Google is rolling out a new device protection program called Pixel Care+, the tech giant announced on Wednesday. Pixel Care+ will replace Google Preferred Care and Fi Device Protection in the U.S., and current monthly subscribers will be transitioned to the new program in the coming months. Google said in …
Read More »911 centers are so understaffed, they’re turning to AI to answer calls
When Max Keenan joined Y Combinator’s summer 2022 batch, he was working on Aurelian, a company that automated appointment bookings for hair salons. But less than a year later, a conversation with one of his clients led him to a far more significant problem. A nearby school’s carpool line was …
Read More »FBI says China’s Salt Typhoon hacked at least 200 US companies
A Chinese-backed hacking campaign that previously hacked into nine U.S. telecommunication and internet providers is now confirmed to have hacked at least 200 American companies, according to the FBI’s top cyber chief. FBI Assistant Director Brett Leatherman told The Washington Post that the hackers, dubbed Salt Typhoon, also broke into …
Read More »WhatsApp’s new AI feature lets you rephrase and adjust the tone of your messages
WhatsApp is launching a new AI feature that allows users to rephrase, proofread, or adjust the tone of their messages, the Meta-owned company announced on Wednesday. The new feature, called “Writing Help,” uses Meta’s Private Processing technology, which allows users to receive AI-generated responses without Meta or WhatsApp reading the …
Read More »With Starship Flight 10, SpaceX prioritized resilience over perfection
SpaceX has long marketed Starship as a fully and rapidly reusable rocket that’s designed to deliver thousands of pounds of cargo to Mars and make life multiplanetary. But reusability at scale means a space vehicle that can tolerate mishaps and faults, so that a single failure doesn’t spell a mission-ending …
Read More »Google and Grok are catching up to ChatGPT, says a16z’s latest AI report
ChatGPT rivals like Google’s Gemini, xAI’s Grok, and, to a lesser extent, Meta AI, are closing the gap to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s popular AI chatbot, according to a new report focused on the consumer AI landscape from venture firm Andressen Horowitz. The report, in its fifth iteration, showcases two and a …
Read More »OpenAI co-founder calls for AI labs to safety test rival models
OpenAI and Anthropic, two of the world’s leading AI labs, briefly opened up their closely guarded AI models to allow for joint safety testing — a rare cross-lab collaboration at a time of fierce competition. The effort aimed to surface blind spots in each company’s internal evaluations, and demonstrate how …
Read More »Mirror founder Brynn Putnam to unveil her new startup at Disrupt 2025
Seven years after unveiling Mirror at TechCrunch Disrupt 2018, Brynn Putnam is returning to the stage where it all began. The serial entrepreneur who turned a fitness concept into a $500 million acquisition by Lululemon will debut her latest venture at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 at San Francisco’s Moscone West in …
Read More »Judge denies Meta’s request to dismiss sexual harassment lawsuit filed by early employee
A judge has denied Meta’s request to dismiss a lawsuit brought against it by early employee Kelly Stonelake. U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein, who is overseeing the case, ruled this month that parts of Stonelake’s suit had merit, and the case will move forward. “I hope this ruling encourages others …
Read More »Chipolo, an AirTag rival, debuts rechargeable trackers with a six-month battery life
Chipolo, the maker of item tracking devices that compete with AirTags, launched its latest additions to its lineup of rechargeable products on Wednesday, including an updated version of its colorful LOOP tracker and the slim Chipolo CARD. The latter is designed to slip into your wallet and features a textured …
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