Instagram is considering a new feature called “flipside” that lets users create a private side of their profile to post more candid and personal photos for a select group of friends. The feature productizes “finstas”—alternative Instagram accounts where people post their real-life photos instead of their polished public Instagrams. The …
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Snapchat+ users can now send AI-generated images
Snapchat announced Tuesday that Snapchat+ subscribers will get some AI-powered features. Most importantly, subscribers can send text-prompted, AI-generated images. In addition to a new AI extend tool, subscribers can now share Dream selfies with friends. Subscribers can use the AI image generator by clicking “AI” on the right. After clicking …
Read More »Gogoro of Taiwan enters India with battery swapping and electric two-wheelers
On Tuesday, Taiwanese electric scooter maker Gogoro launched a battery-swapping network and three smart scooters in India, the world’s most populous country and largest two-wheeler market. According to Gogoro CEO Horace Luke, India sees India as a manufacturing hub and plans to export its smart scooters to Nepal. The company …
Read More »GenAI can make an autobiography an interactive Black history lesson
We talk a lot about AI’s drawbacks, but what about its benefits, like feeding authors’ or historical figures’ writing into a large language model? James Lowry is unknown, but his story is part of black American history. Chicago-born Lowry was the first Black McKinsey consultant in 1968 after serving in …
Read More »Epic Games antitrust lawsuit against Google is won
A jury sided with Epic Games over Google in an antitrust case that could change how app marketplaces like Google Play operate on Monday. The unanimous verdict ends the companies’ three-year legal battle. Fortnite creator Epic sued Google in 2020, alleging that its app store practices violated federal and California …
Read More »Musk says X will soon bring video to Spaces
Musk says X, formerly Twitter, will add video to Spaces, its live audio chat feature. Musk claimed X will launch the feature by year’s end, “certainly by early next year.” Musk said SpaceX is adding video as a feature. It’ll be easy to turn the video on or off.” If …
Read More »Owner and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg says Tumblr’s ‘fediverse’ integration is ongoing
Tumblr’s connection to the “fediverse,” or decentralized social media, appears to be proceeding despite delays. After acquiring Tumblr from Verizon in 2019, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg tweeted that the site would “soon” support ActivityPub, the protocol behind Mastodon and other decentralized social apps. Tumblr’s progress wasn’t clear after that announcement. …
Read More »Paris-based OpenAI competitor Mistral AI closed its $415 million funding round
Mistral AI reached its Series A funding goal in France. Bloomberg reports that the company raised €385 million, or $415 million at today’s exchange rate, worth $2 billion. Today, Mistral AI unveils its commercial platform. Google’s DeepMind and Meta alumni founded Mistral AI to create open-technology foundational models. It raised …
Read More »US-China tech war over EV batteries escalates
Current U.S. efforts to slow China’s technological advancement focus on semiconductors. Washington targets electric vehicle batteries, another rapidly growing Chinese tech sector. This month, Treasury and Energy Department proposals would reduce tax credits for electric vehicle buyers who use battery materials from China and other “hostile” countries. EVs made in …
Read More »Windows client for Arc browser launches in beta
The Browser Company launched its Windows client beta today, onboarding the first users. After Arc made the Mac client public after being invite-only since 2022, users and observers have demanded a Windows version. The company will “rapidly” increase invite rollouts in January and onboard more beta users throughout the month. …
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