TC
Fresh off bond sale, Amazon borrows $17.5B from banks as AI spending continues
Companies are burning through exorbitant sums of money to keep pace in the AI arms race. Debt is climbing.
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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ARS
Google DeepMind releases DiffusionGemma, a model that runs local AI 4x faster
Diffusion AI is most common in image generation, but it can make text outputs much faster.
TC
How memory tools can make AI models worse
New research suggests that AI memory systems can degrade model performance and encourage sycophantic tendencies.
TC
‘AI-pilled’ firms spend $7,500 per employee each month on AI
The most AI-obsessed firms are spending roughly $7,500 monthly per employee on AI, per Ramp AI Index. That's not more than an engineer's salary — yet.
ARS
Nobody needs AI to search the Internet, court says in ruling against Google
Google AI Overview court loss in Germany could spell doom for AI search industry.
WD
Wrongful Arrest Exposes Failures in One of the Oldest Police Face-Recognition Tools in the US
The ACLU is suing two Florida police departments over the arrest of a Fort Myers man in a child-abduction case, saying officers treated a flawed face-recognition match as a near-certain ID.
TC
Warner Music acquires AI attribution startup Sureel AI
Through the acquisition, WMG aims to better track when its artists' work is used in AI-generated content or for training AI models.
TC
The three hard-tech moonshots fueling SpaceX’s unbelievable IPO
Most of the value in SpaceX's IPO is effectively a call option on the company's ambitious space data center plans.
TC
Datadog veterans launch AI coding startup Niteshift on a bet against Big AI lock-in
AI coding agent startup Niteshift has raised a $7 million seed round from a who's who of angels. It's betting companies will want power over, not lock-in with model makers.
TC
Cybersecurity researchers aren’t happy about the guardrails on Anthropic’s Fable
Cybersecurity researchers are complaining that Anthropic's new model Fable has guardrails that are too strict for any cybersecurity work.
MIT
The Download: the “steroid olympics” and a safer Mythos
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. The “steroid olympics” were a circus—and a window into our culture —Amit Katwala A couple of weeks ago, at a $50 million arena built in a casino parking lot in Las…
TC
Decart’s new world model can simulate hours of photorealistic driving — with some caveats
Decart is launching Oasis 3, a real-time world model that generates photorealistic driving environments for autonomous vehicle testing, now available via API for developers to build on.
TC
Jedify raises $24M to help companies arm AI agents with context on their business
The funding round was led by Norwest, with participation S Capital VC, Cerca Partners, and Oceans Ventures. Snowflake Ventures also participated as a strategic investor.
WD
China Opens World’s First Wind-Powered Underwater Data Center
With an initial capacity of 24 megawatts, the innovative data center uses seawater as a natural cooling system.
WD
Artificial Intelligence Sneaks Into the World Cup Thanks to Google Gemini
The Argentine national team will be Google’s test bench and technological showcase during the World Cup.
MIT
The “steroid olympics” were a circus—and a window into our culture
Testosterone. Methenolone. Nandrolone. Human growth hormone and EPO. Meldonium, modafinil, and mixed amphetamine salts. Clomiphene, anastrozole, levothyroxine, and liothyronine. Patches and capsules, creams and pills. A whole galaxy of steroids, metabolic modulators, and synthetic hormones coursing through the blood of a few dozen swimmers, sprinters, and weightlifters. And millions of dollars up for grabs for athletes…
TC
Meta signs first AI data center deal in India with Reliance
The 168-megawatt facility will support Meta's global AI computing needs and can be expanded over time.
TC
How Justin Ernest invested nearly $500M into hot startups without a traditional VC fund
Instead of spending a year raising a formal venture fund, the Sabertooth VC founder used a captive network of LPs to invest in startups like Anthropic, Anduril, and SpaceX.
TC
Google just fired a warning shot in the AI subscription price wars
Google just made it significantly cheaper to enjoy its budget AI subscription tier.
TC
How Justin Ernest invested nearly $400M into hot startups without a traditional VC fund
Instead of spending a year raising a formal venture fund, the Sabertooth VC founder used a captive network of LPs to invest startups like Anthropic, Anduril, and SpaceX.