July 23, 2025

The Download: what’s next for AI agents, and how Trump protects US tech companies overseas

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. Navigating the rise of AI agents AI agents is a buzzy term that essentially refers to AI models and algorithms that can not only provide you with information, but take actions on your…

Microsoft to sunset Soundscape 3D audio app and open-source the code

December 13, 2022

Microsoft is sunsetting an experimental research project that uses audio-based technology to help visually-impaired people navigate and gain a stronger awareness of their surroundings. However, the company also revealed that it will release the code under an open source license for other developers to use. The technology giant first debuted Soundscape back in 2017, essentially […]

Microsoft to sunset Soundscape 3D audio app and open-source the code by Paul Sawers originally published on TechCrunch

A quick guide to all the checkmarks and badges on Twitter

December 13, 2022

Elon Musk-led Twitter is shaking up its verification system. Instead of one checkmark, now there are multicolored checkmarks to denote different things. This could be very confusing for users to track. So here’s a handy guide to all checkmarks and badges on the social network. Checkmarks Blue checkmark: It currently means two things. 1) Account […]

A quick guide to all the checkmarks and badges on Twitter by Ivan Mehta originally published on TechCrunch

California’s finance department confirms breach as LockBit claims data theft

December 13, 2022

California’s Department of Finance has confirmed it’s investigating a “cybersecurity incident” after the prolific LockBit ransomware group claims to have stolen confidential data from the agency. The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) in a statement on Monday described the threat as an “intrusion” that was “identified through coordination with state and federal security […]

California’s finance department confirms breach as LockBit claims data theft by Carly Page originally published on TechCrunch

Image-generating AI can copy and paste from training data, raising IP concerns

December 13, 2022

Image-generating AI models like DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion can — and do — replicate aspects of images from their training data, researchers show in a new study, raising concerns as these services enter wide commercial use. Co-authored by scientists at the University of Maryland and New York University, the research identifies cases where image-generating […]

Image-generating AI can copy and paste from training data, raising IP concerns by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

Vic.ai raises $52M, shows that automating accounting processes can be profitable

December 13, 2022

AI is an imperfect technology, but one task at which it excels is identifying patterns in vast amounts of data. That’s perhaps why a number of startups have sprung up in recent years offering AI-powered products aimed at automating accounting tasks, like redacting sensitive info in paperwork and filing forms across different departments. Simply put, […]

Vic.ai raises $52M, shows that automating accounting processes can be profitable by Kyle Wiggers originally published on TechCrunch

China’s generative AI rules set boundaries and punishments for misuse

December 13, 2022

As text-to-image generators and intelligent chatbots keep blowing people’s minds, China has swiftly moved to lay out what people can do with the tools built on powerful AI models. The country’s regulators clearly verge on the side of caution when it comes to the consequences of generative AI. That’s a contrast to the US, which […]

China’s generative AI rules set boundaries and punishments for misuse by Rita Liao originally published on TechCrunch

SEC, CFTC and SDNY attorney’s office charge FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried with defrauding investors

December 13, 2022

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has officially charged disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (aka SBF) with defrauding investors, it revealed on Tuesday morning follwing his arrest in the Bahamas. The SEC said in a press release that in addition to being charges with fraud regarding equity investors in FTX, he’s also being investigated regarding […]

SEC, CFTC and SDNY attorney’s office charge FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried with defrauding investors by Darrell Etherington originally published on TechCrunch

How it feels to be sexually objectified by an AI

December 13, 2022
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. My social media feeds this week have been dominated by two hot topics: OpenAI’s latest chatbot, ChatGPT, and the viral AI avatar app Lensa. I love playing around with new technology, so…

Sana raises $34M for its AI-based knowledge management and learning platform for workplaces

December 13, 2022

Artificial intelligence is touching every aspect of how we engage with information (and much more) these days. Today, a startup building out a business based on one particular application of that — how to apply AI to knowledge management in the workplace — is announcing some funding as it finds some decent traction for its […]

Sana raises $34M for its AI-based knowledge management and learning platform for workplaces by Ingrid Lunden originally published on TechCrunch