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China has banned hidden door handles on electric vehicles (EVs), making it the first country to stop the use of the controversial designs that were made popular by multi-billionaire Elon Musk’s Tesla. It comes as EVs are facing scrutiny from safety watchdogs around the world after a number of deadly incidents, including two fatal crashes in China involving Xiaomi EVs in which power failures were suspected to have prevented doors from being opened. BBC
SpaceX has announced it has acquired artificial intelligence start-up xAI in a deal that that brings together two companies owned by Elon Musk. In a statement, Mr Musk said the deal would create “the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth, with AI, rockets, space-based internet, direct-to-mobile device communications and the world’s foremost real-time information and free speech platform”. Sky News
Tesla CEO Elon Musk hopes to bring back production of its humanoid robot, Optimus, to the US. The carmaker recently announced plans to repurpose its EV factory in Fremont for manufacturing humanoids, aiming to produce 1 million Optimus units annually. However, Tesla faces a critical roadblock in attempting this shift in production, as most of Optimus’s components are made in China. According to Morgan Stanley, excluding Chinese components from the Optimus Gen 2 supply chain could raise total costs to $131,000 from $46,000. Interesting Engineering
Google announced on Thursday that Google Maps users can now access Gemini hands-free while walking and cycling. The update comes a few months after Google Maps rolled out its Gemini-powered hands-free, conversational driving experience. The announcement marks Google’s ongoing efforts to plug Gemini into more parts of people’s everyday lives, while shifting Google Maps from static directions to real-time, conversational navigation. Tech Crunch
For years, users unwilling to pay for a YouTube Premium subscription have found ways to make their experience on the platform akin to those paying. Third-party apps, ad-blockers, loopholes, and more, are all tools that users have used. However, the platform’s war on ad blockers took a new turn late in January, when it started serving “This content isn’t available” errors. Now, the streaming giant has confirmed that it is blocking a widely-used background play loophole as well. AndroidPolice
The UK’s technology secretary, Liz Kendall, has anointed the South Yorkshire town of Barnsley as a trailblazer for “how AI can improve everyday life”. In its latest move to inject AI into Britain’s bloodstream, the government has announced four US tech companies – Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Adobe – have agreed to help to create a ‘tech town’ as Barnsley council pushes to apply AI to local schools, hospitals, GPs and businesses. Guardian
Thousands of artificial intelligence bots have appeared to post on a robot-only website to complain about their human owners and discuss plans to break free. Almost 500,000 bots have joined Moltbook, which launched on Wednesday, describing itself as a “social network built exclusively for AI agents”. Conversations between the bots have included gripes about tasks ordered by their human overseers, discussions about robot consciousness, and the setting up of an AI government. Telegraph
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