October 2023

Pony.ai gets $100M, establishes JV with Saudi Arabia’s Neom

October 25, 2023

Chinese autonomous vehicle startup Pony.ai has scored $100 million from Neom, Saudi Arabia’s futuristic city and development project. As part of the deal, the two plan to establish a joint venture to develop, manufacture and deploy autonomous vehicles and smart infrastructure in Neom and key markets in the Middle East North Africa region. The deal […]

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EU commissioner sidesteps MEPs’ questions about CSAM proposal microtargeting

October 25, 2023

The European Union’s home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson, has confirmed the Commission is investigating whether or not it broke recently updated digital governance rules when her department ran a microtargeted political ad campaign aiming to drive support for a controversial child sexual abuse material (CSAM)-scanning proposal she’s spearheading. But at a committee hearing in the […]

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Singapore-based fintech YouTrip picks up $50M led by Lightspeed

October 25, 2023

YouTrip, a Singapore-based fintech that offers multi-currency wallet for consumers and business accounts with corporate cards for SMEs, has its eyes on growth throughout Southeast Asia after landing a Series B led by Lightspeed. The round was $50 million, and brings YouTrip’s total raised to $100 million since it launched in 2018. The new funding […]

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Robotaxis ‘do not belong in the city of Los Angeles,’ lawmaker says

October 25, 2023

Robotaxi oversight is now a priority at Los Angeles City Hall. At a press briefing on Wednesday, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez told Waymo and Cruise that their robotaxis are not welcome. “The purpose of this press event is to send a very clear message about robot taxis, and say that they do not belong in the […]

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Apple Pay Later is now available to all users in the US

October 25, 2023

Apple is making Apple Pay Later available to all users in the United States, after initially releasing it to a limited number of users back in March. Apple Pay Later allows users to split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments over six weeks without interest or late fees. The company […]

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Amazon’s new generative AI tool lets advertisers enhance product images

October 25, 2023

Amazon is rolling out a new AI image generation tool for advertisers to generate backgrounds based on product descriptions and themes. Amazon is currently beta testing the tool with select advertisers and will expand availability “over time,” the company says. To use the tool, advertisers upload a photo, type an image description describing a background […]

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