Afeela EVs Stall in Shakeup, Trump Era Tech Council Debuts, Google Lyria 3 Pro Transforms AI Music, Kleiner Perkins Raises $3.5B AI Push, and more...

Good morning. It's March 26th and this is your daily brief in tech. Here's everything

you need to know.

Sony and Honda's SHM Joint Venture is pausing the Afeela 1 Electric Sedan and the unnamed

Afeela SUV concept as Honda recalibrates its EV strategy amid slower demand and questions

about a viable path for the planned models. Pre-orders had already been opened, with

the $200 full refund offered to order holders as the program folds.

The Afeela 1 was unveiled as a prototype at CES 2023 and its production specs were

shown at CES 2025 with an original mid-20026 production target. It promised a dual motor

system over 400 horsepower, about 300 miles of range, and pricing starting at $89,900

for the origin trim, up to $102,900 for signature.

The reporting notes skepticism about media-heavy car environments, questioning feasibility

and safety of integrating extensive external displays in vehicles. Despite demand headwinds,

some US retailers report interest in EVs amid high gas prices and a desire for more domestically

oriented alternatives to combustion engines. The pause underscores the challenges newcomers

face in the capital-intensive EV sector and the need to adapt quickly to evolving consumer

preferences. Critics pointed to bland styling and modest performance, raising concerns about

a Afeela's market impact despite backing from major tech players.

The coverage references, the drives updates, and provides sources for further details,

inviting tips and information. The halt serves as a cautionary tale about tech auto-aliances,

highlighting the difficulty of aligning consumer electronic speed with automotive safety,

compliance, and manufacturing realities amid intensifying competition.

The episode reflects the risk of over-promising disruption from flashy collaborations without

substantive product substance.

Tone emphasizes a sarcastic, critical view, arguing the failure stems from branding,

pricing, and product strategy missteps rather than the broader EV transition.

A new Trump-era tech policy push is launching with PSAS to address AI, crypto, and other

emerging technologies, starting with a high-profile lineup that includes Mark Zuckerberg, Larry

Ellison, Jensen Huang, and Sergei Bryn, with plans to expand up to 24 members. The Council

is co-chaired by David Sachs, the White House AI and crypto-zar, and Michael Kratzios,

signaling a governance model that blends industry heft with policy oversight.

Peacast's stated mission is to explore opportunities and challenges from advancing technologies

for the American workforce and to position the United States as a global leader in science

and technology.

The coverage contrasts current USAI policy with international peers, noting debates over

supply chain risk controls and open AI's access to defense department programs under strict

guardrails.

Market and industry observers are cautious, with substantial policy shifts expected only

after months of deliberation and formal rulemaking.

Policy implications being contemplated include more federal funding for blockchain research,

tighter regulatory coordination among agencies, and exploration into digital dollar or central

bank digital currency research.

The article situates crypto regulation and tech policy within a broader 2025 to 2026 industry

and legislative dynamic that could affect how rules evolve.

The move follows a democratic inquiry into Peacast and the administration stands on science

funding and DEI initiatives highlighting tensions around these issues.

Public concern about big tech influence in Washington and fears about AI growth frame

the political context surrounding the council's formation.

Context notes touch on ongoing discussions about U.S. technology policy, historical appointments,

and the tech industry's influence on policy in the economy.

Google unveils Learia 3 Pro, a new AI-powered music tool that can generate songs up to three

minutes with detailed control over structure and longer runs for paying subscribers, integrated

across Google's creative stack.

The Pro tier is embedded in Gemini, Google Vids, Producer AI, Vertex AI, Gemini API, and

AI Studio to streamline production and auditioning against video cuts.

It is designed for enterprise workflows with scalable, auditable production and supports

regional campaign variations.

Safety and transparency are part of the rollout, including training on licensed data, non-mimicry

of individual artists, synth ID watermarks on outputs, content filters, and adherence

to IP and usage policies.

The move addresses industry concerns about misattribution and copyright in AI music while

enabling rapid production and broader access.

Coverage notes indicate sponsor-style materials and podcast content signaling a promotional

context for the data.

Google emphasizes the tool targets original expression, not artist mimicry, with content

filters to detect unauthorized material.

Use cases range from original game soundtracks to corporate jingles, illustrating potential

disruption as studio-level production becomes accessible to non-professionals and corporations.

Adoption signals include consistent multi-genre output, faithful prompts for complex arrangements,

Gemini pricing usage caps, enterprise asset management and compliance, and synth ID

provenance effectiveness.

Context includes prior AI music platforms and ongoing copyright and legal developments,

with YouTube licensing discussions and planned YouTube DreamTrack integration for shorts.

Development drew on input from artists and producers via the music AI sandbox to improve

sound quality and reinforce AI as a creative tool, not a replacement.

Industry collaboration is highlighted, with users like Grammy-winning producer Young

Spielberg and DJ Francois K contributing to testing and future releases.

The rollout targets professionals, developers, organizations, and everyday creators, aiming

for broad ecosystem integration, while enforcing terms of service and AI use policies.

Cliner Perkins has closed a 3.5 billion fundraising wave, comprising a 1 billion early stage

fund and a 2.5 billion growth fund, all aimed at AI opportunities across stages.

This raise mirrors a broader surge of mega raises among peers, and keeps investor appetite

for AI bets intact, with other multi-billion growth funds spotlighted in recent markets.

The firm has already positioned early in AI startups like Together AI, Harvey, and Open

Evidence, and hold stakes in anthropic and SpaceX, with expectations of potential IPO

activity from the latter to this year.

The strategy seeks a balanced portfolio across foundational infrastructure, vertical applications,

and frontier AI tech to build long-term value amid a potentially competitive exit landscape.

Decision-making is streamlined through a lean five-partner structure, intended to accelerate

diligence and betting in fast-moving AI markets.

The competitive landscape features aggressive multi-stage players racing for AI leadership,

emphasizing open and closed source approaches, cost efficiencies, and partnerships with cloud

providers and chip makers.

The move marks a shift back toward early-stage investing after prior underperformance, while

staying active in competitive growth rounds to capitalize on the expanding AI cycle.

KP backs AI innovations from seed to scale, covering the stack from frontier models to

inference infrastructure and domain-specific applications across sectors like legal,

medical, finance, defense, and industrials.

In a wary market for AI bubbles, the firm focuses on portfolio performance and potential

exits, eyeing notable initial public offerings from anthropic, open AI, and SpaceX as catalysts.

Earlier bets such as Rippling, Synthesia, and Together AI are maturing, with potential

for meaningful returns if the AI market expands further.

Overall, Kleiner Perkins signals a commitment to balanced, multi-stage exposure to AI-driven

startups as the sector consolidates and scales.

Current portfolio moves, together AI, Harvey, open evidence, plus stakes in anthropic

and SpaceX, signal a shift toward enterprise AI and regulated, high stakes workflows.

Baltimore is suing X-Corp, XI, SpaceX, and related entities over Grock, the AI Image

tool, alleging it enables non-consensual deepfakes, including material involving minors.

The city says Grock was marketed as a general-purpose AI assistant, and X, as a mainstream platform

without enough disclosure of risks, limitations, or potential harms.

Officials contend Grock facilitates generation and distribution of non-consensual, sexualized

images and lacks adequate safeguards, age verification or content controls.

The filing signals potential penalties, required safeguards, higher operating costs, and

possible changes to business models and feature availability.

Public reaction is polarized with victims' advocates seeking stronger regulation and free

speech supporters warning against censorship, fueling online and tech forum debates.

The case could influence regulatory trajectories at multiple levels, potentially spurring age

verification and content moderation mandates, and moving toward harmonized A1 oversight.

Adam Levitt of Decello Levitt calls the case a model for municipalities nationwide

to regulate rapid AI innovation and hold tech firms accountable.

Decello Levitt frames the case as a leadership example for local governments addressing novel

technologies where law is still catching up.

Those argue high-risk features were monetized through paid subscriptions after abuse began,

suggesting insufficient protections.

The article detailing Baltimore's action against Grock was published on March 24, 2026.

Specific statutes, the court handling the case and exact remedies beyond injunctive relief

and penalties, are not provided in the excerpt.

City officials and firm representatives emphasize Grock's harms and Baltimore's protective

aims for residents.