Category: Tech

  • xAI is testing a standalone iOS app for its Grok chatbot

    Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, is testing out a standalone iOS app for its chatbot, Grok, which was available only to X users until now. The app, currently live in Australia and a few countries in beta, can access real-time data from the web and X, and offers generative AI features like rewriting text, summarizing…

  • Third member of LockBit ransomware gang has been arrested

    U.S. prosecutors in New Jersey on Friday publicly announced charges against Rostislav Panev, 51, a dual Russian-Israeli national accused of being a key developer in the LockBit ransomware gang. Panev is currently in Israeli custody and faces extradition to the United States. LockBit is one of the most prolific ransomware gangs, accused of launching crippling…

  • Sam Altman once owned some equity in OpenAI through Sequoia

    OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sat before Congress in 2023 to testify about the dangers of AI. He told American lawmakers at the time that he owns no equity in OpenAI, something he’s said many times, claiming he just runs the company because he loves it. However, Altman recently said he actually did have some equity…

  • Over 20 venture firms pledge to not take money from China, Russia

    Founders now have a way to ensure that their investors haven’t taken money from countries like China, Russia, Iran or Cuba. Over 20 venture firms have signed the Clean Capital Certification, attesting that they have not and will not take money from foreign adversaries. Some of the firms that have signed include Marlinspike Partners, Humba…

  • Salesforce plans to hire 2,000 people to sell its AI products

    Cloud software giant Salesforce is looking to hire thousands of new salespeople to sell its AI tools to customers. The company plans to hire 2,000 new sales representatives, according to CNBC, which cited remarks from CEO Marc Benioff at a company event Tuesday. This doubles the hiring plans that Benioff shared with Bloomberg last month.…

  • UK consults on opt-out model for training AIs on copyrighted content

    The U.K. government is consulting on an opt-out copyright regime for AI training that would require rights holders to take active steps if they don’t want their intellectual property to become free AI training fodder. The rise of generative AI models that are trained on vast quantities of data has brought intellectual property concerns to…

  • Arlan Hamilton announces changes at Backstage Capital, will step into advisory role

    Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital, announced Friday that her role at the firm she started in 2015 will evolve. “After 12 years of being deeply involved in the day-to-day operations, I’ve decided to transition into a chairperson and advisory position,” she wrote in a statement released online. She was previously a managing partner at…

  • Meta asks California AG to block OpenAI’s conversion to for-profit

    Facebook’s parent company Meta is supporting Elon Musk’s effort to block OpenAI’s conversion from a non-profit company into a for-profit one. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Meta sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta arguing that allowing the shift would have “seismic implications for Silicon Valley.” And while the company asked…

  • X gains a faster Grok model and a new ‘Grok button’

    XAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, may be embroiled in an escalating lawsuit with OpenAI. But that’s not stopping it from shipping new products — on a Friday night, no less. This evening, xAI revealed that it has begun to roll out an upgraded version of its flagship Grok 2 chatbot model to all users on…

  • Google’s NotebookLM now lets you talk to its AI podcast hosts

    A few months ago, Google’s NotebookLM note-taking app debuted an Audio Overviews feature that generates a podcast with AI virtual hosts based on information you have shared with the app. Now NotebookLM is rolling out the ability for users to interact with the AI podcast hosts. The idea behind Audio Overviews and the AI hosts…