Meta suspends access to AI characters for youth ahead of new version
Meta announced today that it will temporarily suspend access by teenagers to its AI characters in its apps worldwide. The company exclusively told TechCrunch that it’s not abandoning its efforts and wants to develop an updated version of its AI characters for teens. The move comes just days before the case against Meta goes to […]
Microdramas like TikTok will make billions this year, even if they’re terrible
Emily is a college student during the day, but works night shifts at a strip club to pay for her education. She thought no one would find out her secret, until one day a mysterious English teacher showed up! Did he recognize her? Will her secret be revealed? You can pay 60 “tokens” to see […]
OpenAI chief Sam Altman plans India visit as AI leaders gather in New Delhi: sources
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning a visit to India in mid-February, which will be his first trip to the country in almost a year, TechCrunch has learned. The visit comes as New Delhi prepares to host a major AI summit expected to bring together top executives from Meta, Google and Anthropic. India will host […]
+1 50% discount ends | Tech Crunch
Time flies and these savings pay off as well. The lowest ticket prices for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 and the 50% off Plus One Pass for the first 500 registrants are all but gone. If you’re wondering which technology conferences to include in your calendar this year, now’s your chance. Register now to save up to […]
Tesla discontinues Autopilot to promote full self-driving software
Tesla has discontinued its basic driver-assistance system, Autopilot, as the company seeks to accelerate adoption of a more advanced version of the technology, which it calls “fully autonomous driving (with supervision).” The decision comes as the company faces a 30-day suspension of its manufacturing and dealer licenses in California, the country’s largest market. A judge […]
New startup from former Sequoia partner uses AI to negotiate calendars on your behalf
Kais Khimji has spent most of his professional career as a venture investor, including six years as a partner at the prominent VC firm Sequoia Capital. But like several other former Sequoia partners, including David Vélez, who founded Brazilian digital bank Nubank, Kimji (pictured left) always wanted to be a startup founder. He announced Thursday […]
Palmer Lackey says the best part about Anduril’s arrival in Long Beach is its fighters.
Defense technology company Anduril on Thursday announced plans to expand its Southern California presence with the opening of a large campus in Long Beach, the coastal town where founder Palmer Lackey grew up. The expanded campus is expected to eventually support approximately 5,500 jobs. Lackey told TechCrunch that these will be new jobs, not transfers […]
Capital One bought Brex at a steep discount from its highest valuation, but early believers are still laughing all the way to the bank
In Silicon Valley, when a unicorn stumbles, there’s a sense of schadenfreude. So when the Journal broke the news Thursday afternoon that Capital One would acquire Brex for $5.15 billion in cash and stock (Capital One issued an official release confirming the details a half-hour later), you could almost hear the collective laughter from Sand […]
Are AI agents ready for the workplace? New benchmarks raise questions.
It’s been nearly two years since Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella predicted that knowledge work (the white-collar jobs held by lawyers, investment bankers, librarians, accountants, IT, etc.) would be replaced by AI. However, despite the great advances made with basic models, changes in knowledge work have been slow to emerge. Models have mastered thorough research and […]
Google DeepMind CEO is ‘surprised’ as OpenAI rushes to advertise on ChatGPT
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis said he was “surprised” that OpenAI was already moving to introduce advertising within its AI chatbots. In an interview with Axios at Davos, the AI leader answered a question about using advertising to monetize AI services, saying the idea is something Google’s team is considering “very carefully.” Hassabis also said […]
