Author: GT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence chatbot makers OpenAI and Meta say they are adjusting how their chatbots respond to teenagers and other users asking questions about suicide or showing signs of mental and emotional distress. OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, said Tuesday it is preparing to roll out new controls enabling parents to link their accounts to their teen’s account.Parents can choose which features to disable and “receive notifications when the system detects their teen is in a moment of acute distress,” according to a company blog post that says the changes will go into effect this fall. Regardless of…

The clock is ticking, and exhibit space at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is filling up fast. With just 4 days left to book your table, now’s the time to stop circling the idea and claim your spot on the show floor. Only 10 tables remain — and once they’re gone, they’re gone. No waitlist. No last-minute add-ons. Disrupt draws over 10,000 startup and VC leaders, and the exhibit floor is where some of the biggest conversations begin. If you’ve got a killer product, a bold vision, or early traction, and you’re ready to scale, then this is your platform. Image Credits:Silkroad…

The vast majority (92%) of marketing professionals are using AI in their day-to-day operations, turning it from a buzzword into a workhorse.According to SAP Emarsys – which took the pulse of over 10,000 consumers and 1,250 marketers – while businesses are seeing real benefits from AI, shoppers are becoming increasingly distrustful, especially when it comes to their personal data. This divide could easily unravel the personalised shopping experience that brands are working so hard to build.The rush to bring AI into marketing has been fast and decisive. As Sara Richter, CMO at SAP Emarsys, puts it, “AI marketing is now…

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L), Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd R) and Mongolian President Ukhnagiin Khurelsukh (not seen) get together for a trilateral meeting in Beijing, China on September 2, 2025.Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesRussia and China on Tuesday signed a legally binding deal to build the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, deepening commercial ties in what is likely to be seen as a defiant signal to the West.Alexei Miller, the chief executive of Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom, told Russian news agencies that a memorandum of understanding had been signed on the construction of the new…

Oil prices edged down on Tuesday after surging nearly 2% in the previous session, as traders kept a close watch on developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Anton Petrus | Moment | Getty ImagesOil prices gained ground on Tuesday, as Ukraine war escalations raised questions over the resilience of Russian supplies, while uncertainty lingers over the impact of Washington’s policies on key oil consumers.Brent futures with November expiry were at $69.46 per barrel at 10:54 a.m. London time ( 5:54 a.m. E.T.), up 1.92% from the Monday close.  The front-month October Nymex WTI contract was trading at $65.97 per barrel, higher…

I want to be clear from the outset. I’ve never been a car enthusiast. My driving history includes a hand-me-down Volvo with a hole in the floorboards and a series of aggressively practical vehicles, including a VW Golf and a Mazda SUV in which I hauled my family around for 12 years. Then I leased a BMW i4 electric car. What drew me to the i4? Unlike other electric vehicles, BMWs don’t look like something out of the Jetsons; I like that they’re understated cars that happen to be electric. I liked that they’re far less common than other EVs…

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attends a press conference at government quarters Rosenbad after the trade talks between the U.S. and China concluded, in Stockholm, Sweden, July 29, 2025. Magnus Lejhall | TT | Via Reuters Even if the U.S. Supreme Court agrees with a federal appeals court’s ruling that most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs are illegal, it doesn’t mean the case is closed on those levies.U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly told Reuters on Monday that there are “other authorities that can be used” to uphold the tariffs. One of them could be the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, Bessent…

Eight U.S. and Indian venture capital and private equity firms — including storied investors Accel, Blume Ventures, Celesta Capital, and Premji Invest — have formed an unusual coalition to back India’s deep tech startups, pledging more than $1 billion over the next decade to strengthen U.S.-India tech ties. The alliance addresses longstanding funding concerns. In April, Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal drew criticism after slamming domestic startups for focusing on food delivery instead of innovation, contrasting them with Chinese firms in a presentation titled “India vs. China: The Startup Reality Check.” Several investors and founders countered that India lacks capital…

Indian e-commerce startup Citymall, which focuses on budget-focused grocery delivery for tier 2 and tier 3 towns, said today that it has raised $47 million in Series D funding led by Accel, with participation from existing investors including Waterbridge Ventures, Citius, General Catalyst, Elevation Capital, Norwest Venture Partners, and Jungle Ventures. The Series D round comes three years after the company’s $75 million Series C round led by Norwest Venture Partners. The valuation of the company at $320 million has remained flat over this period. According to sources familiar with the deal who spoke with TechCrunch, investors used nearly a…

Aging demographics, labor shortages, the adoption of GenAI, and the 2023 implementation of e-invoicing are driving companies to automate finance, tax, procurement, and HR in Japan. Yet only 16% of digital transformations succeed, and that’s only 4–11% in traditional industries. The main barriers? Weak leadership commitment, a rigid culture, and a lack of digital talent. LayerX offers an AI SaaS platform to help enterprises scale back-office automation. LayerX, a Japanese AI SaaS startup that enables businesses to cut back-office workload, has raised $100 million in a Series B round led by Technology Cross Ventures (TCV), marking the U.S. fund’s first…