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🕶️ Musk and Trump discuss EVs: sustainability without sacrifice?

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Paula Echeverria, Lucila Sarquis & Arturo Pardo
August 15, 2024

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The Olympics may be over, but the entertainment continues! 🤸🏿‍♀️🤸🏿‍♀️ Elon is back in the spotlight with a recent X livestream featuring none other than Donald Trump. During the chat, Musk made a strong case for electric vehicles as the future of transportation 🚗

Meanwhile, MIT researchers have introduced a comprehensive database that categorizes and analyzes over 700 potential risks — WOW — linked to AI systems 🚨 🧨 This tool is set to become a cornerstone for more effective AI regulation and research.

Keep Reading for more juicy updates, and see you on Saturday! 👇🏽

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Six bullets of updates

  1. 💧 Sage Geosystems aims to solve data center energy issues by storing pressurized water underground.

  2. 🚕 Chinese robotaxi startup WeRide gets approval to carry passengers in California, paving the way for its public listing.

  3. 🤖 Nomagic's robot arms are transforming warehouses in Europe, with plans to triple deployments within six months.

  4. ✈️ UK startup OXCCU opens a demo plant producing 1.2 liters of SAF daily, with the goal of reducing aviation emissions.

  5. 🎥 Twitch launches video stories to compete with Instagram, aiming to engage its 140 million monthly users.

  6. 🏢 Voice-enabled AI bots are scaling in India as startup EliseAI secures $75M to enhance property management.

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Musk and Trump unite over EVs

Elon Musk recently joined Donald Trump on an X livestream, where he advocated for Tesla's electric vehicles (EVs) to an audience of over one million viewers. During the conversation, Musk emphasized that caring for the environment shouldn't require sacrifices, highlighting Tesla's EVs as "beautiful," "fast," and "cool." Despite Tesla experiencing a second consecutive drop in deliveries in Q2 2024, the company still surpassed Wall Street expectations, producing around 411,000 EVs in that quarter. Musk also discussed the future of sustainability, pointing to solar energy as the key to powering Tesla's vision of a cleaner, greener future.

Trump, who has previously expressed support for Musk, complimented the quality of Tesla's products during the livestream. While acknowledging the political polarization surrounding EVs, Musk's pitch aims to bridge the divide, potentially influencing Trump's stance on electric vehicles. This conversation comes after Musk's endorsement of Trump in July, which included a significant financial commitment to a pro-Trump super PAC. As EVs remain a contentious issue in U.S. politics, Musk's influence could play a critical role in shaping future policy and public opinion on sustainable transportation.

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These companies just raised money

  1. 💸 Zepto achieves a $5B valuation with $340M in new funding as India's quick-commerce market surges

  2. 🌎 Stori raises $212M in debt and equity, leading a wave of funding news in LatAm with Global66 and BUO also making moves.

  3. 💵 Japanese financial services giant Credit Saison pledges $200M to boost fintech startups in Brazil and Mexico.

  4. 🤖 EliseAI's chatbots raise $75M to help property owners manage tenant messages, highlighting the surge in AI solutions.

  5. 📈 Singapore’s investment app Syfe accelerates growth across Asia-Pacific with a $27M funding boost.

  6. 🚀 Encord secures $20M to expand its AI data labeling tools, revolutionizing how training data is managed.

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A cheat sheet for the next tech apocalypse: MIT’s AI risk list

Source: Unsplash

MIT researchers have unveiled a comprehensive "AI risk repository", a database designed to categorize and analyze over 700 potential risks associated with AI systems. The repository aims to guide policymakers, companies, and researchers in understanding the diverse threats AI could pose, from safety concerns in critical infrastructure to ethical issues in automated decision-making. The project was led by Peter Slattery at MIT's FutureTech group.

This new repository, developed in collaboration with global institutions, seeks to fill those gaps by offering a more complete picture of AI risks. It categorizes risks by factors like intentionality and domain, highlighting discrepancies in how different frameworks prioritize issues like privacy, misinformation, and AI-generated spam. The repository is expected to serve as a foundational tool for more effective AI regulation and research. See report.

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How million-dollar political donations became legal

Ever wondered where the massive funds for political campaigns and lobbying come from? Join us on a journey through the streets of Washington DC, as we uncover the truth about the money in politics 💼🏛️💸 Subscribe for more!