Nearly 100,000 car buyers of 2025 model-year autos were asked what they thought of their gleaming new rides. The results are revealing, to say the least. Want to know who was the worst performer? That ignominy goes to Audi, with an embarrassing 269 problems reported per 100 vehicles. However, one of the most interesting discoveries […]
Microsoft and OpenAI’s AGI Fight Is Bigger Than a Contract
I first learned about The Clause from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. During an interview with him in May 2023, I asked about the deal between Microsoft and OpenAI that granted his company exclusive access to the startup’s groundbreaking AI technology. I knew the contract had set a cap on how much profit Microsoft could make […]
Join Our Livestream: Inside the AI Copyright Battles
What’s going on right now with the copyright battles over artificial intelligence? Many lawsuits regarding generative AI’s training materials were initially filed back in 2023, with decisions just now starting to trickle out. Whether it’s Midjourney generating videos of Disney characters, like Wall-E brandishing a gun, or an exit interview with a top AI lawyer […]
You Asked, We Answered: All of Your AI Angst
Welcome to Uncanny Valley’s very first Q&A, where our host addresses your burning AI-related questions.
A New Kind of AI Model Lets Data Owners Take Control
A new kind of large language model, developed by researchers at the Allen Institute for AI (Ai2), makes it possible to control how training data is used even after a model has been built. The new model, called FlexOlmo, could challenge the current industry paradigm of big artificial intelligence companies slurping up data from the […]
OpenAI Poaches 4 High-Ranking Engineers From Tesla, xAI, and Meta
OpenAI has hired four high-profile engineers away from rivals, including David Lau, former vice president of software engineering at Tesla, to join the company’s scaling team, WIRED has learned. The news came via an internal Slack message sent by OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman on Tuesday. Lau is joined by Uday Ruddarraju, the former head of […]
Airport Lounges Are Sexy Again—if You Can Get In
Let’s be honest: A crowded airport lounge without a seat in sight is usually less appealing than an empty gate area. Over the past decade, an influx of travelers with club access has led to overcrowding, long wait lists, and a diminished (read: not luxurious) experience. However, a version of commercial air travel—often hidden from […]
Despite Protests, Elon Musk Secures Air Permit for xAI
A local health department in Memphis has granted Elon Musk’s xAI data center an air permit to continue operating the gas turbines that power the company’s Grok chatbot. The permit comes amid widespread community opposition and a looming lawsuit alleging the company violated the Clean Air Act. The Shelby County Health Department released an air […]
This Is Why Tesla’s Robotaxi Launch Needed Human Babysitters
“This is a demo or test using safety drivers—it’s not an [autonomous vehicle] deployment,” says Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina who studies autonomous vehicles. “Tesla is splashing around in the kiddie pool and everyone is asking where it’s going to place in the Olympic swim competition.” Bloopers and […]
GM’s Cruise Cars Are Back on the Road in Three US States—But Not for Ride-Hailing
Cruise robotaxis are back on the road… well, kind of. Though General Motors pulled the plug on its self-driving taxi business last year, the automaker has been quietly repurposing a few of the vehicles as it seeks to develop new driver-assistance technologies. This week, WIRED spotted a GM Bolt electric hatchback on the San Francisco-Oakland […]