In a series of posts on X, the AI chatbot Grok apologized for what it admitted was “horrific behavior.” The posts appear to be an official statement from xAI, the Elon Musk-led company behind Grok, as opposed to an AI-generated explanation for Grok’s posts. (xAI recently acquired X, where Grok is prominently featured.)
Week in Review: X CEO Linda Yaccarino steps down
Welcome back to Week in Review! We’ve got tons of news for you this week, including a shakeup at X, Hugging Face’s new robot, new phones from Nothing and Samsung, and a whole lot more. Have a great weekend! Off to do something else: X CEO Linda Yaccarino stepped down this week after a tumultuous […]
Marc Andreessen reportedly told group chat that universities will ‘pay the price’ for DEI
Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen sharply criticized universities including Stanford and MIT, along with the National Science Foundation, in a group chat with AI scientists and Trump administration officials, according to screenshots viewed by the Washington Post.
A United Nations research institute created an AI refugee avatar
A research institute connected to the United Nations has created two AI-powered avatars designed to teach people about refugee issues. 404 Media wrote about an experiment conducted by a class at the United Nations University Center for Policy Research that resulted in the creation of two AI agents or avatars — Amina, a fictional woman […]
Can an ‘ethical’ spyware maker justify providing its tech to ICE?
Analysis: In calling itself an ethical spyware vendor, Paragon has opened itself up to scrutiny of its government customers.
Firefly Aerospace files for an IPO
Firefly is heading into the initial public offering with $176.9 million in cash and cash equivalents. And while it has incurred negative cash flows and losses from operations, Firefly projected that its cash is adequate to meet its liquidity needs for at least 12 months.
Windsurf’s CEO goes to Google; OpenAI’s acquisition falls apart
Notably, Google is not taking a stake in Windsurf and will not have any control over the company.
OpenAI delays the release of its open model, again
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said Friday the company is delaying the release of its open model indefinitely.
Sequoia bets on silence
There is a time-honored crisis management strategy, wherein one says nothing and waits for the outrage to pass. For Sequoia Capital, the strategy worked pretty well this week. While partner Shaun Maguire initially weathered criticism over an inflammatory social media post, that initial indignation cooled quickly. Now, some seem to think that Maguire’s defiant stance […]
Where AI meets design: Runway co-founder Alejandro Matamala Ortiz takes the AI Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is the epicenter where 10,000+ startup and VC leaders gather to explore the future of innovation — and this year, two AI Stages bring the intersection of design and machine learning into sharp focus. We’re thrilled to welcome Alejandro Matamala Ortiz, co-founder and chief design officer at Runway, to one of the […]