AI News: 26 July 2025 - 29 July 2025

November 5, 2025, 1:50 PM EST. Tesla's Cybercab debuted as an autonomous, steering-wheel- and pedal-free two-seater meant to move people and cargo cheaply. But in a Bloomberg interview, Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm outlined a pragmatic contingency: if required by regulators, Tesla will bolt on a steering wheel and pedals and sell the car in volume. The move repositions Cybercab as Plan B rather than the ultimate vision, reflecting the company's navigation of a dense regulatory maze around autonomy. Tesla has already deployed Robotaxi fleets with traditional controls and is aiming for volume production in 2026, while pursuing potential regulatory changes with the NHTSA. Critics note that without physical controls, some jurisdictions cap deployments; adding manual controls would preserve scale. This isn't the $25K affordable EV, but a hedge that could keep the Cybercab on the road if the safety narrative shifts.

November 5, 2025, 1:46 PM EST. A growing number of founders are launching AI startups before they turn 30, underscoring a shift in early-stage tech. Fueled by accessible ML tooling, cloud services, and vibrant startup ecosystems, these young founders move quickly from idea to prototype. They are leveraging university networks, accelerators, and available data to explore applications across healthcare, fintech, and more. The trend is attracting more venture capital and talent to the space, accelerating innovation while emphasizing speed, product-market fit, and responsible AI practices.

November 5, 2025, 1:38 PM EST. Apple is reportedly testing a budget MacBook that could launch in 2026, aiming at students, businesses, and casual users, including potential iPad buyers seeking a laptop experience. The device is expected to cost under $1,000-potentially as low as $600-and would use the same processor family as the iPhone, with a screen smaller than the 13.6-inch MacBook Air. Bloomberg says the laptop could arrive in the first half of next year. Apple commands about 9% of the global PC market, with most competitors relying on Windows or Chrome OS. A low-cost entry point could help upsell buyers to higher-end Macs later, particularly with M4/M5-powered laptops. IDC last year put Apple as the fourth-largest PC maker at 22.9 million MacBooks shipped.

November 5, 2025, 1:36 PM EST. Michael Burry's Scion Asset Management has reportedly placed about $1 billion in put options on Nvidia and Palantir, according to Fortune via regulatory filings. The move underscores Burry's bearish stance on AI-driven momentum and his ongoing fascination with market bubbles-echoing his fame from The Big Short. Put options give the right to sell a stock at a set price in the future, a classic bet against price declines. Burry signaled the warning on X, noting that sometimes there are bubbles and sometimes actions are needed. The bet arrives as some investors question the sustainability of AI hype and Nvidia's lofty valuation, even as others like Warren Buffett pull money from markets. The future trajectory remains uncertain: AI upside vs. possible correction.

November 5, 2025, 1:34 PM EST. Google unveils Project Suncatcher to explore equipping swarms of low-Earth orbit satellites with TPU accelerators, creating solar-powered, space-based AI compute with free-space optical links. Described as a moonshot, the plan would test radiation tolerance, thermal management, and on-orbit reliability for future ML workloads. Sundar Pichai noted early tests show promise but warned many engineering challenges remain. The initiative echoes analyses by Ars and MIT Technology Review, which warn that rising AI demand could drive vast electricity use-potentially up to 22% of US household energy by 2028-highlighting energy-sustainability concerns for space compute.