A Waymo robotaxi in San Francisco.Gado via Getty ImagesWaymo, the top U.S. robotaxi company, is looking to expand the business internationally with plans to begin its first overseas tests in Tokyo early next year, while it also continues to expand the service to more U.S. cities.The Alphabet Inc. subsidiary will send a fleet of electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs to Japan early next year to begin mapping some of the densest districts of central Tokyo. To aid that effort, Waymo said its partnering with Nihon Kotsu, Japans biggest taxi operator, and taxi app operator GO. The company didnt offer a timeframe for when it expects the driverless vehicles to be in commercial service.The news comes on the heels of Waymos plan to launch its ride service in Miami next year, along with Austin and Atlanta. Currently, its available in Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles, where every week it carries more than 150,000 riders combined. The company doesnt share financial details for the service, though its annualized revenue is tracking at more than $150 million based on the weekly ridership rate.Last week, General Motors announced it was pulling the plug on Cruise, its competing robotaxi service and Waymos biggest U.S. rival, deciding instead to focus its autonomous driving tech efforts on personal vehicles. Elon Musks Tesla aspires to be a leader in robotaxis something thats helping boost its stock price in the wake of Donald Trumps election win but the company hasnt demonstrated that it has the ability to do that.Despite the name, Teslas Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features are classified as advanced driver-assist technologies that arent capable of operating a vehicle without a human at the wheel, ready to take over. By contrast, Waymos robotaxis operate with no human driver, though the company does have staff monitoring them and who can provide some remote backup assistance.In November, Waymo said it had raised $5.6 billion in its biggest-ever funding round ahead of major expansion plans. Additionally, it intends to begin sourcing electric vehicles from Hyundai starting next year, which cost about 40% less than the I-Pace model it uses, as it also shifts to lower-cost computing and sensor hardware.More From Forbes

SoftBank announced a $100 billion commitment to U.S. projects over the span of Trump's presidency.Getty ImagesOn Monday, SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son and President-elect Donald Trump jointly announced a bold commitment: The Japanese tech conglomerate aims to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years. It was a glitzy pledge from a global tech leader, teaming up with the incoming president with a promise to create at least 100,000 new American jobs in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.The announcement eclipses a similar one Son made in 2016 as Trump first took office a $50 billion pledge and 50,000 jobs. President Trump is a double down president, Son said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago, Trumps private residence in Palm Beach, Florida. Im going to have to double down.Theres just one hitch: SoftBank doesnt actually have $100 billion at the moment. As of market close on Monday, its entire market cap was $97 billion, and it has $29 billion in cash on hand. Its unclear how the company would finance its pledge and Son didnt bother to detail how during its announcement.The commitment is over the span of Trumps presidency, so SoftBank will have years to make good on its promise. The company did fulfill its 2016 vow of $50 billion, with investments in dozens of companies including Slack and DoorDash. Its more difficult to determine if it created that number of jobs, and the company did not provide an estimate at the end of Trumps last term.SoftBank didnt respond to a request for comment.The companys most valuable asset is a majority stake in Arm Holdings, the British semiconductor company that went public last year. Arms market cap is currently $152.6 billion, with SoftBanks roughly 90% stake valued at $137.3 billion. If liquidated, it would easily cover the companys commitment. Its unlikely, of course, that SoftBank would sell off its entire stake. Offloading large amounts of stock would probably cause the share price to crater. It could use its Arm stock as leverage to take out debt that would finance this commitment; but SoftBank has already taken out $8 billion in margin loans against its Arm stock.In reaching into the Arm piggy bank, SoftBank doesnt want to repeat missteps it took with Alibaba. In 2000, SoftBank invested $20 million in the Chinese ecommerce company, which went public in 2014 in the largest tech IPO ever, raising $25 billion. SoftBank reportedly owned 24% of the company at the time a stake that dwindled to 7% in 2022, and down to half a percent by last May.SoftBanks announcement comes as several tech executives have tried to curry favor with Trump as he returns to power. In the last few days, Facebook parent Meta, Amazon and OpenAI have reportedly promised to donate $1 million each to Trumps inauguration fund. With key supporters like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, Silicon Valley has struck a different tone from when Trump first took office four years ago. Metas Mark Zuckerberg recently made a visit to Mar-a-Lago, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly has a visit in the works.SoftBank is best known for its Vision Fund, a $100 million venture fund it announced in 2017 for investing in tech companies worldwide, with half the funds raised from the sovereign wealth funds of Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But the Vision Fund came to be known for misplaced bets, including the ill-fated coworking real estate company WeWork, and Softbank posted an $18 billion loss. In 2020, the activist investor Elliott Management bought a $2.5 billion stake in the Vision Fund and pushed for restructuring and more transparency. By the time Softbank set out to raise more money for a Vision Fund 2, the company had trouble courting investors because of the first funds issues.In trying to hit the $100 billion mark, the company could potentially count already-announced commitments to its tally. For example, Softbank reportedly invested another $1.5 billion in OpenAI last month through an employee tender offer. In May, the Japanese company said it would commit $9 billion a year to AI investments, though it didnt specify where it would make its bets.Trump, who described Son as one of the most accomplished business leaders of our time, didnt seem worried about where the money would come from, and even pushed for more. Ive looked at their books and they do have the possibility of doing more, Trump said Monday. Im going to ask them to do a little bit more.He then challenged Son to double his promise again to $200 billion. While remaining noncommittal, Son laughed and said he would try to make it happen. Hes a great negotiator, he said.Additional reporting by Iain Martin.

A hot potato: According to recent data highlighted by the FTC, user complaints regarding online job scams designed around game-like tasks are skyrocketing. These so-called "task scams" have experienced a massive increase in popularity over the last four years, going from zero in 2020 to 5,000 in 2023. Despite its growing popularity, gamification remains a very controversial and polarizing issue. Systems, services, and organizations are increasingly designed to simulate a gaming experience to motivate or engage users, and even cyber-criminals are now employing similar tactics.In just the first half of 2024, reported task scams have quadrupled to about 20,000. Criminals usually try to reach their target with a text or WhatsApp message, the FTC warns, enticing potential victims with online job offers. If the target shows interest, the scammers say the job is to complete tasks related to app optimization, product boosting, or other menial, tedious things.Once the online tasks start, users will receive a small sum for the "job." Afterward, the scammers show their true colors by asking the victims to invest in the system to complete an even more lucrative set of tasks. If the victim buys into it, the scammers make off with the money and are never heard from again.The standard dress code for scammersRegulators say that scammers usually ask for payment in cryptocurrency. The FTC has seen a two-fold overall increase in cryptocurrency losses to job scams year-over-year. Scammers stole over $41 million in crypto in the first half of 2024. In total, task scams accounted for nearly 40 percent of losses to job-related scams in the first half of 2024 ($220 million). // Related StoriesThe FTC warns that if work feels more like an online game than an actual job, it's likely a task scam. Most fraud goes unreported, meaning the 20,000 individual complaints received in the first six months of 2024 are only a tiny fraction of the task scam "market."Regulators advise users to protect themselves against task scams by ignoring generic and unrequested communication attempts via text or WhatsApp, especially regarding sketchy job offers."Real employers will never contact you that way," the agency said.Furthermore, no one should pay to get paid. Rating or "liking" things online is not a job. Almost 100 percent of the time, these are scammers trying to set you up. No respectable company will pay people to do this.As Glenn Frey famously sung in Smuggler's Blues: "It's the lure of easy money, it's got a very strong appeal."

In context: There are two types of Mac users those who like the Magic Mouse and those who hate it. The device has unique functionality, which is impossible to find in a regular wireless mouse. However, it has some physical design issues that turn many people away. Apple means to change the physical design of its Magic Mouse for the first time in 15 years. Bloomberg's reputable Apple disher Mark Gurman notes that the company is completely reimagining the Mac/iPad peripheral. Insiders say engineers have already created several prototypes over the last few months. The team aims to remodel the accessory to "fit the modern era."While the sources didn't have specific details, they did say that Apple wants to address some of the most common complaints about the Magic Mouse. The device's ergonomics and charging port placement are two of the biggest gripes from sustomers and reviewers.When Apple introduced the Magic Mouse in 2009, it brought many features you couldn't find in other brands. Its touch-sensitive surface provided users with shortcuts for various functions. For example, users could right and left swipe with one finger in a browser to go forward and back on web pages.However, the Magic Mouse was not without its critics. The initial gripe was that the mouse was not ergonomic. While that might be a deal breaker for some, many users found the device's features worth putting up with a non-ergonomic design. However, it would get worse.In 2015, Apple released the "Magic Mouse 2." It was lighter and had fewer moving parts than the first generation. It had longer battery life, better Bluetooth connectivity, and was compatible with the iPad. However, one "improvement" doomed the mouse to further bad reviews the rechargeable Li-ion battery.It wasn't the battery itself that was the problem. It actually provided longer uptime than the first generation's replaceable AA alkalines (or NiCad rechargeables, if you were like me). It was Apple's choice of a charging port that ruined the improvement. // Related StoriesThe mouse's front and back are very low-profile, so they aren't suitable for hosting a charging port. Therefore, the Magic Mouse 2 has a Lightning port (later USB-C) on the bottom. This design choice prevented it from being used while charging. It also made it a game-breaker for some, who would have preferred using the mouse as it charged.Gurman suggests that port location is one of the changes Apple is considering as it continues to prototype the peripheral. Will it still have the touch-sensitive surface and the other features people liked? It's too early to say, but knowing Apple, it will try to fix the criticisms while differentiating the mouse from competitors. We'll have to wait 12 to 18 months to see what engineers have in store.Image credit: Syced

GoogleGoogles latest AI tool helps you automate image generation even further. The tool is called Whisk, and its based on Googles latest Imagen 3 image generation model. Rather than relying solely on text prompts, Whisk helps you create your desired images using other images as the base prompt.Whisk is currently in an experimental phase, but once set up its fairly easy to navigate. Google detailed in a blog post introducing Whisk that it is intended for rapid visual exploration, not pixel-perfect edits.Recommended VideosExploring the tool has a fast-paced feel, in comparison to other text-based tools, that are more contingent on the details and accuracy of the words to produce an image. After going through the Welcome page, which lists the important details you should know about how the tool functions, the page asking if youd like to sign up for emails, and the privacy policy, youll load right into the main page of Whisk. I saw a prompt with a dinosaur plushie as the image style, but the other options are an enamel pin and sticker. I just went with the first.GoogleNext, youre directed to upload an image for the subject. I uploaded a photograph of a smartwatch on my wrist and quickly realized this wasnt going to work. The third option on the right was in a perpetual loading mode, so I tried again, with a more cartoonish image I found on my hard drive, and this loaded right away into plushie figurines of three mythical creatures.RelatedOnce the image was generated, I was able to go into an editing section, with a text prompt area. Simply using the suggested prompt the character is eating ice cream, I generated additional images with the same creatures holding ice cream cones.Alternatively, you can scroll down below the main prompt creation and select start from scratch. This will allow you to upload all your own images or enter your own text. You can also add additional text from the beginning so that your characters can do an action. If youre lost for what images to add or text to type, you can click the Inspire Me button, and Whisk will fill in images.GoogleThe tool also allows you to access a My Library section, where you can view all of the images youve created. In this section, you can enable or disable the library if youd prefer to not save your creations. You can also delete images individually or delete library data as a whole.The Whisk tool is reminiscent of the Microsoft Designer prompt that allows users to create Funko Pop! figures. As a whole, you can use Microsoft Designer to generate a range of whimsical or realistic images. However, the AI generator runs solely on text prompts.As said, Whisk still includes the opportunity to add text prompts, which Google noted is included due to the tools potential to miss the mark, so you always have the option to fill in prompts when needed.Editors Recommendations

After stirring up controversy at The Game Awards, Catlydeveloper SuperAuthenti Co. has clarified that its game does not use generative AI or blockchain technology, Digital Trends confirms.Catly is an upcoming open-world adventure game that got a teaser trailer at this years Game Awards. As soon as it aired, social media users began speculating about whether the photorealistic trailer used generative AI. When Digital Trends first asked a PR representative for SuperAuthenti if the trailer or project, which is described as being technologically innovative and featuring unique cats for every user, uses AI, we were initially told that the studio would not be answering further questions until 2025.Recommended VideosIn the wake of speculation, a SuperAuthneti Co. spokesperson has now confirmed that no generative AI was used to produce the video and the game. Digital Trends also viewed a progress video showing off how the trailer was made, which did highlight underlying 3D models. This information matches what was told to both IGN and Game Developer earlier today.Catly Trailer 4K - THE GAME AWARDS 2024The spokesperson also claims that the project is not a blockchain game nor does it use NFTs. That became a topic of speculation after users connected SuperAuthenti co-founder Kevin Yeung to TenthPlanet, a web3 studio that was working on a blockchain game called Alien Meowin 2022, which had a similar description to Catly, according to GamesBeat.Please enable Javascript to view this contentEven with that confirmation, there are still several unanswered questions around Catly. Though the studio says that AI was not used in the production of its reveal trailer, its statement does not confirm whether it was used in addition marketing assets. That includes its Steam page, which some have speculated used AI to generate its game description. Its also unclear what Catlys advertised technological innovation is and how it will be able to give each player a unique cat. Then theres the question of how an open-world MMO will work on an Apple Watch. Well have to wait longer for those answers; further details will not be revealed until 2025, the spokesperson says.The final mystery lies around the newly founded studio itself, whose ownership outside of Yeung is still unknown. Digital Trends asked if TenthPlanet co-founder William Wei Chen is involved with SuperAuthenti, but the studio isnt revealing details about its staff or connections to previous companies yet.Catly is scheduled to release in 2025 for PC, Apple Watch, and Nintendo Switch.Editors RecommendationsUbisoft, Tencent will begin using Nvidias AI-generated NPC tools

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