Chinese robotaxis could be set to hit UK roads in 2026 as ride-sharing apps Uber and Lyft announce partnerships with Baidu to trial the tech. The two companies are hoping to obtain approval from regulators to test the autonomous vehicles in London. Baidu's Apollo Go driverless taxi service already operates in dozens of cities, mostly in China, and has accrued millions of rides without a human behind the wheel. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the news was another vote of confidence in our plans for self-driving vehicles - but many remain sceptical about their safety. We're planning for self-driving cars to carry passengers for the first time from spring, under our pilot scheme - harnessing this technology safely and responsibly to transform travel, Ms Alexander said in a post on X .

'Hope in a bottle' for a deadly cancer and the firefly gene that lit the way The first FDA-approved treatment for an incurable brain cancer gives the gift of time. On the road to the treatment's discovery, scientists used the illuminating luciferase gene, which gives fireflies their signature glow. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It was as if his muscle memory had evaporated. Twenty-year-old Ethan White couldn't remember how to use the drumsticks.

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room flanked by Masayoshi Son, Larry Ellison, and Sam Altman at the White House on January 21, 2025. President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room flanked by Masayoshi Son, Larry Ellison, and Sam Altman at the White House on January 21, 2025. In case you missed it, 2025 was a big year for AI. It became an economic force, propping up the stock market, and a geopolitical pawn, redrawing the frontlines of Great Power competition. It had both global and deeply personal effects, changing the ways that we think, write, and relate.

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LG TVs add'delete' option for Copilot The blackout knocked out traffic lights, causing the robo-taxis to get stuck at intersections. Waymo has resumed its robo-taxi service in San Francisco after a power outage stranded vehicles around the city, reported. The blackout, caused by a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) substation fire, caused traffic light disruptions that affected Waymo's automated driving systems. Yesterday's power outage was a widespread event that caused gridlock across San Francisco, with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions, a Waymo spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. While the failure of the utility infrastructure was significant, we are committed to ensuring our technology adjusts to traffic flow during such events.

From Zohran Mamdani's campaign to the US government's memes, fandom has become the defining language of US politics. Zohran Mamdani never auditioned for, but one of his campaign's final television ads placed him in the middle of the show's infamous Tribal Council. For roughly 30 seconds, a handful of former contestants addressed the camera while explaining their decisions to vote Mamdani's top opponent, Andrew Cuomo, off the "island" of Manhattan. "Didn't we already vote you out?" asks one former contestant. The spot is just one of a handful of fandom-influenced ads that Mamdani's campaign put out in the final weeks of the New York City mayoral race .

The billionaire's involvement with the Trump administration and DOGE had deep impacts on Tesla's bottom line. But Elon Musk was still able to turn his attention to SpaceX. What a weird time to be Elon Musk. This year opened with the businessman turned political operator throwing what appeared, to Nazis at least, to be a . This spring, activists frequently congregated outside the showrooms of his automaker, Tesla, to protest his foray into the US federal government and cozy relationship with President Trump.

Smartwatches are cool and all, but have you considered wearable neurotech? Ten years ago, a Fitbit was about as sophisticated a wearable as you could get. Then came the sleeker, more unassuming Oura ring . Now there's a new breed of wearables--built for your head. Instead of tracking your step count, heart rate, and skin temperature, these devices are designed to read your brain waves.

Two decades ago, social media promised to connect people with pals far and wide. Twenty years online has left us turning to AI for kinship. IRL companionship is the future. Anyone looking for a vibe check on the populace's current feelings about AI would do well to check out the walls of the New York City subway system. This fall, alongside posters for everything from dating apps to Skechers, a newcomer made its debut: Friend .

Many analysts are predicting an election-year upturn, but they aren't accounting for the President's ability to cause more chaos. In a primetime address from the Oval Office last week, Donald Trump said, "We are poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen." This was the sort of bloviating that has convinced many voters he's hopelessly out of touch, but it did raise the question of how the economy is likely to perform in 2026, a midterm-election year. Given the data fog that the government shutdown created, the old joke applies more than ever: it's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future. But some things seem reasonably clear.