Author: TechBrunch

Google is ramping up its artificial intelligence efforts in India as it integrates AI across its products for Indians. The move will increase competition among U.S. tech companies in a market where rivals are lagging behind. The company announced at the 10th Google India event on Thursday that it is introducing an AI model called Gemini to power search, visual recognition, and language processing. This is an important feature for the world's most populous country, which supports voice commands and multiple languages. It's important. More than 40% of Gemini's Indic users rely on voice interaction, and Google seems keen to…

Oura on Thursday announced the fourth generation of its popular smart ring. Oura Ring 4 arrives less than three years after the debut of its predecessor. Despite the gap, new wearables significantly improve the experience rather than reinventing it. The most notable hardware change is the slimmer profile. This is strange for a device that was already a very compact device. The big difference is on the inside of the ring, where the previously raised sensor is recessed to create a more consistent, and hopefully more comfortable, experience. Like the Oura 3, the new ring is made of titanium. Titanium…

Google said at the Google for India event that it is currently experimenting with video search powered by Gemini in India. This feature allows users to take a small snippet and ask Gemini questions about it. Users who participate in this experiment will be able to use this feature in Google Lens. Video search functionality is currently limited to English queries on mobile. T The company said users must register in the “AI Overview and More” section of the Google Search Labs Experimental Program. However, it does not specify any limitations on video length when using video search. India is…

The race for better chips and data center capacity to handle AI workloads continues, but all that activity comes with pitfalls. High processing power means a lot of heat, which has a huge impact on both server operation and the environment. As traditional cooling methods like air and water struggle to keep up with demand, startups with new approaches are rising to stardom. Among them is Barcelona-based Submer, which just raised $55.5 million at a $500 million valuation to expand its business. The entire rack is submerged within a container filled with a proprietary biodegradable non-conductive material, and the system…

Hosting provider WP Engine has filed a lawsuit against Automattic and WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, alleging extortion and abuse of power. The lawsuit comes after nearly two weeks of battle between Mullenweg, also CEO of Automattic, and WP Engine over trademark infringement and contributions to the WordPress community. WP Engine accused Automattic and Mullenweg of failing to live up to their promise to run the WordPress open source project without restrictions and give developers the freedom to build, run, modify, and redistribute their software. “Matt Mullenweg's conduct over the past 10 days exposes serious conflicts of interest and governance issues…

A federal judge blocked one of California's new AI laws on Wednesday, less than two weeks after it was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Shortly after signing AB 2839, Newsom suggested that the signature could be used to force the removal of an AI deepfake of Vice President Kamala Harris that was reposted by Elon Musk. A petty online fight broke out between them). But a California judge just ruled that the state can't force people to delete election deepfakes, at least not yet. AB 2839 targets distributors of AI deepfakes on social media. This is especially true if the…

San Francisco's Mission District isn't known for having corporate offices, but it's now home to two of the world's most well-funded AI startups. According to the San Francisco Business Times, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence startup xAI recently moved into new offices in the Mission. The office is the same building that served as OpenAI's headquarters for several years. Musk's lawyers recently claimed in a lawsuit that Musk re-rented the office while working at OpenAI and has been paying the bills ever since. Musk listed the building for sublease in August, and OpenAI reportedly moved to new offices just four blocks…

CRV, a more than 50-year-old venture firm, will return $275 million to investors from a $500 million select fund that supports late-stage rounds of existing portfolio companies, The New York Times reported. The company was one of the first Silicon Valley companies to return committed capital to investors. (We reported yesterday that Peak XV, India's largest venture investor, is cutting the size of a small number of its funds.) CRV Partners said they recognized that the company's investments in subsequent rounds of many companies would reduce overall returns. The company raised Select Fund along with a $1 billion fund for…

The proliferation of robots like Boston Dynamics' Spot has demonstrated the versatility of quadrupeds. These systems are useful for climbing stairs, crossing small obstacles, and navigating uneven terrain. But ladders still have big problems. Especially considering that ladders are always present in factories and other industrial environments where the system is installed. ETH Zurich, which has led some of the most exciting quadruped robot research in recent years, has set out its future direction. As the school points out, past attempts to tackle ladders have primarily used bipedal humanoid robots and specialized ladders, but ultimately proved too slow and ineffective.…

We recently asked Meta if it trains its AI on the photos and videos users take with Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Initially, the company did not have much to say. Since then, Meta has added a little more color to TechCrunch. This means that any images you share with Meta AI can be used to train that AI. “[I]”Where Multimodal AI is available (currently in the United States and Canada), images and videos shared with Meta AI may be used to make improvements in accordance with our Privacy Policy,” said Emil, Meta Policy Communications Manager. Vazquez said in an email…