Tech
AI Summary
- Apple is planning to give users more choice in AI models within iOS 27, allowing for third-party options alongside its own, while also facing scrutiny and a $250 million settlement for delayed AI features in Siri.
- The AI race continues with OpenAI releasing GPT-5.5 Instant and PayPal rebranding as a technology company focused on AI, alongside a significant $2.2 billion fund raised by a16z crypto amid a cooling crypto market.
- Etsy and Threads are expanding their reach through AI and web integration, with Etsy launching within ChatGPT and Threads finally bringing DMs to the web, signaling a shift towards more accessible platform features.
- The automotive sector sees shifts with Volkswagen becoming Rivian's top shareholder and Lucid Motors facing production uncertainties, while Nuro advances with driverless testing permits, indicating evolving strategies in the EV and autonomous driving space.
- Major tech players are dealing with regulatory and legal challenges, including lawsuits against Character.AI for chatbot impersonations and Meta facing accusations of copyright infringement from book publishers and investigations into 'dark patterns' on its platforms.
Sources
TechCrunch
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Nuro receives driverless testing permit ahead of Uber robotaxi service launch
5 hours ago
by Kirsten Korosec
Transportation, autonomous vehicles, lucid, luid gravity, nuro, UberThe Silicon Valley AV startup has not started driverless testing yet.
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SAP bets $1.16B on 18-month-old German AI lab and says yes to NemoClaw
6 hours ago
by Anna Heim
AI, Enterprise, agentic ai, Mergers and Acquisitions, prior labs, sap, tabular dataSAP plans to buy German AI startup Prior Labs and invest heavily in it. It is also prohibiting customers' agents use to a select few like Nvidia's NemoClaw.
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Bumble’s paying users are slipping as it bets on an overhaul later this year
6 hours ago
by Lauren Forristal
Apps, bumble, dating appThe company is making a big bet that the swiping model is outdated and most matches never turn into actual dates. The company wants to fix that by redesigning profiles, changing how people interact, and focusing a lot more on getting users to meet in real life.
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Altara secures $7M to bridge the data gap that’s slowing down physical sciences
6 hours ago
by Marina Temkin
AI, Hardware, Startups, Greylock Partners, neo, scienceAltara’s AI aims to diagnose failures and help speed up R&D by unifying data siloed across spreadsheets and legacy systems.
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Lucid Motors doesn’t know how many EVs it will build this year
7 hours ago
by Sean O'Kane
Transportation, electric vehicles, EVs, Lucid MotorsLucid Motors pulled its guidance for the year, as it navigates swelling inventory and a companywide cost-cutting measure.
Hacker News
- Agents can now create Cloudflare accounts, buy domains, and deploy 2 hours ago
- .de TLD offline due to DNSSEC? 9 hours ago
- Telus Uses AI to Alter Call-Agent Accents 4 hours ago
- StarFighter 16-Inch 3 hours ago
- Accelerating Gemma 4: faster inference with multi-token prediction drafters 13 hours ago
Engadget
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Valve releases design files for its out-of-stock Steam Controller
7 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
PC GamingMake and mod your own accessories if you've already got the gamepad.
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Apple will pay $250 million for failing to deliver its AI-powered Siri on time
8 hours ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
AI, Smartphones, AppleThe proposed settlement is the result of a class action lawsuit filed in California.
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Anthropic reportedly agrees to pay Google $200 billion for chips and cloud access
8 hours ago
by Anna Washenko
AI, GoogleThis five-year deal is one of many circular agreements keeping the AI sector afloat.
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Xbox is ditching Microsoft's Copilot AI
8 hours ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
AI, Xbox, MicrosoftThe AI assistant is no longer coming to consoles and will be removed from the Xbox mobile app.
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Remakes of Myst and Riven are coming to PlayStation, Xbox and the Microsoft Store
9 hours ago
by Ian Carlos Campbell
GamingBoth remakes were already released on Steam and the macOS App Store.
The Verge
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Google Home’s Gemini AI can handle more complicated requests
8 hours ago
by Stevie Bonifield
AI, Google, News, Smart Home, TechGoogle Home users can now ask Gemini to complete more complex, multi-step tasks and combine multiple tasks in a single command. Google has updated Gemini for Home to Gemini 3.1, which it says will improve the smart home assistant's ability to interpret and act on requests. The upgrade will also make Gemini for Home better at handling recurring and all-day events and allow users to "move around" upcoming events. Last month, Google also updated Gemini for Home with improvements for understanding natural language and identifying devices correctly. The upgrades follow reports of bugs in Google's new smart home assistant, like confusing
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Apple agrees to pay iPhone owners $250 million for not delivering AI Siri
8 hours ago
by Emma Roth
AI, Apple, News, TechApple has agreed to pay $250 million to settle a class action lawsuit that accused it of misleading customers about the availability of its Apple Intelligence features. The proposed settlement would apply to people in the US who purchased all models of the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 15 Pro between June 10th, 2024 and March 29th, 2025. People who submit qualifying claims can receive $25 for each eligible device, "which may decrease or increase up to $95 per device, depending on claim volume and other factors," according to Clarkson Law Firm, the legal team behind the class action lawsuit. The settlement
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Microsoft gives up on Xbox Copilot AI
9 hours ago
by Jay Peters
AI, Gaming, Microsoft, PC Gaming, Tech, XboxXbox is "winding down Copilot on mobile" and "will stop development of Copilot on console," new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced on Tuesday. The move follows Sharma's reorganization of the Xbox platform team earlier on Tuesday, which added executives from Microsoft's CoreAI team - where Sharma worked before taking over Xbox - to the Xbox side of the company. Sharma, on X: > Xbox needs to move faster, deepen our connection with the community, and address friction for both players and developers. > > Today, we promoted leaders who helped build Xbox, while also bringing in new voices to help push us forward.
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Apple could let you pick a favorite AI model in iOS 27
10 hours ago
by Stevie Bonifield
AI, Apple, Apple Rumors, iOS, macOS, News, TechThe next update to Apple's operating systems could allow users to choose their preferred AI model for running Apple Intelligence. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is planning to allow third-party chatbots to power its AI features system-wide in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27, all expected for this fall. In addition to running Siri, compatible third-party AI models, called "Extensions," will also now be able to run other Apple Intelligence features like Writing Tools and Image Playground. According to Gurman, Apple will also allow users to choose different Siri voices for different AI models - Siri responses from one
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Threads is finally getting DMs on the web
11 hours ago
by Jay Peters
Meta, News, Tech, ThreadsNearly a year after rolling out Threads direct messaging to everyone on mobile, Meta is finally bringing the feature to the web. Meta says it's "testing" DMs on the web now, but plans to make the feature "available to more people soon." In your DM page on the web, you can see your inbox and message requests. Like on mobile, you can also choose to let anyone DM you or just people you follow. The company is also planning to test group chats on the web - group chats are currently available on mobile - and is also working on "more
Wired
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‘I Actually Thought He Was Going to Hit Me,’ OpenAI’s Greg Brockman Says of Elon Musk
6 hours ago
by Paresh Dave, Maxwell Zeff
Business, Business / Artificial Intelligence, Model, BehaviorOpenAI’s president wrapped his testimony on Tuesday by revealing a fiery meeting with Musk in 2017 and subsequent efforts to remove several board members.
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Telehealth Abortion Is Still Possible Without Mifepristone
8 hours ago
by Kate Knibbs, Emily Mullin
Science, Science / Health, Undeniable, AccessCourts may restrict access to the popular abortion medication mifepristone in the United States. Telehealth providers have backup plans in place.
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The Italian Dubbing of ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Has Stirred Up a Surprising Controversy
14 hours ago
by Paolo Armelli
Culture, Culture / Movies, Take, the, DubThe voice actors from the original film have returned for the sequel—and not everyone is happy about it.
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Pornhub Restores Access for UK Adults Who Use Apple’s Age Verification
14 hours ago
by Manisha Krishnan
Culture, Culture / Digital Culture, Sexy, BackThe porn giant blocked its content from new UK users in February but says device-based age verification is more secure than third-party sites.
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Bose Brings Back Its ‘Lifestyle’ Branding With New Speakers for the Home
17 hours ago
by Julian Chokkattu
Gear, Gear / Gear News and Events, Gear / Products / Audio, Ultra, InstinctThe new Lifestyle Ultra Speaker, Ultra Soundbar, and Ultra Subwoofer introduce a cozier look.