Author: TechBrunch
Apple stands by its decision to suspend the Apple developer account of Appstun, a mobile app company founded by one of the student winners of its Worldwide Developer Conference 2021. According to an announcement posted on Appstun's website, Apple took the action to suspend the developer account after the company's apps were rejected multiple times for violating the company's App Store guidelines. Apple's decision to close developer accounts was recently addressed on X by Apple critic and 37Signals co-owner and CTO David Heinemeier Hansson, where he praised how privileged web developers are to be able to run their businesses without…
Estita Cabra had always wanted to work for Airbnb, and when she came up with the idea for her fashion-sharing platform company, Buy Rotation, a few years ago, she looked to other gig economy businesses like Airbnb for inspiration. She launched Buy Rotation in 2019, turning her side hustle into a full-fledged fashion clothing rental business. It now claims to have more than 500,000 users, including celebrities like Herem Mirren, Ellie Goulding, and Amelia Windsor, a member of the British royal family. The company has raised $3.5 million in funding from backers including Bessemer Ventures and Cornerstone VC, but Kabra…
LAION, the German research institute that creates the data used to train generative AI models such as Stable Diffusion, has published a new dataset that it claims has been “thoroughly cleaned of any known links to suspected child sexual abuse material (CSAM).” The new dataset, Re-LAION-5B, is actually a re-release of the older dataset, LAION-5B, but with “fixes” implemented based on recommendations from non-profit organizations Internet Watch Foundation, Human Rights Watch, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, and the now-defunct Stanford Internet Observatory. Two versions are available for download: Re-LAION-5B Research and Re-LAION-5B Research-Safe (which additionally removes NSFW content), and…
According to Microsoft, a North Korean hacking group exploited a previously unknown bug in Chrome to target organizations in early August with the aim of stealing cryptocurrency. In a report published on Friday, cybersecurity researchers at the tech giant said they first saw evidence of the hackers' activity on Aug. 19 and that the hackers were linked to a group known as “Citrine Sleet,” which is known for targeting the cryptocurrency industry. According to the report, the hackers exploited a flaw in a core engine within Chromium, the underlying code for popular browsers like Chrome and Microsoft Edge. At the…
Welcome to Startups Weekly, your weekly dose of the can't miss happenings from the startup world. Want to receive it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here. This week was a bit of a carryover from the previous one in that the Bolt drama continued to unfold — another story to follow — but money also flowed into startups with traction, venture capital funds with proven track records, and valuable theses. This week's most interesting startup stories Image credit: Bryce Durbin Some news stories appear and disappear within a few days, while others require you to keep an eye…
Google is preparing for the upcoming US presidential election by rolling out safety measures to more of its generative AI products. The company had already announced that it would be restricting Gemini queries related to the election, but is now applying additional restrictions to its other generative AI products. These safeguards apply to search AI profiles, YouTube AI-generated profiles in live chat, Gems, and image generation in Gemini. As part of the restrictions, these AI products will not respond to election-related topics. Google acknowledges that generative AI is a relatively new technology and therefore prone to error, and has limited…
Regulators around the world are stepping up efforts to make the internet safer for kids. Major social networks are facing increased scrutiny and fighting back by introducing child protection tools. A central focus is on the content that kids see on their screens and how to make it safer. While many of these efforts are aimed at teenagers, young children also use the devices to consume content, so the three founders, who have worked at companies like Google and Amazon, are working on building an AI-powered browser/companion to create a safe environment for kids to learn and explore through Hello…
Startups aren't giving up on the idea of an AI-powered pin, and Plaud's latest device focuses on just one task: taking notes. In the past few months, companies like Humane and Rabbit have launched their own gadgets powered by generative AI. It may be too early to write off these companies or products entirely, but Humane's Pin has received particularly harsh criticism. More broadly, none of these devices have been big enough of a hit to prove that this is a new category that most consumers actually care about. So in that context, the fact that Proud's NotePin focuses solely…
Jam & Tea Studios is the latest gaming startup implementing generative AI to transform the way players interact with non-playable characters (NPCs) in video games. Traditionally, NPCs in video games operate according to pre-determined scripts that can make them feel repetitive, unrealistic and boring, and can limit the possibilities of what a player can experience. However, with generative AI, players can have casual conversations and interact with NPCs however they want (within reason). Founded by gaming industry veterans from Riot Games, Wizards of the Coast and Magic: The Gathering, the company announced on Friday its first game that utilizes generative…
While family offices have traditionally been viewed as private financial institutions, they are playing an important role in the supply of venture capital, leveraging startup investments as a way to diversify their portfolios and work on breakthrough technologies. Join Eti Lazarian, Principal at Elle Family Office, and Bruce Lee, CEO and Founder of Keebeck Wealth Management, as they discuss the future of family office investing on the Builder's Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 in San Francisco. They'll explore why startups are an attractive option, hot areas like the evolution of EV technology, and how to realign your investment strategy to…