Technology

Most trucks today are headed in the wrong direction, metaphorically speaking. They’re far too big and heavy, with shrinking beds and expanding cabins that reflect their turn from a classic workhorse into a status symbol-meets-family car. This is my take, but I’m not just here to blab about aesthetics and my weird love of teeny-tiny […]

EV startup Telo bets America is ready for a dreamy little pickup by Harri Weber originally published on TechCrunch

Fernride has figured out a way to launch a commercially viable autonomous, electric truck business today. The secret? Not driving on public roads. Most AV trucking companies are going after the moonshot: using self-driving freight trucks — typically 18-wheelers — to haul goods over long distances. Startups like Waymo, TuSimple, Kodiak Robotics and Aurora have […]

Fernride nudges yard trucks towards full autonomy with $31M in new funds by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch

Once the pandemic normalized virtual meetups, the concept of “personalized AI” began to gain steam. Startups creating “AI-driven” avatars — realistic-looking characters with synthetic voices that star in pre-recorded or live videos — have raised hundreds of millions of dollars in venture capital over the past few years. As such avatars improve, they promise to […]

Synthesia secures $90M for AI that generates custom avatars by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

We are moving in the wrong direction: Bigger and more expensive means that EV ownership is becoming less accessible, not more so.

EVs are going backwards by Haje Jan Kamps originally published on TechCrunch

Google, ever eager to lean into generative AI, is launching a new shopping feature that shows clothes on a lineup of real-life fashion models. A part of a wide range of updates to Google Shopping rolling out in the coming weeks, Google’s virtual try-on tool for apparel takes an image of clothing and attempts to […]

Google’s new generative AI lets you preview clothes on different models by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

The European Parliament has voted to confirm its negotiating mandate for the AI Act — hitting a major milestone which unlocks the next stage of negotiations toward a pan-EU rule-book for artificial intelligence. Parliamentarians backed an amended version of the Commission proposal that expands the rule-book in a way they say is aimed at ensuring […]

Europe takes another big step towards agreeing an AI rulebook by Natasha Lomas originally published on TechCrunch

In 2015, Michael Burdick and Dan Wywrot, who’d spent years working at large accounting firms, founded a startup — Paro — to deliver finance and accounting solutions to businesses through a network of freelance talent. They say they were inspired by the lack of flexibility in traditional accounting firms to choose which projects to work […]

Paro raises $25M to match freelance financial experts with firms by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch