Andrew Clews

I've been remiss and not done an introductory post. I am one half of the Motoring Podcast, a weekly motoring news show. We also have extra episodes where we go into more details. I will shout about cars, car software/security. Like to point out falsehoods around it all, no matter who says them.

You see how the myth of "AI" is crumbling under the slightest scrutiny and how it is being increasingly rejected by all except the tech bros and the politicians? The autonomous vehicle game is EXACTLY the same. "something almost, but not quite entirely unlike tea" as Douglas Adams put it.

A lot of people told the government - repeatedly and at length - that this wouldn't work The government decided they knew better and pressed on anyway It turns out: it doesn't work No lessons will be learned from this

Can we guess what they'll do? Go harder and refuse to admit that their approach is a failure.

Ofcom published a report today that pretty much declares the Online Safety Act a complete failure

I mean, it accomplished its actual goal, so there’s that www.thenerve.news/p/under-16-s...

I repeat, if you are an automotive executive and are surprised that your sales in China are cratering you should be fired on the spot. This has been obvious for several years. Its even worse if you are owned by a Chinese company. www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/bus...

Looks like we fluffed the details when talking about the Smart #2 in this week's Special Edition. Sorry about that, everyone. PS. This is how you point out mistakes. Respectfully and like a grown up. But then, we do have THE best listeners.

M'collegue, @ajpbradley.bsky.social, and I chat through the cars that caught our eye at the Paris Motor Show. Also, we sum up our feelings of the show. Alan is, and you'll be astonished to hear, more positive than I was.

Transcript of Ofcom evidence to Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee here. committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence...

Mark Zuckerberg’s Nonce Goggles

So $25 billion, this is what I call a fine. Can't look into the details right now, but I think all the statements by FB/Meta and its executives that the court found to be willfully deceptive deserve a lot of attention. www.techpolicy.press/eight-years-... nmdoj.gov/press-releas...

Quite honestly, looking at the last 30-40 years of political "masterminds" in Europe and the UK, I refuse to believe China caved thanks to their manoeuvring. The West has shown utter arrogance, hubris and stupidity when dealing with China and right now only has itself to blame as they panic.

The iMev was the first electric csr we saw on thn first Charging Roubnd Britain many years ago. Should still be the template.

Friday’s @thetimes.com cartoon times.newsprints.co.uk/morten-morla...

Paging @nirkahn.bsky.social, please come to recption….but knowing Nir he probably knew all this. I hope I can drive one someday. I love these and the idea of these.

Delicious www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The first genuinely honest ad for generative AI I've ever seen, from Microsoft / CoPilot A mediocre white guy sees his non-white colleague getting praised for good work, he asks AI to *literally copy it*, and then he gets all the praise instead: www.ispot.tv/ad/SoDi/micr...

Props to the ad agency: they nailed the "white person who plagiarises and steals credit using LLMs" look with 100% accuracy

The amazing thing is that he isn't getting Copilot to do it from scratch - it is very much the direct plagiarism thing I have been talking about!!! bsky.app/profile/keta...

I have a new book and I'm thoroughly enjoying it @antonyingram.bsky.social

They look gotgeous.

Outta my sight, scrub

Lamborghini Super Trofeo drivers have expressed sadness that this weekend’s World Finals event at Monza will represent the last outing for the “amazing” Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2 “beasts” and their “life-changing” noise.

LMU looks really hard at the moment thanks to driving standards.

LMU - ADRR Laguna Seca! 🇺🇸 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q4RdEQO4S0

As I keep saying, NEVER believe anything from any automated or autonomous hoping company. They lie and lie and lie. They use smoke and mirrors. Why anyone thinks it’ll be different in the UK is beyond me. How much more evidence do you need? I ask again.

This is good news, inasmuch as it means Viry survives, and bad news, in the sense that the A424 programme now has a bunch of complicated issues in the way of resurrecting it. Unless Dumarey want to run a Hypercar which seems unlikely.

A prime example of why AI 'leaders' are not who anyone should be listening to about AI, right and consciousness. It's not all wrong! In fact, it starts off very sensibly: "AIs do not have rights, feelings, or consciousness. And we must not train them to act as though they do". But then...hoo boy 1/n

Spotted something rare today.

Quick poll: Who wants a personal assistant in their car? (Auto journalists, please refrain from replying, but please repost. thx)

Latest EV Fleet World.

This 👇

Underage drinking, being Jacques Cousteau and a “live SymTran”. BRAND NEW Gareth Jones On Speed ep 557 feat. Elfyn Evans AND Gwyndaf Evans OUT NOW www.garethjones.tv/onspeed/onsp... #WRC #Cymru #ElfynEvans #Dolgellay #Toyota #OnSpeed #Podcast #Cars #Wales

Everywhere you look, in all industries, there are executives (and a lot of them) making utterly brain-dead decisions. Are they all using Consumer AI and thanks to it's programming its telling them they're mummy's bestest boy/girl?

My office this morning was a café while my car got a particularly expensive 6yr service because changing the plugs on this boxer is virtually an engine-out job. Imagine sticking the oil-filter on top like that but making the spark-plugs inaccessible

Sombre Trees, Buckinghamshire 2026. #photography #monochrome #blackandwhite #bnw

Cracking 12 months or so for Indian IT specialist companies.

For any that don't know I name the title of the episode after something we (usually Alan) say that is a bit random, especially when taken out of context. Otherwise it'd be a really dull naming convention.

He's going to talk about the friends he lost in the retreat from Stalingrad.

“When I look round the boardroom at the other board members Palantir has recently also recruited from the House of Lords – notably Lord Vader and Lord Voldemort – I don’t have any sense that these people are evil,” said Watson. From the new Private Eye, out now.