Character AI is adding parental supervision tools to improve teen safety

March 25, 2025
Character AI, the startup that lets users create and chat with different characters, is today rolling out new parental insights features to increase user safety. This is after a string of lawsuits and criticism against the company over failing to protect children from harm. The new features primarily give a summary of teens’ activity on […]

Bill Gates-backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems hits key reactor construction milestone

March 25, 2025
Commonwealth Fusion Systems marked a major milestone Tuesday morning, announcing the installation of a key component of its Sparc demonstration reactor. The new part is a 24-foot wide, 75-ton stainless steel circle that forms the foundation of the tokamak, the doughnut-shaped heart of a fusion reactor that CFS hopes will be the first of its […]

Waymo to launch robotaxi service in Washington D.C. in 2026

March 25, 2025
Waymo said Tuesday it will begin offering robotaxi rides via the Waymo One app in  Washington D.C. in 2026. Before it can launch commercially, the company will have to up its lobbying game in the capitol, where autonomous vehicle permits still require a human behind the wheel.  The news from Waymo comes as the Alphabet-owned […]

Ethically sourced “spare” human bodies could revolutionize medicine

March 25, 2025
Why do we hear about medical breakthroughs in mice, but rarely see them translate into cures for human disease? Why do so few drugs that enter clinical trials receive regulatory approval? And why is the waiting list for organ transplantation so long? These challenges stem in large part from a common root cause: a severe…

Why the world is looking to ditch US AI models

March 25, 2025
This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here. This week’s edition of The Algorithm is brought to you not by your usual host, James O’Donnell, but Eileen Guo, an investigative reporter at MIT Technology Review.  A few weeks ago, when…

Daphni secures $215M for its third fund

March 25, 2025
French VC firm Daphni is announcing the first closing of its new fund, Daphni Blue. The firm has raised €200 million (around $215 million at current exchange rates). It expects to raise as much as €250 million ($270 million) by the end of the year. Some of Daphni’s most remarkable past investments include Back Market, […]