Industry News
OpenAI will start watermarking ChatGPT’s text in the EU
OpenAI will watermark ChatGPT and Codex text in the EU to comply with the AI Act. Editing can make the invisible marks harder to detect, it says.
Etched fields funding offers at $40B+ valuation, sources say
Just a couple of months after its last big raise, the AI chip startup is already being plied with investment offers at double or more its current value, sources tell TechCrunch.
After Factory’s public spat with Khosla, Menlo proudly invests
Days after Vinod Khosla called Factory a struggling also-ran, Menlo has shown up with a check and a glowing blog post.
Reflection debuts Beam, an open-weight AI model to rival Chinese models at lower compute cost
Reflection is aiming Beam and future models at enterprises and sovereign nations. The pitch is to build “AI factories,” a product that would let institutions build their own customized, local AI system by training Reflection’s AI models on their own pr…
Instinct brings its AI agent to group chats, even for friends without an account
Instinct is launching group chats that let friends use its AI agent together for tasks like planning trips, organizing carpools, and coordinating events. The company says personal accounts remain separate, with permission required before personal agent…
TikTok rolls out an AI shopping assistant and one-click checkout
TikTok describes its new Shopping Assistant as a conversational AI agent designed to help users discover and purchase products.
At 19, founder raises $11 million for Ghost, maker of a $3,499 computer for personal AI
Ghost announced Monday its official emergence from stealth and an $11 billion seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz.
Hot Girl Hotline is like ‘Dear Abby’ for the AI era
Founded by two sisters, Hot Girl Hotline uses AI to give young women personalized dating and relationship advice, with an emphasis on safety and avoiding emotional dependency.
5 startups that caught VCs’ attention at the latest PearX demo day
TechCrunch attended Pear’s latest demo day and discovered which startups generated the most buzz, from spatial models to chips for local AI.