☕ If you build it, they will…stay?

How EVs affect the US auto production footprint.

July 17, 2024 PRESENTED BY It's Wednesday. The transition from ICE vehicles to EVs has sparked concerns of shuttered plants and long unemployment lines. It turns out, according to new research from the Chicago Fed, those fears are likely unfounded. Tech Brew's Jordyn Grzelewski has the details. In today's edition: Report: EV transition won't upend auto production footprint in North America Study finds AI leads to more sameness in creative writing Traditional telecoms eye satellite, 'hyper-scalers' as emerging threats —Jordyn Grzelewski, Patrick Kulp, Kelcee Griffis, Annie Saunders FUTURE OF TRAVEL In flux Sweetbunfactory/Getty Images Anxiety often goes hand-in-hand with change—and the auto industry's shift from the internal-combustion engine (ICE) to battery-powered vehicles is no different. The EV transition has stoked fears of mass job losses and plant closures, especially in regions like the Midwest, where many local economies are tied closely to the auto industry (that's one reason why the UAW is working to organize nonunion auto plants). If you've shared these concerns, the Chicago Fed has some good news. New research from analysts there reached what they describe as a surprising conclusion: At least until the end of the decade, North America's auto production footprint isn't expected to change much at all. That's because automakers are converting existing factories to make EVs. In fact, "very few" final assembly plants are slated to open or close in the next several years, according to the analysis. That's despite the fact that North America's production mix is forecast to change dramatically: The continent is expected to produce 6 million fewer ICE vehicles and upward of 6 million more battery-electric vehicles by the end of 2029, according to S&P Global Mobility data cited in the report. "Are carmakers shutting down existing light-vehicle assembly plants and building new ones? It turns out they're not doing that," Thomas Klier, a senior economist and economic advisor at the Chicago Fed and a co-author of the report, told Tech Brew. "For the vast majority, the industry is accommodating the pretty remarkable production mix that we're expecting by reconfiguring existing assembly facilities." This outcome wasn't a foregone conclusion; you need only visit a former auto factory town to see that automakers have been willing to pull the plug before—decisions that can have devastating consequences for local communities and economies. Keep reading here.—JG PRESENTED BY AUTOBIOGRAPHER Tell your story You can finally stop telling the same story about your 11th grade summer break to all your friends. Enter Autobiographer, a conversation-based storytelling app powered by AI that takes users on a journey to discover, preserve, and share their life stories like never before. Learn more about the app that makes collecting your stories as easy as calling a loved one on the phone. AI Same old story Cameron Abbas One million monkeys at typewriters, meet nearly 300 human writers with AI chatbots. The authors of a recent study published in Science Advances aimed to test the creative capabilities of generative AI tools by tasking hundreds of nonprofessional writers with creating short stories aided by the latest version of ChatGPT. They then asked 600 reviewers to judge that work across measures like usefulness, novelty, and emotional characteristics. What they found presented something of a "social dilemma." While the AI tool did improve creativity on an individual level—at least by the metrics the study laid out—it led to less variation and originality across the pool as a whole. That means that people might be incentivized to use AI, with the possible collective result being a sea of sameness. "In short, our results suggest that despite the enhancement effect that generative AI had on individual creativity, there may be a cautionary note if generative AI were adopted more widely for creative tasks," the authors wrote. Keep reading here.—PK CONNECTIVITY Keep your frenemies close Emily Parsons In the next five years, the AT&Ts, T-Mobiles, and Verizons of the world might not be primarily competing against each other, according to a new survey from EY that tracks executive sentiment. In a first look at survey results shared with Tech Brew, EY reported that 55% of respondents cited "disruptive competition" as a key barrier to profitability and growth in the near future. While the usual suspects—big telecom companies and mobile virtual network operators that rent their infrastructure—"loom large as perceived competitors," responses from more than 60 C-suite executives across more than 50 telecom operators indicate that "hyper-scalers are seen as the dominant threat five years out, with satellite companies overtaking virtual mobile players," according to an EY summary. That's borne out in the real world: As Tech Brew reported, Comcast Business recently announced a partnership with Starlink to fill network gaps in ​​rural or otherwise underserved areas. The SpaceX subsidiary is also becoming a leading option for broadband across the cruise industry. Adrian Baschnonga, EY's lead analyst for global technology, media and entertainment, and telecommunications, said the survey revealed a gap between what telecoms see as their fiercest competitors now—each other—and what their primary competition will be in a few years. "Telco executives are looking at a broader landscape, one that doesn't involve just like-for-like rivals, but rivals with different forms of connectivity, rivals from the technology space," he told us. Keep reading here.—KG TOGETHER WITH AT&T IN-CAR WI-FI Web on wheels. When you're headed out to your perfect vacation this summer, stay connected with AT&T In-car Wi-Fi. Why? Connected cars unlock tons of features for your travels, from next-level streaming to safety. We teamed up with AT&T to show you exactly why you need to hook up your whip. BITS AND BYTES Stat: 11%. That's the percentage of PM2.5 emissions that come from harbor craft in California, Canary Media reported, citing data from the California Air Resources Board, in a story about the world's first commercial hydrogen ferry debuting in San Francisco. Quote: "I and many others in the field have been positively surprised about how willing people are to share very personal details with an LLM."—OpenAI's Sam Altman, to The Atlantic's Charlie Warzel, about Altman's plans to start a new company, Thrive AI Health, with Arianna Huffington. Warzel noted that the "hyper-personalized AI health coach" is not yet available to download, and the duo "did not provide a launch date." Read: Prime Day isn't just for Amazon anymore (Vox) Meet Myndlift: The neuroscience-based brain mapping and training system bringing decades of clinical biofeedback into the home for improved focus, reduced anxiety, better sleep, and more.* *A message from our sponsor. JOBS Stop waiting for your dream job to find you. CollabWORK puts you in front of the right opportunities in the online spaces you frequent. Get discovered by top companies and take control of your career path. Senior Product Manager at a fintech banking organization (in person) Senior Software Engineer at Convey Health Solutions (in person) Chief Technology Officer at Credit Union of Georgia (in person) SHARE THE BREW Share Tech Brew with your coworkers, acquire free Brew swag, and then make new friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We're saying we'll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link. Your referral count: 0 Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others: emergingtechbrew.com/r/?kid=b3968dba Written by Jordyn Grzelewski, Patrick Kulp, Kelcee Griffis, and Annie Saunders Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.   Guide → What is AI?   Guide → What is 5G? 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