Thursday, November 14, 2024

Welcome to TC PM! Today we're looking at a new security feature on Apple iOS 18; we learn, perhaps against our will, that the Hawk Tuah girl launched a perfectly fine AI dating app; and we look back at the career of a departing Google AI developer. Let's do it!

TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto / Getty Images

📱 Ready to reboot: The iPhone's new iOS 18 software will reboot phones after 72 hours of inactivity. We've got the lowdown on this new security feature and what it means for law enforcement, forensic experts, and hackers. Read more

👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨 Another AI dating app: Haliey Welch, also known as the "Hawk Tuah" girl, launched a new AI dating app called Pookie Tools, which gives users advice on things like conversation starters and date outfit ideas. There is always an AI angle. Read more

🥖 A French farewell: After a decade at Google, notable AI developer François Chollet announced he was leaving the tech giant to launch his own startup. Read more

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Afternoon must-reads

Image Credits: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket / Getty Images

🤖 Speaking of Google: Today Google launched a dedicated app for its AI assistant Gemini on iOS, which supports prompts in 35 languages and conversation in 12 languages. Prior to the launch, iOS users could only access Gemini through the Google app or mobile web. Read more

👀 LLM lurking: OpenAI announced today that ChatGPT's Mac desktop app can now read code in developer apps like VS Code, Xcode, and TextEdit, among others. However, unlike some AI coding tools like Cursor or GitHub Copilot, it still can't write code into developer apps on users' behalf. Read more

☹️ Sad trombone: A new report from Gartner found that nearly half of AI data centers won't have enough power by 2027. While the conversation around AI's energy suck is nothing new, Gartner's prediction that AI data centers will need 500 terawatt-hours of energy by then is still shocking. Read more

🧮 Sales tax software: Kintsugi may not be the only startup working to automate sales tax for e-commerce retailers, but it's seeing strong traction. Since launching in 2023, it's landed more than 1,100 customers and has seen its valuation double this year. Read more

👮‍♂️ Knock, knock, it's the FBI: The FBI raided the home of Shayne Coplan, the CEO of Polymarket, a betting predictions market that saw a ton of activity surrounding the election despite being unlawful to use as an American. Read more

🌪️ Space weather! While we are not very good at predicting the weather here on Earth, it's even harder to predict the "weather" up in space. Mission Space is a startup looking to change that by tracking radiation levels and solar storms. Read more

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Around the web

🤔 The "rage" economy: Forbes' Will Yakowicz has a fascinating piece out today that looks at the growing "rage capitalism" market. He dives into how entrepreneurs are building everyday products with a right-wing flavor, like Tucker Carlson and his new nicotine pouch company. Read more

📸 Photo time: Technology affects different communities around the world in such unique ways. Rest of World wants to see them! The pub is accepting submissions for its annual photography contest. You should check out the 2023 winners. Very fun! Read more