ARS
The new Wild West of AI kids’ toys
The main antagonist of Toy Story 5, in theaters this summer, is a green, frog-shaped kids’ tablet named Lilypad, a genius new villain for the beloved Pixar franchise.
Global AI Picks
Curated AI coverage from TechCrunch, MIT Technology Review, WIRED and other top global tech media. Please cite this site when republishing.
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WD
Hackable Robot Lawn Mower Unlocks a New Nightmare
is bad enough without the platform you use to do your schoolwork suddenly shutting down. Unfortunately for countless students across the US, that’s exactly what they faced on Thursday after Canvas went into “maintenance mode” following a ransomware attack on education tech firm Instructure.
MIT
Musk v. Altman week 2: OpenAI fires back, and Shivon Zilis reveals that Musk tried to poach Sam Altman
In the second week of the landmark trial between Elon Musk and OpenAI, Musk’s motivations for bringing the suit were under scrutiny. Last week, Musk took the stand, alleging that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and president Greg Brockman had deceived him into donating $38 million to the company.
TC
Laid-off Oracle workers tried to negotiate better severance. Oracle said no.
As was widely reported, Oracle axed an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people via email on March 31. One of the employees cut that day told TechCrunch about the experience: “I had, like, this weird feeling in my stomach.
TC
Intel’s comeback story is even wilder than it seems
Bloomberg has a deep dive this week into how Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan is trying to rescue one of Silicon Valley’s most storied, and stumbling, chipmakers.
ARS
Sony says "efficient" AI tools will lead to even more games flooding the market
Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that its efficient AI tools will revolutionize game development, leading to an exponential increase in available games, while emphasizing that human artists must remain at the center. This contradictory stance reveals the deep tension the gaming industry faces in the AI wave.
TC
Cloudflare says AI made 1,100 jobs obsolete, even as revenue hit a record high
Cloudflare on Thursday joined a growing list of tech companies — including Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon — that have reported increased revenue alongside massive layoffs, attributing both trends to their use of AI. Cloudflare, which provides internet security and performance services to millions of we
ARS
Course correction: Google to link more sources in AI Overviews
The top of a Google search page is prime real estate, but it has primarily been the domain of AI Overviews for the past two years.
WD
There’s a Long-Shot Proposal to Protect California Workers From AI
candidate Tom Steyer is rolling out a new proposal that would guarantee jobs with benefits for workers displaced by artificial intelligence.
MIT
Here’s what you need to know about the cruise ship hantavirus outbreak
MIT Technology Review Explains: Let our writers untangle the complex, messy world of technology to help you understand what’s coming next. You can read more from the series here. Eight passengers aboard a Dutch-flagged cruise ship have contracted a type of hantavirus, a rare virus transmitted by rat
ARS
Chrome's 4GB AI model isn't new, but you're not wrong for being confused
All of Google’s products have been getting more AI features, including Chrome, which now offers split-screen Gemini chatbot support, the ability to automate web browsing, and more. Some desktop Chrome users have also noted that the browser appears to suddenly want more storage space for AI.
TC
Last 24 hours to get 50% off a second pass to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Today is the last day. At 11:59 p.m. PT, the 50% off second pass offer for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 ends.
AIN
RingCentral adds Shopify, Calendly, and WhatsApp to AI Receptionist
RingCentral has expanded its AI Receptionist product with new links to Shopify, Calendly and WhatsApp, as the communications software company tries to push the product beyond basic call answering and into more routine customer service tasks.
WD
Nick Bostrom Has a Plan for Humanity’s ‘Big Retirement’
recently posted a paper, where he postulated that a small chance of AI annihilating all humans might be worth the risk, because advanced AI might relieve humanity of “its universal death sentence.” That upbeat gamble is quite a leap from his previous dark musings on AI, which made him a doomer godfa
TC
The “people’s airline” and the enterprise AI gold rush
Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Everyone wants a piece of the enterprise AI pie, and this week, we saw a string of companies making their moves.
MIT
The Download: AI malaise and babymaking tech
This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology. We’ve entered the era of AI malaise AI is spreading everywhere, and it is not going away.
WD
The New Wild West of AI Kids’ Toys
of Toy Story 5, in theaters this summer, is a green, frog-shaped kids’ tablet named Lilypad, a genius new villain for the beloved Pixar franchise.
MIT
Here’s how technology transformed babymaking
Technology is changing the way we make babies. The pioneering work of the scientists who invented IVF led to the birth of the first “test tube baby” in 1978.
TC
Why you can never get your doctor to call you back
A lot of the conversation around AI in healthcare focuses on diagnostics and drug discovery or on doctor-patient visits.
WD
Musk v. Altman Evidence Shows What Microsoft Executives Thought of OpenAI
Microsoft, its longtime investor and cloud partner, has grown increasingly complicated over the years as the ChatGPT-maker has grown into a behemoth competitor.But Microsoft executives had reservations about sending additional funding to OpenAI as far back as 2018 when it was just a small nonprofit