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Toyota Motor (TM) and its Chinese state-owned joint venture (JV) partner Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) reportedly expect to release an electric vehicle (EV) capable of autonomous driving in 2025, after Tesla (TSLA) recently won tentative approval to launch its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system in the country.

GAC Toyota said its Bozhi 3X SUV will be its first model equipped with an advanced self-driving system for navigating highways and city streets, as well as parking. The JV is designing the system with Momenta Global, which has also worked on autonomous driving software for Mercedes-Benz. 

GAC Toyota also announced plans to launch an iron phosphate lithium battery between 2026 and 2027 that could help slash the production cost of its bZ4X EV by 40%.

Toyota's plans to launch vehicles with advanced self-driving capabilities in China come after Tesla received tentative approval in April to launch its FSD system in the country. 

Tesla’s FSD system is a source of revenue for the EV maker in the U.S., with users paying a monthly fee, and expanding to China could be a boon for the company’s bottom line amid concerns about growth. Tesla is reportedly targeting a launch of its FSD system in China later this year.

However, Tesla's FSD notably still requires driver attention despite its name, and U.S. regulators have opened investigations into the software and its role in accidents involving Tesla vehicles.

Toyota shares edged 0.5% higher Friday to close at $204.97, and have gained close to 12% since the start of the year. Tesla shares were little changed Friday at $197.88 and have lost over one-fifth of their value since the start of 2024.

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Amazon (AMZN) appears set to take aim at Chinese e-commerce giants like Shein and PDD Holdings' (PDD) Temu, with reports this week indicating that the dominant force in U.S. online retail has begun pitching Chinese suppliers on a new section of its website that would sell low-cost clothes and home goods to U.S. consumers directly from China.

Amazon reportedly held a meeting with Chinese sellers this week, showing a presentation that included images of what the platform would look like and highlighting clothing and everyday items like phone cases and coffee mugs. The meeting and concept of the service was first reported by , with later reports from and

An Amazon spokesperson told Investopedia the company is "always exploring new ways to work with our selling partners" to offer customers "more selection, lower prices, and greater convenience.”

The discount service would have a dedicated section on Amazon's website, and orders would ship directly from Chinese suppliers to customers in the U.S., with orders projected to take nine to 11 days to arrive, according to the reports. Part of why Temu and Shein can offer such low prices is the length of their delivery times.

Currently, products that come from China and are sold on Amazon will typically spend time in Amazon's vast warehouse network before being delivered. The has reported previously that Amazon has had internal debates over whether to organize search results by prioritizing items that are less expensive, or by those that have the fastest delivery times.

CEO Andy Jassy said during Amazon's April earnings call and in his annual shareholder letter that the strategy to regionalize its warehouse network to make deliveries faster has worked, with some 4 billion packages arriving the same day or one day after the order was placed in the U.S. in 2023.

Shein and Temu have grown substantially in the U.S., with Temu parent PDD routinely doubling or nearly doubling its revenue and profits year-over-year in recent quarters.

Considering the criticism Shein and Temu have faced from U.S. regulators and politicians, including allegations of forced labor likely being used by some of the platforms' suppliers, it's unclear how the U.S. government would react to one of the country's largest companies shipping China-made products straight to U.S. consumers. Temu and Shein have denied that any of their products are made using forced labor.

Shein's attempts to receive a public listing on American stock exchanges have hit several roadblocks since the company confidentially applied in November 2023, ranging from political criticism to rejections of its attempts to join the National Retail Federation, according to

The fast-fashion retailer is reported to have filed for a listing on the London Stock Exchange earlier this month, according to , highlighting Shein's belief that it may not receive a U.S. listing.

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Last year, headlines describing a study about artificial intelligence (AI) were eye-catching, to say the least:

At first glance, the idea that a chatbot using AI might be able to generate good answers to patient questions isn't surprising. After all, ChatGPT boasts that it passed a final exam for a Wharton MBA, wrote a book in a few hours, and composed original music.

But showing more empathy than your doctor? Ouch. Before assigning final honors on quality and empathy to either side, let's take a second look.

What tasks is AI taking on in health care?

Already, a rapidly growing list of medical applications of AI includes drafting doctor's notes, suggesting diagnoses, helping to read x-rays and MRI scans, and monitoring real-time health data such as heart rate or oxygen level.

But the idea that AI-generated answers might be more empathetic than actual physicians struck me as amazing — and sad. How could even the most advanced machine outperform a physician in demonstrating this important and particularly human virtue?

Can AI deliver good answers to patient questions?

It's an intriguing question.

Imagine you've called your doctor's office with a question about one of your medications. Later in the day, a clinician on your health team calls you back to discuss it.

Now, imagine a different scenario: you ask your question by email or text, and within minutes receive an answer generated by a computer using AI. How would the medical answers in these two situations compare in terms of quality? And how might they compare in terms of empathy?

To answer these questions, researchers collected 195 questions and answers from anonymous users of an online social media site that were posed to doctors who volunteer to answer. The questions were later submitted to ChatGPT and the chatbot's answers were collected.

A panel of three physicians or nurses then rated both sets of answers for quality and empathy. Panelists were asked "which answer was better?" on a five-point scale. The rating options for quality were: very poor, poor, acceptable, good, or very good. The rating options for empathy were: not empathetic, slightly empathetic, moderately empathetic, empathetic, and very empathetic.

What did the study find?

The results weren't even close. For nearly 80% of answers, ChatGPT was considered better than the physicians.

Notably, the length of the answers was much shorter for physicians (average of 52 words) than for ChatGPT (average of 211 words).

Like I said, not even close. So, were all those breathless headlines appropriate after all?

Not so fast: Important limitations of this AI research

The study wasn't designed to answer two key questions:

And it had some serious limitations:

The bottom line

Could physicians learn something about expressions of empathy from AI-generated answers? Possibly. Might AI work well as a collaborative tool, generating responses that a physician reviews and revises? Actually, some medical systems already use AI in this way.

But it seems premature to rely on AI answers to patient questions without solid proof of their accuracy and actual supervision by healthcare professionals. This study wasn't designed to provide either.

And by the way, ChatGPT agrees: I asked it if it could answer medical questions better than a doctor. Its answer was no.

We'll need more research to know when it's time to set the AI genie free to answer patients' questions. We may not be there yet — but we're getting closer.

Want more information about the research? Read responses composed by doctors and a chatbot, such as answers to a concern about consequences after swallowing a toothpick.

Source: Harvard Health Publishing

Founder of Genevieve Magazine, Betty Irabor, has debunked news making the rounds that Nollywood veteran, Olu Jacobs, is dead.

There were rumours on social media that the seasoned thespian passed away at 82 years on Sunday.

Jacobs had been battling dementia for a while now.

But Irabor tweeted: “Olu Jacobs is well and alive. Please ignore all rumours of his passing.”

Jacobs’ family has also released a video to prove that the actor is alive.

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One measure of consumer sentiment fell again in June and that could have knock-on effects on your finances.

The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index fell to 68.2 in June, which was a smaller drop than economists expected but still down from May. While the university's survey isn't the only measure of consumer sentiment, it reinforced the notion that Americans are increasingly down on the state of the economy and their own finances.

Generally, consumer confidence fell starkly in 2020 as the pandemic caused economic uncertainty and job losses. Those numbers broadly improved as the economy recovered, peaking in 2021. Consumers' feelings about the economy never returned to pre-pandemic levels and since 2021 have trended down.

But why should you care about what others think about the economy? Consumer confidence can factor into whether your grocery bill will continue to be high, whether or not you can get a loan, or if you'll receive a raise.

Consumer sentiment is closely tied to inflation because household budgets are immediately affected by widespread price increases. When inflation is high, it usually drags down how people feel about the broader economy, and survey respondents say they expect high inflation to persist.

This has an impact on business leaders who set prices for their goods and services. When price-setters foresee elevated inflation, they often charge more to account for increased costs in labor and materials.

On the flip side, when consumers are feeling good about the economy, they are also more willing to spend money. Business leaders follow consumer sentiment to know when they need to increase production. If consumer sentiment is high, they often produce more products to plan for demand, which can push prices lower.

If you are wondering why it seems harder or more expensive to borrow money, you can also look at how consumers feel about the economy.

Banks will factor consumer sentiment to help make decisions about how much credit to extend. If consumer confidence is low, it's a clue to lenders that people may not be confident in their ability to pay back any money they borrow. That has been evident lately as lenders have required more collateral and restricted the size of loans.

Mortgage and loan lenders act the same way as banks, by using the Consumer Confidence Index, they can decide when they should offer loans and how high the interest rate can be.

Central bankers also look at consumer sentiment when making decisions about monetary policy. In today's high interest rate climate, Federal Reserve officials are looking to consumer sentiment for cues about consumer behaviors and incorporate that data when they are deciding to cut rates.

For the most part, low consumer confidence correlates with higher prices, inflation and fewer loan options. However, consumer sentiment could help you get more pay to help you keep up.

Workers will ask for larger pay increases to maintain their purchasing power if they predict higher inflation ahead. Because companies are also likely bracing for higher inflation, they are calculating wage increases in costs they are passing along to consumers. This, however, can create a wage-price spiral.

“If you’re running a business, you need to be able to compensate workers and creditors in ways they find acceptable. If they feel inflation will be 45% for years to come, they would ask you for more year after year—simply so they can tread water,” wrote Kartik B. Athreya for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

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