Robotaxis Surge; Voice AI Interfaces Shift
Summary
The industry is rapidly scaling autonomous transport while simultaneously consolidating and restricting consumer-facing conversational AI interfaces.
- Robotaxi Scaling Pony.ai plans to triple its global robotaxi fleet size by the end of 2026, accelerating autonomous deployment 2.
- Driverless Milestones Uber and WeRide officially launched their fully driverless commercial robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi 6.
- Interface Consolidation OpenAI is integrating ChatGPT’s voice mode directly, removing it as a separate interface option 4.
- Platform Deprecation Microsoft Copilot will cease functioning on WhatsApp after January 15, 2026, ending that integration channel 3.
- Triple (3x) - Pony.ai aims to triple its global robotaxi fleet size by the end of 2026 2.
- January 15 - The cutoff date for Microsoft Copilot’s support on the WhatsApp platform 3.
- Interactive Stories - Character.AI’s new format replacing open-ended chatbots for younger users 5.
Key Moments
-
Pony.ai announced during its third-quarter earnings that it plans to triple its robotaxi fleet size by the end of 2026.
— Article [2] -
Microsoft’s AI chatbot Copilot will cease functioning on WhatsApp after January 15, according to an announcement posted on November 25, 2025.
— Article [3] -
ChatGPT’s voice mode is no longer a separate interface following OpenAI's Tuesday update.
— Article [4] -
Speechify adds voice typing, which supports English dictation and corrects filler words, to its Chrome extension.
— Article [1] -
Uber and WeRide’s robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi is officially driverless.
— Article [6]
Different Perspectives
Supporting View
Character.AI is shifting focus for children toward guided, interactive fiction rather than open-ended chat for safety.
Sources:
[5]