Xbox has released a new commercial directed by David Fincher that features a bunch of CGI rat-human hybrids in a dirty, crowded city. It’s the kind of ad we don’t often see anymore, and it reminds me of some of the weirdest live-action ads Sony used to make for the PS2 and PS3. Read more...
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A challenge for many tech companies is delivering high-bandwidth, multimodal data — for example, simultaneous audio and video — to users in real time without interruptions. Some firms build solutions in-house, but these often require a lot of upkeep and maintenance. To ease the burden, Russ d’Sa and David Zhao created LiveKit, an open-source software […]
Although there has been significant pushback from artists regarding the proliferation of AI design tools and the content used to train generative models, the companies making the software for creative work are nevertheless building AI into their toolkits. It’s a signal of just how quickly AI has gained importance — regardless of what their customers […]
OpenAI announced on Thursday that it’s starting to roll out a new memory feature in ChatGPT that allow the chatbot to tailor its answers to users based on the contents of their previous conversations. OpenAI says the feature, which appears in ChatGPT’s settings as “reference saved memories,” aims to make conversations with ChatGPT more relevant […]
Meghan is stepping further into the world of business and entrepreneurship.  In an interview with Fortune, Meghan revealed that she is an angel investor in the healthcare company Midi, which provides a virtual platform to help treat women experiencing menopause and other health-related concerns. She joined the company’s $63 million Series B round last March, […]
Glossier is reportedly fundraising again, aiming to raise $100 million with a valuation “south of a billion dollars,” according to Puck.  Glossier, still one of the more popular beauty brands, was last valued at $1.8 billion nearly four years ago but has struggled with profitability and scale these past few years. Glossier did not immediately […]
Symphonic Capital announced today in a blog post that it raised $13.5 million for its inaugural fund to invest in early-stage companies.  Sydney Thomas launched the firm in 2022 after leaving Charles Hudson’s Percursor Ventures, where she was the first hire.  Thomas said her fund will focus on founders outside of the Bay who are […]
YouTube is launching a new feature that will allow creators to use AI technology to generate custom instrumental backing music that can be added to their videos. In an update published to its Creator Insider channel this week, the company shared that it’s beginning to roll out an update to its Creator Music marketplace that […]
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy thinks companies should invest “aggressively” in AI now to reap the full financial rewards in the future. In his annual letter to Amazon shareholders published Thursday, Jassy said “substantial capital” is required to keep up with the pace of AI innovation and customer demand for AI products. He added that Amazon, […]