OpenAI says California should strengthen its AI safety bill

OpenAI is calling for California to strengthen SB 53, an AI safety bill that the company previously opposed.

Frontier AI labs still won’t say how they’d contain a rogue model

A new study finds leading AI labs have few publicly documented plans for containing rogue models, raising questions about preparedness as AI systems increasingl...

US battery startups have found a lifeline in defense

U.S. battery startups pulled in $500 million in grants from the Department of Energy, throwing a lifeline to an industry that was on the ropes after EV incentiv...

Pixel 11 Pro XL review: Snappier cameras can’t hide an iterative upgrade

Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL brings snappier cameras and genuinely useful AI features like Rambler, but its iterative upgrades may not be enough to tempt recent Pix...

Michael Polansky is training an AI model on skin that’s still alive

Michael Polansky — better known publicly as Lady Gaga's partner and a former top deputy to Sean Parker — has quietly spent years building an AI-driven startup t...

Japanese space tech startup Letara expands beyond satellite thrusters with $16M

Japanese space startup Letara is betting its hybrid rocket technology can move beyond small satellite thrusters into a broader market for space, defense and sec...

Anthropic’s Opus 4.6 is a smut-machine

Anthropic forbids its Claude models from generating sexually explicit content. But a series of tests conducted by TechCrunch found that it didn't take much to g...

Nvidia partners with data center developer Cloverleaf

Nvidia continues to pour money into data center development — just as AI data centers bring lots of money into Nvidia.

How AI accounting startup Rillet raised $100M and became a unicorn in 48-hours

Rillet CEO Nicholas Koop shared growth numbers at a board meeting and set off a fundraising frenzy from Iconiq, Sequoia and others. Without even trying.

Apple is reportedly cutting hundreds of jobs from Siri, Vision Pro teams

Apple has admitted that some roles are being impacted as it shifts its focus away from certain initiatives.

TikTok reaches $400M settlement over children’s privacy lawsuit

Two years after the U.S. Department of Justice alleged that TikTok violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, it has reached a $400 million settleme...

The $225 Pebble Time 2 is a refreshingly fun smartwatch

The $225 Pebble Time 2 pairs quirky watch faces and apps with physical buttons, an e-paper display, weeks of battery life, and a playful hacker spirit.

Nvidia just showed that the harness, not the AI model, is now the real hero

Nvidia research shows that AI agents can perform well, and not go off the deep end, through fine-tuning, even if the AI model isn't that great at the task.

Tesla’s solar roof is dead. Here’s what went wrong

Tesla's solar roof was an experiment that never really caught on for the company. But does that mean the concept of roof-integrated solar is dead?

Waymo hands over documents in NHTSA’s child collision probe

The responses to NHTSA's questions so far are redacted entirely, citing "confidential business information."

Why is the DOJ investigating Andreessen Horowitz’s board seats?

Andreessen Horowitz has two partners sitting on the boards of companies that now compete with each other: Ben Horowitz at Databricks and Martin Casado at Fivetr...

US government lab is probing Chinese lidar for security vulnerabilities

The security review is being performed by the Idaho National Laboratory, and the research is being funded by a company -- or a group of companies -- in the elec...

Oura faces lawsuit accusing it of misleading consumers about sleep-tracking accuracy

The lawsuit alleges that Oura rings are unable to measure any of the physiological signals needed to assess sleep quality or determine sleep stages.

Walmart to finally start accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay

Are pigs flying? Walmart has finally caved on its refusal to support Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Starcloud raises $250 million for orbital data centers as launch options dry up

There's about to be a big fight to secure access to space.

Tesla recalls 3 million cars as part of China-wide push to stop hidden door handles

Tesla and eight other automakers will install warning labels that help occupants identify the often hard-to-find manual door releases.

Private equity firm Apollo confirms data breach amid hacking wave targeting financial giants

The private equity giant confirms a breach, weeks after Google researchers said hackers were targeting financial companies.

Senator asks US government watchdog to review how feds use hacking tools

Senator Ron Wyden sent a letter to the U.S. federal watchdog requesting a comprehensive review of how the FBI, DEA, ICE's HSI, and the Secret Service use hackin...

Tesla, Uber, and Waymo all get the OK to operate thousands of robotaxis in Nevada

Together, these permits would allow up to 8,000 robotaxis to be deployed over the next 12 months.

AI data startup Micro1 reaches $500M gross run rate amid AI training boom

Surging demand for AI training data is driving rapid growth for the startup and its rivals.

Learn what VCs actually want, from a founder who’s raised $1B

Investors want founders who understand the financial reality of their business. Messy data, misunderstood metrics, or waiting until you’re nearly out of cash to...

OpenAI is gaining on Anthropic with business users, new data indicates

Businesses are willing to flop back and forth as each lab releases new models, volatility that should give both companies' investors pause about how "sticky" en...

ChatGPT can now send texts for you with new Apple Messages plugin

Ever wanted someone else to do your texting for you? ChatGPT is being offered up as an automated text scribe via a new Apple Messages integration.

The Enhanced Games — tech’s steroid extravaganza — didn’t pay off, as company posts $60 million loss

An effort to transform the world of sports through steroid use doesn't exactly seem to be bearing financial fruit.

Ok, can we actually cool data centers with our pee?

Jason Kelce joked that people should cool data centers with their pee, rather than potable water -- his suggestion is not completely ludicrous.