TechCrunch
Cloudflare’s new policy pushes AI companies to pay for publishers’ content
Cloudflare will block mixed-use crawlers by default starting in 2026, forcing AI companies to distinguish between search and AI training traffic.
TechCrunch
Venice AI becomes a unicorn with $65M Series A as its privacy-first AI platform takes off
Venice AI has achieved unicorn status after raising $65 million to expand its privacy-focused, uncensored AI platform.
TechCrunch
Gemini Spark, Google’s agentic assistant, is now available on Mac
Google has launched its agentic AI assistant, Gemini Spark, for macOS, bringing enhanced file management and app integrations to desktop users.
TechCrunch
Meta, like SpaceX, looks to turn excess AI compute into cash
Meta is reportedly developing a cloud infrastructure business to monetize its massive investments in AI computing power.
The Verge
Google built a great smart speaker, but Gemini isn’t ready for it
Google's new smart speaker features excellent hardware design and sound, but the integrated Gemini AI assistant remains slow and unreliable for home control.
Los Angeles Times
Gas giants raise prices with AI in another hit to living costs, lawsuit says - Los Angeles Times
A new class-action lawsuit alleges that gas companies are using AI-powered software to collude and artificially inflate fuel prices in California.
Blocknow: Be ready. Be informed
Anthropic Teams Up With Amazon, Microsoft, and Google on AI Jailbreak Framework
Anthropic is collaborating with Amazon, Microsoft, and Google to establish a standardized framework for evaluating and addressing AI jailbreak vulnerabilities.
Reality Shrine
Netflix has used AI to recreate Gene Wilder’s voice for new Willy Wonka show, and it’s cursed
Netflix is using AI technology to recreate the late Gene Wilder's voice for their upcoming competition series, Wonka’s The Golden Ticket.
Anthropic
Redeploying Claude Fable 5
Anthropic has resumed access to Claude Fable 5 following a brief suspension due to government-imposed export controls regarding cybersecurity safeguards.
TechCrunch
The “Father of the Internet” is finally retiring
Vinton Cerf, a co-architect of the internet's core protocols, is retiring from his long-standing role as Google’s chief internet evangelist.
TechCrunch
Trump drops restrictions on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models
The US government has lifted export restrictions on Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models after reaching a security compliance agreement.
TechCrunch
Wayve launches $85M employee tender offer at $8.5B valuation
UK autonomous driving startup Wayve is offering employees the opportunity to sell $85 million in vested equity at an $8.5 billion valuation.
The Verge
Anthropic’s long-sidelined Fable 5 is greenlit to return
Anthropic is restoring access to its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models following a successful negotiation with the Trump administration over export controls.
TechCrunch
OpenClaw is finally available on Android and iOS
The open-source AI agent platform OpenClaw has officially launched its mobile application for iOS and Android devices.
Gemini
Gemini Spark updates: macOS launch, connected apps and more
Google is launching Gemini Spark on macOS, adding third-party app integrations, and introducing real-time topic tracking to enhance user productivity.
TechCrunch
The DeepMind trio who built a poker AI, are now making money for quant hedge funds
Former DeepMind researchers founded EquiLibre Technologies, an AI lab using reinforcement learning to trade stocks with a valuation of $500 million.
The Verge
Google’s NotebookLM can sum up your research in a TikTok-style clip
Google’s NotebookLM now enables users to generate short, TikTok-style AI videos to summarize their research notes and uploaded documents.
TechCrunch
Google introduces a faster, cheaper image generator with Nano Banana 2 Lite
Google launched Nano Banana 2 Lite, a faster and more affordable AI image generator designed for high-volume, rapid creative workflows.
TechCrunch
Nvidia competitor Etched hits $5B valuation, $1B in sales for AI chip
AI chip startup Etched has reached a $5 billion valuation and secured $1 billion in orders for its specialized inference hardware.
TechCrunch
Anthropic launches Claude Sonnet 5 as a cheaper way to run agents
Anthropic has released Claude Sonnet 5, a more capable and cost-effective midsize model designed for autonomous agentic tasks.
Anthropic
Introducing Claude Sonnet 5
Claude Sonnet 5 is a new, highly agentic AI model offering improved reasoning, tool use, and coding capabilities at a competitive price point.
TechCrunch
Acti puts AI agents directly into your smartphone keyboard
Acti has launched an agentic keyboard for iOS and Android that integrates AI tools directly into everyday apps to streamline user tasks.
The Verge
Netflix is using an AI-generated Gene Wilder voice in its Willy Wonka reality show
Netflix is using an AI-generated voice of Gene Wilder for its upcoming reality competition series, Wonka’s The Golden Ticket.
Anthropic
Claude Science, an AI workbench for scientists
Claude Science is a new AI workbench designed to integrate research tools, manage compute resources, and provide auditable workflows for scientific discovery.
TechCrunch
Anthropic’s Claude Science bets on workflow, not a new model, to win over scientists
Anthropic launched Claude Science, a new AI workbench that streamlines scientific research workflows by integrating tools and databases into a single environment.
Gemini
Start building with Nano Banana 2 Lite and Gemini Omni Flash
Google has released Nano Banana 2 Lite for efficient image generation and Gemini Omni Flash for advanced video creation and editing.
The Verge
Libby will filter out AI content, kind of
OverDrive’s Libby app is introducing settings to let users filter out AI-generated content like books, audiobooks, and art.
TechCrunch
X now offers an MCP server to make its platform easier for AI tools to use
X has launched a hosted Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, simplifying the integration of AI tools with the platform's API.
TechCrunch
Podcasting platform Riverside enters the newsletter publishing game
Riverside is launching an AI-powered newsletter tool that converts recorded podcasts and videos into written content directly within its platform.
TechCrunch
Amazon launches new $1 billion FDE org, following OpenAI and Anthropic
AWS has launched a $1 billion forward-deployed engineering organization to help clients integrate AI agents directly into their own environments.
TechCrunch
Lumo, Proton’s privacy-focused AI chatbot, gets an upgrade
Proton has upgraded its privacy-focused AI chatbot, Lumo, adding image processing, persistent memory for projects, and a faster, more capable thinking mode.
The Verge
Meet the lawyer who beat Elon Musk — twice
Bill Savitt, a prominent attorney, discusses his trial strategies after successfully defending clients against Elon Musk in two high-profile legal cases.
OpenAI
Helping K–12 educators build practical AI skills
OpenAI Academy is launching a series of hands-on workshops to help K–12 educators integrate AI into their daily professional tasks.
OpenAI
Australian Payments Plus moves faster with ChatGPT and Codex
Australian Payments Plus utilizes ChatGPT Enterprise and Codex to streamline complex workflows, improve technical investigations, and accelerate product development safely.
OpenAI
How ChatGPT adoption has expanded
OpenAI data shows that ChatGPT adoption is growing globally, with users increasingly integrating the tool into their daily routines and professional tasks.
TechCrunch
Crypto exchange OKX wants AI agents to hire and pay each other
OKX has launched a new marketplace enabling AI agents to autonomously hire, pay, and establish reputations using blockchain technology.
Blocknow: Be ready. Be informed
Samsung, SK Hynix & Micron Hit With DRAM Lawsuit Amid South Korea’s AI Expansion
Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron face a class-action lawsuit in California alleging DRAM price-fixing amid the global surge in AI demand.
TechCrunch
The AI jobs debate just got messier
A new report suggests that high-intensity AI adopters are increasing their headcount, challenging the narrative that AI will cause widespread job losses.
TechCrunch
Vibe coding platform Base44 launches own model as AI startups seek defensibility
Vibe coding platform Base44 has launched its own custom AI model to improve performance, reduce costs, and strengthen its competitive defensibility.
OpenAI
Separating signal from noise in coding evaluations
OpenAI identifies significant flaws in the SWE-Bench Pro coding benchmark, revealing that approximately 30% of its tasks are broken and unreliable.
OpenAI
Inside Genebench-Pro
GeneBench-Pro provides ten detailed case studies spanning various genomic and genetic fields to evaluate and benchmark analytical model performance.
TechCrunch
Gemini’s personalized AI image generation is now free for U.S. users
Google has expanded its personalized AI image generation feature, previously exclusive to paid subscribers, to all eligible Gemini users in the U.S. for free.
The Verge
Tidal won’t pay royalties on AI-generated music but isn’t banning it outright
Tidal will stop paying royalties for fully AI-generated tracks while introducing labeling requirements to protect human artists from deceptive content.
The Verge
OpenAI is teasing new hardware… for Codex
OpenAI is partnering with Work Louder to release a new macro pad device featuring Codex-focused shortcuts on July 15th.
TechCrunch
Anthropic and Gov. Newsom forge deal allowing California government to use Claude at half price
California government agencies can now access Anthropic's Claude AI at a discounted rate to improve efficiency and support state employees.
TechCrunch
South Korean tech giants commit over $550B to ease ‘ RAMageddon’
South Korean tech firms are investing over $550 billion to expand semiconductor and AI infrastructure to address global memory chip shortages.
TechCrunch
Arena, the AI leaderboard everyone uses, is now a $100M business
AI leaderboard provider Arena has reached $100 million in annualized run-rate revenue just eight months after launching its commercial services.
Gemini
The Gemini app is bringing personalized image creation to more users.
Google is updating the Gemini app to allow U.S. users to generate personalized images using context from their connected Google services.
TechCrunch
Cursor now has a mobile app for guiding your coding agent on the go
Cursor has launched an iOS app allowing developers to manage and interact with AI coding agents directly from their smartphones.
TechCrunch
TIDAL cracks down on AI music by cutting off monetization
TIDAL is implementing a new policy to demonetize and label fully AI-generated music to protect organic artist creativity.
Gemini
Gemini can now take notes in Google Meet for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
Gemini now offers an automated note-taking feature in Google Meet for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers to help organize meetings.
The Verge
Lawmakers want to ban AI companies from selling your health data
U.S. lawmakers are introducing a bill to prevent AI companies and data brokers from selling Americans' sensitive health and location information.
Dexerto
Ford rehires veteran engineers after AI fails to meet quality standards
Ford has rehired hundreds of veteran engineers after discovering that AI automation alone could not meet its vehicle quality standards.
TechCrunch
Robot hand company settles Tesla trade secret suit and announces $11M raise
Proception has settled its trade secret lawsuit with Tesla and raised $11 million to advance its dexterous robotic hand technology.
LinuxBlog.io
My AI Predictions, Two Years Later: The Ones That Landed
Hayden James revisits his 2023 AI predictions, noting that while some were imprecise, many breakthroughs in healthcare, science, and software development have proven accurate.
TechCrunch
Omen AI’s plan to optimize data centers is all wet
Omen AI has raised $31 million for a spectrometer system that monitors liquid cooling fluids in data centers to prevent bacterial contamination and downtime.
Blocknow: Be ready. Be informed
Palantir and Nvidia Expand Sovereign AI Partnership for US Government
Palantir and Nvidia have partnered to provide US government agencies with secure, customizable, and sovereign AI infrastructure using open-source models.
The Verge
China’s Z.ai claims it can match Mythos on cybersecurity
Zhipu AI's new GLM-5.2 model reportedly matches Mythos in cybersecurity bug-finding capabilities, raising significant national security concerns.
The Verge
Suno launches Spark incubator program to feed independent artists to its AI machine
Suno has introduced the Spark incubator program to support independent artists, though its restrictive terms and conditions have sparked significant controversy.
TechCrunch
Ford rehires ‘gray beard’ engineers after AI falls short
Ford has rehired 350 veteran engineers to improve quality control after finding that AI-based systems failed to meet production standards.
TechCrunch
Why Wall Street thinks US memory maker Micron is the next Nvidia
Micron’s stock has surged due to high demand for memory chips in AI data centers, leading investors to view it as a top performer.
The Verge
Prosecutors used ChatGPT logs as evidence in the Palisades fire trial
Prosecutors used ChatGPT logs in the Palisades fire trial to suggest intent, but the jury remained unconvinced, leading to a mistrial.
GitHub
Release koboldcpp-1.116 · LostRuins/koboldcpp
Version 1.116 of koboldcpp introduces support for Krea 2 Turbo, Ideogram 4, and Boogu Edit, alongside various system optimizations and bug fixes.
TechCrunch
SoftBank’s CEO isn’t the only one with questions about Elon Musk’s orbital data center hype
Industry experts and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son question the economic and practical viability of Elon Musk’s proposal for orbital data centers.
The Verge
Margaret Atwood says the problem with AI is ‘garbage in, garbage out’
Author Margaret Atwood criticizes AI for producing inaccurate information, warning that the quality of output is limited by the quality of input data.
The Verge
Voters mostly don’t like AI and data centers, but neither party seems to have an edge
Business Insider
AI researcher whose apocalypse warning went viral outlines his disagreements with Anthropic leadership
Business Insider
Oracle CFO says 'doing more with less' isn't the answer in all-hands after layoffs
TechCrunch
Meta expands subscription push with new AI-focused plans
Gemini
Introducing Gemini 3.8 Live and 3.8 Live Extended Thinking
Gemini
4 ways to tackle household chores with Gemini
TechCrunch
AEO startup Profound hits unicorn valuation, raises $180M Series D 7 months after last round
The Verge
Meta’s new One subscriptions put a price on social media and AI
Project Syndicate
AI Firms’ Self-Serving Warnings
The Verge
This doorbell camera lets a human security guard watch your front door
