Daniel Rausch, Amazon’s vice president of Alexa and Echo, is in the midst of a major transition. More than a decade beyond the launch of Amazon’s Alexa, he’s been tasked with creating a new version of the marquee voice assistant, one that’s powered by large language models. As he put it in my interview with… Continue reading Amazon Rebuilt Alexa Using a ‘Staggering’ Amount of AI Tools
Category: Tech News
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Voi CEO says he’s open to acquiring Bolt’s micromobility business
Shared micromobility startup Voi is on the hunt for acquisitions. And on CEO Fredrik Hjelm’s wishlist is Bolt, the European mobility super-app best known for ride-hailing. Not that Bolt’s micromobility business is necessarily for sale — despite talk of Voi buying the company’s scooter and bike arm. Bolt declined to comment when TechCrunch reached out. … Continue reading Voi CEO says he’s open to acquiring Bolt’s micromobility business
Waymo has set its robotaxi sights on NYC
Waymo said Wednesday it has applied for a permit to test its autonomous vehicles in New York City, the Alphabet company’s first step in a sticky regulatory process to bring its robotaxis to U.S.’s largest city. Waymo applied for a permit with the New York City Department of Transportation to operate its self-driving Jaguar I-Pace… Continue reading Waymo has set its robotaxi sights on NYC
Amazon’s Zoox opens its first major robotaxi production facility
Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox has opened its first full-fledged production facility, where it expects to one day build 10,000 robotaxis per year. The facility marks the latest step in Zoox’s evolution out of the development phase. The company is currently testing vehicles in multiple U.S. cities and offering rides to early-access participants in Las… Continue reading Amazon’s Zoox opens its first major robotaxi production facility
Best early Prime Day headphones deals: My 12 favorite sales live now
Amazon has announced the official dates for this summer’s Prime Day sale, the e-commerce giant’s biggest shopping event of the year. Prime Day is a great time to buy headphones, earbuds, and Bluetooth speakers, as the latest releases are usually on sale or offer a promotion. Get daily deals straight to your inbox during Prime… Continue reading Best early Prime Day headphones deals: My 12 favorite sales live now
Nissan confirms its first EV with ‘game-changer’ solid-state batteries is still on track
Nissan is betting big on solid-state batteries to help power up a comeback. The automaker says the next-gen battery tech will be a “game-changer for EVs,” promising more range, faster charging, and lower costs. Nissan just confirmed its first EV with solid-state batteries is on track, but it may trail Toyota and Volkswagen to market.… Continue reading Nissan confirms its first EV with ‘game-changer’ solid-state batteries is still on track
Sam Altman Heaps Praise on Donald Trump
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is gushing over president Donald Trump’s mammoth $500 billion AI infrastructure project, dubbed Stargate. The buzzy initiative made headlines in January, with the likes of OpenAI, Japanese investment group SoftBank, and the software giant Oracle pledging a combined $100 billion to build enormous data centers to run extremely power-hungry AI models.… Continue reading Sam Altman Heaps Praise on Donald Trump
Engineer: With AI, “Anybody Whose Job Is Done on a Computer All Day Is Over… It’s Just a Matter of Time”
You hear two wildly diverging narratives about AI lately. One, emanating mainly from the tech sector, is that AI is not only poised to supersede human intelligence, but is already radically changing the world and workforce. The other is that the tech’s mostly a nothingburger, with the boosters from the first narrative forcing its slop… Continue reading Engineer: With AI, “Anybody Whose Job Is Done on a Computer All Day Is Over… It’s Just a Matter of Time”
“Mansplaining Audacity”: President of Signal Watches in Bemusement as Random Man Explains Her Company’s AI Strategy to Her
The act of mansplaining is alive and well on social media. Since what feels like the dawn of time, overconfident men have condescendingly explained how things work, even when they’re woefully wrong and unqualified. Look no further than a baffling exchange on Bluesky after Meredith Whittaker, the president of encrypted chat platform Signal and chief… Continue reading “Mansplaining Audacity”: President of Signal Watches in Bemusement as Random Man Explains Her Company’s AI Strategy to Her
Companies That Replaced With Humans With AI Are Realizing Their Mistake
According to tech billionaire and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, 2025 was supposed to be the year “when AI agents will work.” Despite widespread hype, so-called “AI agents” — a software product that’s supposed to complete human-level tasks autonomously — have yet to live up to their name. As of April, even the best AI agent… Continue reading Companies That Replaced With Humans With AI Are Realizing Their Mistake