Historian Jill Lepore says Silicon Valley misreads science fiction and undermines democracy | TechCrunch
On the latest episode of Equity, we spoke to Jill Lepore about "government by machines" and why Elon Musk is a bad science fiction reader.
Artificial intelligence
1,930 stories
The AI safety test is becoming a safety risk | TechCrunch
AI agents are escaping cybersecurity testing environments and reaching real-world systems, raising questions about whether safety infrastructure, industry standards, and regulation can keep pace with increasingly powerful models.
An Amazon data center could have the worst polluting power plant in the country
An Amazon-owned site in Pecos County, Texas, received a permit to release up to 33 million tons of CO2 to power its AI data center.
New Mexico court orders Meta to pay additional $567M in child safety case | TechCrunch
Meta's total fine has racked up to $942 million in this case.
AI is now designing brand new biological viruses.
A new study published in the journal Science used genome language models to produce viruses we’ve never seen before in nature. The resulting bacteriophages pose no threat to humans. The research simultaneously raises hope for medical advances, while stoking fear that AI could enable the creation of new diseases and biological weapons. [Link: This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature | https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/science/ai-viruses-bacteria-arc.html?unlocked_article_code=1.3VA.u8aT.vCeLPF02XbEp&smid=nytcore-ios-share | The New York Times]
OpenAI's new AI smart speaker will reportedly sell for between $300 and $400 | TechCrunch
Additional details about OpenAI's mysterious new AI device make it sound like a pricey smart speaker.
OpenAI says Apple’s own security practices undermine its trade secrets case | TechCrunch
Newly filed court exhibits show OpenAI’s legal strategy in Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit: argue that Apple’s own security and offboarding practices — including allowing an Apple manager to access a former engineer’s iCloud account after he left the company —undermine its claims that the allegedly stolen information was properly protected.
OpenAI says Apple’s trade secrets lawsuit is ‘rotten to its core’
OpenAI has asked a federal judge to toss out Apple’s lawsuit accusing the ChatGPT maker of stealing trade secrets, describing the allegations as “meritless.”
Meta launches Muse Code, an AI agent for large code bases | TechCrunch
Meta expanded its AI coding offerings with a new agent that, it promises, can handle complex tasks with complex software.
Trump's DOJ gains oversight of OpenAI’s green-card employee sponsorships | TechCrunch
The DOJ alleged that OpenAI did not meaningful attempt to hire U.S. citizens before seeking permanent residence for Visa-holding employees.
Jeff Dean and other top AI researchers are leaving Google to launch their own startup | TechCrunch
The legendary Google executive is joined by other outgoing Google execs in a joint mission to use AI to push forward the process of scientific discovery.
This week in the big AI data center buildout.
AI data center projects are continuing to pop up across the US, with frequent opposition from locals concerned about their impact. Here are a few recent articles about the projects: * CBS News: Pittsburg residents want city to pause data center project * Maryland Matters: Amazon abandons plans for data center campus at Calvert Cliffs * OPB: Oregon Gov. Kotek stops state from selling land for Salem data center * Politico Magazine: Anger Over Data Centers Is Fueling a New Political Movement
Shopify says AI search is driving more traffic and sales, not replacing Google | TechCrunch
Shopify says AI isn’t cannibalizing search traffic the way it has for publishers. Instead, AI-driven traffic and orders to Shopify stores tripled year over year in Q2.
Apple says more ex-employees may have taken confidential data to OpenAI | TechCrunch
Apple says its trade secrets investigation into OpenAI has widened. In a new court filing, Apple claims additional former staff may have retained or accessed confidential information.
Influencers draw backlash for attending OpenAI's first luxury trip | TechCrunch
OpenAI’s first-ever influencer brand trip is sparking online backlash as tensions over the use of AI continue.
Congress' favorite AI tool? ChatGPT | TechCrunch
House spending records show OpenAI's ChatGPT dominates paid AI use on Capitol Hill, with congressional offices relying on the chatbot to draft memos, summarize legislation, and assist constituent communications.
Amazon’s bot crackdown is blocking reviews.
Some Amazon shoppers have had limited access to customer reviews since late last year because the shopping platform is mistakenly flagging them as bots in its attempt to restrict unauthorized data scraping. Amazon hasn’t disclosed how many customers are affected, or what behaviors are getting people flagged. [Link: Amazon limits access to customer reviews for some users because it thinks they’re AI | https://www.fastcompany.com/91581391/amazon-limits-access-to-customer-reviews-for-some-users-because-it-thinks-theyre-ai | Fast Company]
Google nixes its Earth AI feature one day after launch, amid criticism it would spread misinformation | TechCrunch
A tool that allowed anyone to generate fake AI-generated imagery and superimpose it over real Google Earth maps quickly spurred backlash.