Uber's Flexible Fares 🚖, Biometric Cloning Surge 💳, SEBI's New Rules 📊

Catch up on the latest in tech, business and startups - all in 5 minutes. [Newsletter Banner] Daily News Roundup Welcome to today's edition of NextBigWhat Daily News! Uber trials flexible fares in India, a surge in cyber financial crimes due to biometric cloning, and SEBI's new rules on short selling. 🚖💳📊 Help us reach your your friends and colleagues! Share the NextBigWhat newsletter. [Tweet it]( [Whatsapp]( Uber trials flexible fare service in multiple Indian cities - Uber is testing a flexible fare service, Uber Flex, in over a dozen Indian cities, allowing riders to bid a fare for their ride. - The service, available for various modes of transport, aims to expand Uber’s consumer base and compete with other ride-hailing platforms like Ola and inDrive. - Uber is also testing different services in India to cater to local demand, including traditional taxis and a Wait & Save model to overcome surge pricing. Google’s DeepMind develops Asimov-inspired ‘Robot Constitution’ for safety - Google’s DeepMind team is creating a ‘Robot Constitution’ for their AutoRT system, inspired by Isaac Asimov’s ‘Three Laws of Robotics’, to ensure safe task selection by robots. - The Constitution, part of a larger system that deploys robots to gather training data, includes foundational, safety, and embodiment rules to prevent harm to humans and the robots themselves. - While the system shows promise for embodied AI, it’s still in preliminary stages and it remains to be seen how these rules will be incorporated into existing AIs and potential loopholes addressed. Transform your 2024 : Build winning habits ! [NBW Newsletter Ad]( 50% Launch Discount ! Win your 2024 🚀 "We are what we repeatedly do." Reset and Build Better Habits for 2024​! 21-days email based course, No app to download 😎 [Enroll 👊]( Biometric cloning and AePS frauds account for 11% of cyber financial crimes in 2023: I4C - Rajesh Kumar, CEO of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), revealed that 11% of cyber financial crimes in 2023 were due to biometric cloning and Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS) frauds. - Most of these frauds originated from Jharkhand and Bihar, with fraudsters misusing the system to siphon off people’s money using cloned biometrics. - The data is significant given the government’s denial of Aadhaar-related financial scams, especially in light of a surge in AePS frauds in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Microsoft nearing Apple’s valuation as America’s most valuable company - Microsoft is $100 billion short of surpassing Apple’s market cap, the smallest gap since November 2021. - Apple’s value dropped by $160 billion this year due to a downgrade by Barclays and sluggish sales. - Despite a slow start to 2024, Microsoft remains bullish due to its ties with OpenAI and strong Azure sales. Be the smartest thinker in the room with BigIdeas app (delivers bite-sized ideas from world's best podcasts, books.) [App Store]( [Google Play]( SEBI prohibits naked short selling and day trading for institutional investors - The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has banned naked short selling and day trading for institutional investors, requiring all investors to deliver securities at the time of settlement. - The move follows a Supreme Court request for SEBI to investigate potential losses and legal breaches related to short positions, in light of allegations against the Adani Group. - While the new regulations aim to curb market manipulation, experts warn they could also dampen market efficiency and impede liquidity, particularly for smaller stocks. Dell’s 2024 XPS series features Intel Core Ultra chips for AI processing - Dell’s 2024 XPS series, including models XPS 16, 14, and 13, are powered by high-end Intel Core Ultra chips designed for AI, with varying performance levels across models. - The new XPS lineup boasts a sleek, minimalistic design with machined aluminum and Gorilla Glass 3, and offers options for touch screens and different display sizes. - The XPS series starts at $1,299 for the XPS 13, with the XPS 14 and XPS 16 priced at $1,699 and $1,899 respectively, and will be available soon. Apple’s Siri may undergo major AI overhaul at WWDC 2024 - Apple is expected to announce significant AI improvements for Siri at WWDC 2024, including more personalization and natural conversations. - The upgrades may address common user complaints, such as Siri’s inability to provide direct answers and hearing issues. - The enhanced Siri, rumored to be available on iPhone 16 series and future models, might allow users to continue conversations across devices. ChatGPT reaches its ‘silliness limit’ in image generation experiment - Garrett Scott McCurrach, a robotics company CEO, used OpenAI’s ChatGPT to progressively make a goose image sillier, eventually reaching a ‘zenith of silliness’. - The experiment became a popular meme, with users creating increasingly absurd images, showcasing the ease of interaction with AI image generators. - McCurrach believes these experiments reflect the future of AI, where users can provide a vague concept and the AI makes the necessary assumptions to achieve the desired result. Tesla reduces range estimates for two Model Y variants - Tesla has decreased the range estimates for the Model Y Long Range and Model Y Performance by six percent, resulting in ranges of 310 and 285 miles respectively. - The change is likely to reflect more realistic driving conditions, as previous estimates were based on ideal conditions. - Currently, the changes only apply to the Long Range and Performance Model Y variants, with no information available about potential revisions for other Tesla models. Tesla’s Cybertruck falls short of advertised range in independent test - In an independent test by a YouTuber, Tesla’s Cybertruck achieved 254 miles, around 79% of the advertised 320-mile range. - The test was conducted in Texas at about 70 mph in 45-degree temperatures, with the vehicle running from a full charge until the battery died. - Factors such as tires, weight load, and cold weather conditions can impact an electric car’s range, with a 2023 study showing many EVs lose about 30% of their range in sub-freezing temperatures. Microsoft Teams set to launch on Android Auto in February - Microsoft has confirmed that Teams will be available on Android Auto next month, following Google’s announcement at I/O 2023. - The integration will expand the reach of Teams, given Android Auto’s large customer base, currently integrated with 200 million cars. - Cars from Chevrolet, GM, Honda, Renault, and Volvo are among the brands that have adopted Google’s Android Automotive platform. Mobikwik submits revised IPO draft to SEBI for ₹700 crore issue - Mobikwik has refiled its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with SEBI for a ₹700 crore IPO, comprising only of fresh issue. - The pre-IPO placement will involve shares worth around ₹140 crores, with SBI Capital Markets Limited and DAM Capital Advisors Limited as the book running lead managers. - The funds raised will be used for growth in financial services, payment services, data and AI, and capital expenditure, with a portion allocated for acquiring new consumers and merchants. © 2023 Zakti Techmedia Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. | [Unsubscribe](