TransportationReported
Robotaxis burn in downtown LA, and Waymo pulls back
At least five Waymos were destroyed during protests against immigration raids. Waymo left downtown, then paused service across the city ahead of the "No Kings" marches.
Archive
June 2025
13 stories dated June 2025.
← May 2025 · All months · July 2025 →
TransportationReported
Tesla starts robotaxi rides in Austin, with an employee in the passenger seat
After a decade of promises, Tesla began offering invited riders trips in self-driving Model Ys in a small part of South Austin. Within a day, videos of erratic driving drew questions from federal regulators.
Accounting & bookkeepingReported
The UK audit regulator finds the biggest firms don't measure whether their AI tools improve audits
The FRC reviewed how BDO, Deloitte, EY, Forvis Mazars, KPMG and PwC certify automated audit tools. Monitoring was mostly about licence counts.
EnergyReported
Old EV batteries now power an AI data center: Redwood and Crusoe's 63-MWh microgrid
Redwood Materials wired 805 retired EV packs to a solar array to run a Crusoe modular data center off-grid. The companies call it the largest second-life battery deployment yet.
Healthcare operationsReported
Nurse-driven early-warning AI was linked to a 35.6% lower risk of death in a trial; a grant to adapt it for children was canceled
A Columbia-led system that reads patterns in nurses' charting flagged deteriorating patients earlier. Months after the results, the team said an NIH grant for children's hospitals had been canceled.
TransportationVendor claim
Waymo opens in Atlanta through Uber
Atlanta's driverless service runs only on the Uber app, across a bigger area than Austin's. The companies still haven't said how many cars serve it or what the deal is worth.
RetailVendor claim
Walmart and Wing say drone delivery is coming to 100 more stores within a year. Here's what they've shown so far.
The plan adds Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando and Tampa to the 18 Dallas-Fort Worth stores already flying. Walmart says it has made more than 150,000 drone deliveries since 2021.
Restaurants & hospitalityVendor claim
Starbucks is testing an AI assistant for baristas. It hasn't said how it will judge it.
Green Dot Assist answers staff questions on in-store iPads, from drink recipes to broken equipment. Starbucks announced a small pilot as part of its turnaround plan, with no cost or success measures published.
Healthcare operationsVendor claim
A Minnesota health system puts an AI agent named Alli on its patient phone lines
Allina Health says its new voice agent verifies callers and handles appointments, and that calls are being answered faster without extra staff. Its vendor's own figures don't agree on what was measured.
EnergyVendor claim
QuantumScape says its 'Cobra' process makes battery separators 25 times faster
The solid-state battery developer moved a new ceramic-separator process into baseline production, the first of its 2025 goals. The speed figures are the company's own.
AgricultureVendor claim
Halter raises NZ$165 million at a US$1 billion valuation for cattle collars and virtual fencing, then $220 million at $2 billion
The New Zealand company's Series D was led by BOND in June 2025. Nine months later it said Founders Fund led a Series E at a $2 billion valuation. Revenue wasn't disclosed.
ManufacturingVendor claim
Mercedes says AI control of Rastatt's topcoat booths cut their energy use 20%
Mercedes ramped up the new CLA at Rastatt in a hall it reconfigured virtually within weeks. AI now runs paint sub-processes that conventional controls used to handle. Investment: a mid triple-digit million euros.
ManufacturingVendor claim
BMW says its virtual factory turns almost four weeks of physical collision checks into three days
BMW now runs digital twins of more than 30 plants and simulates every new model's path down the line before building anything. It projects planning costs will fall by up to 30%. That figure is a forecast.