Tesla Unveils Autonomous Cybercab and Robovan as Musk Targets Full Self-Driving Future

Reuters

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled two new autonomous vehicles, the Cybercab and Robovan, at a high-profile event on Thursday. The Cybercab, a two-seater robotaxi with no steering wheel or pedals, is designed for full autonomy and could cost under $30,000. Tesla plans to start production before 2027. Musk also introduced the Robovan, capable of transporting up to 20 people or cargo. Tesla aims to deploy its Full Self-Driving software on existing Model 3 and Model Y cars in Texas and California next year, though driver supervision is still required.

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Chinese Hackers Breach U.S. Telecom Giants, Potentially Accessing Sensitive Law Enforcement Data

WSJ

On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that a Chinese government group had breached the security of several major U.S. telecom companies, including AT&T and Verizon, potentially accessing sensitive data related to law enforcement wiretaps. The attack appears to be a new threat to the international security of telecoms companies. The attack is likely to be tied to ongoing US cases involving Chinese government agents accused of harassing individuals in the US. The FBI, alongside investigators from Microsoft and a Google subsidiary, is working on the case.

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China Telecom Hits AI Milestone with LLMs Trained on Domestic Chips Amid U.S. Sanctions

SCMP

Meanwhile, State-owned China Telecom has achieved a major milestone by creating two large language models (LLMs) trained exclusively on domestically-produced chips, marking a significant step toward AI self-reliance — Chinese media reported.

One of the models, TeleChat2-115B, along with a larger unnamed model boasting one trillion parameters, were developed using tens of thousands of Chinese-made chips.

This accomplishment underscores China’s ability to innovate independently, despite escalating U.S. export restrictions on advanced semiconductors like Nvidia’s A100 and H100.

These developments highlight China’s drive to reduce reliance on Western technologies and maintain its competitive edge in AI.

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Deutsche Telekom Announces €2B Share Buyback for 2025, Dividend Hike, and AI Expansion Plans

Telekom.com

On Thursday, Deutsche Telekom AG, Europe’s largest telecom operator, announced plans for a €2 billion share buyback in 2025 and a dividend increase.

The 2024 dividend proposal will rise to 90 cents per share, up from 77 cents, pending shareholder approval.

Boosted by growth at its majority-owned T-Mobile US, Deutsche Telekom may use extra funds to either raise its stake in the U.S. carrier or repurchase shares.

Deutsche Telekom plans to expand the use of AI in customer service, aiming to reduce call volumes with self-service options via an app or AI-supported messenger.

The company expects annual net and service revenue growth of around 4% through 2027, with earnings projected to grow 4%-6% annually.

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Telecom API Market Set to Soar to $1.24 Trillion by 2032, Driven by 5G and IoT Boom

Research & Markets

A new report from Nokia reveals a sharp rise in cyberattacks on telecom infrastructure, with distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks increasing from a few daily incidents to over 100 per day on many networks. The surge is largely driven by insecure IoT devices, which spread malware. North America is hardest hit due to its vast networks, while Western Europe faces cyber espionage and financial data breaches. Advanced technologies like GenAI, used for defense, are also enabling more sophisticated attacks, and quantum computing is introducing new security threats.

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Study: Telecoms Lead Generative AI Adoption, Outpacing Retail and Banking

SAS.com

Telecom companies are leading in generative AI (GenAI) adoption, with 70% already using or testing it, outpacing sectors like retail (66%) and banking (60%), per a Coleman Parkes survey commissioned by SAS.

Open-source large language models are widely used, with 38% of telecoms adopting them.

Despite plans for 89% to invest in GenAI next year, key concerns include data privacy, security, and talent shortages.

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Google’s Nobel Wins Shadowed by Intensifying Antitrust Threats in the U.S.

Court Listener

While two of the Google’s AI researchers, Hassabis and Jumper, were awarded the Nobel prize in chemistry, and former Google’s top AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton the Nobel in physics, the tech giant antitrust challenges are intensifying in the US, posing a bigger threat than past fines in Europe. The U.S. Department of Justice is considering breaking up Google over antitrust violations in online search. The new filings follow an August ruling where a federal court labeled Google a monopolist, citing its use of tens of billions of dollars in exclusive deals to dominate the search market. Prosecutors are exploring remedies to stop Google from using products like Chrome, the Play Store, and Android to maintain its dominance and may force it to share user data with rivals. They are also weighing a ban on Google’s $20 billion deal with Apple, which makes it the default search engine on iPhones. Google has called these proposals extreme. It’s been tough days for the company, which was recently ordered by a judge to open its app store to competitors. Google paid $7.1 billion to resolve European cases, and now US regulators are targeting its core revenue-generating businesses.

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Study Reveals Google’s Declining Dominance in Search Ads Amid Rising Rivals

emarketer

On top of that, Google’s grip on the $300 billion search ad market is weakening, with its share expected to drop below 50% next year, according to eMarketer.

Rivals like Amazon and TikTok are gaining ground, while AI search startup Perplexity, backed by Jeff Bezos, plans to introduce ads with AI-generated answers. As competitors grow, Google faces increasing pressure in the search ad space.

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