🚗 Robotaxis hit a speed bump

I don’t know about you, but my news feed is constantly serving me “articles” trying to get me to buy 29 things that would make my apartment cozier.

But what if news feeds recommended stuff that actually interested us? Well, that’s what Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have been working on.

It’s called Artifact, and a waitlist is available now.

It may seem like an odd choice…

… to focus on written articles in a pivot-to-video world, especially when other recommendation apps, like Flipboard, already exist.

But Systrom told Platformer’s Casey Newton that they were inspired by:

• Advances in AI, like Google’s Transformer, which helps computers better understand language and context. (ChatGPT is built on transformer architecture.)
• TikTok, which shows users content based on an algorithm, not who they follow.

How will Artifact stand out?

In theory, it’ll offer only high-quality content that gets better-tailored to users as Artifact learns about them:

• Big and smaller publications — and both right- and left-leaning outlets — are included, but they have to be reputable. Misinformation will be removed.
• Recommendations are based on how much time is spent on an article, not how many clicks or comments it garners.
• Forthcoming social components will let users see articles people they follow have shared, and both discuss them publicly and via DMs.

If Artifact can weed out clickbait bullshit while eschewing the toxicity of other social platforms, it might have a shot.

Additionally, an AI newsreader that’s good with context might understand that someone who’s interested in a particular TV show doesn’t want gossip blogs about its stars (*side-eyes Google News*).

If you file your taxes through TurboTax or a similar online service, you’ve likely seen a certain question during your annual return: “Did you perform work in more than one state?”

Given that this is the 21st century, there’s a decent chance you did. You might have responded to several emails from your boss during a long weekend in Denver or spent a day on Zoom before skiing in the Poconos.

But a state’s department of revenue is unlikely to notice that you visited, or that you completed any work.

Unless you’re a professional athlete

Their burden is known as the jock tax. Professional athletes owe a portion of their salary to most states and cities they visit — even for a single day.

Unlike, say, nurse practitioners or graphic designers, jurisdictions know exactly when athletes are in town. They know how much they make. And they know how to go after them.

For years, the jock tax has flown under the radar, known mostly to hardcore sports fans and accountants. Nobody, after all, really cares if millionaires have to file complicated tax returns.

But the jock tax matters.

Hardly anyone truly benefits from the tax, and one day in the future, even if you’re not an athlete, you may have to pay it.

A robotaxi takeover of the Golden City — while seemingly imminent — may take a while longer to roll out.

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) recently wrote two letters to the California Public Utilities Commission voicing concerns over the rapid expansion of Waymo and Cruise in the city.

The Alphabet and GM autonomous vehicle subsidiaries are currently allowed to offer driverless rides in the city. Cruise is permitted to charge for these rides between 10pm and 6am, and Waymo is awaiting similar approval.

Why the concern?

Consider these examples, gathered by The Verge:

• Last July, driverless Cruise cars blocked traffic for hours. In September, it happened again. Earlier this month, firefighters had to break into one to prevent it from taking out an active hose.
• In January, a driverless Waymo vehicle got stuck at a busy intersection. The traffic did not look fun.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also currently investigating Cruise over traffic blocking and rear-ending concerns.

For what it’s worth, the city seems generally supportive of the technology. “A series of limited deployments with incremental expansions — rather than unlimited authorizations — offer the best path toward public confidence in driving automation and industry success in San Francisco and beyond,” SFCTA wrote.