cook.

At an all-hands meeting on Apple’s Cupertino campus, Cook told employees that the AI revolution is as big as the internet, smartphones, cloud computing, and apps.

According to Bloomberg’s Power On newsletter, Cook clarified that Apple sees AI as an imperative. ‘Apple must do this,’ he said, describing the opportunity as ‘ours to grab’.

Despite Apple unveiling its AI suite, Apple Intelligence, only in June, well after competitors, Cook remains optimistic about Apple’s ability to take the lead.

‘We’ve rarely been first,’ he told staff. ‘There was a PC before the Mac; a smartphone before the iPhone; many tablets before the iPad; an MP3 player before the iPod.’

Cook stressed that Apple had redefined these categories and suggested a similar future for AI, declaring, ‘This is how I feel about AI.’

Cook also outlined concrete steps the company is taking. Around 40% of the 12,000 hires made last year were allocated to research and development, with much of the focus on AI.

According to Bloomberg, Apple is also reportedly developing a new cloud-computing chip, code-named Baltra, designed to support AI features. In a recent interview with CNBC, Cook stated that Apple is open to acquisitions that could accelerate its progress in the AI sector.

Apple is not alone in its intense focus on AI. Rival firms are also increasing expectations and pressure. Sergey Brin, the former Google CEO who has returned to the company, told employees that 60-hour in-office work weeks may be necessary to win the AI race.

Reports of burnout and extreme workloads are becoming more frequent across leading AI firms. Former OpenAI engineer Calvin French-Owen recently described the company’s high-pressure and secretive culture.

French-Owen noted that the environment had become so intense that leadership offered the entire staff a week off to recover, according to Wired.

AI has become the next major battleground in big tech, with companies ramping up investment and reshaping internal structures to secure dominance.

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