TechCrunch Industry News

The venture firm that ate Silicon Valley just raised another $15 billion; plus, X restricts Grok’s image generation to paying subscribers only

In a blog post published Friday morning, Ben Horowitz writes that "as the American leader in Venture Capital, the fate of new technology in the United States rests partly on our shoulders." It's the kind of statement certain to cause agita at rival firms. Also, Elon Musk's AI company has restricted Grok's controversial AI image-generation feature to only paying subscribers on X, after the tool invited heated criticism from across the world for letting users generate sexualized images of women and children. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Critics pan spyware maker NSO’s transparency claims amid its push to enter US market

The infamous spyware maker released a new transparency report claiming to be a responsible spyware maker, without providing insight into how the company dealt with problematic customers in the past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ford has an AI assistant and new hands-free tech on the way; plus, OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT Health

Ford says the new generation of BlueCruise will be 30% cheaper to build than the current technology. Also, the new ChatGPT Health feature is expected to roll out in the coming weeks and will offer a dedicated space for conversations with ChatGPT about health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Caterpillar taps Nvidia to bring AI to its construction equipment; plus, General Catalyst execs say the era of ‘learn once, work forever’ is over

Caterpillar is piloting Cat AI, a system of AI agents in one of its excavators built on Nvidia's physical AI platform. Also, Calacanis, General Catalyst's Taneja, and McKinsey's Sternfels discussed how AI is reshaping technology and the labor force. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Warner Bros. Discovery rejects Paramount’s bid again, calls it a ‘leveraged buyout’; plus, Wearable health devices could generate a million tons of e-waste by 2050

The studio's board unanimously rejected Paramount Skydance's revised $108.4 billion bid, calling the proposal a "leveraged buyout" that would saddle the company with $87 billion in debt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices