Tesla Robotaxis Hit the Road

Tesla hit a long-promised milestone when it finally launched its Robotaxi service of driverless cabs in Austin, Texas, on June 22, 2025, albeit at a very small scale. A select group of invitees can book one at a flat rate of $4.20. While the taxi itself is self-driving, a human safety monitor sits at the front in case of an unexpected emergency. The taxis are all Tesla Model Y cars. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, posted on X, “Culmination of a decade of hard work. Both the AI chip and software teams were built from scratch within Tesla.” However, Tesla is not exactly a pioneer on this front. Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, already has 1,500 self-driving taxis in a number of American cities. Tesla’s promise is of scalability. It uses a cheaper camera-based technology. Also, it claims that even private owners of their self-driving cars can turn them into taxis when not using them through a dedicated app. The launch was promised by Musk years earlier with huge rollout numbers but the deadline had been missed. It is a testament to Musk’s personal brand that just a small number of around 20 operating taxis can create such buzz. He is also promising the production of a vast fleet through an upcoming Cybercab model.

AI’s Climate Burden

AI is evolving rapidly. But a new study found that the advance in AI comes at the cost of our environment. The researchers who examined 14 open-source models of various sizes found that large language models such as DeepSeek, which provide more accurate answers, use exponentially more energy compared to lower-performing peers.

Flipping Out

Samsung is reportedly set to launch its latest foldable smartphones. Called Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Fold 7, these handsets are expected to solidify the company’s position in what is turning out to be a hot new category. Folding devices have become a rage for smartphone makers. Many firms have introduced them, and even Apple is said to be working on one such model.

Google’s Ai Mode Launched

Google has just rolled out its AI Mode in India. Unlike the traditional method of searching, this mode, which uses a custom variant of Gemini 2.5 allows users to ask longer and more complex questions. It also has Google Lens and a microphone integrated into this mode, which means that not only can you ask questions that are more complex, you can also do it using your voice or by taking pictures.

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