Arc Search’s new Call Arc feature lets you ask questions by ‘making a phone call’
Arc Search, the new app from The Browser Company, is introducing a way for users to get quick answers on the go using their voice. The AI-powered feature, Call Arc, works by essentially getting users to place a quick phone call to get answers to queries. While Arc Search already offers Voice Search, the new feature is […]
Paris transit passes now available in iPhone’s Wallet app
After multiple delays, Apple and the Paris area transportation authority rolled out support for Paris transit passes in Apple Wallet. It means that people can now use their iPhone or Apple Watch as a Navigo pass to ride the metro, train, tram or bus. This is important news for Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) — the transportation authority — […]
Foursquare just laid off 105 employees
Per an email sent out to staffers Thursday afternoon by current CEO Gary Little and viewed by TechCrunch, 105 employees were just let go as the company seeks to “streamline” its operations, and “set the company on more sustainable financial footing.” Impacted employees saw their system access removed upon receipt of Foursquare’s notification email. Little […]
$6M fine for robocaller who used AI to clone Biden’s voice
The FCC has proposed a $6 million fine for the scammer who used voice-cloning tech to impersonate President Biden in a series of illegal robocalls during a New Hampshire primary election. It’s more about robocalls than AI, but the agency is clearly positioning this as a warning to other would-be high-tech scammers. As you may recall, […]
This Week in AI: OpenAI and publishers are partners of convenience
Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of recent stories in the world of machine learning, along with notable research and experiments we didn’t cover on their own. By the way, TechCrunch plans to launch an AI newsletter […]
Big tech companies are plowing money into AI startups, which could help them dodge antitrust concerns
Another week, and another round of crazy cash injections and valuations emerged from the AI realm. DeepL, an AI language translation startup, raised $300 million on a $2 billion valuation; Scale AI, a data-labeling platform for machine learning models, secured $1 billion as its valuation nearly doubled to $13.8 billion; and H, a fledgling French startup working on its own frontier […]
From Plaid to Figma, here are the startups that are likely — or definitely — not having IPOs this year
Last year’s investor dreams of a strong 2024 IPO pipeline have faded, if not fully disappeared, as we approach the halfway point of the year. 2024 delivered four venture-backed tech IPOs, Reddit, Astera Labs, Ibotta and Rubrik, in March and April, which made it seem like this year could spur the momentum investors had hoped for in 2023. But secondary […]
Deal Dive: Can blockchain make weather forecasts better? WeatherXM thinks so
Accurate weather forecasts are critical to industries like agriculture, and they’re also important to help prevent and mitigate harm from inclement weather events or natural disasters. But getting forecasts right is extremely difficult. That’s why the founders of WeatherXM have been looking to make weather forecasts more accurate for the past 12 years. In 2012, […]
OnePlus Open 2/Oppo Find N4 to Release in Early 2025 With Better Hinge
OnePlus Open, also known as the Oppo Find N3 in China, is arguably one of the best foldable smartphones on the market, even ahead of Samsung’s fifth-generation Galaxy Z Fold. Its successor, OnePlus Open 2, may come later than expected as per a new report from reputable Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station. According to the tipster, the OnePlus Open […]
WhatsApp Will Finally Let You Change Chat Bubble Colors Soon
WhatsApp has been playing catch up with the likes of Telegram in terms of features. To that end, WhatsApp is finally working on adding options for different chat bubble colors, so users are no longer limited to the default options. Better late than ever. As always, the news comes from WABetaInfo, which has spotted this feature in […]