Eugenia Kuyda saw the future of consumer AI before most. She founded Replika, the first major AI companion startup, in 2017 years before ChatGPT launched. Today it has 35 million users. Now Kuyda is back with a new startup called Wabi, which she describes as YouTube for apps – a social platform where anyone can use prompts to instantly create mini apps and share…
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) has sent Meta a cease-and-desist letter demanding that it stop using the term “PG-13,” as first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Last month, Meta announced that teens on Instagram would, by default, only see content that adheres to PG-13 movie ratings. Two weeks later, the MPA sent Meta a…
How can consistency training help language models resist sycophantic prompts and jailbreak style attacks while keeping their capabilities intact? Large language models often answer safely on a plain prompt, then change behavior when the same task is wrapped with flattery or role play. DeepMind researchers propose consistent training in a simple training lens for this…
The University of Pennsylvania confirmed on Tuesday that a hacker stole university data as part of last week’s data breach, during which alumni and other affiliates received suspicious emails from official university email addresses. “We got hacked,” the message from the hackers read. “We love breaking federal laws like FERPA (all your data will be…
If you look at how AI deals are conducted these days, it seems AI companies and their investors are imitating the circle of life. Only, it’s a circle of profit that ensures the money eventually comes back to their own coffers. Case in point: SoftBank, which is investing tens of billions into OpenAI and committing…
Cybersecurity is a massive sector, but startups in the category are more likely to be acquired than go public. Even Wiz, which for a time held the title of the fastest-growing startup, abandoned its IPO ambitions when it agreed to sell to Google earlier this year. In the past few years, there have been scant few significant…
A raft of voice-based hardware devices have emerged, aimed at companionship, productivity, or personal growth. These include card-shaped devices from Plaud and Pocket; pendants from Friend, Limitless, and Taya; and a wristband from Bee, which is now part of Amazon. Now, two former Meta employees who worked on interface design have launched Sandbar, a startup…
Netflix is reportedly in talks to license video podcasts distributed by iHeartMedia, according to Bloomberg. iHeartMedia’s podcast portfolio includes shows like “The Breakfast Club,” “Las Culturistas,” “Jay Shetty Podcast,” and “Stuff You Should Know.” Netflix is looking for exclusivity, which means video podcasts that it licenses from iHeartMedia could no longer be uploaded to YouTube….
E-commerce software provider Shopify is bullish on AI-powered shopping agents, citing AI as an “incredible tool” to enable more entrepreneurs and calling it the “biggest shift in technology since the internet” during its third-quarter earnings call. The company, which partnered with ChatGPT maker OpenAI in September, reported that traffic from AI tools to its online…
Just over three years after taking the reins as the top leader of Sequoia Capital, Roelof Botha is stepping down as senior steward of the storied VC firm. The firm announced Tuesday that partners Alfred Lin and Pat Grady will succeed him as co-stewards. Lin joined the storied firm in 2010, where he has led…
