Why Trump’s all-but-inevitable South Carolina victory over Nikki Haley matters
Tonight, in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, Donald Trump defeated rival Nikki Haley in her home state. Ordinarily, this might feel like big news, as the Palmetto State tends to host one of the most important early contests. Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the state, after dismal finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, is […]
Why AI can (and should) lead to a renaissance in the humanities
From the Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution right up to present day, leading science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) thinkers have served humans incredibly well. Figures like Alexander Cummings, Marie Curie, Jonas Salk, Norman Borlaug and countless others have saved vast numbers of our species from untold suffering through rigorous interrogation of the natural world. […]
Mark Zuckerberg fights personal liability in Meta lawsuits
In a February 23 court appearance, Meta giant Mark Zuckerberg is set to try to skirt personal liability in dozens of lawsuits, according to Bloomberg. This is despite his being directly named in numerous court cases that accuse Meta of making children addicted to platforms like Instagram and Facebook. If Zuckerberg can convince the judge […]
Vending machine error reveals secret face image database of college students
Aurich Lawson | Mars | Getty Images Canada-based University of Waterloo is racing to remove M&M-branded smart vending machines from campus after outraged students discovered the machines were covertly collecting facial-recognition data without their consent. The scandal started when a student using the alias SquidKid47 posted an image on Reddit showing a campus vending machine […]
Google releases new open LLMs, Rivian lays off staff and Signal rolls out usernames
Welcome, folks, to Week in Review (WiR), TechCrunch’s regular newsletter covering noteworthy happenings in the tech industry. This week, Google launched two new open large language models, Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B, in its continued bid for generative AI dominance. The company, which describes the LLMs as “inspired by Gemini,” its flagship family of GenAI […]
Libs of TikTok has become a major presence in Oklahoma’s schools
LOS ANGELES — Far-right activist Chaya Raichik splits her time between California, where she’s registered to vote, and Florida, where she often travels. But the place where she arguably is having the biggest impact these days is Oklahoma, a state she’s visited only once. Raichik, who operates the social media account Libs of TikTok, has […]
Save $50 on the Pixel Watch 2
If you’re the sort of person who tends to spend a lot of time on your phone (and these days who isn’t?), then a smartwatch can add a lot of value. Whether it’s being able to field calls and messages from your wrist or track your fitness, smartwatches can be really handy. They can also be really […]