February 22, 2025

US AI Safety Institute could face big cuts

The National Institute of Standards and Technology could fire as many as 500 staffers, according to multiple reports — cuts that further threaten a fledgling AI safety organization. Axios reported this week that the US AI Safety Institute (AISI) and Chips for America, both part of NIST, would be “gutted” by layoffs targeting probationary employees […]

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December 2022

TuSimple and Navistar end deal to co-develop autonomous trucks

December 6, 2022

Autonomous trucking technology company TuSimple and truck manufacturer Navistar have scrapped their deal to co-develop self-driving trucks, the companies said Monday. Neither company provided a reason for ending the partnership. Two years ago, TuSimple and Navistar had agreed to jointly develop and produce purpose-built autonomous semi trucks by 2024; this would be a move away […]

TuSimple and Navistar end deal to co-develop autonomous trucks by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

“李老师”口述：如何成为推特上中国抗议信息的聚集地

December 6, 2022
Editor’s note: This is a translation of a story about a Chinese painter based in Italy who became a critical source of information for many in China during recent protests against the country’s zero-covid policy. Find the English language version here. 过去一周，随着针对中国新冠防疫政策的抗议席卷了社交媒体，一个推特账号@李老师不是你老师 变成了各种相关信息来源的“集散地”。中国各地民众纷纷通过私信发来抗议视频和实时消息，而该账号帮投稿人隐去身份，匿名将这些消息发布出来。 这个账户背后只有一个人：李（大家称他为李老师），出于安全考虑，他要求只透露姓氏。他是一位居住在意大利的中国画家，且从未在新闻行业工作过，但这并没有阻止他把自己的推特账号变成了一个单人值守的新闻直播间。 针对新冠清零政策的抗议活动在 11 月的最后一个周末达到了高峰，李老师每秒钟都会收到十几条私信，他也在尽可能在收到投稿的一瞬间分辨、过滤掉不实信息。尽管在过去的一年里，他一直在发布关注者们的匿名私信，但这对他来说，也是一次完全不同的经历。 长期以来，他一直在网上关注并谈论中国的社会问题。2021 年的时候，他开始在微博上收到私信，这些人担心暴露自己的身份，希望通过他将这些信息发布出去。 但是后来，他发布的消息开始被审查和删帖；到今年2月，他的账户被封禁。之后的两个月中，他又有 49 个账户陆续被禁。但他的关注者们大方地让他使用自己的手机号去注册更多的账号（来发布信息）。今年 4 月，他被微博禁止访问，于是辗转到了推特。也正是在推特上，他收到了大量国际账户以及翻墙访问推特的中国用户的关注。 上周，郑州富士康工厂的工人与管理层爆发冲突，李老师开始通过中国社交媒体和他的关注者提供的信息来跟踪事态走向。那一晚，他只休息了 3…

Microsoft could get its first official union as ZeniMax QA testers organize

December 6, 2022

A group of about 300 quality assurance (QA) testers at video game company ZeniMax Media are seeking to form the first ever union at Microsoft, the parent company to their studio. ZeniMax includes subsidiaries like Bethesda Softworks and id Software, producing franchises like The Elder Scrolls, Doom and Fallout. Union organizing has been on the […]

Microsoft could get its first official union as ZeniMax QA testers organize by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch

Uber Eats to pay millions for listing Chicago restaurants without consent

December 6, 2022

Uber has agreed to a $10 million settlement with the City of Chicago for listing local restaurants in the Uber Eats and Postmates food delivery apps without the restaurants’ consent, as well as for charging excess commission fees. Over $5 million will go toward paying damages back to Chicago restaurants that were affected, and $1.5 million […]

Uber Eats to pay millions for listing Chicago restaurants without consent by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Chattermill, which uses AI to extract insights from customer experience data, raises $26M

December 6, 2022

Chattermill, a platform that helps companies unlock insights by analyzing customer feedback data from across myriad digital channels, has raised $26 million in a Series B round of funding. Founded out of London in 2015, companies such as Uber and Amazon use Chattermill to unify all their customer data, integrating with social networks, customer feedback […]

Chattermill, which uses AI to extract insights from customer experience data, raises $26M by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

ChatGPT shrugged

December 6, 2022

ChatGPT is a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that’s designed to help people communicate with computers in a more natural and intuitive way — using natural language processing (NLP) technology. But what’s behind the development of ChatGPT and how can the tech be used to help humanity? These are some of the questions that we […]

ChatGPT shrugged by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

Lensa AI, the viral app making ‘magic avatars,’ raises red flags for artists

December 6, 2022

If your Instagram is awash in algorithmically generated portraits of your friends, you aren’t alone. After adding a new avatar generation tool based on Stable Diffusion, the photo editing app Lensa AI went viral over the last few days, with users sharing their uncanny AI-crafted avatars (and the horrible misfires) in stories and posts. Lensa’s […]

Lensa AI, the viral app making ‘magic avatars,’ raises red flags for artists by Taylor Hatmaker originally published on TechCrunch

Tier-owned Spin exits 10 US markets amid low demand, unfavorable city regulations

December 6, 2022

Micromobility operator Spin is leaving 10 U.S. markets due to a combination of low demand, over-regulation, under-regulation and poor cost structures, according to a company-wide email sent Friday by Philip Reinckens, Spin’s CEO, that was shared with TechCrunch. Reinckens said the market exits would help Spin cut costs and focus on growing markets that provide […]

Tier-owned Spin exits 10 US markets amid low demand, unfavorable city regulations by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch