Your Next Taxi Might Have No Driver

Welcome, humans.

While self-driving vehicles cruise toward a European future, another AI development has legendary investor Warren Buffett raising alarms – the rise of sophisticated deepfake scams. Cache Cookies delivers your weekly dose of groundbreaking tech news, cool apps, brain-boosting knowledge, the latest on AI, and the lowdown on AI's wild side.

What You Need to Know About AI this week

• 🇬🇧 UK's Wayve Secures $1 Billion to Fuel AI Driverless Car Revolution 🚗💨

• Warren Buffett: Scamming Is the Next Major Growth Industry 💣

• 🎭 Victoria Shi: The Digital Diplomat!

London to Zurich in a Driverless Car? Wayve's $1 Billion Fuels UK AI

Imagine hailing a taxi near Zurich's Paradeplatz. "Hello, Mila," a calm voice greets you from the speakers. "This may feel futuristic, but relax – there's no need to touch the steering wheel." As you look around, you realize there's no driver – it's a scene straight out of 'The Jetsons.' While this isn't yet possible in Switzerland, it's already a reality in cities like San Francisco and Phoenix with Waymo's robotaxis. Our reader, Christoph, took a Waymo robotaxi in Phoenix, Arizona, with his kids. He described the experience as "an amazing ride, feeling like to be in the future but also very safe." Check out his video here:

London could be the next European hub for self-driving technology. Last Tuesday, Wayve, a London-based AI startup, secured a massive $1 billion investment from giants like SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft. This marks a significant milestone for Europe's tech scene, following a recent €385 million investment in French AI developer Mistral AI. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has praised the achievement, highlighting the UK's role in driving AI innovation for autonomous vehicles.

What sets Wayve apart? Unlike rivals such as Waymo who rely heavily on detailed maps and sensor arrays, Wayve takes a bold, AI-first approach. "The full potential of AI is when we have machines in the physical world that we can trust," says Wayve CEO, Mr. Kendall. This philosophy translates into their technology. Wayve has developed software that explains a car's decisions in plain English – a key step towards transparency. Instead of pre-mapping routes, Wayve utilizes advanced machine learning and primarily camera-based systems for navigation. This allows their vehicles to adapt to new environments quickly, relying on real-time visual data.

Why Does It Matter to Me 🦎 ?

While robotaxis currently cost more due to tech and operations, they promise a future of affordable, safe taxi services. Increased automation could drastically reduce accidents, potentially making streets safer for everyone. Many women might also feel more comfortable using robotaxis at night compared to traditional ride-hailing options. A study by Waymo and Swiss Re backs up this potential: in San Francisco and Phoenix, their autonomous vehicles saw a 100% decrease in bodily injury claims and a 76% decrease in property damage claims compared to human drivers. Faster reaction times from self-driving cars could be a key factor in this impressive safety record.

Where are the Cache 🦎 Cookies 🍪 ?

The self-driving dream comes with real risks. In an accident, who's liable – the company or the unseen remote operator? Companies like Wayve are developing solutions to this. Their software aspires to explain a car's AI decisions in plain English. Wayve hopes this will reveal flaws faster than traditional methods like video analysis or error reports. However, experts like Lerrel Pinto, an NYU robotics researcher, remain skeptical: "I don't trust AI to be factual... or to run my car." Recent accidents involving vehicles like Cruise's highlight these concerns. And it's not just accidents – robotaxis will amass data on our every move. How will our privacy be protected?

Weekly Quote

OPINION

Scamming: The Next Major Growth Industry, According to Warren Buffett

Investor legend Warren Buffett is raising alarms about the AI revolution. At Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting, the 93-year-old billionaire voiced deep concerns about the technology's potential for criminal exploitation. He predicts AI-powered deepfakes will unleash a wave of sophisticated scams, allowing criminals to convincingly impersonate loved ones and trick people into sending them money. He's personally witnessed firsthand the startling realism of AI replications of himself, sharing that even his own family would have struggled to determine they were fake. Reflecting on the implications, he remarked, “If I was interested in investing in scamming, it’s going to be the growth industry of all time.”

Despite his reservations, his company, Berkshire Hathaway is exploring ways to utilize AI for efficiency gains. However, Buffett remains wary, acknowledging the technology's dual-edged nature: "It has enormous potential for good and enormous potential for harm. I just don't know how it plays out."

Stay Vigilant!

Voice and Image phishing deepfakes are on the rise. Our next Cache Cookie Newsletter will dive into this threat – stay tuned!

🏆 AVATAR OF THE WEEK

Each week, Cache Cookies will introduce you to groundbreaking AI avatars transforming the media, commercial, and political landscape.

This week's star:

Victoria Shi: the digital diplomat! Ukraine has taken a historic step by appointing its first virtual spokesperson to officially represent its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Named Victoria Shi, this avatar is the result of modeling based on the appearance and voice of Rosalie Nombre, a singer and former participant in the Ukrainian reality show "The Bachelor". With over 55,000 followers on her Instagram account, Rosalie served as the model for creating this digital spokesperson. The name Victoria Shi was not chosen at random. "Victoria" means "victory" and "Shi" translates to "shtuchniy intelekt", meaning artificial intelligence in Ukrainian.

Dressed in a dark suit, with a human figure and realistic gestures, Victoria Shi presents herself as the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will interact with the press on various topics related to the country, including the war. However, only the visual part is generated by AI. The official statements, on the other hand, are written and verified by real people before being communicated by the avatar.

To prevent counterfeits, Victoria's statements will be accompanied by a QR code linking to the text versions on the ministry's website, as seen in the video. The team behind Victoria is known as The Game Changers, which has also produced virtual reality content related to the war in Ukraine.

The creation of Victoria is part of a broader strategy to integrate technology, including artificial intelligence, into the country's diplomatic efforts. This technological innovation will save time and resources for diplomats.

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That's it for now! Want more tasty AI insights? Visit our website and connect with us on LinkedIn @Mila and @Zeynep. While you're there, consider spreading the word – share Cache Cookies with all your friends and colleagues who also like to stay sharp!

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