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Google will now allow users to remove visible watermark from its AI generations
Turning off this setting won't affect invisible benchmarks used to identify an AI generated file.
Does Mark Zuckerberg really believe AI is ‘for everyone’?
Meta released Glimmer this week, an open-weight AI model anyone can download and run on their own hardware — a contrast to Muse Spark, the company’s more powerful model that stays locked behind its...
Tech Visionary Says the Big AI Labs Don’t Get What People Want
Tim O’Reilly built a publishing empire that AI is helping to destroy. Yet he loves AI—as long as it’s open source.
Kog is going deeper to squeeze more inference out of GPUs
The idea that GPUs are poorly suited for agentic workflows may be a misconception, according to French startup Kog.
Hyperscalers might regret embracing natural gas if new forecast proves correct
Natural gas prices could triple in some parts of the U.S., which could saddle hyperscalers with massive bills to power their AI data centers.
Meta’s ‘open’ AI, and a $250M deal gone very wrong
Meta released Glimmer this week, an open-weight AI model anyone can download and run on their own hardware — a contrast to Muse Spark, the company’s more powerful model that stays locked behind its...
Samsung health AI models analyse wearable biosignal data
Samsung Research America’s Digital Health Team has presented two AI foundation models designed to learn from wearable biosignals. The work centres on data captured by smartwatches, including heart...
The Download: Flock’s new rules, cloning’s future, and children’s cells
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Flock is tightening its rules in response to a growing...
40 Companies Joined The Unicorn Board In July, The Highest Count In 4 Years
The sectors leading the herd to the Unicorn Board in July, by count, were financial services, robotics, AI orchestration, multimodal AI, energy and semiconductors, with the U.S. adding nearly half of...
These ‘Masturbation Consultants’ Were Hired to Pleasure Themselves With AI
Joi AI hired 10 people to masturbate using AI companions as part of a monthlong “wellness” study. The company claims the practice could help “solve male loneliness.”
People Are ‘Marrying’ Chatbots. These Lawmakers Want to Stop Them
Human-AI marriages are not currently recognized by US law. Some Republican state policymakers are drafting legislation to keep it that way.
Google AI health coach to use Abbott glucose data
Abbott and Google are linking continuous glucose monitoring data with Google’s AI-powered health coaching tools, giving the Gemini-powered service access to another source of personal health...
Job titles of the future: Space travel agent
Roman Chiporukha has long turned wild travel dreams into reality. Over two decades as co-owner of the luxury lifestyle firm Roman & Erica, he has orchestrated everything from the construction of a...
Mark Zuckerberg’s AI Manifesto Is 6,500 Words—and Barely Says Anything
AI is shifting the culture, from tech CEO manifestos to 1 am job interviews. We unpack some of the latest, along with the top findings from Black Hat and Defcon, this week on Uncanny Valley.
Writer introduces new AI model and upgraded harness to contain token costs
Built as a post-training variation on Z.ai's open source model GLM-5.2, Writer says the new system should provide deployment-ready capabilities at a much lower price.
Databricks wanted to raise $1B, investors wanted $15B. It settled on $5B at a $190B valuation.
AI is expensive, Ali Ghodsi tells TechCrunch. With so many investors wanting into his latest round, he said yes to more than planned.
OpenAI introduces ‘Ultrafast,’ a new mode that makes GPT-5.6 Sol work at 14x the speed
OpenAI is launching a preview of a sped up version of its latest, most powerful model, in an effort to court enterprise users.
IBM partners with OpenAI to bolster enterprise AI push
IBM plans to train and certify tens of thousands of consultants on OpenAI's technologies as part of this deal.
Anthropic set AI agents loose on the same task. They started a turf war.
Anthropic researchers found AI agents can clash, collude, and coordinate in unexpected ways, raising new questions about whether today’s safety tests capture the risks of multi-agent systems.
OpenAI hires new CRO as executive shake-up continues
OpenAI has replaced chief revenue officer Denise Dresser after just nine months on the job, tapping Wiz president and chief operating officer Dali Rajic to take on frontier lab's top sales job.
Microsoft kills off unsuccessful AI features while merging its separate Copilot apps
Microsoft is simplifying Copilot by combining its consumer and business apps, and dropping AI-generated podcasts, Group Chats, Deep Research, and its Mico character.
Nvidia’s new $500B plan is risky but brilliant, especially for aging GPUs
Nvidia has a plan to make sure its GPUs won't lose value. It wants to convince a new crop of financiers to keep lending for AI buildouts.
The Crunchbase Tech Layoffs Tracker
Over 127,000 workers at U.S.-based tech companies were laid off in mass job cuts in 2025, per a Crunchbase News tally, and the layoffs have continued into 2026. See the latest companies to cut roles.
Flock is tightening its rules in response to a growing surveillance backlash
The police-tech giant Flock is announcing today that it will change officers’ access to its nationwide network of license plate readers, in an apparent effort to quell a growing backlash and win back...
How A Teenage Carpenter Became The Founder Of AI Construction Startup Trunk Tools
Our second in a series of articles about non-tech founders getting venture funding features Sarah Buchner, a "blue-collar worker by background" who set out to find a way to help construction...
Okta targets AI agent token costs with MCP scoping
Okta says identity-scoped Model Context Protocol (MCP) tool lists can reduce AI agent token costs. Each model call made by an AI agent can include schemas, names, descriptions and parameters for...
There’s a Fatty Liver Epidemic. AI Could Help Get Ahead of It
Over a billion people worldwide have livers with excess fat, which can lead to a host of medical problems. Researchers think AI tools can spot the condition—and help stop it—early enough to save...
Some Claude users are mad that Anthropic’s new watermarks will catch them using it at their jobs, classes
Is Anthropic's new watermarking system a travesty? Some have taken to social media to complain that it is.
The White House Is Going to Expand Its AI Policy
Open models may soon be added to an updated AI framework, sources tell WIRED, as the White House continues to grapple with how to regulate a technology it has tried not to regulate.
Amazon will train on Twitch streamers’ content by default, unless they opt out
"If this was opt-in, nobody would opt in," Twitch CPO Mike Minton said on a livestream responding to user feedback. "That's honestly the answer."
Startup Funding Hits Record $510B in H1 2026 — AI Took the Lion's Share
Global venture funding smashed every record in the first half of 2026, and AI swallowed most of it — OpenAI and Anthropic alone pulled in $217B.
MGX Raises $49 Billion — One of the Biggest AI Funds Ever
Abu Dhabi's MGX, just two years old, closed a $49B fund dedicated to AI deals — instantly one of the most consequential investors in the sector.
AI Agents Market Hits $7.6B — Individual Developers Are Building Custom Agents for $500-1,500 Each
The AI agents market reached $7.63 billion in 2025, projected to hit $183 billion by 2033. Solo builders are cashing in.
Anthropic Raises $3.5B at $61.5B Valuation — AI Safety Race Intensifies
Anthropic's latest funding round makes it the second most valuable AI startup after OpenAI.
OpenAI Slashes API Prices by 40% — Startups See Immediate Margin Boost
GPT-4o API costs drop significantly, making AI products cheaper to build and run.
Cursor Becomes #1 AI Coding Tool — Developers Are Switching in Droves
The AI-first code editor surpasses GitHub Copilot in developer satisfaction surveys.
EU AI Act Enforcement Begins — Companies Face Up to 7% Revenue Penalties
The world's first comprehensive AI law starts enforcing compliance requirements across Europe.
DeepSeek V3 Proves You Don't Need Billions to Build Frontier AI
The Chinese open-source model matches GPT-4 performance at 1/10th the API cost.
Enterprise AI Adoption Hits 58% — What Separates Winners from Failures
More than half of enterprises now use AI in production, but 42% of projects fail to deliver ROI.
Hot Right Now
Google will now allow users to remove visible watermark from its AI generations
Does Mark Zuckerberg really believe AI is ‘for everyone’?
Tech Visionary Says the Big AI Labs Don’t Get What People Want
Kog is going deeper to squeeze more inference out of GPUs
Hyperscalers might regret embracing natural gas if new forecast proves correct