Technology

Pinterest is adding controls that let you limit the amount of β€œAI slop” in your feed

Pinterest is adding controls that let you limit the amount of β€œAI slop” in your feed

πŸ”₯ Check out this must-read post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Apps,Social,Pinterest πŸ“Œ Key idea: Following backlash over an "AI slop"'s increasing control over users' feeds, Pinterest on Thursday added new tools that allow users to limit the amount of artificial intelligence-generated content they see on the platform. Users can now customize their feeds to restrict generative AI images to specific categories, and the company said it will make existing GenAI content labels clearer in the coming days. The site, which is widely used for browsing and bookmarking inspiring content and potential purchases, has come under fire from users who…
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How a headphone site operator built loyalty startup Lantern to solve its own problems

How a headphone site operator built loyalty startup Lantern to solve its own problems

πŸš€ Explore this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Commerce,Fundraising,Startups,audio equipment,Lantern πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: Andrew Lissimore has been running the audio clothing site Headphones.com for nearly a decade. Although audiophiles have a great affinity for their gear and want to try new gear, Lissimore was not satisfied with constantly spending money on platforms like Meta and Google to acquire new customers; He wanted to find a way to better retain the clients he already had. The founder began looking for solutions within the Shopify ecosystem that would help the company with loyalty programs. But most of what he found…
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Rent a Cyber ​​Friend will pay you to talk to strangers online and will showcase its platform at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

Rent a Cyber ​​Friend will pay you to talk to strangers online and will showcase its platform at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

πŸ’₯ Discover this trending post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Social,Startups,Rent a Cyber Friend,Startup Battlefield,TechCrunch Disrupt,TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: Francesco Vitale would be the first to admit that when his co-founder Chris Siamitis first offered to rent a boyfriend online, he didn't quite understand the idea. β€œWho would pay someone to talk to someone?” Vitale told TechCrunch. "But Chris was adamant. Chris is a millennial, and I'm a Gen Xer, so it wasn't easy for me to understand his vision." Vitale has worked with Siametis for nearly two decades. They ran the 48FILM International Short Film Festival (Vitaly…
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Reddit is expanding its AI-powered search into five new languages

Reddit is expanding its AI-powered search into five new languages

✨ Explore this must-read post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Apps,AI answers,Reddit,social network πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: Reddit announced on Thursday that it is expanding its AI-powered search experience to include five new languages: French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. With this expansion, the feature is now available in countries such as Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, and Italy. Users who have set one of these languages ​​as the default, instead of English, can now chat with the AI ​​in a question-and-answer format. Reddit uses Google's AI model to power this feature. Reddit first launched AI-powered search last year and is…
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OpenAI pauses generations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Sora video.

OpenAI pauses generations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Sora video.

πŸ”₯ Explore this trending post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,ai copyright,ai video,OpenAI,sora βœ… Here’s what you’ll learn: OpenAI announced Thursday that it has temporarily halted the ability for users to create videos with a likeness of the late civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. using its AI video model, Sora. The company says it is adding these protections at the request of Dr. King's estate after some Sora users created "disrespectful images" of his image. β€œWhile there is a strong interest in freedom of expression in the depiction of historical figures, OpenAI believes that public figures and their…
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The real reason Google DeepMind is working with a fusion energy startup

The real reason Google DeepMind is working with a fusion energy startup

πŸš€ Discover this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Climate,Commonwealth Fusion Systems,fusion power,google deepmind,nuclear fusion βœ… Main takeaway: Energy startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) said Thursday it is working with Google's DeepMind division to optimize β€” and even improve β€” the operation of its prospective Sparc reactor using artificial intelligence. The companies' plan will simulate the plasma that would burn inside a CFS reactor using specialized DeepMind software known as Torax. They also plan to pair Torax with AI models to help CFS figure out how best to achieve fusion power. Fusion energy promises to provide massive amounts of…
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Amazon’s Ring is teaming up with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and police

Amazon’s Ring is teaming up with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by the Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement and police

πŸ”₯ Check out this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Security,Amazon,Flock,In Brief,Ring βœ… Main takeaway: Amazon's surveillance camera company Ring announced a partnership Thursday with Flock, a maker of artificial intelligence-powered surveillance cameras that share footage with law enforcement. Now agencies using Flock can ask Ring Doorbell users to share footage to help with β€œevidence collection and investigative work.” Herd cameras work by scanning license plates and other identifying information on cars they see. Flock government agents and police can also perform natural language searches on their video footage to find people who match specific descriptions. However, AI-powered technology…
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Lilium technology, which powered defunct electric aircraft, still exists in Archer

Lilium technology, which powered defunct electric aircraft, still exists in Archer

πŸ”₯ Check out this trending post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Transportation,Archer Aviation,Joby Aviation,Lilium βœ… Main takeaway: Electric aircraft startup Lilium may have ceased operations a year ago, but its bankruptcy filing was not the end for the German-based company. There have been several failed attempts to restructure the company, including recent efforts by Mobile Uplift Corporation, a company created by investors from Europe and North America, to acquire the operating assets of the startup's two subsidiaries. Ultimately, the bankruptcy administrator puts the company's assets through a competitive bidding process. Now, some of its technology will continue at Archer Aviation,…
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Why are AI startups taking data into their own hands?

Why are AI startups taking data into their own hands?

πŸš€ Explore this must-read post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,artificial intelligence,Fyxer,training data,vision model βœ… Main takeaway: For one week this summer, Taylor and her roommate wore GoPro cameras strapped to their foreheads while drawing, sculpting and doing housework. They were training an AI vision model, carefully synchronizing their shots so the system could get multiple angles of the same behavior. It was difficult work in many ways, but they were paid well for it, and it allowed Taylor to spend most of her day making art. β€œWe woke up, did our usual routine, then strapped cameras to our heads…
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EFF, unions sue Trump administration over alleged mass social media surveillance of legal residents

EFF, unions sue Trump administration over alleged mass social media surveillance of legal residents

✨ Discover this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Government & Policy,Social,Electronic Frontier Foundation,government surveillance,lawsuits πŸ“Œ Here’s what you’ll learn: Digital rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Trump administration over the government's alleged social media surveillance of people legally living in the United States. The lawsuit asserts that the government is using artificial intelligence and other methods to monitor the social media posts of every noncitizen who is in the United States legally and on a valid visa, as well as many people who have obtained permanent resident status. According to…
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