Reddit will tighten verification to keep out human-like AI bots

Redditors around the world were scandalized last week after learning that a team of researchers released a swarm of AI-powered, human-impersonating bots on the “Change My View” subreddit. The large-scale experiment was designed to explore just how persuasive AI can be. The bots posted over 1,700 comments, adopting personas like abuse survivors or controversial identities […]

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Patreon’s app can now accept web payments after U.S. App Store changes

Creator platform Patreon has rolled out an updated version of its app that now allows users to make purchases via the web, in the wake of the Apple-Epic court ruling that forced Apple to allow app developers to include links to alternative forms of payment without being subject to Apple’s commission. Previously, on version 125.4.1 […]

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TechCrunch Sessions: AI welcomes Tanka CEO Kisson Lin to talk AI-native startups

We’re ecstatic to announce that Kisson Lin, founder and CEO of Tanka, will be joining us at TechCrunch Sessions: AI for a provocative — and instructive — interview titled “Your Next Co-Founder Will Be AI.” She’s among the many excellent speakers joining the event June 5 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall, and there’s still plenty […]

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Amazon’s Zoox robotaxi unit issues software recall after recent Las Vegas crash

Amazon’s Zoox issued a software recall for its robotaxis after a crash in Las Vegas last month, the company said.

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FutureHouse previews an AI tool for ‘data-driven’ biology discovery

FutureHouse, an Eric Schmidt-backed nonprofit that aims to build an “AI scientist” within the next decade, has released a new tool that it claims can help support “data-driven discovery” in biology. The new tool comes just a week after FutureHouse launched its API and platform. The tool, called Finch, takes in biology data (primarily in the […]

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Amazon Kindle’s iOS app adds new ‘Get Book’ button following Apple payments ruling

Thanks to a recent ruling that ordered Apple to stop charging a 27% commission on purchases through iPhone apps, Amazon’s Kindle iOS app now has a “Get book” button that makes it easier to buy titles. “We regularly make improvements to our apps to help ensure we are providing customers the most convenient experience possible,” Amazon […]

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Uber turns to Chinese companies to snap up robotaxi market share in Europe, Middle East

Uber announced its third partnership with a Chinese autonomous vehicle company this week, revealing the ride-hail and delivery giant’s appetite for global domination in the emerging robotaxi sector. Uber said Tuesday it would work with Guangzhou-based Pony AI, which late last year went public on the Nasdaq at a $5.25 billion valuation, to launch robotaxis […]

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What OpenAI’s restructuring plan means for its corporate future

OpenAI said on Monday it is pursuing a new restructuring plan after conversations with Delaware and California’s attorneys general, both of whom were closely watching as OpenAI tried to break free of its odd corporate structure. Currently, OpenAI’s nonprofit board governs the organization’s for-profit operations. Under the new plan, OpenAI’s for-profit arm will become a […]

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Google debuts an updated Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model ahead of I/O

Google on Tuesday announced the launch of Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition), an updated version of its flagship Gemini 2.5 Pro AI model that the company claims tops a number of widely-used benchmarks. Gemini 2.5 Pro Preview (I/O edition) is available via the Gemini API and Google’s Vertex AI and AI Studio platforms, priced […]

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Unblocked raises $20M for AI to help devs understand codebases

Every developer has their own unique style of writing code. Despite companies establishing best practices and drawing up documentation, it can be hard for developers to understand someone else’s codebase. To solve this problem, Dennis Pilarinos built a tool called Unblocked — an AI-powered assistant that answers contextual questions about lines of code. Pilarinos is […]

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