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This week, Devin, Kirsten, and I were out in Las Vegas attending CES to see what’s happening in the world of technology. Fifty stories later, and it turns out there are a lot more. On the way to Las Vegas, I spent some time with the built-in Alexa in my car and Siri on my phone, only to realize that voice assistants have a long way to go yet. Siri in particular can get things together, before its competitors completely leave it in the dust.
I’m getting angry here, so we’ll keep this newsletter as brief as possible. . .
The biggest news from CES
Image credits: Superhuman
Samsung’s Ballie, the spherical home robot first seen at CES 2020, is back in the spotlight at CES 2024 with some AI improvements. The bowling ball-sized robot now features a spatial lidar sensor and a 1080p projector for movies and video calls, and can also act as a computer monitor. It can be controlled by voice and text, can manage smart and non-smart home devices, and promises features such as plant watering reminders and remote medical services. However, details regarding availability and price remain vague.
Volkswagen has announced that it is jumping on the AI bandwagon by integrating ChatGPT into its cars and SUVs. This feature, developed in collaboration with Cerence and OpenAI, will be added to models equipped with the IDA voice assistant, starting in Europe. It’s no longer just about controlling your infotainment system; This AI-powered chatbot promises to handle a wide range of queries and tasks, albeit with some limitations on sensitive topics. However, American models will not see this feature yet, as it is still under study.
Here’s another collection of stories you all loved from Sin City:
Roll up, roll up!: Samsung is upping the ante at CES 2024 with its latest display innovations. They are teasing a new generation of products, including the “In&Out Flip,” which folds in and out, and screen-sized foldable and slide-out OLED displays.
It rings in the New Year: Ultrahuman, a company known for its smart rings, is venturing into smart home territory with the “Ultrahuman Home.”
Is that a rabbit in your pocket or are you just buzzing with excitement?: The Rabbit’s R1 Pocket AI, a device described for its vibrant aesthetics and unique shape, aims to simplify everyday tasks like hailing a car or finding dining options. Unlike traditional voice assistants that rely on APIs, the R1 uses a “big business model” to interact with apps as humans would.
Everyone is on board the emerging roller coaster
![Image of a shiny white ceramic ball moving along an oscillating curve on a blue background.](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GettyImages-1344831078.jpg)
Image credits: Osaka Wine Studios (Opens in a new window) /Getty Images
Carta, a capital management firm, has been embroiled in controversy over its bold move to broker equity in a startup without getting a green light from the company itself. This brazen act of trying to play middleman without approval sparked a storm in the startup world. It is a bold, if not reckless, display of crossing boundaries, undermining the trust and integrity expected in such sensitive financial transactions.
Superpedestrian, once a bullish player in the e-scooter game, is auctioning off more than 20,000 motorcycles after shutting down its US operations on December 31. The company, which jumped into the shared scooter business in 2020, has faced financial struggles despite raising $125 million. Less than two years ago. Talks about new financing and merger failed, leading to its downfall.
More from startup land:
Dr. AI will see you now: Nabla, a Paris-based startup, recently secured $24 million in Series B funding for an AI assistant designed for doctors.
Here today, gone tomorrowHana, a technology startup offering fractional investments in vacation rentals, has shut down its investment platform after just over two years, due to difficult interest rate conditions and economic challenges.
Throw a curveball: In an exciting development, Pitch, a startup specializing in collaborative presentation software, is downsizing and launching. CEO and co-founder Christian Reber is stepping down, laying off two-thirds of his workforce.
What did the robots do this week?
![In this illustration, the Duolingo logo is displayed on a smartphone.](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GettyImages-1221110452.jpg)
Image credits: Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket (Opens in a new window) /Getty Images
KYC, the primary identity verification tool at financial institutions, may be on the verge of obsolescence, thanks to generative AI. Kyle explains how AI tools can easily manipulate ID images, creating deep fakes convincing enough to pass KYC checks. Although there are no known successful breaches to date, the simplicity of the formulation of these counterfeit products is concerning. The tutorials demonstrate the use of open source software such as Stable Diffusion to create synthetic images holding any document. Even KYC “liveness” checks are at risk, with deepfakes adept at simulating human actions in real time.
Amazon’s Alexa is diving headfirst into the generative AI stack. This week, the company announced three new Alexa experiences: (1) Character.AI for chatting with fictional or historical figures; (2) Splash, where you can create songs using voice commands; and (3) Volley’s 20 Questions, a modern AI twist on the classic game. In addition, Alexa gets a new AI model that makes her more stubborn and emotional.
More from the world of artificial intelligence:
A peek under the hood of Google’s new AI: Google’s Gemini AI is a leading generative AI platform, featuring three versatile models: Ultra, Pro, and Nano. Here’s everything you need to know.
Leading robots with words: Frustrated by the lack of effective AI orchestration tools, Meistrari has developed a system that simplifies the immediate creation and evaluation of large language models such as ChatGPT.
How do you say “they took our jobs” in binary code?: Duolingo, which is jumping on the AI bandwagon, reduced its workforce by 10% at the end of 2023.
Top reads on TechCrunch this week
Here’s another collection of our most-read stories from last week:
Virtual carriers FTW: Mobile virtual network operators aren’t new — they’ve been around since the 1990s — but the business model is having a moment in the sun right now, fueled by new technologies like Humane Ai Pin.
Safe as homes: Real estate services giant Fidelity National Financial confirmed that hackers stole data on 1.3 million of its clients during a cyberattack in November that knocked the company offline for a week.
Do you really want to hertz me: Hertz is selling a third of its electric car fleet, which consists mostly of Teslas, and will buy gas-powered cars with some of the money it makes from sales. The company cited lower demand for electric vehicles and higher-than-expected repair costs as reasons for this decision.