Tesla Robotaxi Progress and Siri AI Hands-on

Are roll batteries the same? That's like asking ev soccer players are the same Take Messi, the most decorated player ever Is there any other player who has achieved that? No, just him. Now take Duracl. Is there any other battery with power boost ingredients inside? No, just Duracl. Remember, goats only trust goats because they're built different. and Messi only trusts Duracl Welcome to the Tech We W write homeome for Wednesday june tenth, twenty six. I'm Brian McClla. Today, the CFTC proposed prediction market rules banning bets on war and assassinations. SpaceX drew more than two hundred fifty billion dollars in IPO demand far beyond its seventy five billion dollars target. Microsoft patched a record two hundred security flaws. Tesla has just fifty nine Robotaxis And Siri AI gets its first hands on. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech Think you have to build your own search engine scraping infrastructure. Thank again, folks. SRP API can take care of all your search engine scraping needs. It lets AI products access real time web search data programmatically No scraping infrastructure required Their APIs offer structured JSON data from all the top search engines, including Google, Amazon, and YouTube Tech companies already use SERP API to power their AI agents, their market intelligence tools, and their automated research workflows See how it can help you and your team SRP API provides two hundred and fifty free searches per month Go check it out at SRPapPi d. comot That's SRP SERpapPi dot com Sources tell the journal that the CFTC will propose new prediction market rules banning bets it finds aren't in the public interest or that seem highly susceptible to manipulation The rules would likely limit certain types of sports related trading, such as bets on player injuries and so called first pitch gambling L the type that ensnared an all star major League pitcher Virtually all bets on war, terrorism, or assassinations would also likely be prohibited on the basis that they aren't in the public interest. The agency's proposal doesn't outright ban trading on specific types of so called event contracts, but rather outlines factors that regulators will use to review certain types of contracts on a case by case basis The CFTC had already offered some preliminary guidance on what types of betting should be avoided, and Calsy and other prediction platforms have moved to get ahead of the new regulations. Celchy said it was planning to require that some users disclose the identity of their employers, the journal reported The proposal and Kalcici's changes show how the rules are still being sorted out in a new world that allows betting on the outcome of everything from elections to corporate earnings to the Super Bowl halftime show. The list of what is allowed is likely to be much longer than what isn't. Officials say that in general, the intent is to permit the growth of prediction markets, including those focused on sports despite intense pushback from states that have their own gambling laws and say prediction markets are an end run around them The new rules are an effort by the CFTC to keep up with the quickly growing prediction markets, which began launching a range of new types of event contracts in the regulatory vacuum that preceded President Trump's reelection. The Trump family has itself taken a financial interest in the emerging market with one of Trump's sons serving as an advisor to Calshci and its largest competitor polymarket, whose large offshore platform is unregulated. The CFTC, which was originally created to regulate commodities and derives markets, considers bets placed on prediction platforms a form of swaps trading U prior administrations, itss leadership blocked Calsci poolymarket and other platforms from listing broad categories of these events contracts, including those related to elections and sports. Markets tied to war have been a particularly sensitive topic for prediction markets, given that information about geopolitical conflicts could rely on highly classified information and put lives in danger. A US soldier was charged in April over trades he allegedly made around the operation that led to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicholas Maduro A pair of lawmakers have proposed a law to ban those bets outright on U. S. regulated platforms The CFTC, under its Trump appointed chair, Michael Selig, has pivoted toward being broadly permissive to the platforms. In a series of legal actions this year, the CFTC moved to block states that have tried to prevent Celsci and other prediction market platforms from operating in their jurisdiction Most US professional sports leagues have embraced sports gambling. Some have been more reluctant when it comes to major prediction markets. Major League baseball earlier this year signed a licensing deal with polymarket Celix's stance on prediction platforms has been controversial with some state leaders and federal lawmakers in both parties In March, lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation to prohibit U. S. regulated prediction markets from listing contracts related to sporting events and casino style games. such as videoide poker, Blackjack, and Bingo The rules proposed Wednesday, which will undergo a forty five day public comment period, are unlikely to be the last ones the CFTC issues on prediction markets. The agency is weighing other rules, including ones geared toward protecting retail traders, according to people familiar with the matter, end quote And then back to the journal for more details on that Kowshi thing specifically, quote. Kussi is planning to require that participants in some prediction markets disclose the identity of their employers after an advisory committee recommended tighter security measures to combat potential insider trading and market manipulation Users seeking to make bets in some markets linked to material nonpublic information will be required to submit an online form disclosing where they work, Kauschi said. The changes are set to be rolled out in the coming weeks. Sensitive, betting markets related to issues such as company performance and national security, including the war in Iran, are expected to require employment disclosure, according to a Kauschi official In most cases, Kausshi won't verify the employment information provided by users unless the company learns of suspicious activity. A Kaschi spokeswoman said, Once suspicious activity is flagged, the company will launch an investigation and seek proof of employment, end quote ore indications that Mythos wasn't all marketing hype coting Cbs on security Microsoft todayay released software updates to plug nearly two hundred security holes across its Windows operating system and supported software, a record number of fixes for the company's monthly patch Tuesday cycle Nearly three dozen of those bugs earned Microsoft's most dire critical rating and exploit code for at least three of the weaknesses is now publicly available The software giant said in a blog post last month that both its engineers and the security community are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to find bugs, meaning this month's heavy patch Tuesday may start to become the norm, said senior staff research engineer at Tennable Some surveys put AI usage among security professionals generally at ninety percent, so it's unsurprising that this volume of patches may be the norm, Nurang said Pandora's proverbial box has been opened, and as more advanced AI models become available, we expect the norm to continue upward across the board, not just for patch Tuesday While two hundred vulnerabilities may be a record for Patch Tuesday, the actual number of security flaws Microsoft addressed this month is far higher, said Rapid Seven's Adam Barnett So far this month, Microsoft has provided patches to address three hundred and sixty browser vulnerabilities, which is an order of magnitude more than has been typical in any given month over the past few years, Barnett wrote. As usual, browser flaws are not included in the patch Tuesday count above. Indeed, the vast and presumably sustained uptick in the number of browser vulnerabilities has led to Microsoft no longer enumerating Chromium CVEs in the seecurity update guide. Microsoft also patched a zero day vulnerability in Visual Studio code that allowed attackers to steal GitHub tokens with a single click, end quote On the IPO front, SpaceX has reportedly drawn more than two hundred fifty billion dollars of investor demand for what is poised to be the largest IPO in history, far beyond the seventy five billion dollars that SpaceX is aiming to raise Qoting Reuters. The deal's over subscription rate is running at three and a half to four times the planned offering size, sources said, which bankers and investors say is the latest sign that demand is strong, as Reuters reported on Friday Long only funds have put in what one source described as sizable orders. Musk briefly joined some Zoom meetings with potential investors, a source said The company remains in the midst of the marketing process, sources said on Tuesday, SpaceX President Gwen Shotwell and Finance Chief Brett Johnson were expected to attend a launch meeting at Morgan Stanley in Midtown, Manhattan with about three hundred institutional investors and hosted by Morgan Stanley, C presresident Dan Simkowitz, said a source familiar with the plans Investor demand is still subject to change before the IPO prices expected on Thursday afternoon Subscription figures reflect indications of interest rather than final allocations, which will be set at pricing The sources added that some large institutional investors tend to submit orders late in the IPO process. The sources requested anonymity because the matter is confidential The offering comes at a time of extreme volatility in markets, however, with the NSDAQ composite trading lower on Tuesday after posting its steepest decline in more than a year on Friday and Bitcoin falling two point eight percent on Tuesday Putting it thirty seven percent below its January high. Some analysts have speculated that one factor in the market retreat could be selling by SpaceX buyers raising funds for the IPO, end quote. AI is uncharted territory, and many leaders are trying to navigate through without a guide to help them. That's why Morning Bw created the Intelligence Shift, a new podcast with PWC. It's all about how AI is fundamentally changing different industries host Dan Priest sits down with people who work with AI on a daily basis. Together, they discuss real stories, real strategies, and real takeaways for leaders. Get guidance from industry experts. listen to the intelligence shift Whver you get your podcast. Spring has sprung folks. As the weather warms up, it's a great time to take your routine outside. To keep cool as the days warm up, check out Viori clothing. Viori is designed to keep you looking great both inside the gym and out in the world Biori's products are built for comfort and performance. They're designed to move with you through every part of your day, from your morning workout to your evening commute and kicking back at home. Get twenty percent off your first purchase at Viori dot com slash tech brew and discover the versatility of Viori clothing.s Viori d. com slash tech brerew. Exclusions apppply, visit the website for full terms and conditions And we're live on Match Day as Doug reaches for a buffalo wing He's got it. Oh and he's gone for a can of beepsy too. What a finish There's no doubt about it. it just tastes better. Match days deserve Betsy But remember Elon's other company, quoting Bloomberg When Elon Musk kicked off Tesla's quarterly earnings call in july twenty twenty five Robo taxis were top of mind. The carmaker had just launched its automated ride hailing service several weeks earlier in Austin to glowing early reviews from the handpicked crop of initial riders We've already expanded our service area in Austin, the Chief executive offfficer said. Tesla was planning to grow further in the city and quickly spread to California, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida We'll probably have autonomous ride hailing in about half the population of the US by the end of the year, he said Almost a year later, Tesla has just fifty nine vehicles in its entire Robaaxi fleet as of Tuesday, limited to three Texas cities Musk is known for making overly ambitious proclamations and missing self imposed deadlines at Tesla and SpaceX, which is literally in the business of moonshots. Yet even by those standards, the gulf between his public robot taxi statements and what the business has achieved is vast Three months after that earnings call Musk said Tesla would have five hundred or more vehicles in the Austin area alone by the end of twenty twenty five Robot taxis arguably represent Tesla's most concrete source of new growth. But as the service approaches its one year anniversary, the results so far have been disappointing times can be long, availability is limited and the cars pick up and drop off at incorrect locations with human safety monitors occasionally riding along to supervise. Musk has already said the business won't be profitable until at least twenty twenty seven A few dozen vehicles after almost one year is, quote, well short of even our very bearish outlook, said Garrett Nelson, a senior equity research analyst with CFRA. For well over a decade, Musk has over promised adddd Robot taxis to the list, they said, and quote Finally today, Allison Johnson at the Verge has the first hands on with the new seri Parents want one thing and one thing only out of AI to add a list of soccer games or spirit weeek themed days from an email or a poorly formatted flyer onto their calendar in one shot And I have good news for parrots with iPhones, the new Siri can finally do this After stumbling through its first launch of an AI imbued series, Apple is trying again The newly upgraded Siri AI can chat with you about what might be killing the roses in your yard, put together a shopping list for the hardware store, and set a reminder to lay down some compost in that same flower bed It can reference information in your email and calendar to make its recommendations or provide an actually helpful answer to the question, When should I leave for the airport? And yes, it can even add a list of events from an email to your calendar. I tried all of these scenarios out for myself and I saw it happen AI Si is for real this time But it's also a pretty basic set of features for an AI assistant in twenty twenty six, particularly if you compare it to what Gemini has been doing on Android for the past couple of years Google's Ch chatbot has been able to add multiple calendar events from a screenshot for at least a year at this point. It's been diagnosing plant problems and scheduling maintenance reminders for months now, if not longer. New Siri is built on Gemini models, so it makes a lot of sense that the first iteration of Siri AI feels a little bit Gemini Circa twenty twenty five Siri AI has its own flavor though. Apple has a lot of proprietary stuff going on under the hood and in the cloud. It draws from an on device pool of data that's gleaned from things like email messages. This information is indexed so Siri can tap into the relevant bits when needed Pompts that can't be handled fully on device are sent to Apple's private Cloud compute with only the relevant pieces of personal data attached Gemini handles the personal context differently. You opt into sharing your Gmail or calendar and then it'll go directly to those sources to get the information when needed Siri AI working well depends a lot on the AI understanding context. So far, it is doing pretty well. I asked it. When I needed to return some camera gear, I rented for WWDC and it found the information from a calendar event I'd made and in an email. It's due back Friday for the record Likewise, prompting it with something like add these events to my calendar will consistently trigger it to reference the information on my screen. So far so good I couldn't get Siri to engage in any shenanigans. I didn't exactly stress test it, but the guardrails were strong enough to return a kt. I can't help you with that to a shady prompt. which is fair. As a conversationalist, New Siri also seems a bit more dispassionate than Gemini. I gave them both the same prompt asking why the flowers in front of my house seem to be wilting. They both gave wordy responses with a lot of possible causes, but Gemini started with That is incredibly frustrating where Siri was more direct and got right into diagnosing the situation The new seri handled my follow up request well too. I asked it to recommend a garden center near home and it came up with a good suggestion. It also created a new reminder list with some checklist items for my garden rehab project and added a calendar event all from a single prompt. prettyrety basic stuff, but this is Siri The fact that it works at all is a step forward that's been years in the making New Siri pops up in a lot of places on the iPhone. I've gotten into the habit of swiping down on the home screen and using search to get into apps. And every time I do, there's a big prompt to search or ask with a glowing Blinking cursor Long pressing the wake button summons Siri from the dynamic island now rather than presenting it in a glowing border around the screen The changes all add up to a subtle feeling that you're never very far away from Siri This iteration of Siri feels like the AI assistant you'd build if you knew you couldn't screw it up It supports a pretty basic set of features. It's not out here doordashing your burritos for you, but it actually does what's advertised For the company that made big promises of Siri two years ago that never materialized, that's a big deal works and it will actually ship to customers are the two targets that Apple couldn't miss here. It's only in a development beta right now, but it's realer than the first AI series was At least the ones shown at WWC before ever were. Apple needs this version of Siri to earn back trust. and based on what I've seen so far, this looks like a small step toward getting that trust back, end quote Nothing more for you today. talkal to you tomorrow.