Techcrunch blog!: Hundreds of public figures and tech notables call for action to address 'risk of extinction from AI'

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

Today, a lot of AI enthusiasts are now warning us about too much of a good thing. We also found out what happens when a partnership goes wrong and Alexa finds a new voice. If you were able to take the long weekend, I hope you're ready for all this news because this is your Daily Crunch for Monday. — Christine

The top story of the day should come as no surprise to you Daily Crunchers — it's about AI. Only this time hundreds of scientists, academics, tech CEOs and public figures, among them OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have added their names to a statement urging global attention on existential AI risk. Remember the open letter signed by Big Tech bigwigs, like Elon Musk, that made the rounds in March? It's kind of like that, but brings up "extinction." You better read more.

As we reported, "first they worked in tandem, now they're in an e-bike patent suit." We're talking about a deal that went sour between eBikeLabs and Cowboy. Get the scoop.

Meanwhile, BlackRock has once again fiddled with Byju's valuation. Find out how far it’s fallen.

Look out below: Serve Robotics has a sweet new deal to deliver food for Uber Eats and will deploy up to 2,000 sidewalk delivery bots to do so. See what these cuties look like.

Read and eat: Amazon is now experimenting with dine-in payments in India. Read more.

I need a hero: "More bang for your buck" is the approach Carrum Health is taking with its value-based cancer care offering. It's now got $45 million to do more. Find out how the company plans to use it.

If your computer's background could talk: Well, maybe it can't talk, but it can show you pretty pictures and sounds of nature. Portal's Mac app helps users do just that. See what delights Portal has in store for us.

A slow leak: A database containing the details of almost half a million RaidForums users leaked online. This comes a year after the U.S. Department of Justice seized the notorious cybercrime forum. Read more.

Image Credits: Olemedia / Getty Images (Image has been modified)

Sometimes you just can't help but go down a rabbit hole of whatever the internet puts in front of you. Well, if that's the way you roll, Web Roulette has an addictive, "swipeable" web browser for you that incorporates your favorite websites and the ability to shake it up if you want to be surprised. Find out more.

Your favorite code-building platform has a new product: UpCodes took in some new funding to help it launch a new AI-based tool to make navigating the world of building codes even more streamlined. Read more about its catchy name.

The pandemic not only stretched the abilities of healthcare providers, but it also showed us what happens when everyone is trying to buy the same box of rubber gloves and masks. Hoping to not have that pattern repeated, at least for dental practices, companies like Wellplaece have created a marketplace that enables practices to discover products and compare prices. Get the scoop.

Say "what" again: Sorry, folks, Amazon's Alexa will reportedly no longer respond in a celebrity voice. Find out why.

A picture's worth a thousand words: Qflow takes in $9.1 million for a unique way to track construction receipts and de-carbonize projects. Learn more.

What do you meme?: It was only a matter of time before someone incorporated memes into education. Antimatter closed on a $2 million round of funding to help students meme about topics they master. Shitposting at its finest.

Itsy bitsy EV: Arcimoto has had an interesting year so far, but now it's getting down to business with a teeny-tiny EV. See what it looks like.

Game on…in the car?: I'm not sure what to think of Tesla's latest in-dash feature or the fact that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave its blessing. Read more.

Shop till you drop: Instacart's new feature lets you save a shopper as your favorite so they can be the first alerted of future orders. Find out how to do that.

Now here's some more:

HackCapital launches investment platform competitor to Odin, Vauban

Pluton Biosciences takes its carbon-fixing microbes to market with a fresh $16.6M

Taking the pulse on the Northeast seed market with Techstars' Kerty Levy

Image Credits: Getty Images

Harness the potential of generative AI

Three climate technologies every investor should have in their portfolio

Now that we’ll likely blow past the 1.5 degree Celsius target that would have slowed down our worsening climate crisis, investors and entrepreneurs need to focus on scalable solutions.

With that in mind, climate reporter Tim De Chant examined three technologies “that deserve a closer look":

Enhanced rock weathering
Fusion
Grid management software

“Fusion may not pan out, but if it does, the winners could make Exxon look small by comparison,” he writes.

Three more from the TC+ team:

Welcome to the trillion-dollar club, Nvidia

Klarna's Q1 results show that the fintech unicorn's turnaround is in full swing

Solana's co-founder sees potential for its blockchain to be the 'Apple of crypto'

TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack. You can sign up here. Use code "DC" for a 15% discount on an annual subscription.

Three climate technologies every investor should have in their portfolio image

Image Credits: ArtisticPhoto / Shutterstock

TechCrunch (virtually) in Atlanta

On June 7, TechCrunch will host City Spotlight: Atlanta. We have a slate of amazing programming planned, including a fireside chat with Ryan Glover, the co-founder of the fintech Greenwood, as well as a panel that examines the venture ecosystem within the Atlanta region and identifies the best ways to raise and meet with local venture capitalists. But that's not all. If you are an early-stage Atlanta-based founder, apply to pitch to our panel of guest investors/judges for our live pitching competition; the winner gets a free booth at TechCrunch Disrupt this year to exhibit their company in our startup alley. Register now!