Is it legal to train AI models on copyrighted books? It’s complicated

August 23, 2026

Most published authors have, without their knowledge or consent, contributed to the development of the same AI tools that threaten to undermine their livelihoods. That seems illegal, right?

Two years after launch, Walmart’s Flipkart is closing in on India’s quick-commerce leaders

August 23, 2026

Flipkart’s quick-commerce venture is delivering 1.1 million to 1.2 million orders a day, nearly triple its November volume.

Harvard’s $699 startup bootcamp offers AI avatars of its instructors

August 22, 2026

In the HBS Foundry program, AI avatars provide feedback during practice pitches and board meetings.

Will the DOJ’s investigation into a16z spook other VCs?

August 22, 2026

On the latest episode of Equity, we wonder why the DOJ is investigating startup board seats.

Inherent, founded by DeepMind alumni, says its AI ‘teammate’ just outperformed Anthropic and OpenAI at replicating research

August 22, 2026

Built by DeepMind alumni, British AI lab Inherent released Faraday, an AI agent whose ability to replicate scientific papers could be a stepping stone for innovation.

OpenAI says California should strengthen its AI safety bill

August 22, 2026

OpenAI is calling for California to strengthen SB 53, an AI safety bill that the company previously opposed.

Frontier AI labs still won’t say how they’d contain a rogue model

August 22, 2026

A new study finds leading AI labs have few publicly documented plans for containing rogue models, raising questions about preparedness as AI systems increasingly demonstrate unexpected and potentially dangerous behavior.

US battery startups have found a lifeline in defense

August 22, 2026

U.S. battery startups pulled in $500 million in grants from the Department of Energy, throwing a lifeline to an industry that was on the ropes after EV incentives were slashed.

Pixel 11 Pro XL review: Snappier cameras can’t hide an iterative upgrade

August 22, 2026

Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL brings snappier cameras and genuinely useful AI features like Rambler, but its iterative upgrades may not be enough to tempt recent Pixel owners.

Pitching Luxury Tech? Investors Don’t Get It. Here’s How to Change That.

August 22, 2026

Most VCs don’t speak the language of premium consumer experiences. Here’s how to translate.

The Download: AI “mind-reading” and creative uses for small batteries