Author: TechBrunch
Confront Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang when he says, “Building a foundational model for a common humanoid robot is one of the most exciting problems to solve in AI today.” It's difficult. The humanoid form factor is currently one of the most hotly contested topics in the world of robotics, raising large amounts of venture capital but also generating significant skepticism in the process. Naturally, Nvidia wants the product. The chip giant has become perhaps the most important hardware company in his AI space, and has recently made a convincing case as a powerhouse of robotics innovation through initiatives such as…
Elon Musk's xAI released its Grok large-scale language model as “open source” over the weekend. The billionaire clearly wants to pit his company against rival OpenAI, which despite its name is not very open. But does publishing the code for something like Grok actually contribute to the AI development community? Yes and no. Grok is a chatbot trained by xAI to play the same vaguely defined role as the likes of ChatGPT and Claude. Ask a question and we'll answer. However, this LLM was given a cheeky tone and special access to Twitter data as a way to differentiate itself…
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov said on his channel today that the company secured $330 million in investment through a bond sale last week. Durov said the offering was oversubscribed on favorable terms for the company. “This bond offering has been highly subscribed and we are pleased to have included a top-tier global fund with an impeccable reputation as a participant. ) was the most favorable for Telegram in our history,” he said on his channel. Although he did not name the institutions that invested in the platform, he said global financial institutions have appreciated the company's growth. Durov…
Onyx Private, a Miami-based Y Combinator-backed digital bank that provided banking and investment services to high-income Millennials and Gen Z, is discontinuing its banking operations. In a March 13 email seen by TechCrunch to customers with the subject line “Important Notice: Bank Termination and Account Closure,” Onyx wrote: Starting today, all related accounts will be closed. ” Co-founder and CEO Victor Santos admitted to TechCrunch that the company is “moving away from a B2C model,” but rather than shutting down operations, the company is changing its business model. He said he is doing so. Y Combinator lists the company as…
Chip giant Nvidia is hosting a major AI conference this week as part of its GTC event starting Monday. A keynote speech by Jensen, his CEO and co-founder of the company best known last year for its gaming hardware and now known for its huge market share in the fast-growing AI hardware market, is scheduled to be delivered by his fans. It is expected that Nvidia will announce some news. But a number of other AI companies are planning to emerge. Given that many AI startups and major companies alike are using Nvidia equipment, TechCrunch expects a significant number of…
Roblox announced Monday that it is introducing two new AI technologies to reduce the time it takes to create avatars and 3D models. Built on Roblox artificial intelligence, this technology is designed to allow creators to skip time-consuming avatar setup and texturing steps when building content on her Roblox platform. The first feature, called Avatar Auto Setup, simplifies the avatar creation process by automatically converting 3D body meshes into live, animated avatars that users can adopt right away. When a creator selects a new feature, Roblox runs numerous tests on the asset and automatically creates 3D models for him of…
Technology enthusiasts, startup enthusiasts, marketing gurus, and rising venture capitalists should seize the opportunity to showcase their expertise at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 in San Francisco, October 28-30. Share your insights and shape the conversation! Apply to speak at TechCrunch Disrupt We've assembled a lineup of industry experts across the startup world to lead engaging breakout sessions and facilitate roundtable discussions. Dive into topics important to startup founders, innovators, and entrepreneurs looking to grow their ventures. Do you have what you need? There's no need to wait any longer. Apply to speak at Disrupt today. The application deadline is April 26th.…
On Sunday, two competitive esports players were apparently hacked during a live streaming game, prompting organizers to postpone the tournament. The players were participating in the Apex Legends Global Series, a competitive esports tournament for the popular shooter game Apex Legends with a total prize pool of $5 million. During two separate games, two different players suddenly acquired cheats in the middle of the match. “Wait, what the hell? I'm hacked, I'm hacked, brother, I'm hacked,” Gembarten said, raising his hands during the game. According to the video they posted on Xwas also posted on multiple YouTube channels. An in-game…
YouTube now requires creators to disclose to viewers when they use AI to create realistic content, the company announced Monday. The platform is introducing new tools in Creator Studio to help creators understand when content that viewers could mistake for real people, places, or events was created with modified or synthetic media, including generative AI. Require disclosure. With new generative AI tools making it harder to tell what's real and what's fake, this new disclosure means users can be tricked into thinking synthetically created videos are real. The purpose is to prevent The announcement comes as experts warn that AI…
Leading app analytics company Sensor Tower acquires rival Data.ai in a move to consolidate the mobile intelligence industry, creating a powerhouse that can dominate the space and proactively provide competitive insights into the app economy is about to be established. Sensor Tower and Data.ai help businesses and developers understand how their mobile apps are performing, providing estimates on downloads, active users, in-app revenue, traction in specific demographics, and competitive benchmarks. Masu. Sensor Tower said these platforms, which cost over tens of thousands of dollars for standard services, are currently available as standalone products, and no additional consumer-focused changes are planned…