The Download: Neuralink’s biggest rivals, and the case for phasing out the term “user”

April 19, 2024
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. Beyond Neuralink: Meet the other companies developing brain-computer interfaces In the world of brain-computer interfaces, it can seem as if one company sucks up all the oxygen in the room. Last month, Neuralink…

Langdock raises $3M with General Catalyst to help companies avoid vendor lock-in with LLMs

April 19, 2024

Plenty of large corporations want to join the AI revolution, but many feel it’s too early to be locked into one foundational model. That means there’s a market for a layer between companies and Large Language Models (LLMs) — something companies can use to pick LLMs easily without needing to commit for all time to […]

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Meta AI is restricting election-related responses in India

April 19, 2024

Last week, Meta started testing its AI chatbot in India across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. But with the Indian general elections beginning today, the company is already blocking specific queries in its chatbot. Meta confirmed that it is restricting certain election-related keywords for AI in the test phase. It also said that it is working […]

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Apple pulls WhatsApp, Threads from China App Store following state order

April 19, 2024

Apple has removed the Meta-owned end-to-end encrypted messaging app WhatsApp from its App Store in China following a government order citing national security concerns, the news agency Reuters reported Friday. Meta’s newer, Twitter-esque text-based social networking app, Threads, has also been pulled from the App Store for the same reason, it said. “The Cyberspace Administration […]

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Tesla recalls the Cybertruck for faulty accelerator pedals that can get stuck

April 19, 2024

Tesla has issued a recall for the Cybertruck due to a problem where the accelerator pedal can get stuck, putting drivers at risk of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall caps a tumultuous week for Tesla. The company laid off more than 10% of its workforce on Monday, and […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Beyond Neuralink: Meet the other companies developing brain-computer interfaces

April 19, 2024
This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.  In the world of brain-computer interfaces, it can seem as if one company sucks up all the oxygen in the room. Last month, Neuralink posted a video to…

It’s time to retire the term “user”

April 19, 2024
Every Friday, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri speaks to the people. He has made a habit of hosting weekly “ask me anything” sessions on Instagram, in which followers send him questions about the app, its parent company Meta, and his own (extremely public-facing) job. When I started watching these AMA videos years ago, I liked them.…

Three ways the US could help universities compete with tech companies on AI innovation

April 19, 2024
The ongoing revolution in artificial intelligence has the potential to dramatically improve our lives—from the way we work to what we do to stay healthy. Yet ensuring that America and other democracies can help shape the trajectory of this technology requires going beyond the tech development taking place at private companies.  Research at universities drove…