Devin Coldewey, Author at 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.

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 — […]

H3X scales up its electric aerospace ambitions with $20M in new funding

Devin Coldewey — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 11:45:00 +0000

Many industries that rely on legacy energy sources are aiming to electrify or at least streamline their operations, but for countless use cases, the tech just isn’t there. H3X is changing the game with electric motors so compact and efficient that the aerospace and marine world — not to mention investors — are taking notice. […]

Announcing the agenda for the AI Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024

Devin Coldewey, Kyle Wiggers, Richard Smith — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 18:20:00 +0000

We’re so excited to announce that we’ve added a dedicated AI Stage presented by Google Cloud to TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. It joins Fintech, SaaS and Space as the other industry-focused stages — all under one big roof. We couldn’t possibly host TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 without a huge deep dive on all things artificial intelligence. So, […]

Copyright Office tells Congress: ‘Urgent need’ to outlaw AI-powered impersonation

Devin Coldewey — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 19:35:17 +0000

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued the first part of a report on how AI may affect its domain, and its first recommendation out of the gate is: we need a new law right away to define and combat AI-powered impersonation. “It has become clear that the distribution of unauthorized digital replicas poses a serious […]

Disinformation may ‘go nuclear’ rather than ‘go viral,’ researchers say

Devin Coldewey — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 15:01:00 +0000

We say something “goes viral” because we tend to think of rumors and disinformation spreading the way that an infection spreads. But these days it may be more accurate to say something “goes nuclear,” according to a new paper that models disinfo as a form of fission reaction. As common wisdom had it even before […]

Zuckerberg touts Meta’s latest video vision AI with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang

Devin Coldewey — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 23:37:54 +0000

Meta's machine learning model, Segment Anything, has a sequel: It now takes the model to the video domain, showing how fast the field is moving.

Max Space reinvents expandable habitats with a 17th-century twist, launching in 2026

Devin Coldewey — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 15:00:00 +0000

Max Space's expandable habitats promise to be larger, stronger, and more versatile than anything like them ever launched, not to mention cheaper and lighter by far than a solid, machined structure.

‘Model collapse’: Scientists warn against letting AI eat its own tail

Devin Coldewey — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 15:01:00 +0000

If the models continue eating each other's data, perhaps without even knowing it, they'll progressively get weirder and dumber until they collapse.

Perplexity’s Aravind Srinivas on accelerating everyday AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024

Devin Coldewey — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:00:00 +0000

As AI competition heats up, Perplexity has proven resilient due to its focus on using the technology strictly as a tool to let people “learn anything in their own way.” But how will the company face down tech giants, AI rivals, and the growing controversy over AI and intellectual property? CEO and co-founder Aravind Srinivas […]

Moon cave! Discovery could redirect lunar colony and startup plays

Devin Coldewey — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 17:18:36 +0000

What this means for the space industry is that theory has become reality: The possibility of designing a habitation within a lunar tunnel is a reasonable proposition.

Experiment finds AI boosts creativity individually — but lowers it collectively

Devin Coldewey — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 18:08:37 +0000

A new study examines whether AI could be an automated helpmeet in creative tasks, with mixed results: It appeared to help less naturally creative people write more original short stories — but dampened the creativity of the group as a whole. It’s a trade-off that may be increasingly common as AI tools impinge on creative […]

‘Visual’ AI models might not see anything at all

Devin Coldewey — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:41:09 +0000

Although these companies' claims are artfully couched, it's clear that they want to express that the model sees in some sense of the word.

Data workers detail exploitation by tech industry in DAIR report

Devin Coldewey — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 22:23:27 +0000

The essential labor of data work, like moderation and annotation, is systematically hidden from those who benefit from the fruits of that labor. A new project puts the lived experiences of data workers around the world in the spotlight, showing firsthand the costs and opportunities of tech work abroad. Many tedious, thankless, or psychologically damaging […]

OpenAI breach is a reminder that AI companies are treasure troves for hackers

Devin Coldewey — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 19:49:37 +0000

There’s no need to worry that your secret ChatGPT conversations were obtained in a recently reported breach of OpenAI’s systems. The hack itself, while troubling, appears to have been superficial — but it’s a reminder that AI companies have in short order made themselves into one of the juiciest targets out there for hackers. The […]

Google’s environmental report pointedly avoids AI’s actual energy cost

Devin Coldewey — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 23:21:08 +0000

Google totally dodges the question of how much energy is AI is using — perhaps because the answer is "way more than we'd care to say."

AI-powered scams and what you can do about them

Devin Coldewey — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 20:00:00 +0000

This is by no means a complete list, just a few of the most obvious tricks that AI can supercharge.

Forget the debate, the Supreme Court just declared open season on regulators

Devin Coldewey — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 20:39:39 +0000

If the FCC is not empowered to settle this ambiguity in a very old law that was written well before Friday's broadband and mobile networks, who is?

FCC rule would make carriers unlock all phones after 60 days

Devin Coldewey — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 16:52:30 +0000

Specifically, according to the FCC, carriers would simply have to provide unlocking services 60 days after activation.

This smiling robot face made of living skin is absolute nightmare fuel

Devin Coldewey — Tue, 25 Jun 2024 21:58:31 +0000

Giving robots a human-like exterior has been the standard for years — centuries even. But giving them actual, living skin that can be manipulated into horrifying, slimy expressions? That’s new. The new work, published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, is very much just an experiment. This will not be the face of your […]