Perplexity’s CEO punts on defining ‘plagiarism’
Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, wouldn’t say how Perplexity defines “plagiarism” in an on stage interview with Devin Coldewey at TechCrunch’s Disrupt 2024 conference. It’s a touchy subject. News Corp’s Dow Jones and the New York Post have sued Perplexity over what they describe as a “content kleptocracy.” Many other news sites have expressed
Read moreRivian’s chief software officer says in-car buttons are ‘an anomaly’
The trend of big touchscreens in cars has left many yearning for the not-so-distant days when most user interactions happened with physical buttons. But Rivian’s chief software officer Wassym Bensaid believes using buttons in a car is an “anomaly.” “It’s a bug. It’s not a feature,” Bensaid said Wednesday at
Read moreAI models get more election questions wrong when asked in Spanish, study shows
AI models are struggling to accurately answer election-related questions in Spanish. That’s according to a new study from the AI Democracy Projects, a collaboration between Proof News, fact-checking service Factchequeado and the Institute for Advanced Study in San Francisco. The study found a sharp disparity between the factuality of English- and
Read moreZoox co-founder on Tesla self-driving: ‘they don’t have technology that works’
Zoox co-founder and CTO Jesse Levinson doesn’t believe Tesla will launch a robotaxi ride-hailing service in California (or anywhere else) next year despite what Elon Musk recently claimed. The “fundamental issue is they don’t have technology that works,” Levinson said Wednesday at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. “And by works, I want
Read moreThe cybsecurity problems and opportunities facing open-source startups
Open-source software is everywhere, and in everything.Many startups are pursuing explicitly open-source business models. But every company out there that builds software has at least some dependency on open-source code. Recent security issues, however, have made it plain that open-source software is a target for state-level hackers.So, how can we
Read moreClashing approaches to combat AI’s ‘perpetual bulls**t machine’
The AI stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 got off to a fiery but constructive start on a panel about combating disinformation. But in a spirited exchange of views tempered by expressions of respect and agreement, all three panelists had harsh words for social media and generative AI. None was harsher,
Read moreUbisoft dumps its NFT game on the market to little fanfare
Image: Ubisoft Ubisoft has quietly released its own NFT game to join the ranks of other vaunted, widely-played blockchain enabled titles like Axie Infinity and...uh, Ember Sword. Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles launched earlier this month with relatively little fanfare or marketing. The game comes two years after Ubisoft’s failed bid
Read moreMatt Mullenweg talks about Automattic’s staffing issues and financials at TechCrunch Disrupt
WordPress co-creator and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg talked about his fight with WP Engine, Automattic’s staffing issues, and the company’s financials at TechCrunch Disrupt on Wednesday. Mullenweg repeated a lot of stuff from the past month about the trademark fight, WP Engine not contributing to the community, and misleading customers to
Read moreMatt Mullenweg says Automattic is ‘very short-staffed’ amid WordPress vs. WP Engine drama
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg says the company is “very short-staffed” amid WordPress’s ongoing drama with WP Engine, which hosts websites built on WordPress. The WordPress co-founder took the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 on Wednesday. The saga began when Mullenweg called WP Engine a “cancer to WordPress.” Mullenweg called out
Read moreScout Motors EVs will use Rivian-VW software and architecture
VW’s new offshoot EV company Scout Motors, which revealed its first two vehicles last week, will use the software and zonal architecture being developed by the joint venture between Rivian and the Volkswagen Group. Rivian Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid confirmed to TechCrunch at Disrupt 2024 that Scout will leverage
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