A folk musician became a target for AI fakes and a copyright troll
Murphy Campbell is at the center of a brewing storm around AI and a broken copyright system. | Image: Murphy Campbell In January, folk artist Murphy Campbell discovered several songs on her Spotify profile that did not belong there. They were songs that she had recorded, but she'd never uploaded the
Peter Thiel’s big bet on solar-powered cow collars
Why did Founders Fund invest $220 million in cattle management startup Halter?
Grammarly’s sloppelganger saga
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the ups and downs of AI, follow Stevie Bonifield. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Most people probably know Grammarly
How the Amazon Echo learned to talk — and listen
A photo of a black speaker, the Amazon Echo, on a gray background. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Jeff Bezos badly wanted a voice computer. He had been saying so publicly since the very early days of Amazon, telling anyone who would listen about why voice might make it easier and more n
Is the Slate Truck too minimal for its own good?
The first thing you notice about the Slate Truck is its size. It's small, surprisingly so. In a country where trucks often come with their own zip code, Slate's pickup is refreshingly puny, measuring 174.6 inches long, 70.6 inches wide, and 69.3 inches tall, with a curb weight of approximately 3,602
TechCrunch Mobility: ‘A stunning lack of transparency’
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. T
Tech companies are trying to neuter Colorado’s landmark right-to-repair law
A state bill is a glimpse of how corporations are limiting people's ability to make their own fixes and upgrades.
I let Gemini in Google Maps plan my day and it went surprisingly well
Take me to the tacos, Gemini. You may be familiar with Gemini as the thing that's in every Google service you use - whether you want it or not. While it's been a constant, sometimes unwelcome presence in Gmail for at least the past year, it's a relatively new addition to Maps. And you know what? It'
As people look for ways to make new friends, here are the apps promising to help
We've compiled a list of friendship apps, from friend discovery platforms like BFF to event-focused ones like Timeleft.
Artemis II is going so well that we're left to talk about frozen urine
"I think the fixation on the toilet is kind of human nature."
Suno is a music copyright nightmare
AI music platform Suno's policy is that it does not permit the use of copyrighted material. You can upload your own tracks to remix or set your original lyrics to AI-generated music. But, it's supposed to recognize and stop you from using other people's songs and lyrics. Now, no system is perfect, b
CBP facility codes sure seem to have leaked via online flashcards
Quizlet flashcards seem to include sensitive information about gate security at CBP locations.
Los Thuthanaka’s Wak’a is a mellower follow-up to last year’s surprise Pitchfork favorite
Los Thuthanaka basically came out of nowhere last year to capture Pitchfork's album of the year with their self-titled debut. Because it wasn't available on streaming, it largely flew under the radar. I honestly kind of forgot about it until Pitchfork gave it the number one spot in its year-end list
Polymarket took down wagers tied to rescue of downed Air Force officer
A Democratic congressman had harsh criticism for Polymarket for allowing users to bet on the date the U.S. would confirm the rescue of Air Force service members shot down over Iran.
Do Apple's new AirPods Max 2 beat the AirPods Pro 3? I've tried both, here's my take
The AirPods Max 2 are Apple's most premium over-ears headphones, but I wouldn't recommend them to everyone.
Star Wars animated series 'Maul: Shadow Lord' season 2 confirmed
Ahead of its premiere, Dave Filoni has revealed that the Star Wars animated series Maul: Shadow Lord will return for a second season. The Lucasfilm co-president revealed that season 2 is already in the works, telling Esquire that "at the end of the day, people like that character." Filoni didn't rev
NASA's Artemis II mission has left Earth's orbit
The Integrity, the name of the Orion capsule carrying Artemis II astronauts on a trip around the moon, has left Earth’s orbit. NASA has announced that it has successfully completed a key burn of Orion’s main engine. That six-minute firing of the engine provided approximately 6,000 pounds of thrust,
The Morning After: NASA’s Artemis II is on a voyage around the Moon
NASA’s Artemis II successfully launched on April 1, with its crew on a 10-day mission to circle the Moon. It’s the first crewed Artemis flight and a major step toward humanity returning to our little neighbor in the future. Since launch, the vehicle has separated from its launch system and been manu
Fan fiction website AO3 is finally coming out of beta
The famous fan fiction website Archive of Our Own or AO3 has finally exited open beta, 17 years after it launched way back in 2009. AO3 is a nonprofit created by the by the Organization for Transformative Works. In an announcement, the team reminisced about its early days and how volunteers had to m
I tried ChatGPT's new CarPlay integration: It's my go-to now for the questions Siri can't answer
Thanks to iOS 26.4 and CarPlay, I can now carry on a voice conversation with ChatGPT while in the car. Here's how I'm using it.