Zoox Gets Federal Green Light for Driverless Robotaxi Deployment

Amazon’s subsidiary, Zoox, has received a crucial federal exemption from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to deploy its purpose-built, driverless robotaxis on public roads. This is a landmark decision, making Zoox the first U.S. company to gain such an exemption under the expanded Automated Vehicle Exemption Program (AVEP). The custom-designed vehicles notably lack traditional controls like steering wheels or pedals, featuring a carriage-style interior with inward-facing seats for four passengers. As a condition of the approval, Zoox must remove any claims that its vehicles comply with all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This regulatory milestone clears the path for Zoox to scale production at its California facility, as the NHTSA has also closed its investigation into the company’s self-certification processes.

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Generative AI Designs First-Ever Gene-Editing Enzyme with OpenCRISPR-1

In a major biotech achievement, researchers at Profluent Bio have successfully used generative AI to create an entirely new gene-editing enzyme, named OpenCRISPR-1. This is the first time a CRISPR-based enzyme has been designed from scratch by artificial intelligence. The AI was trained on a massive protein language model, enabling it to invent novel enzymes with functional gene-editing capabilities. This breakthrough demonstrates the power of AI to revolutionize drug discovery and genetic medicine.

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Google’s ‘Big Sleep’ AI Autonomously Finds Vulnerabilities in Open-Source Code

Google’s AI-powered bug hunter, “Big Sleep,” has successfully identified its first 20 security vulnerabilities in various open-source software projects. The AI operates autonomously, scanning codebases and replicating exploits in widely used libraries like FFmpeg and ImageMagick. Developed in a collaboration between DeepMind and Google’s Project Zero team, this initiative represents a significant leap in automated vulnerability research. To ensure responsible disclosure, each vulnerability report undergoes a human-in-the-loop review before being shared, a process praised by industry experts as a major advancement in AI for cybersecurity.

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Apple Intensifies AI Efforts to Compete in Tech Race

Under Tim Cook’s leadership, Apple is making a significant new push to reclaim its leadership position in the highly competitive artificial intelligence landscape. This renewed focus is expected to manifest in a new wave of AI-powered features and products from the tech giant. The strategic move signals Apple’s commitment to directly competing with other major players in the rapidly evolving field of AI, promising innovative integrations for its user base.

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Open-Source AI DeepCogito v2 Released with Advanced Reasoning Capabilities

The open-source AI model, DeepCogito v2, has been launched with substantial improvements in logical reasoning and complex task planning. Its developers claim the model surpasses many proprietary, closed-source models in abstract reasoning and long-horizon thinking. The model’s transparency and modifiability are expected to foster widespread adoption and innovation within the open-source development community.

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Broadcom Launches New AI Chip to Optimize Data Center GPU Connectivity

Broadcom has begun shipping a new, specialized AI chip engineered to enhance connectivity between GPUs within data centers. This hardware is targeted at hyperscalers and is designed to support large-scale AI model training by optimizing latency and bandwidth. The release intensifies the already fierce competition in the AI hardware market, as companies race to provide the foundational infrastructure for next-generation AI.

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AI Accelerates Discovery of Next-Generation Battery Materials

Researchers have successfully employed AI to design novel battery materials that could dramatically improve energy storage technology. The use of AI accelerated the discovery process, condensing what would typically be years of research and development into a matter of weeks. This breakthrough holds the potential to create longer-lasting, faster-charging, and more sustainable batteries for everything from consumer electronics to electric vehicles.

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MIT and Duke Use Machine Learning to Engineer Tear-Resistant Polymers

Researchers at MIT and Duke have leveraged machine learning to design polymers that are significantly more resistant to tearing. The AI model identified specific stress-responsive molecules that enable the plastic to absorb force and dissipate energy rather than cracking. This breakthrough, published in ACS Central Science, showcases how AI can rapidly accelerate the discovery and development of advanced, sustainable materials.

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Breakthrough Artificial Muscle Powers Autonomous Insect-Scale Robots

A novel, low-voltage artificial muscle has been created that dramatically improves the capabilities of autonomous, insect-scale robots. As detailed in the journal Nature, the elasto-electromagnetic (EEM) actuator mimics biological muscle contractions, delivering high force, significant contraction, and rapid response times at under four volts. This innovation overcomes the limitations of traditional actuators in micro-robotics, enabling insect-sized robots to crawl, swim, and jump autonomously. The technology’s energy efficiency and adaptability show great promise for applications in disaster response, environmental sensing, and biomedical devices.

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Robotics Firm Sojo Industries Expands Pennsylvania Operations with New Facility

Robotics company Sojo Industries is expanding its footprint in Pennsylvania by opening a new 215,000-square-foot production facility in Langhorne. The new site will be used for product storage, assembling product variety packs, and building the company’s Sojo Flight “rovers”—robotic platform conveyors. This expansion triples the company’s presence in the state and will also house its customer success, product management, and commercial teams.

Beyond Dystopia: Edinburgh Festival Highlights Creative and Artistic AI

The Edinburgh festival is showcasing a diverse range of creative and humorous applications of artificial intelligence, moving the conversation beyond common narratives of a technological apocalypse. These applications include everything from AI-generated, personalized romantic stories about pets to other lighthearted and artistic uses of the technology. This trend highlights a growing interest in exploring the more creative, entertaining, and human-centric possibilities of AI.

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