Techcrunch blog!: IBM says its new Granite series LLM was trained on 'curated, enterprise-quality data'

Thursday, September 07, 2023

In today's top story, AI continues to be at the forefront of new products and services. IBM is rolling out new generative AI features and models. The company even says it will reveal the data being used to train the models.

Next, Anthropic, a startup founded by former OpenAI executives, launched a paid plan for its AI-powered chatbot that promises 5x more usage. And more messages.

Meanwhile, Instagram is testing a feature to let you share feed posts with just "Close Friends" if you have them. Bond with someone.

Note: We want to correct the headline from yesterday's Daily Crunch to: "Under new rules, EU says 6 tech 'gatekeepers' fall under Digital Market Acts." It was actually five from the U.S., not six.

Image Credits: picture alliance / Getty Images

More top reads

Are you ready for some football? The National Football League is kicking off its 2023 season today, and we tell all you cord-cutters how to stream each action-packed game.

Google is ready for its close-up: Google Chrome gets a visual makeover and some new search features for its 15th anniversary. Check it out.

One Moment in time: A new app called Moments helps you maintain your personal and professional relationships. Reach out and touch someone . . . through the phone.

So I creep: ActiveFence snaps up Spectrum Labs, which was last valued at $137 million, to help fight the harmful content creep. Read more.

All charged up: Honda confirms it will use Tesla's EV charging port from 2025. Plug in.

Kind of like Robocop, but without the costume: Imbue raises $200 million to build AI models that can "robustly reason" like humans. We're here for it.

Vacation, all I ever wanted: Mindtrip wants to become your AI travel agent that will do the booking and planning all in one place. Treat yo' self.

In every shape and size: Pinterest unveiled new computer vision-powered body type technology to make search more inclusive. What will you search for?

Coming back: Base Ecosystem Fund and Hashed Emergent invest $1.9 million in Nestcoin to scale its Onboard product. Find out how it started and how it's going.

Know that third party: Compliance and risk management startup Certa raises $35 million to monitor your relationship with third parties. Read more.

Building blocks: Low-code platform Retool launched a bunch of new tools that make it easier to bring AI smarts to business apps. Ready, set, low-code.

More for your Thursday:

SAP nabs German startup LeanIX to help companies modernize faster

Show me the revenue growth (TC+)

Apple Event 2023: What we expect from the 'Wonderlust' iPhone 15 reveal

The perils of the platforms of paranoia (TC+)

Gaming browser Opera GX integrates ChatGPT-powered AI feature

Image Credits: The NFL

Our favorite startups from YC's Summer 2023 Demo Day, Day 2

YC’s Summer 2023 cohort is slightly smaller than it has been in recent years, which means there’s less chaff for the TC+ team to sort through.

Today, Alex Wilhelm, Christine Hall and Anna Heim identified their eight favorite startups:

Envelope
Flint
Dili
Silicate
Parea AI
Magic Loops
Flex
Pure

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.

Our favorite startups from YC's Summer 2023 Demo Day, Day 2 image

Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch

On the pods

On today’s episode of Chain Reaction, Jacquelyn interviewed Charlie Shrem, founder of the Bitcoin Foundation, general partner at Druid Ventures and host of the Charlie Shrem Show.

Before all that, he was the co-founder and CEO of BitInstant, which was a bitcoin payment processor that started in 2011. Shortly after founding the company, he was charged with operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business and with allegedly attempting to launder over $1 million through the now-defunct dark web marketplace Silk Road. He spent a little over a year in a low-security prison as a result.

Now Charlie is a vocal advocate for clearer crypto regulation, and he's a crypto investor, podcaster, and even a movie producer.