Author: TechBrunch

iOS 18 allows users to replace the default camera app on the lock screen with a third-party app. Halide and Obscura, two popular camera apps designed as alternatives to Apple's default camera app with manual controls and different image processing algorithms, have already released updates that leverage that potential and feature lock screen shortcuts. Replacing the camera button on your lock screen takes just a few taps. First, you need to long-press on the wallpaper to enter the lock screen customization mode, where you can edit your lock screen or create a new one. Next, remove the default lock screen…

The tech layoff wave is still going strong in 2024. Following significant workforce reductions in 2022 and 2023, this year has already seen 60,000 job cuts across 254 companies, according to independent layoffs tracker Layoffs.fyi. Companies like Tesla, Amazon, Google, TikTok, Snap and Microsoft have conducted sizable layoffs in the first months of 2024. Smaller-sized startups have also seen a fair amount of cuts, and in some cases, have shut down operations altogether. By tracking these layoffs, we’re able to understand the impact on innovation across companies large and small. We’re also able to see the potential impact of businesses…

Has social media peaked? It's an interesting question to ponder after the release of an iOS app that provides a social media experience for just one person (you). At first glance, SocialAI, billed as a pure “AI social network,” looks similar to Twitter, but with one very striking difference from traditional microblogging: there are no other human users at all. SocialAI allows you to share your thoughts with an always-available AI-powered bot that provides infinite chat replies. Think about it: your comments on SocialAI will never be ignored or go unanswered all together. It won't just be ignored. Fake users…

Drones will soon be used to transport urgent blood samples between two London hospitals as part of a new collaborative pilot program between British startup Apian, Alphabet's drone company Wing, and the UK's National Health Service. As part of a six-month trial program, the drones will deliver urgently needed blood samples to surgical patients at high risk of complications from bleeding disorders between Guy's and St. Thomas' hospitals in London in a time of less than two minutes instead of 30 minutes or more previously taken by van or motorbike, officials said. Pilots are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority,…

We are excited to announce the final agenda for our Fintech-only stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. This stage will join industry-specific stages like Space, SaaS, AI, Builders, and more, all coming together under one big roof. As the fintech industry evolves, new opportunities abound for founders, investors and customers. Areas like mobile banking, global payroll, digital payments, embedded finance and cryptocurrency will only continue to grow in the coming years. Open banking is also gaining momentum in the US. On the Fintech Stage at Disrupt, we'll hear from industry leaders about the challenges they've faced so far and where opportunities…

Has social media peaked? It's an interesting question to ponder after the release of an iOS app that offers a one-person social media experience. At first glance, SocialAI, billed as a pure “AI social network,” looks similar to Twitter, but with one thing that makes it completely different from traditional microblogging: there are no other human users. There's only you. Simply put, SocialAI allows you to share your thoughts with an always-available AI-powered bot that can provide infinite chat replies. Think about it: your comments on SocialAI will never be ignored or go unanswered all together. They won't just be…

Workday announced today that it is acquiring Evisort, an AI-powered contract management platform, for an undisclosed amount. Evithought's technology will enable Workday to add a range of AI-powered document processing tools to its existing finance and HR software, Terrance Wampler, group general manager at Workday, said in a statement. “Evisort helps realize our vision of helping customers unlock the value of their most important data,” said Wampler. “With AI-powered document intelligence, our customers can uncover and act on insights more quickly and efficiently.” San Francisco-based Evisort was founded in 2016 by a team of researchers from Harvard Law School and…

US technology giant Cisco has made its second round of job cuts so far in 2024, laying off thousands of employees. The technology and networking company said in August it would cut its workforce by 7%, or about 5,600 jobs, after laying off about 4,000 employees in February. As TechCrunch previously reported, Cisco employees said the company refused to disclose who would be affected by the layoffs until Sept. 16. Cisco did not disclose why there was a month-long delay in notifying affected employees. At the time, one employee told TechCrunch that Cisco's workplace had become “the most toxic environment”…

Hydrogen has been touted as the fuel of the future to decarbonize shipping and industry, but of the 90 million tonnes currently used for everything from fertilizer to chemical manufacturing, 96% is derived directly from natural gas, oil, or coal. For example, one of the most common methods is steam reforming of methane, which essentially heats methane to release hydrogen, releasing carbon dioxide in the process. This is hardly a climate-friendly future. That means there's plenty of room for companies trying to make hydrogen cheaper to produce. “Today, over $100 billion is being spent on hydrogen for industrial use,” says…

AI is increasingly being applied to protein design, the process of creating new proteins with specific target properties. The applications of protein design are myriad, but it is a promising method for discovering drug-based treatments to fight disease, as well as creating new home care, agricultural, food-based, and material products. Arzeda, one of many vendors developing AI techniques for designing proteins, was founded by a group of researchers at the University of Washington's Baker Institute in 2009. After nine years of building the company, Arzeda founders Alexandre Zanghellini, Daniela Grabs, Eric Althoff and David Baker decided to take their Seattle-based…