Key Takeaways
- Abu Dhabi might become the first city in the world to launch flying taxis in 2025
- ChatGPT will now be available to users via call and Whatsapp chat
- Trump says that he might consider keeping TikTok around for a little while longer
- US Judge rules in favor of Whatsapp in the pegasus spyware lawsuit
- Biden launches a new probe into Chinese chips trade, will hand it off to Trump
Did you miss out on the important updates of the week? We have covered the top 5 news headlines from the week. Check it out.
Abu Dhabi Plans to Launch the First Flying Taxi Service by 2025
Abu Dhabi might become the first city to launch a flying taxi service by 2025. This project will be a collaboration between Abu Dhabi and Archer Aviation – a US-based company specializing in designing and developing electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The flying taxi service will link various “vertiports” across the city. The starter model is called Midnight, which is a vertical takeoff and landing model. This means it will lift off the ground directly like a helicopter (unlike an airplane that requires a long runway). Each model will be able to carry up to 4 passengers.
Speaking of the benefits, the biggest perk is that flying taxis will cut down travel time by up to 80%. Even the starter models can go up to a speed of 240 km/hr which means a route that usually takes up to 1hr by car can be completed within 10-20 mins by these flying taxis.
Not to mention, these taxis will be much more eco-friendly and significantly reduce traffic congestion on the streets.
The project is expected to go into a trial phase soon with commercial services fully launching by the end of 2025.
Why Abu Dhabi?
The reason why Abu Dhabi was chosen to be the first city to lay down the path for flying taxis is its unique geography. The city consists of over 200 islands, making air travel the perfect alternative to traditional road travel for citizens.
The city authorities have also been very helpful. A project of this level and scale requires a lot of support for developing the right infrastructure such as the “vertiports” and the traffic management system, which the Abu Dhabi authorities have provided throughout.
You Can Now Reach ChatGPT on WhatsApp
OpenAI has rolled out a new feature that will allow users to reach out to ChatGPT over call or Whatsapp text.
In a livestream hosted by the OpenAI team, it revealed that the new features were created by the team within weeks. The chat option is available worldwide for all of the 2.7 billion Whatsapp users but the calling feature is only limited to US users for now.
They can reach out to the tool at 1-800-ChatGPT (1-800-242-8478). Making calls doesn’t require an Open AI account and the first 15 minutes of calling every month is completely free!
There are some limitations as of now. For example, you cannot add OpenAI to any group chats. Similarly, its knowledge base for Whatsapp users is limited to information dating back to September 2021. It cannot help you with anything that happened beyond that.
Hence, the company has warned that users seeking a more personalized experience and advanced assistance should stick to using ChatGPT directly through their accounts.
Increasing accessibility to the tool has been a primary goal of the company since day one. And what better way to do that than leveraging the most popular messaging app in the world?
We care a lot about continuing to reduce barriers so that more people can try out AI and see what it can do for them. – Antonia Woodford, product manager
There’s also the obvious motive of enticing new users to try out the paid versions of ChatGPT. But the good news is the company has promised not to use the call conversations to train the chatbot.
Trump Is Rethinking TikTok’s Impending Ban
The popular social media platform has a few weeks left until it’s banned in the US forever. This ban stems from a bill passed earlier this year that forced the company to cut ties with its parent company (a Chinese company called ByteDance) or risk getting banned in the US.
This is because US regulators are worried about China using its influence on TikTok to spy on US citizens. And given how sour the relationship between the two countries has turned right now, it’s natural for the US to keep its guard up around China. Hence, the bill.
TikTok naturally opposed the bill, even challenging it legally but to no avail. The ban was final and was expected to come into force in January.
But like a beacon of hope, Trump won the presidential elections and announced that he might keep TikTok around for a little while longer.
Trump said that during his election campaign, he went on TikTok and the results were beyond imagination. He got billions of views which in turn delivered him a massive young user base.
“Maybe we have to keep this sucker around for a little while,” he added.
He also argued that banning TikTok will primarily benefit Meta and its social media platforms – Facebook and Instagram. Both of these apps already have a lot of influence on the public, banning TikTok which is the only strong rival at the moment will further strengthen their monopoly.
However, preventing the ban won’t be as easy as it sounds. The ban enjoyed rare bipartisan support, so even with all the influence Trump has, repealing it through congressional vote seems difficult.
The best way forward for both TikTok and Trump would be to approach the Supreme Court and convince it to rule in their favor.
A US Judge ruled in favor of WhatsApp, stating that the Israeli commercial spyware vendor NSO Group indeed breached laws (both federal laws and WhatsApp’s terms of services) by using WhatsApp to inflect devices with the Pegasus spyware.
The group infected a total of 1,400 users. Out of these 1,400, there were at least 100 human rights defenders, politicians, diplomats, journalists, and government officials.
The historic ruling was announced by a Northern California federal judge Phyllis Hamiltonon Friday, five years after the lawsuit was originally filed.
Whatsapp claimed that the group exploited a vulnerability in its audio-calling feature. The group readily agreed to this claim, that it might have reverse-engineered/decompiled the Whatsapp software. However, its main argument in the case was whether it did so before agreeing to the terms of services of the app.
The judge responded that it is common sense for the group to accept the terms of services before accessing the app. There’s no other way around.
The group also argued that Pegasus is actually a helpful software and has previously helped law enforcement authorities fight crime. But this time around, it failed to produce the documents the court asked for.
This includes internal communication and its source code. In short, the group couldn’t prove that its actions were lawful. Hence it will be treated as an attack on the privacy of the affected users.
The group didn’t make any further comments but Meta is rejoiced to hear this verdict. A spokesperson said that this ruling should act as a warning to other spyware makers that their illegal activities won’t be spared.
Biden Launched a New Probe Into Chinese Chips Trade, Will Hand It Off to Trump
On Monday, the Biden administration announced that it was launching a last-minute investigation into legacy Chinese semiconductors that might be breaking competition laws.
The investigation will be carried out under Section 301 of the US Trade Act and initially focus on the so-called “foundational” semiconductors which power everything starting from household appliances to telecom equipment and defense systems.
If the investigation finds China guilty of breaking competition laws, there will be severe consequences including stricter restrictions and higher tariffs on all kinds of chips imported from China.
Speaking about the same, the US Trade Representative’s office said that China has a habit of using non-market practices to target the chip industry and establish its dominance in it. Such behavior is extremely harmful to the competition and creates dangerous dependencies in the global supply chain.
This is the US’s latest blow to China’s technical industry. Up until now, most of its attention was on the supply of advanced chips from the US to China that might help the latter build powerful AI systems.
The government also imposed higher tariffs on electrical vehicles imported from China and there’s also the impending ban on China’s biggest social media platform TikTok.
Overall, the Biden administration hasn’t been very kind to China. But now that Trump will take over the White House, the responsibility of this probe will go into his hands so we are yet to see how he handles the US ties with China.
Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed
Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now!
Vlad is Tech Report’s Executive Editor. With over a decade of experience in tech content, he’s passionate about computer hardware, an advocate of online privacy, and strongly believes in the open-source, scarce-money nature of cryptocurrency.
When he’s not working, he’s traveling with his partner and their cat, learning Python, or reading good books. He never owned a PC he did not build.
The Tech Report editorial policy is centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written by real authors.
