GoKawiil
Tech News
With Congress still unable to pass national legislation covering autonomous vehicles, cities and states are increasingly writing their own rules for robotaxi operators. The resulting patchwork of local regulations has emerged after years of federal inaction, even as companies like Waymo expand robotaxi service into more cities.
A Tesla driver told California Highway Patrol he was asleep while using the vehicle's Full Self-Driving mode when his car sped past emergency flares, cones, and lights before slamming into a parked patrol vehicle. Two officers at the scene were seriously injured and hospitalized, according to CHP, which released video of the crash.
During the Windows and Surface event, Microsoft unveiled an upgraded version of its Copilot AI system that can access local files and perform actions within Windows. The new features, part of the company's 'Hybrid Intelligence' approach, will be rolled out over the next few months. Additionally, a revamped Windows search experience was demonstrated, allowing users to execute quick actions directly from the search bar starting this fall.
Tom's Hardware Premium is extending free access to its AI Chip Design Week series until Monday, October 5. The coverage includes an unredacted interview with OpenAI hardware VP Richard Ho about the Broadcom-co-developed Jalapeño inference chip, primers on AI's role in chip design, vendor tool breakdowns including Synopsys' new 'Autopilot' platform for AgentEngineer, and a report on IP security risks featuring academics Domenec Forte and Simon Moore.
Reports have surfaced of passengers having sex in autonomous vehicles, including rides from GM's now-shuttered Cruise service, according to interviews by The San Francisco Standard. A workshop called 'Love in Traffic' held in Sweden in late September brought together academic and industry researchers to discuss how vehicle design might address this behavior.
Synopsys introduced AgentEngineer, a set of AI agents built on its Autopilot Platform aimed at automating chip design tasks across six areas including verification, implementation, and analog/mixed-signal design. The company says over 50 customer engagements are underway and plans general availability by the end of 2026, following earlier agentic AI demonstrations with Nvidia and Microsoft at DAC in July.
Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have told Boeing they don't want the latest 737 MAX software installed on incoming jets, after Boeing found a flaw in an automated navigation feature that can misfire when crews abandon a landing and reroute. Neither airline currently has planes flying with the affected software. Boeing notified operators in late August, has launched a formal safety review shared with the FAA, and says it's developing a permanent fix, with an update originally planned for early 2028 that it is now trying to accelerate.
Microsoft has released a redesigned Copilot app that merges chat, coding tools, and AI agents into three tabs: Home, Code, and Autopilot. Home combines Copilot Chat and Cowork with a new personalized dashboard called Today, while Code lets users build apps and automations powered by GitHub Copilot's technology. Microsoft also renamed its Scout personal assistant, first shown at Build, to Autopilot, now framed as a cloud-based 'digital teammate' that can keep working autonomously.
Eight Sleep has released the Pod 6, a redesigned smart sleep system with a smaller hub, temperature control the company says is 20 percent faster than its predecessor, and 18 biometric sensors versus two on the Pod 5. The lineup also adds a smaller single-sleeper size, though it lacks dual-zone temperature control. Prices range from $2,000 to $3,000 depending on size, plus a required $17-$25 monthly Autopilot subscription.
A Tesla Model 3 ran a stop sign in Buena Vista Township, New Jersey on July 6, 2025, striking a Honda Civic and killing its 82-year-old driver, Stephen Field. Local police described it as an ordinary failure-to-stop crash, but Tesla's own federal safety filing shows its driver-assist system was 'Verified Engaged' at the time, a detail Tesla redacted key details about, including the crash narrative and software version.
A 2020 Tesla Model 3 came to a complete stop on Mesa, Arizona's Loop 202 highway around 3 AM on October 31, 2025, before being rear-ended by an F-350 pickup, killing the driver. Electrek matched the crash to a NHTSA filing showing Tesla's Autopilot or Full Self-Driving system was engaged at the time, a detail not disclosed in initial local reports.