A closer look at the AirPods Pro's new hearing aid features

In November 2022, the FDA passed a resolution allowing Americans to purchase hearing aids over-the-counter. The move launched a mini-industry, with companies rushing to make available technology that was previously mired in healthcare restrictions. Consumer electronics firms saw opportunity, as we

Women in AI: Marissa Hummon thinks AI will help make the power grid greener

As a part of technewss's ongoing Women in AI series, which seeks to give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, technewss interviewed Marissa Hummon, the chief technology officer at the energy company Utilidata, where she is workin

Gusto's head of technology says hiring an army of specialists is the wrong approach to AI

As founders plan for an increasingly AI-centric future, Gusto co-founder and head of technology Edward Kim said that cutting existing teams and hiring a bunch of specially trained AI engineers is “the wrong way to go.” Instead, he argued that nontechnical team members can “actually h

Investments in generative AI startups topped $3.9B in Q3 2024

Not everyone is convinced of generative AI’s return on investment. But many investors are, judging by the latest figures from funding tracker PitchBook. In Q3 2024, VCs invested $3.9 billion in generative AI startups across 206 deals, per PitchBook. (That’s not counting OpenAI‘s

Joseph Jacks bets on open source startups, a ‘paradox of philanthropy and capitalism’

Open source might be many things, but one thing it’s not is a business model — by most estimations, at least. However, that hasn’t stopped Joseph Jacks and OSS Capital from seeking some of the earliest-stage, open source startups and funding them through their formative years. Th

Throne's toilet camera takes pictures of your poop

Throne is an Austin-based health startup. It sells a camera. That clips onto the side of a toilet bowl. It takes pictures of your poop. Currently in beta, the system utilizes artificial intelligence to examine your dookie as a way of determining things like gut health and hydration. Turns out we h

DJI sues Department of Defense over listing as a Chinese military company

Drone-maker DJI filed a lawsuit Friday against the U.S. Department of Defense over its inclusion on a DoD list of “Chinese military companies.” A DJI spokesperson said the company filed the suit after “attempting to engage with the DoD for more than sixteen months” and deciding “it had n

What we know about the layoffs at Meta

Welcome back to Week in Review. This week, we're diving into the recent layoffs at Meta; the fallout from the battle between WordPress and WP Engine; and whether Cybertrucks are simply too big to exist in Europe. Let's get into it. Multiple teams at Meta were hit by layoffs this week. The

Four takeaways from Pony AI’s IPO filing

Toyota-backed autonomous vehicle company Pony AI has joined the list of Chinese firms going public on the U.S. stock market after a multi-year ban from Beijing on offshore capital raising.  Zeekr, a luxury Chinese electric vehicle startup, debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in May, and We

Midjourney plans to let anyone on the web edit images with AI

Midjourney is planning to release an upgraded web tool that’ll let users edit any uploaded images from the web using Midjourney’s generative AI. The upgraded tool, which Midjourney CEO David Holz said will be released “early next week,” will also allow users to retexture ob

Women in AI: Dr. Rebecca Portnoff is protecting children from harmful deepfakes

As a part of technewss's ongoing Women in AI series, which seeks to give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, technewss interviewed Dr. Rebecca Portnoff, who is vice president of data science at the nonprofit Thorn, which builds

SpaceX wins $733M Space Force launch contract

SpaceX was awarded an eight-launch, $733 million contract by the U.S. Space Force on Friday, as part of an ongoing program intended to foster competition among launch providers. The award includes seven launches for the Space Development Agency and one for the National Reconnaissance Office, all

Eric Schmidt’s SandboxAQ aims for $5B valuation for its AI/quantum Google moonshot

VCs are spending gobs of money on AI startups — especially those run by big names in tech — so SandboxAQ is putting its hand out again, even though it raised a whopping $500 million in early 2023. The spinout from Google parent company Alphabet is reportedly seeking to raise another round that

Fluid Truck files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and pursues sale after leadership shakeup

Less than two months after Fluid Truck's board ousted its sibling co-founders from their executive positions, the company has laid off 30% of its staff, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and found a potential buyer to take on the business, pending court approval, according to bankrupt