Author: TechBrunch

OpenAI announced in May that it was developing a tool that would allow creators to specify how their work is included or excluded from AI training data. But after seven months, this feature still hasn't seen the light of day. The tool, called Media Manager, “identifies copyrighted text, images, audio, and video” and reflects creators' preferences “across multiple sources,” OpenAI said at the time. This was intended to fend off some of the company's fiercest critics and potentially shield OpenAI from intellectual property-related legal challenges. But sources told TechCrunch that the tool was hardly considered a major announcement within the…

For several years, engineers have been sounding the alarm about the potential for advanced AI systems to wreak havoc on humanity. But in 2024, those voices of alarm have been drowned out by the tech industry’s push for a practical and thriving vision of generative AI – a vision that also benefits their wallets. Those who warn of the catastrophic risks of AI are often referred to as “AI doomers,” but that is not the name they prefer. They fear that AI systems could make decisions to kill people, be used by those in power to oppress the masses, or…

Accel has raised $650 million for its eighth India fund as the US venture firm expands its investment strategy in the South Asian market. This new fund follows the company's seventh India fund secured in March 2022. Accel has backed companies such as e-commerce group Flipkart, food delivery platform Swiggy and software group Freshworks, and has established itself as India's most successful venture firm, with its first fund. playing a role. Institutional investors in portfolio companies. The company wrote Flipkart's first institutional check at a post-money valuation of $4 million. The investment has since soared, and Flipkart is now valued…

Late Tuesday night, a federal judge blocked technology lobbying group NetChoice's challenge to California's recently enacted law SB 976, which prohibits companies from providing “addictive feeds” to minors. As a result of the decision, starting Wednesday, companies will be prohibited from providing addictive feeds to California-based users known to be underage unless they have explicit parental consent. That will happen. SB 976 defines an addictive feed as an algorithm that selects and recommends content based on a user's behavior rather than the user's explicit preferences. Starting in January 2027, companies will be required to use “age assurance technology” such as…

When a company releases a new AI video generator, it doesn't take long before someone uses it to create a video of actor Will Smith eating spaghetti. It has become something of a benchmark as well as a meme. The idea is to see if a new video generator can realistically render Smith slurping a bowl of noodles. Smith himself parodied the trend in an Instagram post in February. Google Veo 2 has done just that. It's time to eat spaghetti. pic.twitter.com/AZO81w8JC0 — Jerrod Lew (@jerrod_lew) December 17, 2024 Will Smith and Pasta are just one of several strange “unofficial”…

TechCrunch's Found podcast, which has been bringing listeners the stories behind startups since April 2022, released its final episode today. I've been one of Found's hosts since November 2022, and in that time I've talked to over 75 founders about the startups they're building. These founders come from a variety of backgrounds and are building businesses in areas ranging from AI to climate change, e-commerce, higher education, and everything in between. Now that the show is no longer offering new episodes, I decided to look back at some of my favorite episodes. You may notice that many of these have…

A New York Times investigation finds that dozens of potential pedophiles frequent the child influencer industry, posing as photographers and social media experts to approach children. did. One such man, Michael Allen Walker, reportedly promised mothers that under his tutelage, their daughters would gain more followers on Instagram. He runs his business from state prison and is serving a 20-year sentence for child sexual exploitation. Walker also bragged on Telegram, where these men communicated, that he had seen sexual photos of child influencers, according to the report. According to the investigation, the men walked a fine line to gain the…

For the past few years, TechCrunch has looked back at some of the worst, badly handled data breaches and security incidents in the hope — maybe! — other corporate giants would take heed and avoid making some of the same calamities of yesteryear. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, here we are again this year listing much of the same bad behavior from an entirely new class of companies — plus, some bonus (dis)honorable mentions from the year that you might’ve missed. 23andMe blamed users for its massive data breach Last year, genetic testing giant 23andMe lost the genetic and ancestry data…

Lumen, one of at least nine U.S. carriers reportedly compromised by the Salt Typhoon hackers, said the Chinese hacker group is no longer present on its network. Lumen spokesperson Mark Molzen told TechCrunch that an independent forensic analysis confirmed that the company removed Chinese attackers from its network, adding that during the Salt Typhoon breach, “customer data was accessed. There is no evidence that it was,” he added. Lumen's confirmation comes after US telecom giants AT&T and Verizon confirmed to TechCrunch that they also secured their networks following the breach. T-Mobile, another Salt Typhoon target, said last month that it…

French food delivery startup Epicerie closed for business on Tuesday after the latest holiday hustle for clients and local food businesses that used the platform during its nine-year run in exchange for a 25% commission. stop. In a message announcing the decision to customers earlier this month, Epicerie's team said it was “a result of the economic and financial challenges we have faced for several months and, despite our best efforts, This is a result that we were unable to overcome.” ” Epicerie, which focuses on high-end groceries and local delivery, has suffered as inflation has caused customers to rethink…