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From Powered Armor to Tactical AI

The US military has pivoted away from its decades-long pursuit of powered armour, epitomized by the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS), in favour of a more sophisticated approach.

Dubbed the "hyper-enabled operator" (HEO), this concept integrates advanced AI systems to enhance situational awareness and decision-making capabilities among special operations forces.

Operational Scenarios Enhanced by AI

In urban environments fraught with uncertainty, H

Victims Struggle as Google Fails to Act Swiftly

Reports of intimate images and videos posted online without consent are rising, with deepfakes adding a new dimension to the problem. In early 2022, two Google policy staffers met with women victimized by the GirlsDoPorn scam, where explicit videos of them were circulating online, including via Google search results.

The women suggested Google use a 25-terabyte hard drive containing all GirlsDoPorn episodes to create a "hash" of each clip and blo

Apple’s Unique AI Architecture

At the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 10, the tech giant Apple unveiled "Apple Intelligence," a major move into AI, integrating OpenAI's ChatGPT into iPhones. Despite Elon Musk's criticism, calling it "creepy spyware," Apple claims its AI strategy prioritizes user privacy.

Apple Intelligence leverages a combination of on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute (PCC), which runs on Apple's silicon servers. According to Apple, this new AI architecture

Introduction to Hebbia's Milestone

Hebbia, a promising startup specializing in AI-powered document search, has successfully raised nearly $100 million in a Series B funding round. This significant investment, led by Andreessen Horowitz, underscores the growing demand and potential of AI technologies in streamlining complex information retrieval processes.

According to insiders, the round valued the company between $700 million and $800 million, though the exact pre- or post-money valuation rem

Retool Introduces "Retool for External Apps"

Retool, renowned for its low-code tools in building browser-based internal applications since 2017, has now launched "Retool for External Apps." This expansion marks a significant shift towards enabling businesses to create secure, efficient apps not just for internal use but also for external audiences.

The service is already in use by prominent companies like Orangetheory and various startups during its preview phase.

Addressing Business App Need

Synthflow Raises $7.4M Seed Round

Berlin-based startup Synthflow has secured a $7.4 million seed round to develop its no-code platform for AI voice assistance tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Founded in the spring of last year, Synthflow has now raised a total of $9.1 million, highlighting investor confidence in generative AI applications.

The company's CEO and co-founder, Hakob Astabatsyan, plans to invest the new funds into research and development to enhance product u

Enhanced Messaging Capabilities

Apple has added support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) in the second developer beta of iOS 18, enhancing its Messages app. RCS allows users to send high-quality images, see typing indicators, get read receipts, and start group chats. This update enables iPhone users to text and share files with any device that supports RCS, including most Android phones.

Limited Initial Rollout

Initially, RCS support is limited to U.S. carriers such as T-Mobile, AT&T, an

EU Charges Apple with App Store Violations

Apple is facing significant challenges in Europe after being charged with violating the EU’s new digital markets rules. On Monday, the European Commission accused Apple’s App Store of engaging in anti-steering practices, preventing developers from directly communicating and promoting offers to users.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition chief, emphasized the importance of steering to reduce developers' dependency on gatekeepers like Apple and incr

General Availability of Meta AI

In the recent technews, Meta has expanded the availability of its Llama-3-powered AI chatbot, Meta AI, to all users in India. This rollout comes after a period of testing during India's general elections. Previously, Meta AI was accessible to select users across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook since April. While the chatbot was officially released in over a dozen countries shortly after, its launch in India was delayed due to the elections.

Key poin

Enhancing AI Infrastructure 

In a significant move to bolster its enterprise AI capabilities, OpenAI has acquired Rockset, a company renowned for its real-time search and data analytics tools. This strategic acquisition is set to empower OpenAI’s infrastructure across its diverse product range, promising to deliver more robust and intelligent AI applications to its customers.

Rockset’s Pioneering Technology 

Rockset, established in 2016 by a team of ex-Facebook engineers and a seasoned databa

Elon Musk Secures Historic Pay Package

Elon Musk has once again made headlines, securing a $56 billion pay package from Tesla shareholders, making him the highest-paid CEO in history. This monumental approval took place at Tesla’s gigafactory in Texas, where shareholders celebrated the decision with applause.

Despite this victory, Musk's reward hinges on avoiding disapproval from a Delaware judge. As Musk continues to juggle multiple ventures and faces new lawsuits, he remains unfazed by corpo

Escalating Security Concerns

The U.S. government has taken decisive action to ban the sale of Kaspersky antivirus software within the country, citing significant national security risks associated with its Russian origins.

The ban, effective July 20, 2024, prohibits Kaspersky Lab from selling its products to American consumers and businesses. The move underscores longstanding fears that the Moscow-based company could potentially collaborate with Russian intelligence agencies, compromising U.S.

Generative AI in Political Campaigns

In the latest tech news, Microsoft and Google have started training political campaigns on using generative AI tools like Copilot and Gemini chatbots. Since early 2024, dozens of political groups have participated in these sessions, learning to leverage AI to streamline tasks like writing and editing fundraising emails and text messages.

These training programs, which have included over 600 participants in the US alone, aim to help campaigns save time and c

Backlash Over Terms of Service Update

Adobe recently faced significant backlash from the creative community after quietly updating its terms of service in February. The new terms allowed Adobe to access user content “through both automated and manual methods” and utilize “techniques such as machine learning to improve [Adobe’s] Services and Software.”

Many artists interpreted this as Adobe granting itself unlimited access to their work to train its generative AI, Firefly. The uproar led to Ado

In a remarkable stand against corporate involvement in international conflicts, over 1,100 STEM students and young workers from more than 120 universities have pledged to boycott employment at tech giants Google and Amazon. This collective action comes in response to the companies’ participation in Project Nimbus, a controversial $1.2 billion contract to provide cloud services to the Israeli government.

A Unified Stand for Ethics

The pledge has united students across prestigious institutions,

Do you seek to rise above the competition in startups as an entrepreneur in the fiercely competitive startup world? Meet Sahil Kohli who brings up to 15 years of experience in astrology; numerology; and Vastu with him. Watch his enlightening video where he discusses why Rahu, which is generally seen as the planet of mystery and innovation, is crucial for startups and enterprises ahead of successful businesses.

Rahu & Its Nature:

Rahu has a reputation for having an unconventional and disruptive

Public Engagement and Big Tech Oversight

FTC Chair Lina Khan has marked her term with a notable shift in strategy- makes a take on Big Tech through public engagement. Unlike her predecessors, Khan has been vocal with the media about enforcing antitrust laws and protecting consumers, keeping tech giants like Google and Microsoft under scrutiny.

FTC’s David vs. Goliath

Despite its modest size of 1,300 employees and an annual budget of $400 million, the FTC juggles roughly 150 cases at any given

Visualizing the Invisible 

Apple has stepped into the arena with other tech leaders to tackle a unique challenge: designing an icon that represents artificial intelligence (AI). This task is tricky because AI, while powerful, doesn’t have a physical form. The goal is to create a symbol that feels safe and simple but doesn’t look like a person or an object. This avoids old stereotypes like robots, which seem too mechanical, or magic wands, which are too fanciful.

Apple’s Design: Open to Interpr

Regulatory Engagement Leads to Pause

Meta has suspended its plans to utilize European users’ data for training its AI models, following intense discussions with the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) and pressure from other EU data protection authorities. The DPC, acting on behalf of several EU regulators, has welcomed Meta’s decision to halt its AI training initiatives that would have used public content from Facebook and Instagram users.

GDPR Compliance Challenges

Europe’s stringent Gen

Bengaluru-based fintech unicorn slice has fortified its financial position by securing $20 million in debt funding from Neo Asset Management’s Credit Opportunities Fund. 

This infusion is part of a broader $30 million debt round, with slice anticipating the receipt of the remaining $10 million shortly.

The capital raised will be strategically deployed towards fulfilling corporate objectives and bolstering working capital, ensuring slice maintains its growth trajectory and operational efficienc