After over a year of delays, concerns, and prohibitions, the 5G C-band deployments are still potentially causing some disruption in the world of airfare.

The FAA in January proposed a new rule requiring airlines to replace or retrofit the radio altimeters in their planes before a proposed deadline of February 1, 2024.

• The proposed rules mark another development in a saga that began in December 2021, when the FAA set flight restrictions for pilots over fears that C-band 5G could potentially interfere with some cockpit safety systems.

Why it matters: The spat has been a thorn in the side of telcos, delaying C-band rollouts that they see as critical to expanding 5G networks and which they spent a collective $81.2 billion to secure the right to.

Now, the FAA is looking to require airlines to replace certain altimeters due to concerns that 5G interference could cause altimeters to malfunction, issuing erroneous warnings to pilots about their altitude.

Big picture: If the newly proposed rule from the FAA becomes a requirement, airline trade associations told us that airlines are “committed to complying” and ready to take on any potential costs associated with the upgrades—but that compliance is contingent on suppliers like Honeywell, Thales, and Raytheon manufacturing enough of the necessary parts before the proposed deadline. Read the full story here.—JM

We’re not quite at Ex Machina yet, so humans can still use robots to help improve society without consequences.

The last decade has been rife with upgrades, from seamless checkout to delivery drones, geared toward making companies’ and consumers’ lives easier, and integrating robotics has become more common among retailers, grocery stores, and restaurants—both on the front and back ends.

But before robots reach sentience, what’s the next step in the evolution of automation? Retail Brew spoke to a handful of industry experts to get their thoughts on how the industry will evolve in 2023. We’ve pasted in an excerpt below, but click here to read the full piece.

Where do you see robotics becoming more common in retail?

Jonathan Morav, head of product strategy, Fabric: In the future, there won’t be a single element of the retail ecosystem that is not impacted by the adoption of automation and robotics at some level.

Retailers will have robots surveying shelves and counting or replenishing inventory to e-commerce order fulfillment where robots will be used to pick, pack, or deliver orders out of warehouses or even in the backs of retail stores in dense urban areas. This will ultimately extend downstream toward last-mile deliveries, where robots and autonomous vehicles will be making deliveries to end customers.

Read the full piece from Retail Brew here.—KM

Usually, we write about the business of tech. Here, we highlight the *tech* of tech.

The new HomePod reviews are in: Here’s one from The Verge, which includes an in-depth look at the device both as a speaker and as a smart-home hub. And here’s another from Engadget, which says the sequel is “much better than the first.”

Galaxy brain: Samsung unveiled a whole bunch of new devices at its Unpacked event on Wednesday. The most eye-catching announcement, in our view? That Samsung is working on AR and VR devices with partners like Google, Meta, Qualcomm, and Microsoft. Here’s a full list of what Samsung announced at the event.

One last thing. Sony’s new PSVR2 headset is apparently not exactly flying off the shelves. After lower-than-expected preorders, the gaming giant reportedly cut its forecast for Q1 shipments of the device in half to ~1 million, down from its original goal of 2 million, per Bloomberg. Anyway, if you do want one, they ship Feb. 22 and cost $550. Oh, and you also need a PS5 to use it.—DM

Stat: GM announced a direct, $650 million investment into Lithium Americas this week. The money will help develop a mine in Nevada that could produce enough lithium for 1 million EVs each year.

Quote: “As a result of ChatGPT, the LaMDA team has been asked to prioritize working on a response to ChatGPT…In the short term, it takes precedence over other projects.”—An internal Google memo reported by CNBC

Read: An answer to the question that’s on everyone’s mind: Why is generative AI so bad at depicting hands?

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Three of the following news stories are true, and one...we made up. Can you spot the odd one out?

• An activist investor sent a letter to Amazon demanding it bet aggressively on AI-generated AmazonBasics.
• Passwords like “1234” remain one of the biggest security threats.
• Scientists think that something called, um, “cyborg cells” could have a chance at helping treat cancer.
• Microsoft is reportedly not planning to enhance Bing not with GPT-3 but with GPT-4.

Catch up on the top Tech Brew stories from the past few editions:

• How connectivity giants are embracing the space race
• Tech hiring has fallen close to pre-pandemic levels
• VC momentum slows for mobility startups