The New York Times and Amazon ink AI licensing deal
Nearly two years after suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, The New York Times has agreed to license its editorial content to Amazon to train the tech giant’s AI platforms.
The U.S. Navy is more aggressively telling startups, ‘We want you’
While Silicon Valley executives like those from Palantir, Meta, and OpenAI are grabbing headlines for trading their Brunello Cucinelli vests for Army Reserve uniforms, a quieter transformation has been underway in the U.S. Navy. How? Well, the Navy’s Chief Technology Officer Justin Fanelli says he has spent the last two and a half years focused […]
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Zeal Capital Partners announces close of $82M Fund II
Zeal Capital Partners announced on Wednesday the close of its second fund, raising $82 million. Limited partners in the fund include Citi Impact Fund, M&T Bank, Wells Fargo, and Spelman College. It hopes to invest in at least 25 early-stage companies, writing check sizes between $1 million and $2.3 million, with 50% of the fund […]
The Download: the next anti-drone weapon, and powering AI’s growth
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. This giant microwave may change the future of war Imagine: China deploys hundreds of thousands of autonomous drones in the air, on the sea, and under the water—all armed with explosive warheads or…
Buildots raises $45M to help companies track construction progress
In the construction industry, managers can easily become disconnected from what’s happening on-site. Among the many tasks to juggle are staying apprised of costs, communicating with all stakeholders, and assessing risk related to aspects like contractor billing and performance. Buildots wants to change all of that through AI and computer vision. Founded in 2018 by […]
Meet LoveJack, the dating app designed for users to find love using just five words
As Kevin Malone from “The Office” once said, “Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?” For Julia LeStage and Lisa Le, the creators of a new dating app called LoveJack, finding love online doesn’t have to feel like filling out a mountain of paperwork. Sometimes, all you need are a few […]
What will power AI’s growth?
It’s been a little over a week since we published Power Hungry, a package that takes a hard look at the expected energy demands of AI. Last week in this newsletter, I broke down the centerpiece of that package, an analysis I did with my colleague James O’Donnell. (In case you’re still looking for an…
X hits pause on its encrypted DMs feature
X said it will work on “making some improvements” to the encrypted DMs feature. It didn’t mention when the feature might be available again.
Elon Musk’s stint in the US government is coming to an end
Elon Musk confirmed on Wednesday that he’s ending his stint as a U.S. special government employee and as the de-facto head of DOGE.
This giant microwave may change the future of war
Imagine: China deploys hundreds of thousands of autonomous drones in the air, on the sea, and under the water—all armed with explosive warheads or small missiles. These machines descend in a swarm toward military installations on Taiwan and nearby US bases, and over the course of a few hours, a single robotic blitzkrieg overwhelms the US…