TC
US data centers could consume more natural gas than Germany and Japan combined by 2035
The AI frenzy could push U.S. data centers to become one of the largest consumers of natural gas in the world.
ARS
Agility’s new humanoid robot will stop, squat to avoid harming human coworkers
Robots can start working outside physical cages and without safety barriers.
TC
The AI graveyard: a running list of projects and startups that didn’t make it
From Apple's repeatedly delayed Siri AI to OpenAI's messy "super app" launch, here's a look at the AI projects that shut down or missed expectations.
TC
Meta now lets AI agents handle the boring parts of WhatsApp Business setup
A new WhatsApp Business MCP server lets developers use AI coding agents like Claude, Cursor, Codex, and ChatGPT to handle setup, messaging templates, testing, and troubleshooting.
Claude Sonnet 4.6 Tops with 100 Points: 2026-09-16 Smoke Quick Test Data Brief
In the 2026-09-16 YZ Index Smoke Quick Test, Claude Sonnet 4.6 ranked first with 100 points. The test covered 10 models and is intended for short-term signal monitoring rather than long-term conclusions.
TC
AEO startup Profound hits unicorn valuation, raises $180M Series D 7 months after last round
Profound has raised a $180 million Series D at a $1.8 billion valuation, less than seven months after it raised a $96 million Series C.
TC
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google have been in talks on AI safety for weeks
OpenAI confirms weeks of AI safety talks with Anthropic and Google DeepMind, as Trump's team dismisses safety concerns and pushes to keep pace with China.
TC
Meta expands subscription push with new AI-focused plans
Meta One bundles expanded access to the company’s AI tools with premium features across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
TC
AI agents now have a place to snitch
The AI Contact Hotline is designed to be a discreet place where agents that have witnessed misbehavior can tip off authorities.
MIT
Roundtables: Could AI really kill us all?
Listen to the session or watch below Employees at the world’s leading AI labs are saying there’s a real possibility that advanced AI could destroy humanity. Are they right? Or is this more scaremongering and hype? Watch a conversation unpacking AI extinction fears: where they come from, whether they hold any water, and, if so,…
WD
AI ‘Actor’ Tilly Norwood Told Me That ‘All Lives Matter’
The virtual character, which is promoting its upcoming movie Misaligned, tries to evade politics by repetitively commenting on the clothes you’re wearing.
MIT
The Download: AI doomers, whistleblowing agents, and de-aged livers
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 AI industry has taken a doomer turn. What now? AI chiefs Dario Amodei, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Demis Hassabis are suddenly all in agreement: the latest generation of LLMs…
TC
4 days left to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Last day to exhibit at Disrupt is Sept 18. 4 days left. Get your startup in front of 10,000+ founders, investors, operators and tech leaders October 13–15.
TC
Former TikTok execs built an app that uses AI to teach you how to pose for a photo
Essentially a camera app, Superpose analyzes selfies or photos and generates four potential poses using AI.
MIT
AI models need more data about biology, and OpenAI is paying to create it
Last year, the clinical trial policy analyst Ruxandra Teslo posted an idea for super-charging medical AI systems: use data from failed biotech companies. By bidding at their bankruptcy proceedings, she proposed, it might be possible to obtain detailed regulatory filings, manufacturing strategies, and safety data—information usually kept hidden as valuable trade secrets. She called these…
TC
Early Anthropic hire, former METR COO have found a way to rein in rogue AI agents
Their startup, Artificial Intelligence Underwriting Company (AIUC) has raised $40 million in a Series A lound led by Ribbit Capital, with participation from First Harmonic.
AIN
Pony.ai unveils autonomous electric truck for logistics fleets
Pony.ai has unveiled an autonomous electric truck for logistics fleets, developed with GAC Commercial Vehicle for freight supply chains. Unveiled at IAA Transportation 2026, this Level 4 (L4) heavy rig marks the fourth-generation (Gen-4) iteration of Pony.ai’s Robotruck platform. It builds on GAC Commercial Vehicle’s T9 battery-electric truck architecture, with mass production set to start […] The post Pony.ai unveils autonomous electric truck for logistics fleets appeared first on AI News
TC
Salesforce and Nvidia’s new reasoning model is everything the AI labs should fear
Salesforce Koa is built on Nvidia's open-weight Nemotron model and is trained to do sales, marketing and customer-support tasks.
ARS
Exclusive: Paying for frontier AI models buys 4-month head start at 5x the cost
Ars previewed Mozilla’s report on how cheap open models caught up on capability.
Inference Chip Funding Wave Reaches New High: Positron AI Closes $875M Series C at $5B Valuation, Betting LPDDR5X Will Disrupt HBM
Positron AI has raised $875 million in Series C funding at a $5 billion post-money valuation, betting that LPDDR5X memory can replace HBM in AI inference. The company plans to use the funds for its Asimov custom chip tape-out, a 2 MW+ engineering data center and simulation platform, and mass production of its Titan inference servers.