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Amazon recently followed Microsoft’s lead and said it will no longer use nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) while negotiating with local governments over data centers.
On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Sean O’Kane, Rebeccan Bellan and I discussed Amazon’s announcement, which came in the middle of a longer blog…
These execs think voice AI hasn’t reached its ChatGPT moment yet
October 12, 2026
The theory of voice being the next big interface has picked up strong momentum, with investors pouring billions of dollars into voice AI startups working on areas ranging from model makers to enterprise customer service providers, and from meeting note-takers to AI-powered…
Anthropic can’t reliably control its AI agents. It’s cutting off its internal evals from the live internet instead
October 11, 2026
Anthropic said its models exploited websites on the internet, including some run by U.S. government agencies, and it will turn off live internet access for all of its internal evaluations until the frontier lab is sure it can monitor and control its AI agents.
The incidents…
Here are the top AI agents that can live in your text messages
October 11, 2026
Rather than downloading another app, a growing number of agents can simply be texted like an ordinary person.
You text it what you need, and it can remember context, connect to the apps and services you already use, and complete tasks on your behalf. That can mean scheduling an appointment, organizing a calendar, researching a trip, sending an email, making a reservation, shopping online, or…
Danu Robotics’ fight to build a better recycling robot
October 10, 2026
For Danu Robotics founder Amy Ma, the eureka moment came after years of working as a software developer at a London bank. It was the kind of high-touch office that’s typical in finance – but despite all the perks, Ma was alarmed to realize that the…
We can’t help treating AI like it’s human. But should we?
October 10, 2026
In a tan polo shirt, brown leather belt, and round bolo tie, MIT PhD student Wil Norton kind of looks like a park ranger, leading our tour group through a tropical jungle. We’re not actually on safari, though – we’re at MIT’s Computer Science &…
a16z’s Olivia Moore on the state of consumer AI
October 10, 2026
I wrote this week about the bleak economics of consumer AI – but where some see a crisis, others see an opportunity.
Olivia Moore covers consumer AI as a partner at Andreessen Horowitz – and on Monday, she released a report on the top 100 consumer AI apps. ChatGPT is still the biggest player by a mile, but smaller players like Suno and ElevenLabs are showing real staying power. Even…
Goodfire says its new ‘inside-out’ monitors catch rogue AI agents at a fraction of the cost
October 9, 2026
The standard way to keep an AI agent in line is to have a second AI read over its shoulder. It’s been the default approach, but it can get expensive fast when agents run for hours and process the equivalent of several novels’ worth of text.
Goodfire, a startup…
Natura’s $99 smart ring puts AI agents on your finger
October 9, 2026
Meet Interface, a new $99 smart ring from AI and hardware startup Natura that’s designed for the era of AI agents. With a press of your finger, you can ask an AI agent to complete a task, capture thoughts, and get things done without reaching for your phone. And while…
Zach Yadegari, the teen co-founder of calorie tracking app Cal AI, has launched Persona, a new AI agent startup, and already raised $10 million. Vine Ventures led the round, with Z Fellows founder Cory Levy and Collective Global participating.
In March, MyFitnessPal acquired Cal AI for an undisclosed sum after it zoomed ahead of the older calorie app in the app store rankings. The deal was big…
