OpenAI will start watermarking ChatGPT’s text in the EU
OpenAI will watermark ChatGPT and Codex text in the EU to comply with the AI Act. Editing can make the invisible marks harder to detect, it says.
The Download: failed social media bans, and extending pets’ lives
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. Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve. —Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia, and Danah Boyd Social media bans are stacking up. In July, France joined…
Etched fields funding offers at $40B+ valuation, sources say
Just a couple of months after its last big raise, the AI chip startup is already being plied with investment offers at double or more its current value, sources tell TechCrunch.
After Factory’s public spat with Khosla, Menlo proudly invests
Days after Vinod Khosla called Factory a struggling also-ran, Menlo has shown up with a check and a glowing blog post.
Reflection debuts Beam, an open-weight AI model to rival Chinese models at lower compute cost
Nvidia-backed Reflection AI unveils Beam, its first open-weight model, which it says rivals GLM-5.2 on reasoning with far less inference compute. Weights are due this month.
Social Media Collaboration Is One of the Most Powerful Growth Tools You’re Not Using Yet
If your content is only reaching people who already know your business, you may be hitting a growth ceiling without realizing it.
He Wrote Down Everything People Hate About Going to the Doctor. Then He Built a Business to Fix It.
Dr. Darshan Shah created Next Health to take the fear and frustration out of doctor visits. Now, he has more than 25 clinics around the world.
Instinct brings its AI agent to group chats, even for friends without an account
Instinct is launching group chats that let friends use its AI agent together for tasks like planning trips, organizing carpools, and coordinating events. The company says personal accounts remain separate, with permission required before personal agents share information or take action.
They Make More Than $300,000 a Year — And Still Say They’re Living Paycheck to Paycheck
A Goldman Sachs survey suggests even high-income Americans are struggling to build savings.
TikTok rolls out an AI shopping assistant and one-click checkout
TikTok describes its new Shopping Assistant as a conversational AI agent designed to help users discover and purchase products.
Everyone Wants to Build AI Apps — I’m Betting on What Powers Them. Here’s Why.
Here’s why I’m betting on the picks and shovels of AI, not the apps.