A hearth chat between Jensen Huang and Mark Zuckerberg at SIGGRAPH 2024 took some sudden turns. What began as a dialog concerning the capabilities of Nvidia GPUs and Zuckerberg’s imaginative and prescient of an AI chatbot future shortly turned a extra informal affair — together with a swap of custom-made jackets, a uncommon F-bomb from the Meta CEO, and a barely unsettling anecdote about slicing tomatoes.
Bumble, Hinge and different apps have been open to stalkers, with vulnerabilities that allowed customers to be tracked inside 2 meters of their bodily location. It took researchers a bit of labor to establish the problem, which has since been resolved, but it surely’s one other reminder of how privateness is at all times one vulnerability away from being violated.
Intel introduced sweeping layoffs, affecting 15,000 staff, as the corporate continues to face declining income, a scarcity of success in its AI initiatives, and a prediction that the remainder of the 12 months will probably be “more durable than beforehand anticipated,” within the phrases of its CEO Pat Gelsinger.
The SEC charged BitClout founder Nader Al-Naji with fraud and unregistered providing of securities, claiming he used a pseudonymous id to keep away from regulatory scrutiny while he raised over $257 million in cryptocurrency. BitClout, a decentralized social media platform, raised from a who’s who of corporations, like a16z, Sequoia, Social Capital, Coinbase Ventures and Winklevoss Capital.
Meta reached a $1.4 billion settlement with Texas legal professional basic Ken Paxton this week. The settlement stems from a two-year-old lawsuit alleging that Meta’s previous use of facial-recognition expertise violated the state’s privateness protections and that Facebook didn’t disclose this apply to customers and get hold of their consent. The first cost of $500 million is due within the subsequent month, in line with courtroom filings.
This is TechCrunch’s Week in Review — the place we recap the week’s largest information. Want this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Sign up right here.
News
You can now check out Apple Intelligence: Apple is lastly releasing a few of its extremely anticipated Apple Intelligence options as a part of a developer beta model of iOS 18.1. Here’s how one can allow it in your iPhone. Read extra
OpenAI begins rolling out Voice Mode: Following controversies and delays, OpenAI is giving a small group of ChatGPT Plus customers entry to GPT-4o’s superior Voice Mode. The firm says the function will roll out to all Plus customers in fall 2024. Read extra
This necklace desires to be your buddy: Friend is a wearable AI machine designed to fight loneliness. Rather than specializing in productiveness, the AI necklace acts like an always-listening walkie-talkie that you may chat with. Read extra
Meta launches AI Studio: Creators within the U.S. will now be capable to construct AI bots throughout all Meta platforms. The bots can be utilized to create captions, format posts, generate memes, and even make a private chatbot to work together with their followers. Read extra
Here’s how you can decide out of facial recognition at airports: U.S. airports are rolling out facial-recognition expertise to scan the faces of vacationers earlier than they board their flight. But Americans can decide out of it altogether. Read extra
Turns out, doomscrolling in all probability isn’t good for you: A latest examine printed in Computers in Human Behavior Reports hyperlinks the method of doomscrolling to existential anxiousness, despair, mistrust and suspicion of others. Read extra
Canva acquires Leonardo.ai: In an effort to broaden the scope of its AI tech stack, Canva has acquired generative AI content material and analysis startup Leonardo.ai. As a end result, all 120 of the startup’s staff will be part of Canva. Read extra
Flo Health turns into a unicorn: The fertility-focused period-tracking app raised a $200 million Series C, valuing the startup at greater than $1 billion post-money. The funding will probably be used to draw extra customers and add options for menopause and perimenopause. Read extra
OpenAI and Microsoft’s frenemy period begins? Microsoft has invested considerably in OpenAI and makes use of its fashions throughout many merchandise. And while OpenAI being listed as a “competitor” in an SEC submitting might elevate eyebrows, there’s some nuance concerned. Read extra
Welcome again, Motorola Razr flip telephones: Samsung continues to be the king of foldable smartphones, however there’s extra competitors within the class. We examine the brand new Galaxy Fold 6 to the Motorola Razr+ (which, sure, is available in that iconic pink shade). Read extra
Analysis
Why did Wiz stroll away from $23 billion? Google was reportedly providing $23 billion to accumulate Wiz. Then Wiz walked away. Why? Ron Miller argues that by saying no to what may have been probably the most profitable deal ever proposed for a startup, Wiz confirmed it has plenty of nerve — and that it’s prepared to put a giant guess on itself. Read extra
Can you truly make an AI companion for youngsters? The bold startup Heeyo desires to construct an AI that’s each a buddy and tutor for teenagers. But with a target market like that, privateness and security are of utmost concern, and Rebecca Bellan put each to the take a look at in her unique exploration of their chatbot. Read extra
