Techmeme
April 2, 2024, 1:00 PM

Top News

Tom Warren / The Verge:
Sources: Microsoft is testing a new AI-powered Xbox chatbot that can automate support tasks via an “embodied AI character”, as part of larger Xbox AI efforts  —  Microsoft is currently testing a new AI-powered Xbox chatbot that can be used to automate support tasks.
David Pierce / The Verge:
Yahoo plans to acquire the tech behind news app Artifact, started by Instagram co-founders Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom, for an undisclosed sum  —  Instagram's co-founders built a powerful and useful tool for recommending news to readers — but could never quite get it to scale.
Sara Fischer / Axios:
On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart says Apple asked him not to interview FTC chair Lina Khan on his Apple podcast by saying “please don't talk to her”  —  - “Apple's conduct extends beyond just monopoly profits and even affects the flow of speech.
Raymond Wong / Inverse:
Apple debuts Spatial Personas in beta, letting up to five Vision Pro users participate together within compatible apps without being in the same physical space  —  Apple Vision Pro is above and beyond other mixed reality headsets, but even with the highest quality passthrough camera tech …
Madhumita Murgia / Financial Times:
The US and the UK sign an agreement on how to test and assess risks from emerging AI models, marking the first bilateral arrangement on AI safety in the world  —  Allies reach world's first bilateral deal as global governments seek to assess and regulate risks from emerging technology
Theo Wayt / The Information:
Amazon plans to remove Just Walk Out from most of its grocery stores and add more grocery stores with Dash Carts, which let shoppers scan items while they shop  —  Amazon's grab-and-go checkout system, Just Walk Out, has been a centerpiece of its ambitions to transform bricks-and-mortar supermarkets.
Reuters:
Trump Media & Technology Group closed down 21% on April 1, wiping out its gains from last week's debut, after disclosing a $58M+ loss on $4.1M in 2023 revenue  —  Shares of Donald Trump's social media company plunged 21% on Monday, wiping out the gains from its debut last week …
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, and 200+ others sign a letter to AI developers and tech companies decrying “predatory” AI that steals voices, replaces artists, more  —  - Jen Jacobson, executive director at The Artist Rights Alliance (ARA), the trade group representing the artists signing the letter …
Michael Nuñez / VentureBeat:
Read AI, which uses generative AI to summarize meetings, emails, and other messages, raised a $21M Series A led by Goodwater Capital  —  Read AI, a leader in AI-powered meeting summaries, today announced a $21 million Series A financing round led by Goodwater Capital, with participation from existing investor Madrona Venture Group.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Gemini 2.5 Pro: Our most intelligent AI model  —  Gemini 2.5 Pro (experimental) is now available, with thinking capabilities, enhanced performance, and improved accuracy.  Try it at no cost in the Gemini app.
UiPath:
UiPath Unveils 10 Innovations that Will Shape the Agentic Future  —  Orchestration engine, API workflows and agentic testing among key features of new UiPath Platform™ for agentic automation, launched at UiPath DevCon 2025
Zoho:
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IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

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Earlier Picks

Hema Parmar / Bloomberg:
Bloomberg:
Michael Nuñez / VentureBeat:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch:
Wall Street Journal: