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AI researcher François Chollet founds a new AI lab focused on AGI
François Chollet, an influential AI researcher, is launching a new startup that aims to build frontier AI systems with novel designs. The startup, Ndea, will consist of an AI research and science lab. It’s looking to “develop and operationalize” AGI. AGI, which stands for “artificial general intelligence,” typically refers to AI that can perform any…
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Trump’s DOT pick wants EV owners to pay to use roads
Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Department of Transportation, thinks owners of electric vehicles should pay to use roads. “How to do that, I think, is a little more challenging,” Duffy said at his confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Commerce Committee. The former Republican lawmaker is correct that it would…
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This Week in AI: Will Biden’s AI actions survive the Trump era?
Hiya, folks, welcome to TechCrunch’s regular AI newsletter. If you want this in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. This week was something of a swan song for the Biden administration. On Monday, the White House announced sweeping new restrictions on exporting AI chips — restrictions that tech giants, including Nvidia, loudly criticized. (Nvidia’s business…
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Bluesky is getting its own photo-sharing app, Flashes
More good news for those looking to exit Meta’s social app ecosystem in favor of a more open alternative: An independent developer is building a photo-sharing app for Bluesky called Flashes. The soon-to-launch app is powered by the same technology that underpins Bluesky, the AT Protocol, and has been built using code from the developer’s…
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Google inks deal with The Associated Press to bring more real-time info to Gemini
In a bid to make its Gemini chatbot app more of one-stop shop, Google says it’s working with The Associated Press to build “a feed of real-time information” in Gemini. Jaffer Zaidi, Google’s VP of global news partnerships, said that the goal is to “further enhance the usefulness of results” in the Gemini experience. “As…
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Google raises the price of Workspace plans, includes its AI features for free
Google announced on Wednesday that all AI features in Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Meet are now available to Workspace customers at no extra charge, though the plan will see a $2 per month increase per user. This change simplifies access to Workplace AI tools, including email summaries, automated note-taking, chatting with the Gemini bot, and…
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Colossal Biosciences raises $200M at $10.2B valuation to bring back woolly mammoths
Colossal Biosciences wants to bring back the woolly mammoth and has raised $200 million at a $10.2 billion valuation to do it. © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.
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As Gen Z job applicants balloon, companies are turning to AI agent recruiters
According to some of the latest statistics, employers are swamped by job applications. In the UK alone, employers running graduate training schemes received an average of 140 applications for each job in 2024, 59 per cent more than in 2023, according to the Institute of Student Employers. And despite some trepidations amongst a few recruiters,…
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Fast-growing South African venture FARO raises $6M to source, refurbish and sell surplus clothing
Global fashion brands are struggling with billions of dollars worth of unsold inventory. Mostly, these brands avoid reselling in core markets like the UK and the U.S. to prevent market cannibalization. Meanwhile, emerging markets like Africa heavily rely on secondhand clothing imports, but 30% to 40% of these items are deemed unusable upon arrival, leading to…
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OpenAI tests phone number-only ChatGPT signups
OpenAI has begun testing a feature that lets new ChatGPT users sign up with only a phone number — no email required. Thea addition was spotted by software engineer, Tibor Blaho. The feature is currently in beta in the U.S. and India. There are, however, some restrictions. Users who create an account using their number…