Sports have long served as an important test for robots. The best-known example of the phenomenon may be the annual RoboCup soccer competition, which dates back to the mid-1990s. Table tennis has played a key role in benchmarking robot arms since a decade prior. The sport requires speed, responsiveness and strategy, among other things. In […]
Google DeepMind develops a ‘solidly amateur’ table tennis robot Read More »
YouTube is testing an integration with Google Gemini to help creators brainstorm video ideas, titles and thumbnails. The Google-owned company announced the launch of the new Brainstorm with Gemini feature in a video posted to its Creator Insider channel. A YouTube spokesperson told TechCrunch that the feature is available to select creators as a part
Google’s been on a consumer hardware jag in August. On Tuesday, the company announced the long-awaited new Nest Thermostat, along with Google TV Streamer, which replaces the 11-year-old Chromecast line. Next Tuesday at Made by Google 2024, the software giant is refreshing the Pixel line with a slew of new smartphones. Previous years’ Made by
Made by Google 2024: How to watch Google unveil the Pixel 9, a new foldable and more Read More »
Hiya, folks, welcome to TechCrunch’s regular AI newsletter. This week in AI, OpenAI lost another co-founder. John Schulman, who played a pivotal role in the development of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot platform, has left the company for rival Anthropic. Schulman announced the news on X, saying that his decision stemmed from a desire to deepen
This Week in AI: OpenAI’s talent retention woes Read More »
Digital transformation — the process of transforming outdated apps and processes with cloud technologies and digital workflows — can be a risky undertaking. In 2023, Harvard Business Review reported that while 89% of large companies have a digital and AI transformation underway, they’ve only captured 31% of the expected revenue uplift and 25% of anticipated
Mechanical Orchard, led by ex-Pivotal CEO, scores $50 million round led by Alphabet’s GV Read More »
Google Assistant’s fate has been an open question for more than a year now. Once a jewel in Google’s crown, the software was a key to both the company’s mobile and smart home strategies. Half a decade ago, Google was giving away Home Mini speakers in a bid to grow out its ecosystem. On Tuesday,
Google Assistant lives to automate another day Read More »
Google’s next big hardware event is set for August 13 at 10 a.m. PT. That’s roughly a two-month head start for the Made By Google event, which has traditionally occurred mid-fall. It also, notably, will find the company announcing its latest flagship, the Pixel 9, ahead of the iPhone 16. Apple’s latest is set for
Along with a long-awaited update to the Nest Learning Thermostat, Google on Tuesday unveiled its latest set-top streaming box. Google TV Streamer’s arrival marks the end of the Chromecast line. With more than a 100 million sold over an 11-year life, it was a good run. Along with a new, more straightforward name, the line
Chromecast is dead. Meet Google TV Streamer Read More »
Google has suffered a major court defeat in the U.S. that could alter the way it does business, should the decision stand. Judge Amit P. Mehta of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ruling in a case brought against Google by the Justice Department, said that Google had abused its monopoly power over
Google loses massive antitrust case over search Read More »
In a big move, Character.AI co-founder and CEO CEO Noam Shazeer is returning to Google after leaving the company in October 2021 to found the a16z-backed startup. In his previous stint, Shazeer spearheaded the team of researchers that built LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), a language model that was used for conversational AI tools. Character.AI co-founder Daniel
Character.AI CEO Noam Shazeer returns to Google Read More »
