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  • Lyft and May Mobility launch robotaxis in Atlanta

    Lyft and May Mobility launch robotaxis in Atlanta

    Riders in Atlanta can now hail a May Mobility robotaxi on the Lyft app, marking the first commercial deployment in the two companies’ partnership. The small fleet of autonomous vehicles is Lyft’s latest attempt to carve out a presence in the robotaxi market. 

    Lyft’s Atlanta launch signals an effort to claim a piece of the robotaxi market. But it has a lot of catching up to do if it hopes to close the gap with rival Uber. Earlier this year, Bank of America analysts downgraded the stock to “Underperform” from “Buy” due to concerns that the ride-hail firm would lose market share to Waymo’s California expansion and Uber’s aggressive AV partnership strategy. 

    Analyst sentiment has since brightened after Lyft reported strong second-quarter earnings; launching a robotaxi fleet could help sustain that momentum. That said, the debut is modest.

    Lyft and May Mobility are starting their pilot with a small fleet of hybrid-electric Toyota Sienna Autono-MaaS vehicles, limited operating hours, and a human safety operator in the front seat. The companies are also entering a city where Uber and Waymo started offering fully driverless rides in June. 

    A spokesperson told TechCrunch that Lyft and May Mobility plan to expand to “dozens, then hundreds and eventually thousands over time” across multiple markets. 

    May Mobility’s vehicles will be available to Lyft riders ordering on demand or via the “Wait & Save” feature starting in Midtown Atlanta from morning rush hour into the afternoon Monday through Friday, with plans to extend into evenings and weekends soon. 

    Safety operators who “may take control from time to time,” will be behind the wheel during the first phase of the Atlanta rollout, the spokesperson said. 

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    Lyft’s deployment with May Mobility comes a month after the company announced a deal with China’s Baidu to launch robotaxis in Europe next year. Lyft CEO David Risher has also said the company would work with Mobileye to deploy Mobileye-powered vehicles on the Lyft app in Dallas “as soon as 2026,” with “thousands more AVs/other cities to follow.” 

    Not all of Lyft’s AV partnerships have panned out. The company previously launched a robotaxi service — always with a human safety driver behind the wheel — in Las Vegas via a partnership with Motional. It had a similar agreement in Austin and Miami with Argo AI. However, Motional paused that partnership in May 2024 after slashing its workforce, and Argo AI shut down in 2022. Lyft had a stake in Argo and took a $135.7 million hit when the company folded.

    Rival Uber has collected 20 global AV partners across its ride-hailing, delivery, and freight businesses, which the company says have already generated an annualized rate of 1.5 million mobility and delivery trips. May Mobility is one of Uber’s partners, as well. The two plan to launch robotaxis in Arlington, Texas, this year as part of a multi-year partnership. 

    For May Mobility, the Atlanta launch marks its second in Georgia; the company also operates a limited commercial driverless microtransit service in Peachtree Corners. The startup has mainly deployed self-driving shuttles in low-traffic environments in geofenced areas with designated stops. It is running commercial services, with a human safety operator, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota; Martinez, California; and the Tokyo waterfront in Japan. 

  • FDA Harnesses AI to Revolutionize Its Operations

    FDA Harnesses AI to Revolutionize Its Operations

    FDA Gives AI the Green Light: Ready to Roll Out

    After a solid pilot showing that AI can keep pace with the fast‑moving world of drug regulation, the Food and Drug Administration is gearing up to unleash artificial intelligence across the whole agency.

    What’s on the Horizon?

    • Broadening AI tools to sift through terabytes of clinical data.
    • Automating routine tasks so scientists can tackle the big science questions.
    • Boosting safety checks with smarter, real‑time alerts.
    • Ensuring every new tool gets a rigorous safety test before it hits the field.

    In short, the FDA’s plan is to mix human expertise with AI’s speed, creating a smoother, faster, and safer drug‑approval pipeline. The move comes at a time when the market is buzzing with AI innovations, and the agency is keen to stay ahead of the curve.

    FDA Goes AI‑Crazy: The FDA’s New Turbocharged Review Sprint

    Picture this: the FDA’s big‑screen office in White Oak, MD, suddenly turns on a digital engine that whizzes through drug‑review paperwork faster than a Chevette on a flat track. That’s exactly what happened in June 2023, thanks to Dr. Marty Makary, the commissioner who decided it was time for the agency to stop sweating the exam and start giving its scientists a breather.

    What’s the Buzz About?

    • AI in the mix – “Artificial Intelligence” isn’t just sci‑fi jargon. It’s the brain behind sleek algorithms that learn, decide, and predict, cutting out the slow‑moving mule of manual review.
    • One‑stop shop – By June 30, the FDA promised a single, secure generative AI system that plugs straight into every internal data platform. No more juggling spreadsheets and email chains.
    • Fast‑track review – A pilot test showed the system could crunch through analyses that used to mop up whole days. Dr. Makary called it “blowing up the time‑blocks” that buried scientists in paperwork.

    Why Now, Dr. Makary Says

    Makary’s mantra: “The pharma world’s been waiting 10‑plus years for a drug to reach shelves. We’re stuck in a bubble. If AI can turn days into minutes, why not launch it across the board?” He hit a social media megaphone called X to shout out the future:

    “We’ve just finished our first AI‑assisted scientific review for a drug. That’s the beginning, not the end.”

    Power Players Behind the Roll‑out

    • Jeremy Walsh – Former Booz Allen tech boss now FDA’s chief AI officer, charting the AI course.
    • Sridhar Mantha – Former head of the FDA’s Business Informatics office, making sure data flows smoothly.

    From Trump’s Executive Order to the White House Memorandum

    President Trump had already said, “Let’s keep America on the cutting edge of AI.” The White House memo, meanwhile, nudged agencies to embrace innovation, stamp out bureaucracy, and “shape the future of government operations.” So the FDA’s AI makeover is no surprise.

    All About Bias, Speed, and Smiles

    The FDA’s caution? AI can amplify biases, potentially widening health care inequalities. Balance that with the upside: a faster drug review pipeline means patients get life‑saving medicines sooner. It’s a risk‑but‑reward game, and the FDA’s decided to lean heavily on the win.

    In the end, the FDA’s new AI strategy is all about the same thing: give scientists more time to innovate, cut down on tedious admin, and light up the road to better medicines. It’s a bold move into a future where a computer’s second can mean a patient’s second.

  • US Consumers in Crisis: What’s Driving the Sudden Panic

    US Consumers in Crisis: What’s Driving the Sudden Panic

    When the Economy Turns into a Hunger Game

    While the big players are busy debating whether the stock market is finished or if this is just a “short‑squeeze” grand‑standing, a more real‑world crisis is unfolding behind the scenes.

    The Wallets Are Flat, Even for the “Low‑Income” Crowd

    New data from the Philadelphia Fed shows that a record 10.75% of credit‑card holders are only making the minimum payment—yup, that’s an enormous high that says “not even a second of the monthly income is left for anything else.”

    How the “Buy‑Now‑Pay‑Later” Menace Enters the Scene

    • People are turning to BNPL (aka Burrito‑Now‑Pay‑Later) to buy groceries—because who has a spare $5 for a sandwich anymore?
    • These short‑term loan schemes cost a fortune in hidden fees, yet people keep using them as if they’re “free money.”
    • Meanwhile, ridesharing apps charging a premium for deliveries become the default way to get a carb‑laced meal.

    It’s Not a Trump Problem

    If this seemed like a crisis that last President might be responsible for, think again. The pattern is more universal: savings are vanishing, any short‑term financial need is met by debt, and the food supply is slipping into the “pay later” trap.

    Why is it a bigger deal than the stock market chatter?

    Just because the market has a mood swing and the economy might be in a stingy recession doesn’t mean that people are actually down and out. When people can’t afford a single meal or feel forced to load up the bank account with credit, the clever buzzwords about GDP and bull markets can feel so disconnected from everyday life.

    So next time you see headlines about “bullish rallies” or “quick GDP drops” write down two words: “NO FOOD.”