Welcome back to TechCrunch Weekly — TechCrunch’s newsletter that recaps the week’s biggest news. Want to get it delivered to your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here.
This week, Apple finally added Rich Communication Services (RCS) support to Messages as part of the second developer beta of iOS 18. Up until now, iPhone users have only been able to send SMS or MMS messages from the Messages app to people who don’t have an Apple device. Now you can share high-quality photos and get read receipts and typing indicators while messaging with Android users — but the text bubbles are still green.
OpenAI is delaying the release of the new audio mode. The company had planned to start rolling out Advanced Voice Mode in alpha to a small group of ChatGPT Plus users in late June, but said outstanding issues forced it to postpone the launch to sometime in July. The company says that depending on internal safety and reliability checks, Advanced Voice Mode may not be turned on for all ChatGPT Plus customers until the fall.
The FCC has proposed an easier way for consumers to unlock their phones from their carriers, suggesting that all devices should be unlockable just 60 days after purchase. The rule would likely allow the phones to work with different mobile networks after that time period, but it could conflict with today’s phone and wireless markets.
News
OpenAI Releases ChatGPT for Mac: ChatGPT is now available to all macOS users via a new app. Mac users can quickly invoke ChatGPT using the Option + Space keyboard combination after installing the new app. Read more
Apple reportedly won’t be integrating Meta’s AI models after all: Days after the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple and Meta were in talks to merge the latter’s AI models, Bloomberg reported that Apple has backed away from the idea due to privacy concerns. Read more
Waymo gets rid of waiting list in San Francisco: Waymo has announced that anyone can now download its app and instantly order a robotaxi in San Francisco, removing the last hurdle for customers wanting to use its self-driving technology. Read more
Zuckerberg criticizes ‘closed’ AI: In a new interview, Meta’s CEO said he doesn’t think there will be “just one AI” and emphasized the importance of open source AI. Zuckerberg also said closed-source AI competitors are trying to “create God.” Read more
Andrew Ng’s AI Fund wants to raise a lot of money: Andrew Ng’s AI fund plans to raise up to $120 million for its second effort, according to a new SEC filing. The startup incubator supports small teams of experts looking to solve major problems using AI. Read more
Gemini AI comes to Gmail: Google is rolling out a Gemini AI side panel in Gmail to help you craft emails and find information from your inbox. The Gemini side panel will also be available in Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Drive. Read more
OpenAI continues to merge and acquire: OpenAI has acquired Multi, a startup developing an enterprise-focused, video-first collaboration platform. A source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch that most of the Multi team will join OpenAI after the deal closes. Read more
Strange smiling robot with living skin: Can robots have living human skin? Researchers at the University of Tokyo and Harvard University have explored this question — and they’ve come up with some very disturbing results. Read more
Meta’s Chatbots Are Heading to India: After a few months of testing during the general elections, Meta is making its Llama 3-powered AI chatbot available to all users in India. But Meta AI currently only supports English. Read more
Prosus divests stake in Byju’s: One of Byju’s biggest investors says his $2.1 billion stake in the Indian edtech startup is now worth nothing. But Brosus remains hopeful Byju’s can be saved. Read more
analysis
Silicon Valley looks weird about DEI again: DEI has become incredibly divisive. A prime example of this tension was a conversation sparked by Alexander Wang, founder of Scale AI, in which he argued for moving away from DEI to embrace “MEI” — meritocracy, excellence, and intelligence. But Dominic Madory Davis and Kyle Wagers write that according to the data, “meritocracy” is no better than DEI. Read more
What does Ayanna Parsons’ resignation mean? Ayanna Parsons, co-founder of the Fearless Fund, has announced her resignation. The announcement comes in the wake of continuing legal issues and technology fluctuations that have led to increased anti-diversity, equity and inclusion sentiment. Julie Port and Dominique Madori-Davis explore how the Fearless Fund’s latest developments, and the shift to publicly criticizing diversity, equity, and inclusion, are a sad reflection on the world of venture capital for black women. Read more