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Automakers Put AI in the Fast Lane; Algorithms Swept Up in U.S.-China Trade Clash
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Welcome back. Artificial-intelligence ventures are working alongside automakers seeking a competitive edge in the race to develop autonomous cars and trucks, among other emerging technologies. Off the road, BMW has used production downtime during the coronavirus pandemic to boost the use of AI in its plants. German gas stations use AI-enabled apps to tweak prices. But these and other auto-sector efforts to advance smart software are running up against regulatory barriers and geopolitical forces, notably trade clashes
between the U.S. and China that are rattling the global tech market.
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A truck from Scania, a Volkswagen brand, outfitted with TuSimple’s self-driving technology.
PHOTO: TRATON GROUP
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Automation startup TuSimple has been tapped by Volkswagen AG’s trucking subsidiary, Traton Group, to develop autonomous heavy-duty trucks, The Wall Street Journal reports. The deal, announced by the world’s largest carmaker last week, gives Traton an undisclosed stake in TuSimple, which aims to roll out a fully self-driving truck by 2021.
AI on the road. TuSimple, a five-year-old AI venture based in San Diego and in China, has a fleet of more than three dozen semi-autononous trucks in commercial use in the U.S. that have a human operator behind the wheel.
Along for the ride. TuSimple struck a similar deal in July with U.S. truck maker Navistar International Corp. The startup’s other investors include United Parcel Service, as part of a $215 million Series D funding round earlier this year.
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Volkswagen last week also unveiled its ID.4 all-electric sport-utility vehicle, a bid to challenge rival Tesla Inc. The development of electric cars and autonomous vehicles is treated by many automakers as twin projects.
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The slow lane. Software glitches have forced Volkswagen to sell tens of thousands of electric cars with a stripped-down processors that it hopes to upgrade early next year.
The fast lane. After an early start, Tesla leads its rivals with better-performing vehicles already on the market, while expanding production with a new factory near Berlin, in Volkswagen’s backyard. Ford, Nissan and BMW all unveiled electric models at a Beijing auto show over the weekend.
The passing lane. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, the nation’s largest car market, signed an order last week that aims to end the sale of new gasoline- and diesel-powered passenger cars in the state by 2035.
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Autonomous-Vehicle Regulations
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Cadillac’s Super Cruise uses detailed maps to help it provide hands-free driver assistance. A green light bar on the steering wheel indicates that the system is active.
PHOTO: ALEXANDER TAMARGO/GETTY IMAGES
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Rep. Bob Latta (R., Ohio) last week reintroduced long-stalled legislation on governance of self-driving cars, including a set of consumer and legal protections. The bill is unlikely to be taken up until 2021, lawmakers said.
The current rules. Automakers must meet nearly 75 auto-safety standards for self-driving cars. Many assume licensed drivers will be at the wheel. The standards include a list of safeguards that must be installed on test vehicles.
What are the dangers? In March 2018, a pedestrian was struck and killed by an Uber-designed test vehicle, marking the first fatality attributed to a self-driving car and leading to calls for mandatory vehicle-safety assessments. Cars outfitted with Tesla’s driver-assistance system have been involved in nonfatal accidents.
Big players weigh in. Ford, General Motors and Toyota last year joined forces to create self-driving-car standards, without involving tech firms.
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“Congress must act to create a national framework that provides developers certainty and a clear path to deployment.”
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— Rep. Bob Latta (R., Ohio) on the need for federal autonomous-vehicle regulations
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The U.S. and China continue to exchange blows in an escalating trade battle that has swept over the tech market, with both sides restricting trade for companies producing smart algorithms and other capabilities.
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China’s blacklist. Beijing has threatened to announce it is barring certain U.S. businesses and technologies that compete with China, in sectors ranging from social media to AI, observers say.
The chips are down. The Commerce Department told U.S. computer-chip firms they must obtain licenses before exporting certain technology to China’s largest manufacturer of semiconductors, a blow to Beijing’s efforts to compete in advanced technology.
TikTok reprieve. A federal judge over the weekend blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to ban TikTok downloads in the U.S., in the wake of efforts to force the sale of the video-sharing app, and its lucrative algorithms, to a U.S. owner.
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$1 million
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Amount awarded by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence to Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Regina Barzilay for her work applying AI to breast-cancer detection
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‘Building autonomous teaming apps, with humans and machines, is the future,’ said new Hypergiant Chief Technology Officer Mohammed Farooq.
PHOTO: HYPERGIANT INDUSTRIES INC.
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AI startup taps IBM executive. Austin, Texas-based Hypergiant Industries Inc. has named International Business Machines Corp. general manager Mohammed Farooq as its first chief technology officer. Mr. Farooq was also given a board seat. (WSJ)
U.S. teams up with U.K. The two countries have signed an agreement to cooperate on the development of AI, amid concerns that China is racing ahead in the global market. (Axios)
Robotaxis hailed in peace efforts. Israel-based autonomous-vehicle maker Mobileye has launched a partnership with the United Arab Emirates' Al Habtoor Group to create a fleet of self-driving cabs, a deal set in motion by efforts to normalize relations between the countries. (Reuters)
Singapore tourism looks to AI. As the country reopens to foreign travel, local startups are being recruited to navigate security measures, including AI-enabled digital concierges designed to answer guest inquiries, make bookings and take room-service orders. (CNBC)
Robot waiters. Softbank’s robotics arm is bringing autonomous food-service robots to Japanese restaurants, which are struggling with labor shortages and state-ordered social-distancing rules in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. (Reuters)
Bad weather downed drone. An Australian regulator found that an Airbus high-altitude surveillance and communications drone broke up in flight after its September 2019 launch because of poor weather. (Reuters)
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A California federal judge heard arguments in a case led by "Fortnite" maker Epic Games Inc. that legal analysts say could serve as an early test of whether Apple’s App Store practices run afoul of antitrust law. (WSJ)
Uber Technologies Inc. won an appeal over the revocation of its operating license in London, securing for now the ride-hailing company’s operations in one of its biggest global markets. (WSJ)
A hacker published documents containing Social Security numbers, student grades and other private information stolen from a large public-school district in Las Vegas, after officials refused to pay a ransom. (WSJ)
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