Google’s X “moonshot factory” recently announced the launch of its latest venture, Heritable Agriculture, a startup focused on enhancing crop yields using data and machine learning. Founded by Brad Zamft, a former program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and ex-CEO at TL Biolabs, Heritable aims to tackle the environmental challenges posed by […]
DeepSeek: Unveiling the Truth Behind the Hype
DeepSeek is currently making significant waves in the AI landscape, outshining competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Despite its impressive traction and headlines, questions linger around the reality behind its rapid rise. In a recent episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, host Max Zeff engages with Ion Stoica, a UC Berkeley Computer Science Professor and cofounder of Databricks, […]
Generative AI Funding Soars to New Heights in 2024: A Year of Unprecedented Investment
Generative AI funding achieved unprecedented levels in 2024, showing no signs of slowing down despite previous concerns about a market bubble. Investments in the field, which includes a variety of AI-driven applications and tools for generating text, images, videos, speech, and music, hit a remarkable $56 billion across 885 deals. This represents a stark 192% […]
AI Sales Rep Startups are Booming: Why Are VCs Hesitant to Invest?
When delving into the world of venture capital, many experts indicate that while businesses are experimenting extensively with AI startups, they are cautious in integrating these solutions into their existing processes. This hesitation, however, seems to wane in the face of a growing trend within AI sales development representatives (AI SDRs), which leverage large language […]
Elon Musk’s xAI Secures $6 Billion Funding Boost to Propel AI Aspirations
Elon Musk’s AI venture, xAI, has secured $6 billion in a Series C financing round, significantly advancing its ambitions in artificial intelligence. The announcement reveals a diverse group of backers, including major players like Andreessen Horowitz, Blackrock, Fidelity, and Nvidia. Notably, Saudi conglomerate Kingdom Holdings contributed approximately $400 million, elevating xAI’s valuation to $45 billion—nearly […]
OpenAI’s GPT-5: A Closer Look at its Unmet Expectations
OpenAI is reportedly facing challenges in the development of its next major model, GPT-5, also known as Orion. According to a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, the project is behind schedule and the results produced so far do not justify the significant costs incurred. This concern aligns with an earlier report from The […]
UCLA Unveils Groundbreaking Comp Lit Course Developed by AI
In winter 2025, UCLA will introduce a comparative literature course that utilizes a textbook, homework assignments, and teaching assistant resources developed by artificial intelligence. This innovative class will focus on literature spanning from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, with materials created through Kudu, a cutting-edge textbook platform founded by Alexander Kusenko, a physics […]
Cleerly Secures $106M in Funding from Insight Partners for AI-Powered Heart Health Early Detection
Cleerly, a cardiovascular imaging startup, has announced a significant $106 million Series C extension round led by Insight Partners, with participation from Battery Ventures. This funding comes just over two years after the company raised $223 million in a previous Series C round. The venture aligns with Cleerly’s mission to improve the early detection of […]
Elon Musk Seeks Injunction to Stop OpenAI’s Shift to For-Profit Model
Attorneys for Elon Musk have submitted a motion for a preliminary injunction against OpenAI, its co-founders, and partner Microsoft, alleging anticompetitive activities that undermine the company’s original nonprofit mission. The filing was made in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing the parties involved—including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and others—of several […]
Factiverse: The Norwegian Startup Combatting Disinformation with AI Technology
In the aftermath of the U.S. 2024 presidential election, it became evident that disinformation spread online at an alarming rate, influencing public opinions on candidates and key issues such as public health, climate change, and immigration. This rise in misleading information has been exacerbated by generative AI technology, which can create deepfakes and unreliable narratives […]