【AI Daily Report】2025-01-01

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The online moments that defined 2024

Main points: - 2024 saw fragmented online culture with viral moments, including a disappointing Willy Wonka experience and Google's AI-generated content debacle. - The year was marked by lighthearted trends like "Brat" summer and the Olympics' return to form. - Notable moments included Moo Deng the pygmy hippopotamus, the "Wicked" film campaign, and Hailey Welch's brief fame. Supporting details: - Google's AI Overviews feature provided unreliable results, such as eating rocks. - Charli XCX's "Brat" album defined a carefree vibe. - The Olympics featured heartwarming moments and offbeat heroes. - Bluesky emerged as a social media competitor after initially being an open-source underdog.

These were the badly handled data breaches of 2024

**Main points:** - Multiple companies experienced significant data breaches in the past year, including 23andMe, Change Healthcare, and Synnovis. - These breaches were often caused by lack of multi-factor authentication and poor security practices. - Companies like 23andMe and Change Healthcare were criticized for their handling of the breaches, including deflecting blame and paying ransoms. - Other notable breaches included Snowflake, MoneyGram, Hot Topic, and AT&T. - Some companies, like Columbus, Ohio, and Evolve Bank, attempted to silence security researchers and journalists who reported on the breaches. **Supporting details:** - 23andMe's breach affected 7 million customers, while Change Healthcare's breach impacted over 100 million people. - Synnovis' breach disrupted UK healthcare services for months. - Snowflake's lack of mandated multi-factor security led to mass hacks of its customers. - MoneyGram and Hot Topic have not fully disclosed the extent of their breaches.

Elon Musk’s promises for Tesla in 2024, from robotaxis to Optimus bots

Main points: - Elon Musk made several promises for Tesla in 2024, including a $25,000 EV and a robotaxi prototype. - Musk expects vehicle growth to reach 20-30% in 2025 due to "lower cost vehicles" and "advent of autonomy." - Tesla plans to start production on the Cybercab in 2025 or 2026, with a goal of 2 million units per year. - Musk also promised "unsupervised FSD" and autonomous ride-hail in 2025, and over 1,000 Optimus robots working at Tesla in 2025. Supporting details: - Musk's promises have often been delayed or unfulfilled, including self-driving vehicles and a massive driverless ride-hailing network. - Current federal regulations may hinder Tesla's plans for mass-producing Cybercabs. - Tesla's FSD is still not fully autonomous, and the company has begun referring to it as "supervised FSD."

A Waymo robotaxi and a Serve delivery robot collided in Los Angeles

Main points: - A Waymo robotaxi collided with a Serve Robotics sidewalk delivery robot at a Los Angeles intersection. - The Serve bot had attempted to cross the street and was hit by the Waymo while making a right turn. - Waymo's system correctly identified the delivery robot as an inanimate object and applied hard braking before making contact at 4 mph. Supporting details: - Neither vehicle was damaged, and they separated after a minute. - The incident raises questions about liability in collisions between autonomous vehicles. - Waymo and Serve are working together to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Elon Musk’s pro-Trump critics claim they’re being censored on X

**Main points:** - Conservatives accuse Elon Musk's platform of censoring them. - Activists Laura Loomer and Charles C. Johnson claim their accounts were penalized. **Supporting details:** - Loomer was unverified and demonetized after debating H1-B visas. - Johnson's account was banned after writing about Musk's father. - Musk supports free speech, but has been accused of silencing users.

Will Smith eating spaghetti and other weird AI benchmarks that took off in 2024

Main points: - Unconventional AI benchmarks, such as rendering Will Smith eating spaghetti, have gained popularity in 2024. - These benchmarks are more relatable and entertaining than traditional industry-standard tests. - Experts suggest focusing on downstream impacts of AI, but weird benchmarks are likely to continue due to their ease of understanding and entertainment value. Supporting details: - Traditional benchmarks often cite academic achievements, which may not resonate with average users. - Crowdsourced measures can be biased and unrepresentative. - Experts advocate for more practical and comparative benchmarks to evaluate AI performance.

Accel closes $650 million for new India fund

Accel has raised $650 million for its eighth India fund, expanding its investment strategy in the South Asian market. The firm, which backed companies like Flipkart and Swiggy, has established itself as India's most successful venture firm. With over $100 billion in valuation from its top-performing startups, Accel remains committed to India, unlike rivals Sequoia and Matrix. The firm is shifting focus towards rural India, betting on businesses serving smaller cities and towns. Several Accel-backed companies, including Zetwerk and Bluestone, are set to go public this year.

Judge allows California’s ban on addictive feeds for minors to go into effect

**Main points:** - A federal judge blocked a challenge to California's SB 976, prohibiting companies from serving "addictive feeds" to minors without parental consent. - **Key details:** - The law defines "addictive feeds" as algorithm-driven content recommendations based on user behavior. - Companies must use "age assurance techniques" by January 2027 to determine user age and adjust feeds accordingly. - The judge denied an injunction but blocked other law elements, such as nighttime notification restrictions for minors.