AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch

Rabbit’s r1 refines chats and timers, but its app-using ‘action model’ is still MIA

Devin Coldewey — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 20:29:41 +0000

A new "beta rabbit" mode adds some conversational AI chops to the Rabbit r1, particularly in more complex or multi-step instructions.

OpenAI finds that GPT-4o does some truly bizarre stuff sometimes

Kyle Wiggers — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:34:29 +0000

OpenAI’s GPT-4o, the generative AI model that powers the recently launched alpha of Advanced Voice Mode in ChatGPT, is the company’s first trained on voice as well as text and image data. And that leads it to behave in strange ways sometimes — like mimicking the voice of the person speaking to it or randomly […]

OpenAI adds a Carnegie Mellon professor to its board of directors

Kyle Wiggers — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 19:00:00 +0000

OpenAI has announced a new appointment to its board of directors: Zico Kolter. Kolter, a professor and director of the machine learning department at Carnegie Mellon, predominantly focuses his research on AI safety. This makes him an “invaluable technical director for [OpenAI’s] governance,” OpenAI writes in a post on its official blog. AI safety has […]

Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst thinks everyone needs to be more realistic about what AI can and cannot do

Rebecca Szkutak — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 18:15:05 +0000

AI companies are gobbling up investor money and securing sky-high valuations early in their life cycle. This dynamic has many calling the AI industry a bubble. Nick Frosst, a co-founder of Cohere, which builds custom AI models for enterprise customers, recently said on TechCrunch’s Found podcast that he doesn’t think the AI industry is in […]

Elon Musk’s X agrees to pause EU data processing for training Grok

Natasha Lomas — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 16:39:34 +0000

Earlier this week it emerged that the DPC had instigated court proceedings seeking an injunction against X over the data processing without consent.

SoundHound acquires Amelia AI for $80M after it raised $189M+

Ingrid Lunden — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 12:59:29 +0000

SoundHound, an AI company that makes voice interface tech used by car companies, restaurants and tech firms, is doubling down on enterprise services by playing consolidator in a crowded market. The company said on Thursday that it is acquiring Amelia AI, which makes an AI agent that businesses can customize for internal or customer use. […]

Feeling Great’s new therapy app translates its psychiatrist co-founder’s experience into AI

Ivan Mehta — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Seeking mental health support is a complex process, but some founders believe that using AI to formalize techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help folks who might not have access to professionals. Dr. David Burns, who has over 40 years of experience in the field of psychiatry, has now built an app, Feeling Great, […]

UK launches formal probe into Amazon’s ties with AI startup Anthropic

Paul Sawers — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 11:16:52 +0000

The U.K.’s antitrust regulator has confirmed that it’s carrying out a formal antitrust investigation into Amazon’s ties with Anthropic, after Amazon recently completed a $4 billion investment into the AI startup. The news comes a week after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed it was launching an invitation to comment into Google’s own ties with […]

AI business agent startup Bardeen pulls in strategic investment from Dropbox and HubSpot

Mike Butcher — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 11:05:47 +0000

Bardeen has raised $3M to build its platform that uses a natural language interface to automate repetitive knowledge work.

Bilingual dictation assistant Silvia understands ‘Spanglish’ and other language mixtures

Devin Coldewey — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 07:15:00 +0000

Natural language AI assistants tend to be excellent English speakers, and passable in other tongues — but if you are one of the millions who fluidly switch between two languages on the fly, they’re stumped. A new AI helper called Silvia, however, understands “Spanglish” just fine, with more language combos to come. The app — […]

YouTube is testing a feature that lets creators use Google Gemini to brainstorm video ideas

Aisha Malik — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 22:15:13 +0000

YouTube is testing an integration with Google Gemini to help creators brainstorm video ideas, titles and thumbnails. The Google-owned company announced the launch of the new Brainstorm with Gemini feature in a video posted to its Creator Insider channel. A YouTube spokesperson told TechCrunch that the feature is available to select creators as a part […]

Made by Google 2024: How to watch Google unveil the Pixel 9, a new foldable and more

Brian Heater — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 19:10:25 +0000

Made by Google 2024 kicks off at 10 a.m. PT on August 13. Get ready for a slew of new hardware, including the Pixel 9 and a new foldable.

Newly launched social network Maven loses its co-founders

Rebecca Bellan — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:53:39 +0000

Just three months after Maven’s public launch, Kenneth Stanley — the former OpenAI researcher who co-founded the social media platform designed to facilitate serendipitous interactions — is stepping down. Stanley posted on Maven and X that despite enthusiastic responses to the platform’s launch, Maven “could not achieve the kind of growth curve that investors want […]

ChatGPT’s mobile app just had its biggest month yet

Sarah Perez — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:34:57 +0000

With the arrival of ChatGPT's new Advanced Voice Mode, which offers nearly real-time, realistic interactions, Appfigures expects growth to continue in the months to come.

This Week in AI: OpenAI’s talent retention woes

Kyle Wiggers — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 17:05:00 +0000

Hiya, folks, welcome to TechCrunch’s regular AI newsletter. This week in AI, OpenAI lost another co-founder. John Schulman, who played a pivotal role in the development of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot platform, has left the company for rival Anthropic. Schulman announced the news on X, saying that his decision stemmed from a desire to deepen […]

Mechanical Orchard, led by ex-Pivotal CEO, scores $50M round led by Alphabet’s GV

Kyle Wiggers — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 16:43:55 +0000

Digital transformation — the process of transforming outdated apps and processes with cloud technologies and digital workflows — can be a risky undertaking. In 2023, Harvard Business Review reported that while 89% of large companies have a digital and AI transformation underway, they’ve only captured 31% of the expected revenue uplift and 25% of anticipated […]

TechCrunch Minute: Is AI actually making workers more productive?

Anthony Ha — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Is AI going to make us all more productive at work? Executives are feeling optimistic, but workers aren’t quite as convinced. That’s according to a new study from freelancing marketplace Upwork. The company says it surveyed 2,500 executives, full-time employees, and freelancers across the U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada and asked them about their views […]

Napkin turns text into visuals with a bit of generative AI

Kyle Wiggers — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 16:00:00 +0000

Napkin wants to use generative AI to make turning text into visualizations as easy as clicking on a button and customizing the results.

Audible is testing an AI-powered search feature

Lauren Forristal — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Audible, the audiobook company owned by Amazon, announced on Wednesday that it is testing an AI-powered search feature to assist users in narrowing down their audiobook search. Starting today, select U.S. customers can interact with “Maven,” Audible’s new personal recommendation expert that surfaces title suggestions based on users’ specific requests. A user can use natural […]

Automattic launches AI writing tool that aims to make WordPress blogs more readable and succinct

Paul Sawers — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 09:32:01 +0000

Automattic, the owner of WordPress.com, has launched a new AI tool designed to help bloggers write more clearly and succinctly.