Author: TechBrunch

Henrik Fisker once envisioned a burgeoning electric-vehicle empire led by the Ocean SUV at his eponymous startup, but cracks in that vision started to show as soon as the Ocean hit the road in 2023. Fisker repeatedly cut production goals, missed sales targets, and laid off employees. Additionally, its Ocean SUVs were hit by software and mechanical problems that rendered them inoperable for some. Problematic brakes, sudden loss of power, and doors that wouldn't open added to a list of issues that led to multiple safety investigations and ultimately a production halt to raise new capital. These and other factors…

So-called “unlearning” techniques are used to make generative AI models forget certain undesirable information taken from the training data, such as sensitive personal data or copyrighted material. But current unlearning techniques are a double-edged sword: they can significantly degrade the ability of models like OpenAI's GPT-4o and Meta's Llama 3.1 405B to answer basic questions. That's according to a new study co-authored by researchers from the University of Washington (UW), Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of Southern California, and Google, which finds that today's most popular unlearning techniques tend to degrade models, often to the point where they become…

Uber is rolling out simultaneous rides in India, a feature that lets users book up to three rides for anyone in their contacts, according to information obtained exclusively by TechCrunch and confirmed by the company. The co-ride feature is the latest example of how Uber is developing its products to reach more customers, including those who don't have the app or a smartphone. In India, Uber also allows co-ride users to pay the driver directly with cash or via the app. Uber quietly launched its simultaneous ride-hailing service in markets around the world, including the U.S., last year. An Uber…

US airports are now rolling out facial recognition technology to scan travelers' faces before they board – and Americans, at least, can opt out. More than 230 US airports already use facial recognition technology, according to the website of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the federal agency in charge of border security. Governments, meanwhile, claim that facial recognition will reduce the need for paper tickets and make travel more efficient. But it remains flawed and controversial: Early rollouts of facial recognition at airports were plagued by technical and reliability issues, and independent tests cast doubt on the effectiveness of…

US airports are now rolling out facial recognition technology to scan travelers' faces before they board – and Americans, at least, can opt out. More than 230 US airports already use facial recognition technology, according to the website of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the federal agency in charge of border security. Governments, meanwhile, claim that facial recognition will reduce the need for paper tickets and make travel more efficient. But it remains flawed and controversial: Early rollouts of facial recognition at airports were plagued by technical and reliability issues, and independent tests cast doubt on the effectiveness of…

The promise of AI and large language models (LLMs) is the ability to understand an increasingly broader range of contexts and make sense of that information easily, so it's no surprise that many companies are working on wearable hardware to help people use AI in their daily lives. The latest entrant in this space is Bee AI, which raised $7 million in a round led by Exor to develop a wearable AI assistant that listens to users, learns about them, takes notes, gives contextual reminders, and creates lists. The company also offers a companion app for the Apple Watch. The…

The Great Rollback is here. The phrase refers to big tech companies starting to cut back on some of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs that were put in place shortly after the killing of George Floyd. Most recently, Zoom announced it had fired its DEI team. Google and Meta have cut funding to DEI programs, and funding for Black founders continues to decline. Lawsuits have been filed targeting DEI programs, forcing companies to hide their efforts at inclusion, while billionaires debate whether DEI efforts at X are discriminatory. With states continuing to ban affirmative action and a presidential…

Welcome to a recap of Equity, TechCrunch's flagship podcast about the business of startups. In today's episode, we're talking M&A, how one YouTuber made it in the creator economy, why Twitch is still in the red, and a self-driving car company making a comeback. First, senior reporter Rebecca Beran covered fintech giant Stripe's acquisition of four-year-old competitor Lemon Squeegee. Stripe CEO Patrick Collison said the acquisition will strengthen Stripe's ability to calculate and pay global sales tax for its customers. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Lemon Squeegee famously turned down other investments, including a $50 million Series A.…

Government websites aren't known for being cutting edge. Ben Cohen, co-founder and CTO of GovWell, noticed this while helping his father, a contractor, apply for building permits. Cohen worked as a full-stack engineer at Uber by day and faxed building permit documents by night. The difference in technology was stark. A few years later, the experience inspired him to start GovWell. New York-based GovWell is a workflow system for small and medium-sized governments that helps automate and streamline a variety of tasks, from building permits and regulations to zoning and fire safety inspections. GovWell co-founder and CEO Troy LeCaire told…

A federal district court in New York has ruled that U.S. border patrol agents must obtain a warrant before searching the electronic devices of Americans and international travelers crossing the U.S. border. The July 24 ruling is the latest court opinion to overturn the U.S. government's long-held legal argument that federal border patrol agents should be allowed to access travelers' devices at points of entry, such as airports, ports and land borders, without a court-approved warrant. Human rights groups supported the sentence and praised it. “This decision makes clear that Border Patrol agents need a warrant to access what the…