World model maker Odyssey nabs $1.45B valuation backed by Amazon and other big names
World models are the next big thing in AI beyond LLMs and, with this round, Odyssey has cemented itself as one of the startups to watch.
The Download: Google’s AI shake-up and Meta’s rogue model
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Google’s AI empire is being reshaped. Here’s what’s changed. After a wave of painful losses in the tech talent wars, delays to its next flagship model, and murmurings of poor morale,…
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Mastodon looks to newsletters to help revive the open social web
Mastodon’s newly launched newsletter feature lets anyone subscribe to creators by email, even without a Mastodon account.
Only 16 percent of Americans think AI will have a positive impact on society, a new study shows
Although Wall Street loves AI, every day Americans are significantly less optimistic about the industry, a new report from Pew Research shows.
Two Stanford grads raise $11M to build a noninvasive wearable for hormone tracking
Clair Health’s wearable will cost $369 and will an app-based subscription of $9.99 per month
This $91 Billion Fintech Startup Is Laying Off 10% of Workers Even Though the Business ‘Has Never Been Stronger’
Here’s why layoffs happened anyway, despite business being strong.
Google bets on Gemini to reinvent the smart home speaker
Google is betting generative AI can breathe new life into the smart speaker. The company’s new $99.99 Google Home Speaker replaces the rigid commands of the Google Assistant era with more conversational Gemini interactions.
PayPal Ventures shutters as company restructuring continues
The corporate venture arm ends after 10 years and 80 investments.
The slowtech revolution is here to kill your phone addiction and rescue your attention span
“People just really want to take back control of their time, their lives, their attention… They’re down for whatever helps them do that.”
Collecting robot training data is dirty, unglamorous work. Some AI labs are already paying XDOF to do it
If physical AI is going to match the accomplishments of LLMs, there’s a data problem that needs to be solved.
Apple Is Developing AirPods With Cameras — But They Won’t Take a Single Photo
According to Bloomberg, the cameras will act as eyes for Siri, letting the AI assistant understand the world around you.