VW reimagines its iconic Microbus for the EV age—but is it moving too slowly? The ID Buzz EV isn’t coming to the US until 2024, leaving an opening for competitors like Ford to grab share in cargo and passenger segments.
Social media disinformation thrives despite pledges: Disparities in Meta’s ad policies show its business model hasn’t evolved beyond propaganda-linked profits, but Big Tech’s proper role in politics is debatable.
Facial recognition tech gets lost in legal fog: Lack of regulation over biometric data muddies Clearview AI’s business prospects and shrouds criminal justice system, putting people at risk of misidentification.
ord, Volkswagen look to develop bidirectional charging to power homes in emergencies: An added advantage of EV tech is more efficient power sharing, which lets EVs give back to the grid.
Easing a dire situation for Ukrainians left in the cold: As Russia captures Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, a case emerges for interoperable systems and international emergency energy protocols.
Nickel price surge could scrap automakers’ EV plans: EV companies should stay nimble and pivot to LFP and innovative battery technologies to keep production volume on track.
Funding pours into a checkout-free technology supplier: AiFi—the vendor behind the autonomous shopping experiences at LiveNation concert venues and NFL stadiums—raises $65 million to roll out to new stores.
While banks work to fight fraud, customers are bristling at some of their security measures. Around the world, 35% of banking customers said what irritates them most is that the authentication factors keep changing. Another 24% are most annoyed by their card being declined for legitimate purchases.
Google looks to cybersecurity acquisition to make its cloud more attractive to enterprise: It’s working to acquire Mandiant, the company that exposed the SolarWinds hack in 2020, for $5.3 billion.
EVs could become a lifeline in emergencies: EVs doubling as home backup power could alleviate their strain on electric grids and entice customers, but only if EV prices don’t skyrocket.
A stuck pig has feelings only AI understands: AI is being deployed to decipher animal sounds, potentially improving humane treatment in what could be the pet industry’s next lucrative frontier.
List of Big Tech companies, carmakers shunning Russia grows longer: Services and apps go dark, putting pressure on Russian consumers. But will continued sanctions influence the Russian government?
Aether, from the sky, makes diamonds: Aether’s use of carbon dioxide to create diamonds paves an economically viable path toward turning CO2 waste into valuable commodities.
How the metaverse’s woolly mammoth could come alive: As extinct virtual animals emerge in the metaverse, they could serve as a test for researchers aiming to resurrect their flesh-and-blood counterparts.
Apple
Honda and Sony join forces to design, build, and sell EVs: The alliance foreshadows a blurring of the lines between automakers and tech companies that will reshape personal transportation.
Tide is turning for tech unionization: The rise of digital media alongside a tight labor market, inflation, and wage stagnation prompts news tech workers to organize. How far behind is Big Tech?
Intel leads consortium for chiplet production: AMD, Qualcomm, Arm, TSMC, and Samsung make up a dream team of silicon producers, but the exclusion of Nvidia and Apple raises questions.