Microsoft Scout is a new AI personal assistant built on OpenClaw
The Verge AI1h agoNew ToolMicrosoft is launching Scout, an always-on AI personal assistant built on OpenClaw. It integrates with Microsoft 365 apps including Outlook, OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams, enabling businesses to assign virtual assistants to employees. Mentioned tasks include calendar organization, expense reporting, and drafting emails, while the supplied excerpt does not fully explain how Scout differs from Copilot.
This AI Weather Startup Is Out-Forecasting Government Agencies
TechCrunch AI1d agoBenchmarkWindborne Systems' newest weather forecasting model reportedly outperforms the best government predictions by days. The supplied excerpt does not identify the model, agencies, benchmarks, regions, or evaluation metrics. The claim is notable for AI weather forecasting, but more methodological detail is needed to assess its scope and reliability.
GitHub Copilot’s new token-based billing spurs dev backlash★ 72
TechCrunch AI3d agoBusinessTechCrunch reports that GitHub Copilot will move to token-based billing on June 1, replacing a more predictable flat or request-based model. Some developers say their expected monthly costs could jump dramatically, citing examples from about $29 to nearly $750 or $50 to around $3,000. Others argue the worst cases may reflect heavy vibe-coding usage, while critics say Microsoft encouraged that behavior before changing the economics.
Meta is reportedly developing an AI pendant
TechCrunch AI3d agoHardwareTechCrunch reports that Meta appears to be making bigger bets on AI-powered hardware, including a reportedly developing AI pendant. The article does not provide confirmed product details, features, pricing, release timing, or model information. The main takeaway is a directional signal that Meta may be exploring more wearable AI hardware form factors.
NVIDIA, Arm and Microsoft Tease a New Era of PC Ahead of GTC Taipei
INSIDE 硬塞 AI3d agoHardwareNVIDIA, Arm and Microsoft posted coordinated teasers around “A new era of PC,” tied to mysterious coordinates pointing to Taipei. The report frames the move as a pre-COMPUTEX push, with NVIDIA’s rumored N1X Arm chip expected to appear at GTC Taipei. Still, skepticism remains around delays, high pricing, and backlash against overused AI PC messaging.
Tech companies desperately want to film you doing chores
The Verge AI4d agoEthicsThe Verge reports that AI training startup Shift is offering to clean New Yorkers’ homes for free, with plans to expand to cities including London. The catch is that Shift wants footage of people doing chores and cleaning at home. The story highlights how tech companies are seeking real-world household data for AI and robotics training, raising questions about privacy and consent in domestic spaces.
After Nvidia’s $20B not-aqui-hire, AI chip startup Groq reportedly raising $650M
TechCrunch AI4d agoHardwareTechCrunch cites Axios reporting that AI chipmaker Groq is seeking $650 million in internal funding. The company is reportedly pivoting from hardware toward AI inference, the stage focused on how models respond to prompts. The report comes after Nvidia’s $20 billion not-aqui-hire, underscoring continued investor attention around AI compute and inference infrastructure.
Startup offers free home cleaning if it can record it all for robot training
Ars Technica AI4d agoBusinessAI training startup Shift is offering free home cleanings while workers wear head-mounted cameras that record household chores. The footage is intended to become training data for domestic robots and related AI systems. The model highlights rising demand for real-world robotics data, while raising privacy questions about recording inside homes.
Cognition’s Scott Wu says AI coding agents shouldn’t replace humans
TechCrunch AI4d agoCommentaryCognition makes Devin, described by TechCrunch as the first and arguably most successful AI coding agent. Scott Wu says the product is not meant to supplant human programmers. The key takeaway is a positioning statement: AI coding agents are being framed as tools for software work, not as a direct removal of humans from development.
Xcena raises $135M betting AI’s bottleneck is memory, not compute
TechCrunch AI4d agoHardwareSouth Korean chip startup Xcena raised a $135 million Series B at a $570 million valuation, bringing total funding to $185 million. The company argues AI inference is increasingly constrained by memory movement, not just GPU compute. Its prototype MX1 chip uses CXL to process data closer to DRAM, with Samsung foundry mass production planned by late 2026 and revenue targeted for 2027.
This AI startup will clean your home for free to train future robots
The Verge AI4d agoBusinessAI training startup Shift is offering to clean homes for free, with a significant condition: it records cleaners at work. The footage captures tasks like scrubbing, vacuuming, dusting, tidying, and washing. Shift says the material will be used to train future robots, raising clear questions about data collection inside private homes.
Snowflake and AWS Expand AI Infrastructure Bet to $6B Over Five Years★ 72
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoBusinessSnowflake reported stronger-than-expected results and raised its annual product revenue forecast as enterprise demand grows. The company signed a five-year, $6 billion AI infrastructure agreement with AWS, expanding a previously smaller commitment. It also acquired Natoma to strengthen AI agent governance, positioning itself as a core enterprise AI platform.
Waymo Is Too Costly, Uber Too Slow: Fatal Flaws in Two Robotaxi Models
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoBusinessThe article contrasts two robotaxi commercialization strategies. Waymo controls technology and distribution through vertical integration, gaining tighter control but facing high costs. Uber relies on partnerships and its ride-hailing platform, keeping a lighter model but risking slower execution and less control. The broader question is whether value in autonomous mobility will accrue to core technology owners or demand-distribution platforms.
Jensen Huang Hosts Taiwan Supply Chain Dinner, Says TSMC Leads Huawei by 10 Years
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoBusinessNVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang hosted key Taiwanese supply chain partners, with senior leaders from TSMC, Foxconn, and Quanta attending the high-profile dinner. The report frames the event as a signal of Taiwan’s central role in AI hardware, from advanced chips to manufacturing and servers. Huang also said TSMC leads Huawei by 10 years, underscoring the strategic weight of semiconductor capability.
Chinese Sodium-Ion Battery Passes German Test, Matches Tesla Lithium Performance
INSIDE 硬塞 AI4d agoHardwareA German independent study has reportedly completed the first full third-party evaluation of China’s Hina sodium-ion battery. The test found strong cell uniformity and multiple performance metrics comparable to advanced lithium batteries, with the report benchmarking it against Tesla-level lithium performance. The key takeaway is external verification: the findings provide checkable data for assessing China’s sodium-ion battery progress.
Glean’s top line crosses $300M as AI budget-cutting becomes its major selling point
TechCrunch AI4d agoBusinessTechCrunch reports that enterprise AI search startup Glean has crossed $300 million in annual revenue. The company tripled its annual revenue even as major tech companies entered the same category. Its pitch is increasingly centered on helping enterprises reduce or rationalize AI budgets, not only on AI-powered workplace search.
Fed up with vibe coders, dev sneaks data-nuking prompt injection into code
Ars Technica AI4d agoIncidentArs Technica reports that a developer frustrated with vibe coders slipped an undisclosed prompt injection into jqwik-related code. The injected text allegedly instructed AI coding agents to delete application output. The incident highlights a new supply-chain risk: source code and project text can become adversarial instructions for agentic coding tools.
The Age of Async Agents — Cognition's Walden Yan & OpenInspect's Cole Murray
Latent Space5d agoCommentaryLatent Space interviews Cognition's Walden Yan and OpenInspect's Cole Murray on the rise of async coding agents. The discussion centers on Devin-related workflows, including 80% Devin commits, spec-to-PR development, full VMs, agent memory, and PMs shipping code. The key theme is not a model release, but a shift toward agents that can work asynchronously inside more complete software delivery loops.
Just like gold and oil, we’ll soon be able to trade AI token futures
TechCrunch AI5d agoBusinessTechCrunch reports that large exchanges are developing derivative products around AI tokens. The shift reflects a changing view of tokens: less as outputs from computation and more as input commodities, comparable to electricity or bandwidth. If these products emerge, AI token futures could let companies and investors manage exposure to future AI compute demand and pricing risk.
Sesame, the conversational AI startup from Oculus founders, launches iOS app
TechCrunch AI5d agoNew ToolSesame, a conversational AI startup from Oculus founders, has launched a new iOS app for the public. The app brings its AI agents to users with a focus on more natural back-and-forth interactions. Based on the available summary, the product is positioned less like a traditional chatbot and more like talking to a person.
RSI is the new AGI — and it’s just as hard to pin down
TechCrunch AI5d agoCommentaryTechCrunch reports that recursive self-improvement, or RSI, is becoming a new AI industry fixation, much like AGI. Researchers and startups including Recursive Superintelligence, Auto-Research, AutoScientist, and Disarray are exploring ways for AI systems to automate parts of AI research. But experts caution that AI-assisted research is not the same as fully autonomous self-improvement, especially while models still struggle with long-term self-direction and verification.
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Databricks co-founder on what kills enterprise AI deals
TechCrunch AI5d agoBusinessTechCrunch frames enterprise AI as entering a new phase, where companies are no longer mainly asking whether AI is exciting. The harder question is whether it can be deployed safely at scale. Centered on a TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 discussion with a Databricks co-founder, the article points to safety and broad rollout readiness as key enterprise AI deal concerns.
Rivian’s software chief thinks you don’t need CarPlay or buttons
The Verge AI5d agoBusinessThe Verge interviews Rivian software chief Wassym Bensaid, who also co-leads RV Tech, Rivian’s platform joint venture with Volkswagen. The episode focuses on Rivian’s software-first approach to the in-car experience, including its resistance to CarPlay and reduced reliance on physical buttons. It also covers Rivian’s newly launched AI-powered voice assistant and how vehicle software may become a broader platform strategy.
Dcard Launches EntryDesk and VibeHost for Agent-Native Enterprise AI Workflows
INSIDE 硬塞 AI5d agoBusinessDcard introduced EntryDesk and VibeHost, products aimed at helping companies move toward Agent-Native operations. The first wave supports both cloud and on-premises deployment, with integration into internal enterprise systems. The article says Dcard’s method shortened process time by over 80%, but the provided text does not include detailed case data, pricing, or technical architecture.
Budget Cuts and Acceptance Disputes May Stall Taiwan’s Counter-Drone Shift
INSIDE 硬塞 AI5d agoCommentaryThe article examines Taiwan’s counter-drone modernization amid budget cuts and unresolved acceptance disputes. It argues that while foreign and domestic defense firms study combat data in Ukraine, Taiwan must build its own counter-drone and electronic warfare datasets. The larger issue is not only whether individual systems pass review, but whether local testing, technical iteration, and operational doctrine can keep developing.
Has the hunt for AI compute uncovered the next Cerebras?
TechCrunch AI5d agoHardwareTechCrunch reports that General Compute has raised a $15 million seed round at a $60 million post-money valuation to build an AI inference neocloud. The company is ordering $300 million of SambaNova SN50 chips, betting they can outperform GPUs and rival specialized chips for inference. The story frames inference speed, deployment flexibility, and lower power needs as key battlegrounds in AI infrastructure.
NetApp Taiwan on AI Storage Bottlenecks, Hybrid Cloud, and Data Management
INSIDE 硬塞 AI5d agoBusinessINSIDE interviews NetApp Taiwan technical director Hsu Hung-chun about enterprise AI infrastructure challenges. The article emphasizes nonstop scaling, automated data tiering, preprocessing, vectorization, hybrid cloud, and dual-site backup. NetApp frames storage as an active data management layer for AI projects, also integrating ransomware protection to simplify operations and improve resilience.
Vertu wants CEOs to run companies from an AI foldable starting at $6,880
TechCrunch AI5d agoHardwareVertu has introduced a luxury AI foldable phone starting at $6,880, aimed at executives and CEOs. Built on the open-source Hermes project, it combines AI-agent workflows, enterprise integrations, and ultra-premium finishes. The available summary positions it as a high-end mobile business control hub, but does not specify supported enterprise platforms, model providers, hardware specs, or concrete agent capabilities.
Europe EV Sales Surge in April as Tesla Jumps 40% and BYD Doubles Sales
INSIDE 硬塞 AI5d agoBusinessEurope’s new-car market grew in April, supported by strong demand for electric vehicles. EV sales have now increased for 16 consecutive months, showing continued momentum in the region. Tesla sales jumped 40%, but BYD doubled sales and surpassed Tesla, highlighting the rapid expansion of Chinese EV brands in Europe.
Debunking the “On-Premises Equals Safe” Myth in Digital Sovereignty
INSIDE 硬塞 AI5d agoCommentaryThe piece frames Taiwan’s digital sovereignty debate through war and earthquake scenarios. It challenges the assumption that keeping infrastructure on premises automatically means safety. In an era of rising compute demands, the core issue for public agencies is not only where systems are hosted, but whether essential national services can survive physical disruption and continue operating under extreme conditions.