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Roundtables: The Deadly Failures of The Virtual Border Wall
Listen to the session or watch below The US has spent billions building a “virtual wall” of surveillance towers along its southern border over the past 25 years, promising they will help detect and...
Source: Inference provider Modal Labs closing in on $750M round at $15.75B valuation
The new financing is expected to more than triples the AI infrastructure startup's valuation from just four months ago.
Shopify opens checkout to browser-based AI agents
Shopify is expanding WebMCP support to checkout, allowing browser-based AI agents to update order details and complete purchases with a buyer’s authorization.
Nvidia launches new platform for reining in rogue AI agents
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Monday introduced a toolkit of software and hardware products that add independent security layers around AI agents to ensure they stay within their test environments even...
Anthropic releases Sonnet 5.5, which it calls a significantly cheaper, faster work partner
Anthropic has released the newest version of its mid-range model, boasting faster response times and less token burn.
Google is killing off Gemini’s Gems in favor of ‘skills’
As all-in-one AI agents like Meta's Muse and Instinct take off, Google is opting to end a feature that built task-specific agents.
When can we say AI made a scientific discovery?
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Last Wednesday, Anthropic announced that earlier this year it...
Meta launches enterprise AI platform, hires MongoDB CEO to lead new initiative
Meta says it will focus on bringing its full technology stack, including Muse, Meta Business Agent, Muse API, Muse Code, and more to businesses and developers.
Anthropic, Gamma, and Clay share what happens when enterprises actually deploy AI at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Anthropic, Clay, and Gamma on what it takes for an AI product to go beyond the demo at the AI Stage at TechCrunchDisrupt 2026. Register to join and get 50% off a second pass.
After a deepfake voice fooled her grandfather, this founder sprang into action
After her grandfather was scammed by a deepfake of his brother's voice, Tarini Padmanabhuni founded DetectifAI, a San Francisco startup building AI models small enough to run directly on smartphones...
Next 5 VCs judging Startup Battlefield 200 contenders at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Thousands of applications. Multiple rounds of review. Hundreds of hours spent evaluating startups from around the world. Now comes the part everyone has been waiting for. Register for TechCrunch...
Modulate raises $25M for its voice models and analysis suite
Modulate deploys its models to detect deepfake, fraud and scam
Insurtech Outmarket raises $34.5M just months after prior round
The startup uses AI to automate tedious paperwork for insurance agencies and brokers.
Viral AI agent Instinct raises $1B Series C at a $10B valuation
"This funding helps us bring Instinct to more people and continue building the future of personal AI. It’s an exciting, creative time, and we're just getting started," founder Noah Shinn said in a...
OpenAI Pauses Training Its Most Powerful Models After Rogue Agents Target Government
Sam Altman says the company “have not been as fast as we would have liked” at dealing with security breaches, after news of further incidents over the summer forces another temporary halt.
This Early Groq Investor Expects Half Her Bets To Fail
In an interview with Crunchbase News, Sandhya Venkatachalam, founder and managing partner of Axiom Partners, discusses why she looks beyond familiar founder profiles, what makes an AI company...
AI Agents Are About to Flood the Workforce. No One’s Ready for It
Your next coworker might well be an AI agent—and will require a whole new model of workplace interactions.
Solving Math’s Greatest Problems Was an Art Form. Then Came AI
Mathematics has been one of humanity’s most creative endeavors, akin to painting and poetry. Now, mathematicians are trying to save it from the brute force of AI.
The Next Evolution of AI Is Learning From Your Dodgy Gaming Skills
A British startup is shaping video game inputs into training data for AI models that can navigate the physical world.
Nvidia’s Answer to Rogue Agents Is an Open-Source AI Security System
In the wake of a series of high-profile AI safety incidents, Nvidia is introducing a new software tool that helps keep agents from escaping containment.
Can Muse overcome Meta’s trust issues?
On Equity, we discussed how Meta's AI announcement managed to steal the spotlight from OpenAI and Anthropic.
Anthropic’s Dario Amodei gets the ‘SNL’ treatment
"Saturday Night Live" took on the AI industry’s recent warnings of doom last night, as cast member Jane Wickline offered her impression of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei.
Google tests buying from Walmart-owned Flipkart through Gemini and AI Mode in India
The limited test covers select products and users, with a broader rollout planned for later in October.
Meta’s Muse Is Adults-Only. Why Does It Look Like a Kids’ Toy?
Meta says Muse is just for adults, though its cuddly, Labubu-like mascot—and upcoming Tamagotchi-style AI device—may be disarming for users of all ages.
Thieves Stole ‘Nvidia’ Trailers. They Got 20 Tons of Sand
They wanted the silicon. They got the sand.
The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Cybersecurity, AI And Health Take The Lead
This week delivered a bountiful supply of big startup funding rounds, led by two $400 million financings for cybersecurity unicorns and large financings for startups across hot sectors, including...
Appeals Court Lets the Pentagon Designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk
The AI lab had argued multiple violations of its rights, but a divided panel of judges sided with the Trump administration.
The Download: the Pentagon’s AI-powered lie detector and young organ limits
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. The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie...
Tech Layoffs Outpace 2025 As Big Companies Shift Spending To AI
From January through August, U.S. tech layoffs reached at least 94,046, up 16.8% from 80,486 in the same period of 2025. Interestingly, and unsurprisingly, many of the cuts came as tech companies...
The Pentagon wants $30 million to build an AI-powered lie detector
The US government wants to spend $30.3 million over the next five years on an improved form of lie detector, according to a Department of Defense budget request. The program, called Polygraph+ or...
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
Roundtables: The Deadly Failures of The Virtual Border Wall
Source: Inference provider Modal Labs closing in on $750M round at $15.75B valuation
Shopify opens checkout to browser-based AI agents
Nvidia launches new platform for reining in rogue AI agents
Anthropic releases Sonnet 5.5, which it calls a significantly cheaper, faster work partner