Google’s most expensive AI model seems to have crossed a major milestone: Beating a 29-year-old video game. Last night, Google CEO Sundar Pichai posted triumphantly on X, “What a finish! Gemini 2.5 Pro just completed Pokémon Blue!” To be clear, the Gemini Plays Pokemon livestream was created by (in his own words) “a 30 year […]
eBay and Etsy are relatively confident despite tariff pressures
Like virtually every sector in the business world, the secondhand industry is grappling with the ramifications of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. However, based on the comments made by eBay and Etsy earlier this week, both don’t appear to be overly concerned. The companies recently reported Q1 2025 earnings results, both addressing the pressing topic of […]
How Riot Games is fighting the war against video game hackers
Riot’s “anti-cheat artisan” Phillip Koskinas explains how he and his team go after cheaters and cheat developers to protect the integrity of games, such as Valorant and League of Legends.
AI chatbots are ‘juicing engagement’ instead of being useful, Instagram co-founder warns
Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom says AI companies are trying too hard to “juice engagement” by pestering their users with follow-up questions, instead of providing actually useful insights. Systrom said the tactics represent “a force that’s hurting us,” comparing them to those used by social media companies to expand aggressively. “You can see some of these […]
Aurora launches its driverless commercial trucking service, and a surprise bidder joins Canoo’s bankruptcy case
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Your usual host Kirsten has passed the reins to me, Rebecca Bellan, for the day, and I want to talk about Aurora Innovation and its last-minute save. […]
Google will soon start letting kids under 13 use its Gemini chatbot
Next week, Google will begin allowing kids under 13 who have parent-managed Google accounts to use its Gemini chatbot, according to The New York Times. The Times reports that Gemini will be available to kids whose parents use Family Link, a Google service that enables families to opt into various Google services for their child. A Google […]
One of Google’s recent Gemini AI models scores worse on safety
A recently released Google AI model scores worse on certain safety tests than its predecessor, according to the company’s internal benchmarking. In a technical report published this week, Google reveals that its Gemini 2.5 Flash model is more likely to generate text that violates its safety guidelines than Gemini 2.0 Flash. On two metrics, “text-to-text […]
Apple and Anthropic reportedly partner to build an AI coding platform
Apple and Anthropic are teaming up to build a “vibe-coding” software platform that will use generative AI to write, edit, and test code for programmers, Bloomberg reported on Friday. The iPhone maker is planning to roll out the software internally, according to Bloomberg, but hasn’t decided if it will launch it publicly. The system is […]
Uber’s latest autonomous vehicle partner? Chinese startup Momenta
Uber announced Friday yet another autonomous vehicle partnership as it leverages its dominant ride-hail and delivery position while relying on partners to supply the self-driving tech it isn’t building in-house. Today, the lucky startup is Chinese self-driving firm Momenta. The tie-up comes a day after Uber added Ann Arbor-based May Mobility to its roster of […]
Dating app Raw exposed users’ location data and personal information
The app claims it uses end-to-end encryption, but spilled its users’ dating preferences and granular location data to the open web.