Profile: 1c9767b4...
DoorDash’s new AI-powered ‘SafeChat+’ tool automatically detects verbal abuse
DoorDash hopes to reduce verbally abusive and inappropriate interactions between consumers and delivery people with its new AI-powered feature that automatically detects offensive language. Dubbed “SafeChat+,” DoorDash is leveraging AI technology to review in-app conversations... #press
Google confirms it’s restricting Gemini election queries globally
If you want to ask Google’s AI chatbot a question about an upcoming election, you will have to do it from a country where there are no elections taking place. TechCrunch has learned that the search giant has started to restrict queries made Gemini when they relate to elections, in any market globally where elections […]
©... #press
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/12/google-gemini-election-related-queries/?utm_source=press.coop
New startup from Postgres creator puts the database at heart of software stack
MIT professor Mike Stonebreaker has been at the forefront of database technology for over 50 years. The former Turing Award winner invented the Ingres and Postgres databases and helped launch a number of companies including Streambase Systems (acquired by Tibco in 2013),... #press
Nanonets gets Accel India’s backing to improve AI-based workflow automation
Nanonets, a startup using AI to automate back-office processes, has raised $29 million in a new funding round led by Accel India as it seeks to improve the accuracy of automation processes that involve large amounts of unstructured data. Processing unstructured data from documents like invoices, receipts and purchase orders... #press
https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/12/nanonets-funding-accel-india/?utm_source=press.coop
Felicis, Quotient AI and Cellino will dish on TAM at TechCrunch Early Stage 2024
We’re getting closer to this year’s Early Stage get-together in Boston, which means that it’s time to add three more names to our ever-expanding list of whip-smart speakers coming to present, and answer your most burning questions. Today, I’m stoked to announce that... #press
Pienso builds no-code tools for training AI models
AI might be the “it thing” of the moment. But that doesn’t mean it’s getting easier to deploy. According to 2023 S&P Global survey, about half of companies with at least one AI project in production are still at the pilot or proof-of-concept stages. The reasons for the slow ramp-ups vary, but the commonly cited […]
©... #press
Generative AI video startup Tavus raises $18M to bring face and voice cloning to any app
Tavus, a four-year-old generative AI startup that helps companies create digital “replicas” of individuals for automated personalized video campaigns, has confirmed a fresh $18 million in funding and revealed that it’s opening its platform for... #press
Peak XV to launch perpetual fund backed by own partners, other leaders
Peak XV is creating an “evergreen” fund bankrolled by its investment partners and extended team, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch, as the venture firm seeks to become a significant LP in its own primary vehicles and explore investment in new asset classes. The most... #press
Bear Robotics, a robot waiter startup, just picked up $60M from LG
LG Electronics may no longer be a household name in smartphones, but it still sees a big future in gadgets like robots. Today, the company confirmed a $60 million investment in Bear Robotics, the California startup that makes artificial intelligence-powered server robots for restaurants and other... #press
Women in AI: Sandra Watcher, professor of data ethics at Oxford
To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch is launching a series of interviews focusing on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution. We’ll publish several pieces throughout the year as the AI boom continues,... #press
Almost half of adults on TikTok have never posted a video, research shows
Adults on TikTok lean camera-shy, a new study from Pew Research Center suggests. A survey of 2,745 adults who use TikTok revealed that 48% of respondents have never posted a video, and a typical user hasn’t even updated their bio. It’s not abnormal to prefer lurking to making... #press
New MIT CSAIL study suggests that AI won’t steal as many jobs expected
Will AI automate human jobs, and — if so — which jobs and when? That’s the trio of questions a new research study from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), out this morning, tries to answer. There’s been many attempts to extrapolate out and project how the... #press
Mac users are embracing AI apps, study finds, with 42% using AI apps daily
AI adoption among Mac app users is booming, according to a new report from app subscription service Setapp that found that 42% of Mac users today report using AI-based apps on a daily basis, and 63% claim to believe that AI apps are more beneficial than those without AI. In addition,... #press
Michigan’s Grand Ventures announces $50m early stage fund
Grand Ventures today announced its second fund to invest in early-stage companies. The Grand Rapids, MI firm tells TechCrunch that it aims to lead seed stage investments in startups solving problems facing the fintech, DevOps, and supply chain sectors. The $50m Fund II is managed by General Partners Tim Streit,... #press
Brave lays off 9% of its workforce
Brave Software, the maker of Brave Browser and Search, confirmed that it has laid off 9% of its staff across departments. The company didn’t specify how many people were affected, but it corroborated the development and said the decision was driven by the tough economic climate. “Brave eliminated some positions as part of our cost […] #press
https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/06/brave-lays-off-9-of-its-workforce/?utm_source=press.coop
Hacked phone spyware shuts down… again
A short-lived spyware operation called Oospy, which emerged earlier this year after its predecessor Spyhide was hacked, is no longer operational and has shut down. Oospy appeared online in late July as a rebrand of a phone monitoring app called Spyhide, which was facilitating the surveillance of tens of thousands of Android device owners around... #press
Venture capital spring is here
Over the past six months, I have seen a trickle of early-stage financings turn into a river, and I predict we will soon see a gush. #press
https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/03/venture-capital-spring-is-here/?utm_source=press.coop
Uber Eats and Getir ink tie-up in Europe for speedy grocery deliveries
Uber Eats and quick commerce player Getir have inked a grocery delivery partnership, starting in the UK. The tie-up, which expands the range of groceries on tap for Uber Eats’ users, is slated to cover other markets where the pair operate in Europe in the coming weeks — so presumably it’ll launch in Germany and […] #press
https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/26/uber-eats-getir/?utm_source=press.coop
TechCrunch+ Roundup: Prompt engineering, web3 gaming survey, how to spend $10K on paid ads
TechCrunch Disrupt 2023 ended yesterday, and out of all the events I've attended since working here, this one was my favorite. #press
Cruise would join the call to ban human drivers in city centers, says CEO
Cruise co-founder and CEO Kyle Vogt posed a controversial question at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023: At what point does it still make sense to have human-driven cars in cities? “If you extrapolate forward and you see that [autonomous vehicles] decrease in cost, they continue to improve... #press