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Welcome everyone to Week in Review (WiR). This is TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering the major happenings in the tech world, or most of them. As NeurIPS, the world’s largest AI conference, kicks off in sunny New Orleans, Google shares more details about its flagship AI model family, Gemini, and more is happening elsewhere.
In this issue of WiR, we discuss Cruise’s 24% reduction in its unmanned workforce (and Tesla’s related autopilot recall), Twitch’s new nudity policy conundrum, and Adobe’s latest app design. We cover language and Instagram’s launch of an AI-powered generative background editor. We also highlight Meta’s expansion of his Threads app, the FCC’s denial of subsidies to Starlink, Apple’s policy changes regarding push notification data, and Amazon competing with his own Goodreads service.
There’s a lot to summarize, so you won’t get bored. But before that, if you haven’t already, here’s a reminder to subscribe here so you can receive her WiR in your inbox every Saturday.
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More apps coming to Gemini: Google’s Gemini GenAI model, specifically Gemini Pro, a lighter version of Gemini Ultra, a more capable model expected to arrive in the coming months, is making its way into more Google products. . Duet AI, the company’s suite of development tools for code completion and generation, will soon start using Gemini. So is AI Studio (formerly MakerSuite), Google’s AI app design experience on the web, and Vertex AI, the tech giant’s managed AI development platform for enterprises.
Cruises significantly reduce labor: Kirsten reported that GM’s self-driving car subsidiary, Cruise, is laying off 900 people, mostly field workers, as part of a cost-cutting and restructuring plan. Wall Street appears to have approved the cuts after a pedestrian was crushed and dragged under a Cruise robotaxi on October 2nd. GM stock rose after the announcement of layoffs.
Tesla’s problem reminds me of: Tesla is restricting the use of its driver-assistance software, Autopilot, as part of a recall of 2 million vehicles. This is one of the first findings from an ongoing, multi-year study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the nation’s top vehicle safety regulator (NHTSA). In a document released Wednesday, NHTSA says that when a Tesla vehicle is using Autosteer, an autopilot feature that can keep it centered in the lane even on large curves, drivers Here’s how to tell if you’re paying attention: “insufficient.”
Nude on Twitch: Twitch announced sweeping updates to its sexual content policy and content classification system this week, temporarily allowing previously banned content such as nipple illustrations and “erotic dances,” but then quickly It was withdrawn. Starting Friday, depictions of both real and fictional nudity will once again be banned on Twitch. The streamer can still show nudity in her M-rated games.
Adobe announces Spectrum 2: Adobe has launched an update to Spectrum, the design system the company has used as the basis for all of its app and web products for the past decade. This new design system, called Spectrum 2 (unsurprisingly), takes a step back from the rigor of the current Spectrum design and adds even more splashes of color. Parts of Spectrum 2 can already be found in recent Adobe web apps, including the company’s Firefly-generated AI service, Adobe Express, and parts of the new Acrobat web experience.
Instagram intro background editor: Instagram on Wednesday rolled out a GenAI-powered background editing tool to US-based users. This tool allows users to quickly change the background of an image. When users tap the new background editor icon on an image, they’ll see pre-populated prompts like “on the red carpet,” “chased by dinosaurs,” or “surrounded by puppies.” Users can also create their own prompts and change the background.
Thread grows: Rumor has it that Meta plans to launch Threads in the EU next month. It will likely include a “view-only mode” to comply with EU regulations regarding data processing and recommendation algorithms. Meanwhile, the social network is working to introduce a fact-checking program to Threads and test support for ActivityPub, an open social networking protocol adopted by decentralized social networking platforms including Mastodon.
FCC denies Starlink: The FCC ultimately denied Starlink’s application for $885 million in public funding to expand its orbital communications infrastructure to cover parts of rural America, ruling that the company “will be able to deliver the services it promises.” We were unable to prove that.” As Devin points out, the money in question was part of the Provincial Digital Opportunity Fund. The fund is a multibillion-dollar program that subsidizes the deployment of Internet service in areas that private companies had previously deemed too expensive or remote.
Apple changes notification policies. Apple said it will no longer turn over records of users’ push notifications to law enforcement unless it receives a valid judge’s order. The company has previously allowed police to obtain these records through subpoenas, but the records are issued by police departments and law enforcement agencies that are not subject to judicial oversight. The policy change comes after U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden revealed that Apple and Google “could be secretly forced by the government” to hand over the content of push notifications sent to customers’ phones. It was held a few days later.
Amazon competes with its own Goodreads. This week, Amazon launched a competitor to its own book tracking and recommendation site Goodreads. Your Books organizes all the books you’ve bought, borrowed, or saved, including print books as well as Kindle and Audible titles from Amazon. As Sarah points out, Your Books focuses on leveraging commerce and Amazon data to make recommendations, rather than relying on other people’s reviews, negative or positive, like Goodreads. is placed.
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Need some listening material for your weekend podcast? Good news — there’s a lot of information on TechCrunch.
upon capital, the crew welcomed Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic and co-founder of WordPress, and Kishan Bagaria, founder of Texts.com. Automattic acquired Texts.com, an all-in-one messaging app, for $50 million in October. On this week’s episode of Equity, the hosts delved into this deal, its meaning, and the general landscape of words written online.
meanwhile, found It centers on James Wagoner, co-founder and CEO of Joule Case, a startup developing a clean alternative to diesel generators. Wagoner talked about his journey to starting the company after his first startup with his co-founder failed to survive the 2008 financial crisis.
and, Chain reaction, Jacqueline interviewed Johan Kerblatt, General Manager of Cryptocurrency at Robinhood. Johan is leading the app’s efforts to grow the cryptocurrency exchange business and make digital assets more accessible to retail investors.
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TC+ subscribers have access to in-depth commentary, analysis, and surveys. You probably know these if you’re already a subscriber. If not, please consider signing up. Here are some highlights from this week.
Tim vs. Shane: Alex writes about the latest lawsuit brought by fast fashion retailer Tem against its biggest rival, Shayne. In it, Tem alleges “alleged copyright infringement” claims brought against the company by Shein, and also alleges that Shein used his “monopoly power” and “exclusive business agreements” to abuse suppliers. He also claims that there is.
COP28 summary: Tim reports on the proceedings of this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference. He said COP28 was important not only because it was hosted by the United Arab Emirates, the world’s seventh-largest oil producer, but also in several unexpected ways.
Epic fallout: Google’s loss in the antitrust lawsuit brought by Epic Games over the Play Store will have far-reaching implications for the mobile app economy. Alex has the full story.