Author: GT

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. What started as a tool to supercharge productivity through writing essays and code with short text prompts has evolved into a behemoth with 300 million weekly active users. 2024 was a big year for OpenAI, from its partnership with Apple for its generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, the release of GPT-4o with voice capabilities, and the highly-anticipated launch of its text-to-video model Sora. OpenAI also faced its share of internal drama, including the notable exits of high-level execs like co-founder and longtime chief…

Google’s President of Global Affairs, Kent Walker, has urged the EU to increase AI adoption through a smarter regulatory approach amid increasing competition, particularly from China.Speaking at the Competitive Europe Summit in Brussels, Walker positioned AI as a tool that philosophers and economists call an “invention of a method of invention” which will reshape nearly every aspect of modern life and define the future of geopolitical leadership. The Google and Alphabet executive stressed that the stakes are incredibly high for the continent’s future prosperity and security.While acknowledging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent assertion that getting AI right…

Fubo, the popular live sports TV streaming service, announced on Tuesday that its shareholders have approved its transaction with Disney, combining Fubo with Hulu Live TV.  Initially announced in January, the deal brings the companies closer to finalizing an agreement that is anticipated to disrupt the streaming industry by making Hulu a far bigger threat to its larger rival, YouTube. YouTube TV reportedly now has around 10 million subscribers, in large part due to is live sports-related content. Hulu Live TV and Fubo together have about 6 million subscribers, so this merger is a step toward closing that competitive gap. …

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban government on Wednesday rejected reports of a nationwide internet ban in Afghanistan, saying old fiber optic cables are worn out and are being replaced. The announcement was the Taliban’s first public statement on a communications blackout that has disrupted banking, commerce and aviation. Several provinces last month confirmed an internet shutdown because of a decree from the Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to combat immorality.“There is nothing like the rumors being spread that we have imposed a ban on the internet,” Taliban officials said in a three-line statement shared in a WhatsApp chat group with Pakistani…

What happens when your first 10 hires aren’t people at all? At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 27–29 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, we’re digging into the new wave of startups replacing or augmenting early employees with AI agents. Think outbound sales, billing, and customer support — automated from day one. This panel, hosted on the Builders Stage, features a mix of technical founders and seasoned operators who are actually doing it, debating where the line between human and machine should be drawn — and how far is too far. Meet the speakers Caleb Peffer, founder and CEO of Firecrawl,…

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Scientists have uncovered new types of organics in icy geysers spouting from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, bolstering the likelihood that the ocean world may harbor conditions suitable for life.Their findings, reported Wednesday, are based on observations made by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in 2008 during a close and fast flyby of Enceladus. The small moon, one of 274 orbiting Saturn, has long been considered a prime candidate in the search for life beyond Earth because of its hidden ocean and plumes of water erupting from cracks near its south pole.While Enceladus may be habitable, no one is…

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has found a widening chasm separating an elite of AI masters from the majority of firms struggling to generate any value from their AI investments.A study from BCG found that a mere five percent of companies are successfully achieving bottom-line value from AI at scale. In sharp contrast, 60 percent are failing to achieve any material value, reporting only minimal gains despite making substantial investments in the technology.“AI is reshaping the business landscape far faster than previous technology waves,” said Nicolas de Bellefonds , a managing director and senior partner and global leader of BCG’s AI…

On Tuesday, OpenAI announced the release of Sora 2, an audio and video generator to succeed last year’s Sora. Along with the model, the company also launched a linked social app called Sora, where users can generate videos of themselves and their friends to share on a TikTok-style algorithmic feed. OpenAI’s work on a new social platform was previously reported by Wired. While we haven’t been able to test the invite-only app and Sora 2 model ourselves yet, OpenAI has shared impressive examples. In particular, Sora 2 is better at following the laws of physics, making the videos more realistic.…

Periodic Labs came out of stealth on Tuesday with a war chest of $300 million as a seed round, backed by a tech industry who’s who: Andreessen Horowitz, DST, Nvidia, Accel, Elad Gil, Jeff Dean, Eric Schmidt, and Jeff Bezos. Periodic Labs was founded by Ekin Dogus Cubuk and Liam Fedus. Cubuk led the materials and chemistry team at Google Brain and DeepMind, where one of his projects was, for instance, an AI tool called GNoME. That tool discovered over 2 million new crystals in 2023, materials that could one day be used to power new generations of technology, researchers…

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has blocked an effort to pass legislation that would have extended data privacy protections for federal lawmakers and public officials to everyone in the United States. On Monday night, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) asked the U.S. Senate for unanimous consent from fellow senators to pass his legislation, S.2850, or Protecting Americans from Doxing and Political Violence Act. Wyden’s bill, if passed, would have taken bipartisan-passed provisions designed to protect government officials, lawmakers, and their families from having their personal information sold or traded by data brokers, and extend them to every American and person living in…