Technology

Sesame, the conversational AI startup from the Oculus founders, raises $250 million and launches beta

Sesame, the conversational AI startup from the Oculus founders, raises $250 million and launches beta

πŸ”₯ Check out this must-read post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Apps,Hardware,Startups,Venture,hardware,sesame,Oculus,AI voice πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: Sesame, an artificial intelligence startup and maker of smart glasses, has raised a $250 million Series B round and is opening beta to a select group of testers, the company announced Tuesday. The startup, headed by former Oculus co-founder and CEO Brendan Iribe and Ankit Kumar, former CTO of augmented reality startup Ubiquity6, is creating a personal AI agent that interacts with users using a natural human voice. The company plans to integrate a personal AI agent into lightweight glasses designed for all-day wear…
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Netflix turns to ‘generative AI’ as entertainment industry remains divided

Netflix turns to ‘generative AI’ as entertainment industry remains divided

πŸ’₯ Explore this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Media & Entertainment,Netflix,ted sarandos πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: As the entertainment industry ponders when and how to use generative AI in filmmaking, Netflix is ​​leaning in. In its quarterly earnings report released Tuesday afternoon, Netflix wrote in its letter to investors that it is "extremely well positioned to effectively benefit from continued advances in artificial intelligence." Netflix doesn't plan to use generative AI as the backbone of its content but believes the technology has potential as a tool to make creatives more efficient. β€œIt takes a great artist to make something…
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Open source proxy startup LangChain is valued at $1.25 billion

Open source proxy startup LangChain is valued at $1.25 billion

πŸš€ Discover this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Startups,TC,langchain,unicorn startups πŸ’‘ Main takeaway: The company announced Monday that it has raised $125 million at a valuation of $1.25 billion. TechCrunch reported in July that the provider of a popular open source framework for building AI agents was raising new funds worth at least $1 billion. The deal was led by IVP, as previously mentioned. New investors CapitalG and Sapphire Ventures joined, as did existing investors Sequoia, Benchmark and Amplify. LangChain started in 2022 as an open source project founded by machine learning engineer Harrison Chase. The startup was…
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The new OpenAI browser is a broad shot at Google

The new OpenAI browser is a broad shot at Google

πŸ’₯ Explore this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,atlas,Chrome,OpenAI,sam altman βœ… Key idea: Today, OpenAI launched its new Atlas web browser in a surprise livestream. The presentation began with CEO Sam Altman himself, speaking directly to the audience. β€œWe believe that artificial intelligence represents a rare, once-in-a-decade opportunity to rethink what a browser is,” Altman said. β€œIn the same way that, for the previous way people used the Internet, the URL bar and search box were a great analogue, what we're starting to see is that the chat and web browser experience can be a great analogue.” It…
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Sources: Multimedia AI startup Fal.ai has already amassed a $4 billion valuation

Sources: Multimedia AI startup Fal.ai has already amassed a $4 billion valuation

πŸ’₯ Discover this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Startups,AI,Exclusive,fal.ai πŸ“Œ Main takeaway: Fal.ai, a startup that hosts AI image, video and audio models for developers, has closed a new round that values ​​the company at more than $4 billion, four people familiar with the deal said. The company has raised nearly $250 million, two of the people said. Major investors in the round include Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia, according to our sources. Vale did not respond to a request for comment. Sequoia and Kleiner Perkins declined to comment. The new round comes less than three months after Fal…
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I spent a month living with a $430 AI pet, a Casio Moflin

I spent a month living with a $430 AI pet, a Casio Moflin

✨ Discover this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Gadgets,TC,ai toys,Casio,Reviews,toys πŸ’‘ Main takeaway: I've often joked that I'd love to have a pet if only the animals didn't need to defecate and eat wet, smelly mush from the can. I want a mystery friend to hang out with all day, but then I'll hear that my friend spent $500 on the vet because his cat bit a leaf, and the illusion is broken. It's hard to take care of myself - do I really want to be responsible for a creature that might wake me up at 4…
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As the browser wars heat up, here are the top alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2025

As the browser wars heat up, here are the top alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2025

πŸ”₯ Check out this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Apps,Startups,Browser,evergreens,search engines,web browser πŸ“Œ Key idea: The web browser market is currently dominated by Google Chrome and Apple's Safari, with Chrome retaining a significant share due to the tech giant's ongoing innovations, particularly in incorporating generative AI into its search functions. However, users looking for alternatives will find a variety of browsers that aim to challenge industry giants. To help navigate the competitive landscape of the browser wars, we've put together an overview of some of the best alternative browsers available today. This includes browsers that leverage artificial intelligence,…
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WhatsApp and Messenger are adding new warnings to help seniors avoid online scams

WhatsApp and Messenger are adding new warnings to help seniors avoid online scams

✨ Discover this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Apps,Social,Facebook,Messenger,Meta,scammers,social media,WhatsApp πŸ“Œ Here’s what you’ll learn: Meta on Tuesday introduced new scam detection features for its messaging apps, WhatsApp and Messenger, as part of its broader initiative to crack down on online scams targeting seniors. The company said it will start displaying warnings in WhatsApp when users try to share their screen during calls, and will flag potential fraudulent messages in Messenger, which can be sent to artificial intelligence for review. The tech giant said it detected and disabled about 8 million accounts involved in scams during the first…
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YouTube similarity detection technology has officially launched

YouTube similarity detection technology has officially launched

πŸš€ Read this awesome post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: AI,Apps,Media & Entertainment,ai deepfakes,digital likenesses,YouTube πŸ“Œ Key idea: YouTube revealed on Tuesday that its similarity detection technology has officially rolled out to eligible creators in the YouTube Partner Programme, after a beta phase. This technology allows creators to request the removal of AI-generated content that uses their likeness. This is the first wave of the rollout, a YouTube spokesperson told TechCrunch, adding that eligible creators received emails this morning. YouTube's detection technology identifies and manages AI-generated content that features creators' likenesses, such as their faces and voices. This technology is…
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Apple alerts developer that his iPhone has been targeted by government spyware

Apple alerts developer that his iPhone has been targeted by government spyware

πŸš€ Read this insightful post from TechCrunch πŸ“– πŸ“‚ Category: Security,Apple,Chrome,cybersecurity,Exclusive,Google,hackers,hacking,infosec,iPhone,L3Harris,Spyware,Trenchant,Zero-days πŸ“Œ Key idea: Earlier this year, a developer was shocked by a message that appeared on his personal phone: β€œApple has detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against your iPhone.” β€œI was panicking,” Jay Gibson, who asked that his real name not be used due to fears of retaliation, told TechCrunch. Gibson, who until recently built surveillance technologies for Western government hacking tool maker Trenchant, may be the first documented case of someone building exploit and spyware being targeted by spyware. "What the hell was going on? I didn't…
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