🚀 AI Thinks Longer, Microsoft’s Ad Play, Starlink & FAA
Good morning. It’s Tuesday, February 25. Today we are covering:
Anthropic launches a new AI model that 'thinks' as long as you want
Musk Begins Testing His Starlink Terminals in US Airspace System
EU Court Backs Italian Antitrust Ruling on Google's Android Auto Platform
Tesla Moves One Step Closer to Self-Driving Cars in China
Let’s dive in
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Anthropic launches a new AI model that 'thinks' as long as you want
By Maxwell Zeff via TechCrunch
Anthropic has launched Claude 3.7 Sonnet, a hybrid AI reasoning model that allows users to control how long it "thinks" about a question, blending real-time responses with deep reasoning capabilities.
The model is exclusive to premium users for reasoning features, outperforms its predecessor, and costs $3 per million input tokens, making it pricier than OpenAI’s o3-mini but offering unique hybrid capabilities.
Alongside the AI model, Anthropic introduced Claude Code, an agentic coding tool that enables developers to modify, test, and manage codebases via plain English commands, launching as a limited research preview.
𝕏: We're opening limited access to a research preview of a new agentic coding tool we're building: Claude Code. You'll get Claude-powered code assistance, file operations, and task execution directly from your terminal. - Alex Albert (@alexalbert__)
Microsoft is testing free Office for Windows apps with ads
By Tom Warren via The Verge
Microsoft is testing a free, ad-supported version of Office for Windows, allowing users to access Word, Excel, and PowerPoint without a Microsoft 365 subscription, though with limited features and ads.
The ads include persistent banners and 15-second video ads, and local file storage is disabled, forcing users to store documents in OneDrive.
While Microsoft claims this is a limited test, the software is already available in India, and its ad-supported framework suggests a potential broader rollout.
𝕏: Microsoft is testing free Office for Windows apps with ads. The ads appear on the side of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and are part of "some limited testing", according to Microsoft. - Tom Warren (@tomwarren)
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Musk Begins Testing His Starlink Terminals in US Airspace System
By Jason Leopold via Bloomberg
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is testing Starlink satellite internet terminals in Atlantic City and Alaska to enhance the FAA’s national airspace system.
The initiative raises concerns about conflicts of interest within Musk’s business empire and its impact on a $2 billion FAA contract awarded to Verizon in 2023.
Starlink, SpaceX’s rapidly expanding internet-from-space unit, aims to accelerate upgrades to the FAA’s IT networks supporting US airspace operations.
𝕏: New: Elon Musk’s SpaceX is seeking to deploy Starlink satellite internet terminals to help accelerate an upgrade of the information technology networks that support the US Federal Aviation Administration’s national airspace system, according to people familiar with the matter. - Newley Purnell (@newley)
EU Court Backs Italian Antitrust Ruling on Google's Android Auto Platform
By Edith Hancock via Wall Street Journal
The EU Court of Justice ruled that Google's refusal to host an electric-vehicle charging app on Android Auto may violate EU competition laws.
The decision follows a long-running dispute between an Italian energy company and Google over access to the Android Auto platform.
Android Auto allows drivers to use smartphone tools like messaging apps while driving, but Google has been criticized for restricting third-party access.
𝕏: EU will be happy with this. Google can be forced to offer interoperability with its Android Auto service. App rivals can be harmed even if the Google platform is not “indispensable” - Lewis Crofts (@lewis_crofts)
Tesla Moves One Step Closer to Self-Driving Cars in China
By Alexandra Stevenson via The New York Times
Tesla is rolling out an Autopilot update for some drivers in China, marking progress toward self-driving technology in a market where it faces stiff competition from local automakers like BYD. The feature, requiring an $8,800 upgrade, still necessitates driver supervision.
Elon Musk has long sought regulatory approval in China, where Tesla has struggled with data restrictions and a growing digital divide with the U.S.. A Shanghai data center holds years of driving data, but Tesla is limited in using it for training due to regulatory constraints.
Securing full self-driving approval in China could extend Tesla’s technology leadership by three to five years, but challenges remain as competitors, like BYD, introduce AI-powered driving systems, and geopolitical tensions complicate Tesla’s ability to localize its computing power.
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