Bluesky is at a crossroads as users petition to ban newcomer over anti-trans views
Now with 25 million users, Bluesky is facing a test that will determine whether or not its platform will still be seen as a safe space and place of refuge…
New Syndicate One fund joins Belgium’s small-but-punchy tech ecosystem
Syndicate One is a debut investment firm out of Belgium that has raised a €6.5 million fund to back Belgian founders and startups. While the amount is small, the significance…
WhatsApp lets you select specific people within a group to start a group call without disturbing anyone
WhatsApp announced that it had added new video calling features just before the holidays, including participant selection for group video calls, better resolution, and a revamped call tab on the…
As AI-fueled disinformation explodes, here comes the startup counterattack
With disinformation on the rise, especially given the explosion of AI, companies are just as vulnerable to its effects as individuals. Refute is a London-based startup that detects and responds…
A Waymo robotaxi got stuck in a roundabout loop
Roundabouts. They trapped Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” and now they’ve tripped up a Waymo robotaxi. A video is circulating on social media showing a Waymo robotaxi going…
Meta debuts a tool for watermarking AI-generated videos
Throw a stone and you’ll likely hit a deepfake. The commoditization of generative AI has led to an absolute explosion of fake content online: According to ID verification platform Sumsub,…
Microsoft debuts Phi-4, a new generative AI model, in research preview
Microsoft has announced the newest addition to its Phi family of generative AI models. Called Phi-4, the model is improved in several areas over its predecessors, Microsoft claims — in…
Google Gemini: Everything you need to know about the generative AI models
Google’s trying to make waves with Gemini, its flagship suite of generative AI models, apps, and services. But what’s Gemini? How can you use it? And how does it stack up…
Tesla’s loss is Zoox’s gain
Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson told the crowd at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 that he didn’t think Tesla would launch a robotaxi ride-hailing service in California (or anywhere else) next…
Threads rolls out its own version of Bluesky’s ‘Starter Packs’
Meta’s Threads is rolling out its own take on Bluesky’s “Starter Packs,” which are curated lists of suggested accounts that help new users find people to follow. Instagram head Adam…
Google wraps ‘blue links’ search test, lobbies for less maximalist application of EU’s DMA
Google has ended a test in which it was returning basic “blue link” search results for hotel-related searches in a handful of markets in the European Union, in response to…
DOJ asks court to reject TikTok’s bid to temporarily block sell-or-ban law
The Department of Justice has asked a U.S. appeals court to reject ByteDance and TikTok’s emergency motion that aims to temporarily block the law that would ban TikTok in the…