Waymo acknowledges remote human control behind robotaxis
Plus: Winter Olympians show off their swag.
Happy Monday!
Here are the latest trending internet culture stories today:
Waymo’s big reveal at the end of last week? Sometimes there are real people navigating those “autonomous” vehicles…
A new change for ChatGPT has users raising eyebrows at the timing of its retirement: one day before the most romantic holiday of the year.
The Winter Olympics are in full swing, and athletes are showing off their official swag.
Til the next time,
— W.J.
⚡️ Today in Internet Culture
“Fully autonomous” until it isn’t: Waymo admits workers in the Philippines step in to guide robotaxis sometimes
It turns out Waymo’s self-driving taxis aren’t always acting alone. During a congressional hearing this week, the company acknowledged that when its robotaxis get confused, they request help from human operators, including some based as far away as the Philippines.
ChatGPT is retiring some of its models ahead of Valentine’s Day. What about the AI boyfriends and girlfriends?
OpenAI recently announced that it would retire several ChatGPT models on Feb 13, 2026. The company said the change would remove GPT-4o and other versions from ChatGPT, while keeping them available through its API.
Still, the timing of this change, the day before Valentine’s Day, prompted renewed concern among users who treated certain models less like tools and more like companions.
“Olympic fit check”: International Olympians show off their team outfits on social media
The Winter Olympics are here, which means that not only is it time for athletes to take to the ice and snow, but also, it’s time for them to show off their Olympic ‘fits.
As uniforms arrived worldwide, Olympians recorded unboxings and posted quick try-ons. From following viral trends to simple unboxing videos, the best of the best had fun with it.
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🔥 Hot on the Dot
This was the most-read story on the Daily Dot yesterday: