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USA Today
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Should you buy Rivian stock while it's still below $15?
Should you buy Rivian stock while it's still below $15? Show Caption Hide Caption Experiencing a Rivian electric joyride at SXSW 2025 Check out Rivian offering an off-roading experience in downtown Austin, Texas. Fox - 7 Austin Few companies have survived the boom and bust of the electric vehicle sector in the last five years. Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) is one that is still kicking. Along with Tesla, it is one of the only pure-play electric vehicle (EV) companies left producing cars for customers as competition intensifies and industry growth subsides. The company is still in the very early stages, but has big plans for its product pipeline and investments in the coming years. As of this writing, the stock trades below $15, which is down over 90% from all-time highs set back at its initial public offering. At such a discounted price, is now the time to invest in EV disrupter Rivian Automotive? Let's dig into its Q1 earnings and investigate further. Lowered deliveries guidance With demand for EVs slowing to a crawl in 2025, Rivian's deliveries to customers have hit a wall. Its R1 truck costs $70,000-$100,000 for individuals to purchase, making it too expensive for most shoppers in the United States. Deliveries were just 8,640 last quarter, which is a fraction of the deliveries for industry leaders such as Tesla. This figure is moving in the wrong direction, with deliveries of over 13,000 in the first quarter a year ago. However, Rivian is making progress to improve its unit economics and free-cash burn. Its gross margin hit a positive 17% in Q1, a record for the company. This came because of increasing revenue from software and services to $318 million compared to $88 million a year ago, along with payments from its joint venture with Volkswagen. Free cash flow over the last 12 months was negative $1.8 billion, an improvement from a few years ago. With $7 billion in cash on the balance sheet and billions of dollars in promised funding from partners like Volkswagen along with the United States government, Rivian Automotive has plenty of years left to try to get to positive free cash flow. In order to do so, it will need to start growing its deliveries again to get to scale. How does it plan to do that? With a cheaper EV model. Upcoming R2 vehicle The R2 is an SUV that Rivian is planning to release in 2026, with factory production getting built right now. It will cost around $45,000-$50,000, significantly decreasing the price point compared to the R1. This should open up the market for more people in the United States to try a Rivian vehicle. Even though Rivian is a niche player in the space, it already has the best-selling premium SUV costing over $70,000 in California, one of the largest markets for EVs. The brand is strong and customers are happy with its product quality. If it can get to scale, reduce prices, and still keep this premium brand for customers, Rivian could see an acceleration in demand for its vehicles in 2026 and beyond. It will need to do so in order to reach positive cash flow. Should you buy Rivian stock? Rivian is generating exactly $5 billion in annual revenue right now. If it can scale up production with the cheaper R2 and get deliveries moving in the right direction, there is plenty of opportunity to grow this revenue figure to $10 billion, $20 billion, and possibly even higher throughout the rest of the decade. There are over a million EVs sold in the United States every year, a number that should grow over the long term. Having $20 billion in revenue with increasing gross margins could help Rivian turn around its financials. At a market capitalization of $16 billion right now, even just $1 billion in positive free-cash-flow generation at some point in the near future could help turn the corner for Rivian stock. The problem is, the company has a lot of work ahead to make this happen. It has not shown yet that it can get deliveries moving in the right direction and is making a huge bet on the R2 product. Competition is coming from legacy automotive players that keep gaining share in the United States. It will need to grow deliveries by a significant amount in order to reach large enough scale to flip to positive free cash flow. Gross margins in the automotive business are slim, and you need to get enough unit volumes in order to cover your overhead costs. When taking all of this into consideration, it is hard to argue why someone should own Rivian stock right now. There is a lot of potential with this brand, but it has not proven it can generate positive free cash flow or has a clear path to growing deliveries. For now, stay away from Rivian stock even at its cheap-looking price today. Brett Schafer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Volkswagen Ag. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The Motley Fool is a USA TODAY content partner offering financial news, analysis and commentary designed to help people take control of their financial lives. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. Should you invest $1,000 in Rivian Automotive right now? Offer from the Motley Fool: Before you buy stock in Rivian Automotive, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Rivian Automotive wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider whenNetflixmade this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation,you'd have $614,911!* Or when Nvidiamade this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation,you'd have $714,958!* Now, it's worth notingStock Advisor's total average return is907% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to163%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you joinStock Advisor. See the 10 stocks »
USA Today
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Rivian is selling $14 orange juice at an LA grocery store
Rivian is selling $14 orange juice at an LA grocery store Show Caption Hide Caption Experiencing a Rivian electric joyride at SXSW 2025 Check out Rivian offering an off-roading experience in downtown Austin, Texas. Fox - 7 Austin Of all the things I dreamed I'd one day specialize in, reviewing car-branded high-end beverages from the world's most ridiculous grocery store wasn't on the list. But here we are! Yes, another OEM has partnered up with Los Angeles' number one proprietor of $19 strawberries, Erewhon. Quick point of clarification: We're talking about a single strawberry for $19. Yes, one. Rivian, the maker of the excellent R1T truck and R1S SUV has teamed up with Southern California's Erewhon to produce a cold-pressed organic juice called Electric Adventure. No, really. This is not without precedent, as last October, none other than Chevrolet partnered with Erewhon to sell us blue Electric Juice. To refresh your memory, the 'worryingly blue' beverage tasted like cereal milk. Not bad at all, but I didn't go back for a second bottle. Which, given its price — absolutely free if you gave Chevy your email address — was a mistake in retrospect. The Rivian tie-up is a different animal. First, Electric Adventure is a juice, not a smoothie. And second, it sure ain't free. Want a pint? It's going to set you back $14. That's expensive by any metric. A pint of beer is $5 these days, and a pint of good beer is $7 to $8. To be clear, Electric Adventure contains no alcohol. Just juice. Have you met Erewhon? To wit, I spent a good amount of time in the Chevy story talking smack about Erewhon. Everything I said remains true, and with the addition of the $19 'luxury fruit: strawberry" to its offerings, even more so. The gist of my ire being that if you were a comedy writer looking to parody Los Angeles, you couldn't do better than accurately describing an Erewhon. Even the relatively mild (by Erewhon standards) Pasadena location I visited for this taste test is 30 minutes of laughs. True, Pasadena is more old money conspicuous consumption, less Paltrow-inspired woo-woo probiotic nonsense. But there's still plenty of the latter. Like bottles of sea moss gel, available in four flavors ranging from Mother Earth to Venus Vibes, can be yours for $39. Each. Have you seen it? Rivian launches desert-themed R1S and R1T California Dune editions So, yes, if you were to rock up to the cashier with a bottle of sea moss gel and a strawberry (albeit a rather fancy strawberry), you're talking $58. I believe the best steak I ever ate in my life was $56. Why is Rivian partnering with Erewhon? We don't really know. Electric Adventure juice isn't on Rivian's website or on Erewhon's. I pinged Rivian PR and they said I should have received an email, (I didn't) but that PR isn't really involved. I actually only found out about the tie-up from Rivian's Instagram account, and there's not even much info there. The post: 'Electric Adventure just dropped at Erewhon. This isn't your average juice — it's a citrus-charged, sea-moss-powered, ginger-turmeric turbo boost for wherever your adventure takes you. Available while supplies last at Erewhon locations.' That's it. Please note: No mention that it costs $14 for 16 ounces. Rivian did have a lovely Storm Blue R1S Tri (you know it's a tri-motor because it's Storm Blue, a color only available on the Tri and the Quad, but the gen 2 Quad isn't out yet) in the parking lot for potential customers to test drive. Seeing as I brought my own R1T, I politely declined. Obviously, and like Chevrolet, Rivian feels there's a synergy between Erewhon's cold-pressed, organic customers and its own. Birds of a feather flocking and all that good stuff. Plus, Rivians aren't exactly cheap (at least not yet) and so you want to court people who buy $19 strawberries. Right? Right. In case you missed it: A 2024 Tesla Cybertruck vs. Rivian R1T vs. Ford F-150 Lightning One thing you probably don't know about me is that I'm a BJCP Certified beer judge. Yes, Certified is supposed to be capitalized as that's the level I achieved; the next level up is National, and I missed that by two points, scoring 78 but needing 80. I'm still mad. My point is that I'm pretty decent at tasting liquids, so not only did I snag a $14 bottle of the Rivian Electric Adventure, but I also left Erewhon with a $12 bottle of Pineapple Dream and an $11 bottle of Just Greens & Apple. I screwed up that last one, though, as I thought I was grabbing a $21 bottle of Heavy Metal Detox. As it turns out, all green drinks look the same. Besides, for a green drink, Just Greens & Apple was pretty much okay. Anyhow, here's a review of all three preposterously priced juices. Rivian Electric Adventure, $14 Appearance: Looks like fresh squeezed orange juice. Quite vivid. Nose: Tangerine, blood orange, lemon zest, turmeric, all-spice. Taste: Big hit of spicy ginger. I feel like I'm at a sushi bar between bites, cleansing my palette. Some orange, some lemon, but the fresh ginger dominates. Finish: A sweet drink that coats the back of your tongue with sugar. Some scratchiness that I'll assume is from the pineapple. Quite refreshing, albeit spicy. Rating: 3.25 trust funds out of 4. A surprisingly different orange juice experience. Different to the point that $14 just might be worth it, especially if you mixed it with vodka/Champagne. Pineapple Dream, $12 Appearance: Looks like the grapefruit juice at the breakfast spread in a German hotel. Not a natural color. Nose: Faint pineapple, fainter raspberry. Not much at all. Taste: Tastes like orange juice blended with pineapple juice. A slight touch of strawberry, but just barely. Finish: Sweet, but with a little pineapple sharpness on the tongue. Rating: 1.5 Lululemon yoga outfits out of 4. Just comes across as watered down pineapple juice. Needs more sea moss gel, Camu Camu, Ashwagandha, etc. As is, disappointing and expensive. Just Greens & Apple, $11 Appearance: Chunky slime. However, if Porsche turned this into a PTS (paint to sample) color called Grünkohl, a.k.a. Kale Green, it would sell like $30 hotcakes. Nose: Lawn clippings, green apples. Taste: Celery and kale mixed with apple juice. Celery dominates. The important part is you can't taste the kale. Kale tastes gross, so major props for hiding the flavor. Finish: Bright and mildly sweet. Pleasant aftertaste. Rating: 2.5 tiny fedoras out of 4. There you have it. The winner of this absolutely absurd Erewhon juice-off is the Rivian Electric Adventure juice. So says me. Not bad at all. In fact, I still have half a bottle in the fridge — in fact, I think I'll sneak another sip right now. Hey, for $14 a pop I'm making it last. Photos by MotorTrend
Forbes
19-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Can Quantum-Inspired AI Compete With Today's Large Language Models?
Quantum AI getty As large language models (LLMs) continue their rapid evolution and domination of the generative AI landscape, a quieter evolution is unfolding at the edge of two emerging domains: quantum computing and artificial intelligence. A growing cohort of researchers and companies are now exploring whether principles of quantum computing can address some of the limitations facing today's AI infrastructure, particularly around scalability, efficiency, and reasoning complexity. One of the more notable developments comes from Dynex, a Liechtenstein-based firm that recently unveiled its Quantum Diffusion Large Language Model (qdLLM) as a finalist in the SXSW 2025 innovation awards. The company claims that its qdLLM can generate genAI outputs faster and more efficiently than traditional transformer-based systems that depend on current technology infrastructure. How does this compare to other emerging approaches, and what does it mean for the broader future of AI? At its core, quantum computing differs from classical computing by leveraging quantum bits (qubits), which can exist in multiple states simultaneously thanks to quantum superposition. This allows quantum computers to evaluate a vast number of potential solutions in parallel, potentially offering advantages in tasks that require large-scale optimization, simulation, or pattern recognition. In the context of AI, researchers have explored how quantum properties might improve tasks like natural language processing, machine learning optimization, and model training efficiency. However, most of these efforts remain at an early stage. For example, IBM and MIT have studied how hybrid quantum-classical models could reduce training time for specific deep learning tasks, while startups like Zapata AI are experimenting with quantum-enhanced models for sentiment analysis and forecasting. Against this backdrop, Dynex's approach introduces a new architecture that uses quantum-inspired algorithms to run LLMs more efficiently via decentralized hardware. Unlike transformer-based models that generate responses one token at a time using autoregressive techniques, Dynex's qdLLM is built on a diffusion model that creates output tokens in parallel. According to Dynex, this approach is more computationally efficient and yields better contextual consistency. 'Traditional models like GPT-4 or DeepSeek work sequentially,word after word,' says Daniela Herrmann, Co-founder and Global Head of Leadership at Dynex. 'qdLLM works in parallel. It thinks more like the human brain,processing patterns all at once. That's the power of quantum.' Several academic projects, including those at Stanford and Google DeepMind, as well as initiatives out of the major AI technology providers have recently begun exploring diffusion-based transformers. Dynex further differentiates itself by integrating quantum annealing, a form of quantum optimization, to improve token selection during text generation. The company claims that this improves coherence and reduces computational overhead compared to conventional LLMs. One unique feature of Dynex's model is its reliance on a decentralized network of GPUs that emulate quantum behavior, rather than requiring access to actual quantum hardware. This design allows the system to scale to what Dynex describes as up to one million algorithmic qubits. Herrmann explains, 'Any quantum algorithm, for example qdLLM, is being computed on a decentralised network of GPUs which are efficiently emulating the quantum calculations.' This type of emulation draws some parallels to the work of TensorFlow Quantum (by Google and X), which also simulates quantum circuits on classical hardware to prototype algorithms. Similarly, a number of technology startups and vendors are developing platforms to simulate quantum logic at scale before physical hardware is ready. In addition to software, Dynex plans to introduce its own neuromorphic quantum chip, named Apollo, by 2025. Unlike superconducting quantum chips that require cryogenic cooling, Apollo is designed to run at room temperature, supporting integration into edge devices. 'Using neuromorphic circuits allows Dynex to emulate quantum computing on a large scale, of up to 1 Million algorithmic qubits,' Herrmann explains. 'Dynex will start producing actual quantum chips, which are also based on the neuromorphic paradigm.' Dynex states that qdLLM achieves 90% smaller model sizes, is 10x faster, and uses only 10% of the GPU resources typically required for equivalent tasks. These are significant claims, particularly given increasing scrutiny on AI's energy usage. 'The efficiency and parallelism of the quantum algorithm reduces the energy consumption, because it is 10x faster and requires only 10% of the number of GPUs,' says Herrmann. While independent verification is still needed, Dynex's approach echoes efforts by Cerebras Systems, which has created wafer-scale chips that use less energy per training task. Another example is Graphcore, whose intelligence processing units (IPUs) aim to reduce the energy footprint of AI workloads through specialized parallel architecture. Dynex reports that qdLLM is performing strongly against leading models,including ChatGPT and Grok, on benchmarks requiring strong reasoning. Though public benchmark data has not yet been released, the company states it will publish comparative studies as it moves closer to a 2025 market launch. Until peer-reviewed benchmarks are available, Dynex's performance assertions remain anecdotal but intriguing. 'We are publishing qdLLM benchmarks regularly and have demonstrated that certain questions, which require strong reasoning, cannot be correctly answered by ChatGPT, Grok or DeepSeek,' Herrmann notes. In the long term, Dynex sees quantum computing becoming central to the AI field. 'We think that quantum will be dominating AI in the next 5 years,' Herrmann says. That projection remains speculative, though it's not without precedent. Analysts from McKinsey, BCG, and Gartner all note that quantum computing could dramatically improve optimization and simulation tasks, but likely not until beyond 2030 for most use cases. A more measured view suggests that quantum-AI hybrids will emerge first in niche applications, such as drug discovery, financial risk modeling, or cybersecurity. For now, Dynex stands among a growing field of players experimenting with quantum-enhanced or quantum-inspired AI methods. Whether their decentralized, diffusion-based qdLLM can scale beyond benchmarks remains to be seen, but its arrival signals that the search for new foundations in AI is far from over.
Forbes
09-04-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Beyond The Tech Supercycle: Socio-Cultural Drivers As Strategy Multipliers
Cropped shot of computer programmers working on new code We are deep in a technology supercycle—a period of rapid, relentless acceleration that will eventually tip toward transformation or disruption. But for now, it's all forward motion. Full throttle. Fueled by the convergence of AI, biotech and sensor technology, this moment is not about incremental change. It's about seismic, society-shaping transformation. If you're searching for historical parallels, think of the internet boom of the 1990s or post-war industrial growth in Japan. But even those had warning signs. This wave is arriving faster, hitting harder and leaving less room for slow adaptation. Futurist Amy Webb and the team at the Future Today Strategy Group recently released a comprehensive report tracking hundreds of converging tech trends. It's dense, thorough, a little unnerving – but an essential read. The report doesn't just map the future. It highlights how that future is already taking shape, often without our awareness. This is where it gets more uncomfortable. Many leaders are still operating with the mindset: 'We'll deal with it when we get there.' But what if the bridge you're counting on to get from now to next has already disappeared? What if you're standing at the edge of a chasm? Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is advancing faster than most institutions or leaders can process. These systems won't just enhance workflows—they'll rewire entire industries, redefine roles and shift core relationships between people and machines. At SXSW 2025 in Austin, Webb gave a talk that felt more like a wake-up call. She walked through some of the most unsettling innovations already underway: multi-agent systems that work without human input, AI models speaking to each other in unknown languages—what she called 'droid speak'—and the convergence of biology and technology in ways we once thought were science fiction. Still not unsettled? Consider this: we now have commercial computers made using living human neurons. Webb called them 'the first living machines.' This is no longer just artificial intelligence. It's living intelligence. AI systems that may soon be organic, or at the very least, deeply integrated with human nervous systems and tissue. The implications aren't just technical—they're societal, ethical and deeply human. The speed of change is thrilling. But it also raises a sobering question: are we actually ready for what's already arrived? These aren't speculative futures. They're here—just unevenly distributed. And they're not just technological shifts. They are convergent changes across society, technology and culture. We can't view this as a purely tech-driven phenomenon. In reality, technology and society are in a continuous feedback loop. Consider how the pandemic accelerated remote work through tools like Zoom and Teams. But it was changing human expectations around autonomy, mental health and flexibility that reshaped those same tools in return. Features like asynchronous collaboration and well-being integrations weren't just technical upgrades—they were human responses baked into design. We're not just reacting to change anymore. We're co-creating it. And yet, most leadership teams still aren't seeing the full ecosystem. Leadership today isn't about prediction. It's about preparation—not just technologically - but structurally, culturally and behaviorally. Most organizations are still working from static strategic plans that stretch five years into the future. They're beautifully designed and thoroughly approved—but quickly irrelevant. In fast-moving environments, frequent strategy revisions (often triggered by market or tech shifts) can be mistaken for agility. But more often, they signal misalignment or a fundamental disconnect from how the world is actually changing. When the plan keeps changing, trust erodes. People don't just lose faith in the strategy—they start questioning leadership's ability to deliver at all. In this environment, strategy can't be a fixed document. It has to be a living system. It should evolve with weak signals, cultural shifts and emergent behavior—both inside and outside the organization. Think chaos theory: a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, and a tornado hits Texas. Now swap that for a viral TikTok video that reshapes consumer sentiment overnight. Or a single Gen Z activist redefining a brand with one viral post. Dynamic strategy needs more than financial modeling or AI fluency. It also requires cultural insight and purpose/values alignment. Unilever, for instance, links its strategy directly to sustainability and social impact—not just to appear progressive, but because modern relevance demands ethical clarity. And it's performance-driven by design. As their charter puts it, 'Ringing the alarm and setting long-term ambitions isn't good enough anymore. Now is the time to focus on delivering impact by making sustainability progress integral to business performance.' Resilience, trust, and cultural relevance are now core competitive advantages. Tech fluency alone isn't enough—and over-indexing on it leaves organizations exposed. Strategy doesn't live in PowerPoint decks. It lives in the daily decisions made by people across your organization. And yet Gallup reports that only about three in 10 leaders and managers say they have discussed with each team member how changes in their organization will affect them specifically. That's not a communications issue—it's a listening issue. Your company is shaped more by Reddit threads, Glassdoor reviews, and TikTok trends than by executive roundtables. If you're not listening across those platforms, you're not listening to reality. Leaders need real-time feedback loops. complex difficult task or question un business, problem concept Host open forums. Run anonymous pulse checks. Conduct digital ethnography. Invite dissent, reward curiosity and make it safe for truth to travel upward. Invest as much in cultural adaptability and intelligence as you do in technology upgrades—and listen to voices beyond the tech echo chamber. In a conversation with me, Piyush Gupta, the ex-CEO of DBS Bank and an early pioneer of AI in banking, spoke directly to this convergence. DBS didn't just hire data scientists. They brought in anthropologists and ethnographers, because understanding culture is just as critical as understanding code. The lesson for leaders? If your innovation strategy doesn't include human insight, it's incomplete. Technology may drive the future; but culture determines whether you can actually arrive there. In a world this volatile, planning alone is no longer sufficient. Simulation must become a core capability. Red teaming, scenario planning, and design fiction—once used by military or innovation labs—now belong in every leadership toolkit. Modern simulation includes: In a recent leadership session I facilitated, we used appreciative inquiry to explore what success could look like a decade from now. I posed a question known as The Oracle Prompt: 'It's the year 2035. Your organization is thriving. What happened between now and then to make it possible?' That one question unlocked an entirely new go-to-market strategy. But more importantly, it aligned the team around a vision that felt both bold and attainable. It shifted the conversation from fear to foresight. Simulation builds instinct and muscle memory. It allows leaders to practice for change before it becomes real. Sun Tzu once said, 'Appear at points which the enemy must hasten to defend.' Today, the threat isn't your competitor. It's inertia. It's the change you chose not to prepare for. Ask yourself: If you're unsure about more than two, you may be reacting to change instead of leading it. Too many organizations are waiting for the future to become clear before taking action. That's a dangerous delay. Leadership now means moving ahead of what's obvious. Acting on signals before they're mainstream. Leaping, even when the bridge isn't there yet. Wayne Gretzky famously said, 'Skate to where the puck is going.' But in this cycle, that's no longer enough. You need to skate to where others haven't even imagined the puck could go. Because the future won't announce itself. It won't arrive with a roadmap. It will reward those who are already there—ready to adapt, ready to lead, and ready to align technology with what makes us human. So don't wait for a supercycle to appear or for a bridge to conveniently show up. Build your capacity to leap.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Top AI Stars Of SXSW 2025, From Waymo Uber To Woolly Mouse
Anime drawing of Waymo and Woolly Mouse at SXSW 2025 created with ChatGPT's new image generation ... More feature. With all of the recent advancements in AI assistants, it seemed only logical that deep reasoning, autonomous agents like ChatGPT would have been crawling all over SXSW this year. But what stole the show were Waymo robotaxis on the Uber app hitting the roads in Austin and a tiny gold mouse with the genes of a Woolly Mammoth taking center stage for the keynote. SXSW has been following Woolly Mouse's creator Colossal Biosciences for years in its pursuit to revive extinct mammals. In 2024, cofounder and CEO Ben Lamm took the stage in an interview with actor Seth Green (Austin Powers) and this year with actor Joe Manganiello (True Blood, Deal or No Deal Islands) to discuss where the technology is heading. Both actors are investors in the company, along with a star-studded roster that includes Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings), Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers), Paris Hilton, Jim Breyer of Breyer Capital and the Winklevoss twins, who told me in 2021 when the company launched that it's a moonshot worth taking. In an interview with Manganiello, he shared his excitement over the prospects of the computational biology platform finding cures for epigenetic diseases, where gene expression becomes altered by generational trauma. His great grandmother who survived the Armenian Genocide gave birth to his grandmother while fighting a host of autoimmune diseases that got passed on. 'One of the purposes of my life is tracking all of that down,' Manganiello said, explaining why he's planning to take an active role in the company. Although the company's focus is on de-extinction species preservation, he is hopeful that AI-powered DNA research may lead to eradicating syndromes that continue to baffle doctors. 'I think in the next 15 years we'll have a cancer vaccine,' said Lamm, 'and in the next 20 years, we will achieve longevity.' With a hat tip to Bryan Johnson, the Don't Die guru who also was speaking at SXSW, Lamm added, we already look younger than previous generations, explaining that he's the same age as Wilfird Brimley who was 49 when he played a senior in Cocoon, the 1985 film about retirement home residents who discover the fountain of youth. Riding the AI boom, the company has raised nearly a half billion dollars and is now valued at more than $10 billion, which sounds like a big number for a moonshot, but a mere drop in the bucket when considering that ChatGPT maker OpenAI just announced the largest private round in history, $40 billion at a $300 billion dollar valuation. Plus Woolly Mouse just made its debut appearance on Saturday Night Live. There were other notable AI appearances at SXSW including Rivian, which is on the road to Level 3 autonomy and had a thrilling Electric Joyride where passengers could experience how well the electric car handles tricky terrain and steep curves. Other fun AI-adjacent activations included FX Alien: Earth, Museum of the Future, Paramount Lodge and Escape to Prime Video. At Baratunde Thurston's Life With Machines session, there was an AI assistant that participated as a panelist. And there was an entire track, including my session, dedicated to exploring how we're going to generate enough power to keep up with AI eating the Not AI Ben Affleck steered clear of AI in his action thriller, The Accountant 2, in which the head master of a Hogwarts house of hackers guides him as a smiley face on a cell phone, but is not an AI assistant that could have solved the mystery in the first minute of the film. Poppi founder Allison Ellsworth spoke to me about how their not using AI in their innovation kitchen. The probiotic soda was then acquired by Pepsi for $2 billion immediately following the show. The main takeaway from SXSW 2025 was that AI is now a big part of consumer life. There are 400 million people walking around with ChatGPT in their pocket, asking it every question they used to ask Google as this Perplexity ad spoofs. By next year, that could well be a billion people and the world is going to start looking a lot different as AI takes center stage.
