Rivian buys world model startup to accelerate self-driving ambitions

techcrunch.com Oct 24, 2026

Rivian buys world model startup to accelerate self-driving ambitions

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Oct 24, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Rivian has acquired UK‑based Third Dimension, a 15‑person AI startup that converts images and video into photorealistic 3D worlds, to boost its autonomous‑driving program. The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, folds the team into Rivian’s autonomy and AI group led by James Philbin and expands the company’s AI hub in London. Third Dimension, founded in 2024 by Tolga Kart and Piotr Sokólski, previously served video‑game developers and raised $7 million in seed funding. Rivian plans to use the technology to turn its massive fleet‑generated sensor data into high‑fidelity simulators, narrowing the gap between synthetic and real‑world scenarios. The move supports Rivian’s rollout of “Universal Hands‑Free” highway assistance and its longer‑term goal of full autonomy for robotaxi‑ready R2 SUVs slated for Uber in 2028.

💡 Why It Matters

· By turning real‑world driving data into instantly adjustable 3D simulations, Rivian can accelerate validation of its self‑driving software far faster than waiting for rare edge cases on the road.
· This gives the company a decisive speed advantage in the race to deploy robotaxis.

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Gemini app expands Google Maps Personal Intelligence, replacing Deep Think

Google is extending the Personal Intelligence features of its Gemini app to deepen integration with Google Maps. The AI now accesses users’ saved places, search history and calendar events to suggest context‑aware recommendations, such as nearby restaurants after a meeting. Personal Intelligence, which already draws on Gmail, Docs, photos and other data, can be enabled in the app’s personalization settings. The update arrives alongside Gemini 4 “Argon,” which Google says will soon replace the “Deep Think” reasoning mode in Gemini 3.1 Pro for AI Ultra subscribers. Users will be prompted to switch to Argon when they need more advanced reasoning, while the fate of the underlying Gemini 3.1 Pro model remains unclear. The feature also pulls traffic data to refine travel time estimates for stops.

💡 By merging map data with personal calendars, Gemini turns routine routing into a proactive planning assistant, pushing AI beyond search into daily logistics.

thequantuminsider.com · Oct 24

Google Launches $150,000 AI Competition to Reduce Quantum Computing Demands

Google Quantum AI has announced a $150,000 Kaggle competition aimed at shrinking quantum circuits used for fusion energy, optimization and chemistry calculations. Competitors must lower qubit and gate counts while preserving required accuracy, leveraging Google’s open‑source “kickmix” library to test designs on classical computers. Kickmix structures circuits so that randomized fuzz testing can verify approximate correctness without exhaustive simulation, enabling AI agents to iteratively propose and evaluate optimizations. The contest provides starter circuits and a verification tool, targeting the long‑standing bottleneck of circuit size that inflates error‑correction overhead and exceeds current hardware limits. By automating circuit compilation, the initiative seeks to make useful quantum algorithms feasible on near‑term processors.

💡 Smaller circuits directly reduce the qubit and error‑correction resources needed, bringing practical quantum applications within reach of today’s hardware.

eurogamer.net · Oct 24

Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai thinks gen-AI will cause a surge of…

Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the Super Smash Bros. series, warned that generative AI will flood the market with derivative games, but asserted that truly original design cannot be replicated by machines. Speaking to Denfaminicogamer, he noted Steam’s annual releases have risen from 275 titles in 2010 to over 19,000 this year, a trend he expects to accelerate as AI tools lower development barriers. Sakurai cited simple‑premise puzzle games and viral “needle in a haystack” simulators as early examples of AI‑generated content that quickly spawn copycats. While he acknowledged AI might eventually mimic complex experiences like Fumito Ueda’s Ico, he argued that the unique artistic vision of human creators remains beyond algorithmic reach, making originality a premium commodity in an era of mass‑produced titles.

💡 As AI lowers entry barriers, distinguishing genuinely innovative games from algorithmic copycats will become a decisive factor for developers seeking lasting relevance.

microsoft.com · Oct 24

Beyond static charts: Helping AI create visualizations you can explore

Flint‑interactive, a new high‑level language built on the Flint compiler, enables AI agents to generate fully interactive data visualizations that users can explore through clicking, filtering, zooming, highlighting and cross‑chart actions. By translating user gestures into semantic events and applying update operators, the system removes the need for low‑level coding, reduces layout and rendering bugs, and streamlines development of dashboards, data stories and connected applications. The tool supports linked interactions such as brushing one chart to highlight related groups in another, and can be invoked directly in chat or canvas environments via Flint‑MCP. Early tests show that agents can now produce interaction specifications alongside chart specs, cutting the iterative debugging cycles that previously made reliable interactive visualizations costly and error‑prone.

💡 It bridges the gap between AI‑generated insights and hands‑on data exploration, letting users query and refine visual data in real time without developer intervention.

appleinsider.com · Oct 23

Intelligent Assistant added to iWork apps for Creative Studio subscribers

Apple released an update for its iWork suite—Pages, Keynote and Numbers—on Thursday, adding iPhone Duo support ahead of its October 23 launch and introducing a new open Interchange Format (.keyx) to simplify Keynote editing in third‑party apps. The primary focus is Apple Intelligence features, available only to subscribers of the Apple Creator Studio bundle. Each app now includes a beta Intelligent Assistant, which requires a device set to US English and iOS 27 or later; the assistant operates separately from Siri. The beta rollout also includes suggestions for document design, data visualization and slide composition. Shortly after the rollout, Apple removed all three iWork apps from both the iOS and Mac App Stores, leaving the cause of the pull unclear.

💡 By tying the Intelligent Assistant to the paid Creator Studio, Apple turns its AI capabilities into a subscription lever, forcing power users to upgrade for advanced workflow automation.

thehackernews.com · Oct 22

China-Linked Hackers Use ARTEX AI Agents in ConnectWise Supply Chain Attack

Microsoft revealed that the China‑aligned threat actor Storm‑0940 exploited the ARTEX AI framework to compromise the ConnectWise Cloud Backup supply chain. Using ARTEX, the group performed rapid scanning, password spraying, and OAuth abuse, targeting over 2,250 tenants at 2,900 attempts per minute. The attack, active since 2021, reached privileged cloud access within hours, affecting sectors from aerospace to finance. The incident underscores the growing use of AI‑driven tools for automated, high‑speed cyber intrusions.

💡 The case shows how AI accelerates credential abuse, shrinking detection windows and enabling attackers to pivot quickly across cloud environments. It signals a new era where automated tools can turn routine supply‑chain vulnerabilities into global, multi‑sector breaches.