MTC Show - Apple Layoffs, HR1 Energy Bill, and Democratizing Access to AI
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MTC Show - Apple Layoffs, HR1 Energy Bill, and Democratizing Access to AI
Plus 7 other mobility tech & connectivity headlines and developments
While New York’s District Attorney is busy playing politics and potentially setting a dangerous new precedent with the US Justice System, Apple could become the latest Big Tech to cut jobs as worries of an economic downturn due to rising interest rates have sparked a series of mass job cuts across corporate America in recent months.
Apple is eliminating “a small number of roles” on its corporate retail teams in what would be its first known job cuts since it started “belt-tightening” last year. While other tech giants have laid off thousands of employees, Apple remained resilient through cost-cutting measures (delaying bonuses, reducing travel) to avoid slashing jobs.
Unlike Big Tech, the Energy sector is not laying off workers. Over the last 12-18 months, there has been a surge in natural gas, coal, and electricity prices, leading to increased costs for consumers an average of 5-9% higher just over the past year. Many will justify this as a byproduct of Russia’s war with Ukraine. Others point to politics.
In response, the Republican-led House voted last week to pass a bill aimed at lowering energy costs and increasing energy independence in America.
221 Republicans along with four Democrats voted to pass the Lower Energy Costs Act, also referred to as HR 1. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., joined 203 Democrats to vote against HR 1.
The bill now moves to the Senate for a vote, which appears to be split. But, even if Republicans can gain enough support from Democrats to pass HR 1 in the Senate, President Joe Biden is expected to veto the energy bill.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses
One thing Biden can not veto are the hydrogen fuel cell buses coming to Rochester, New York. In the 2020 State of the State address, former Governor Andrew Cuomo set zero emissions goals for the largest transportation services in the state, including Rochester.
In order to meet the goal of running 25% of its fleet at zero emissions by 2025, the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority received a grant of five million dollars from Governor Hochul to purchase hydrogen fuel cell buses.
BAE Systems is said to be providing the electric drive systems for the first fleet of the hydrogen fuel cell buses.
The Mobility Tech & Connectivity Show
Aired live in April 2023
Democratizing Access to AI - How to Break Free from Monopolies
In this segment we explore the latest new features on You.com. The rise of generative AI is transforming technology, but history is repeating itself as few monopolies try to dominate the field, creating walled gardens.
You.com is challenging this status quo by democratizing access to the latest AI technology with YouChat, the first free conversational AI search assistant.
New features include…
Citations in chat: Ensuring accuracy and credibility by including numeric references and sources.
Multi-modal apps: Providing precise, deeper answers by integrating apps into search.
Conversational AI + web data: Catering to different user preferences by combining AI chat with traditional search results.
Rewriting queries: Improved machine learning models to handle conversational shifts.
Personalized chat history: Saving generated information privately and exclusively for logged-in users.
Private ads: Non-invasive ads that protect privacy and support a free, premium service.
Free access, on any browser
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