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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April 2023

Strivacity, which helps companies build secure login flows, nabs $20M

April 4, 2023

Identity and access security issues are increasingly top of mind for companies. According to a recent Verizon survey, 61% of all breaches now involve credentials — whether they be stolen via social engineering or hacked using brute force. It’s frustrating for users, too; a NordPass poll found that eight out of ten people find password […]

Strivacity, which helps companies build secure login flows, nabs $20M by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

China probes Micron for cybersecurity risks, urges Japan to stay out of U.S. chip export curbs 

April 4, 2023

The U.S. and China chip battle continues to escalate. In China, the country’s cybersecurity watchdog has initiated a probe into U.S. memory chip maker Micron Technology, according to a statement from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) released on Friday. The development came on the same day that Japan announced plans to impose export restrictions on […]

China probes Micron for cybersecurity risks, urges Japan to stay out of U.S. chip export curbs  by Kate Park originally published on TechCrunch

DFC invests $25M in Novastar’s Africa People + Planet Fund

April 4, 2023

The U.S International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has made equity investment to the tune of $25 million in a new fund by Pan-African venture capital firm Novastar Ventures, to back founders building agriculture and climate solutions. The DFC revealed details of the transaction, and Novastar’s new investment vehicle, the Africa People + Planet Fund, during […]

DFC invests $25M in Novastar’s Africa People + Planet Fund by Annie Njanja originally published on TechCrunch

The complex math of counterfactuals could help Spotify pick your next favorite song

April 4, 2023
A new kind of machine-learning model built by a team of researchers at the music-streaming firm Spotify captures for the first time the complex math behind counterfactual analysis, a precise technique that can be used to identify the causes of past events and predict the effects of future ones. The model, described earlier this year…

Amazon wants to boost ten generative AI startups around the globe

April 4, 2023

Amazon’s first foray into the world of accelerator programs, designed to help early-stage startups build and launch, was focused on conversational AI back in 2016. Now, seven years later, Amazon has another AI accelerator – this time led by Amazon Web Services with a focus on the newest zeitgeist: generative artificial intelligence. Announced today, AWS […]

Amazon wants to boost ten generative AI startups around the globe by Natasha Mascarenhas originally published on TechCrunch

How Russia killed its tech industry

April 4, 2023
Seven days after the invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Belugin packed up his and his family’s belongings, canceled the lease on his apartment in Moscow, withdrew his kids from kindergarten, and started a new life outside of Russia. Not long after that, he resigned from his position as chief commercial officer for search at Yandex, Russia’s…

We are hurtling toward a glitchy, spammy, scammy, AI-powered internet

April 4, 2023
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. Last week, AI insiders were hotly debating an open letter signed by Elon Musk and various industry heavyweights arguing that AI poses an “existential risk” to humanity. They called for labs to introduce a…

Shuttlers raises $4M to fuel its shared mobility solution across Nigeria

April 4, 2023

Shuttlers, a Nigerian shared mobility company that allows individual and corporate passengers to take rides on multiple bus routes via an app, has raised $4 million in a new funding round led by Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures (VKAV), a Pan-African focused venture capital firm. The round welcomed participation from follow-on investors, including VestedWorld, which led the […]

Shuttlers raises $4M to fuel its shared mobility solution across Nigeria by Tage Kene-Okafor originally published on TechCrunch

Walmart-backed fintech giant PhonePe makes e-commerce push

April 4, 2023

In a move reminiscent of its successful early bet on the government-backed UPI network seven years ago, PhonePe, India’s leading mobile payments app, is now setting its sights on the e-commerce sector. The Bengaluru-based startup, backed by retail giant Walmart, launched a hyperlocal commerce app on Pincode, powered by the Open Network for Digital Commerce […]

Walmart-backed fintech giant PhonePe makes e-commerce push by Manish Singh originally published on TechCrunch