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British AI startup raises more than $1 billion for its self-driving car technology
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A British AI startup that specializes in autonomous driving technology has raised more than $1 billion from some high-profile backers, including Microsoft and computer chip-maker Nvidia.
Called Wayve, the London-based company said Tuesday the funding will allow it to accelerate the development of its embodied AI technology which enables vehicles to “interact with, comprehend, and learn from human behavior in real-world environments.” It touts the new AI products as “paving the way for greater usability and safety in autonomous driving systems.”
While self-driving cars have been crowned the future of the automotive industry, a significant safety flaw in the self-driving systems has yet to be worked out: When there’s potential for an accident, the systems often return control to the human driver without enough time for someone to avoid a collision, automotive industry experts told CBS MoneyWatch.
Wayve, founded in 2017, and its investors believe embodied AI is the solution to the safety issue in existing self-driving cars, describing the technology as “a GPT for driving.”
“Since our inception, we have held a core belief that end-to-end AI will make autonomy possible,” said Alex Kendall, Wayve co-founder and CEO, wrote in a Tuesday blog post. “We are excited to see our progress and this funding as a massive endorsement of our vision.“
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American citizen working for drone company injured in Israel
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A U.S. citizen who was a representative of a drone company doing business with the Israelis has been wounded in Israel, after the Hamas-aligned militant group Hezbollah fired missiles toward Israel, U.S. officials tell CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department confirmed that an American civilian was injured, but didn’t offer further details. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is assisting the injured American and the citizen’s family, the spokesperson said. The U.S. government has repeatedly urged Americans to stay away from the region because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
“The department reminds U.S. citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness throughout Israel and the West Bank, as security incidents often take place without warning,” the State Department spokesperson also said.
Fears about the possibility of war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have grown after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander last Wednesday. Israel said the commander, Mohammad Naameh Nasser, was responsible for firing rockets into Israel. Hezbollah responded with another barrage of rocket fire. Like Hamas, Hezbollah is backed by Iran but is believed to be larger and better armed.
Holly Williams, Omar Abdulkader, Margaret Brennan and Olivia Gazis contributed to this report
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What we know about Russia’s brazen daytime missile strike on Ukraine’s capital
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