Robots built to lighten our load are apparently still leaning on us: a San Francisco startup's now-deleted job ad sought people to walk robot dogs through city streets, even hauling a roughly 33-pound machine back to the office if it overheated. On the less gloomy side of things, Apple just launched a new desktop with the M6 chip. And finally, over in China, Tesla’s arch-rival just launched a $12,000 hybrid car that will give US buyers a serious envy flu.

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San Francisco startup Dimensional recently advertised for people to walk robot dogs through city streets, and the now-deleted listing offered a plain look at how much human help these machines still need. According to the New York Times, the job could include carrying a roughly 33-pound robot back to the office if it overheated. The ad described four to six hours of walking and required no previous experience. The robots were $2,000 Unitree dogs, steered with a handheld remote or mobile app while their cameras and sensors recorded the route, giving Dimensional examples of human navigation to improve its autonomous systems. The company is also building dimOS, an open-source platform meant to let AI agents run different robots through natural-language instructions, with humanoids among the ambitions.

Its public repository labels the software a prerelease beta and documents remote operation through a browser or a Meta Quest headset. Anthropic's July robotics research is a useful caution here: language models mostly failed when controlling joints directly, though they did better when directing trained controllers. In its tests, every model paired with a trained controller performed worse on familiar simulated object-handling tasks than the controller alone, and some overruled actions they should have accepted. The takeaway for anyone eyeing a future robot helper is that conversational skill says little about whether it will finish an errand. Before paying for one, ask how often a person has to step in, because a machine that needs constant minding comes with a second job attached.

AI’s growth story is much bigger than chatbots.

The market was already valued at an estimated $800 billion by late 2025, and continued adoption could push it beyond $1 trillion in the years ahead. That growth will require more data centers, computing power, software, networking and intelligent devices.

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BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i plug-in hybrid sedan in China, and the headline is the price: it starts at 79,900 yuan, about $11,980, according to CarNewsChina. The catch for US readers is that BYD doesn't sell its cars here, so you can't buy one. It does show how cheap a new plug-in hybrid sedan can be elsewhere. The numbers are strong too. The top trims can run up to 137 miles on electricity alone, enough for most daily commutes, and a 1.5-liter engine takes over once the battery is drained. With a 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg on gas, combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles. Those figures use China's CLTC standard, which tends to be optimistic, so expect less in real driving.

Pricing runs from the Leading trim at $11,980 with 87 miles of EV range, to the Superior at $13,630 and the Excellence at $15,130, both with 137 miles. The car pairs a 161 hp electric motor with a 99 hp gas engine and offers 16.2 kWh or 24.3 kWh LFP batteries. Inside is a 12.8-inch display, six speakers, ambient lighting, physical buttons and wireless charging for two phones, and a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor enables the optional God's Eye B driver assistance. A fully loaded version for around $15,000 may put some pressure on the brands that do sell in the US.

Apple has refreshed its colorful all-in-one desktop with the new M6 chip, and the iMac starts at $1,499 in the US for the 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU model. A 12-core CPU and 12-core GPU version starts at $1,699. Pre-orders open October 28th, with shipments expected to begin November 6th in the US and other markets. Apple claims the M6 delivers an 18X performance boost over popular Intel-based chips and 1.5X faster everyday productivity than the M4-powered iMac. The biggest jump is in AI: a dual 16-core Neural Engine that Apple says improves on-device AI workflows by 5X and speeds up LLM processing.

Connectivity gets a real upgrade too, with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, optional 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and an SSD that is twice as fast. The 12-core model offers four Thunderbolt 4 ports that can drive two external displays at up to 6K, while the 10-core model has two Thunderbolt / USB 4 ports and supports one external display. The design and the 24-inch 4.5K display are unchanged, as is the 12-megapixel Center Stage camera with Desk View. The iMac comes in seven colors and ships with macOS 27. Memory starts at 16GB and storage at 256GB, with the 12-core model configurable up to 32GB and 2TB. Buyers who want a nano-texture glass display will need to choose the [12-core model](https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/apples-new-14-inch-macbook-pro-gets-m6-power-and-up-to-24-hours-of-battery-life

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