TECHNOLOGYFriend, the lonely AI wearable, returns with a new voice and a much bigger price tagFriend, the AI wearable, can now talk to its users — for an enhanced price.TechCrunch·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYGoogle says it fixed more Chrome bugs in June than over the past two years, thanks to AIAs experts have warned for the last two years, some companies — like Microsoft and now Google — are finding and patching an exponential number of bugs in their products, thanks to the use of LLMs and AI tools.TechCrunch·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYLinkedIn actually adds a ‘seems like AI slop’ buttonA lot of content on LinkedIn might seem like AI slop, and now, you'll be able to report those posts. As part of a series of updates to reduce the volume of AI slop on the platform, LinkedIn is introducing an actual button that lets you flag a post as something that "Seems like AI […]The Verge·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYLinkedIn adds a button to report AI-generated ‘slop’LinkedIn is introducing new ways to reduce low-quality AI-generated posts, including a “seems like AI slop” reporting option. It's also replacing its own AI writing feature with a proofreading tool.TechCrunch·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYNvidia’s Open Source Alliance Is Missing Some Key Names: OpenAI and AnthropicThis week on Uncanny Valley, we discuss the open- vs. closed-source debate in AI, key players in White House AI policy, and how to stop your chatbot logs from showing up in search-engine results.Wired·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYSynthetic-user startup Simile raises $200M at $2B valuation 5 months after $100M Series AAdd another member to the fast-and-furious AI unicorn club: Simile.TechCrunch·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYGoogle DeepMind’s new AI model can control a robot’s entire bodyGoogle DeepMind says the latest version of its Gemini Robotics AI model can "control entire humanoid robots." While the previous model focused on controlling a humanoid robot's upper body, Gemini Robotics 2 now supports "whole-body motions" ranging from its feet to fingertips, according to an announThe Verge·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYChrome Needs Twice-a-Week Patching Thanks to AI Bug HuntingThe two Chrome updates in June patched more bugs than the 23 updates before them. Now, Google is ramping up its patching schedule thanks to AI-assisted vulnerability discovery.Wired·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYOkta buys AI security startup Permiso — source says for about $200MThe deal gives Okta identity threat detection capabilities as enterprises seek to secure AI agents and other non-human identities across cloud environments.TechCrunch·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYThe New Friend AI Pendant Can Now Talk Back to YouAvi Schiffmann has a new version of his controversial AI companion. It’s more expensive, and you can’t change its personality.Wired·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYWhen will fusion power startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems go public?There are fresh signs that fusion power startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems will list in the next two to three years.TechCrunch·July 30, 2026
TECHNOLOGYMeta says AI is making it easier to build new apps — and more are comingMeta says AI is making it dramatically easier to build and launch new consumer apps, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg telling investors the company has more new consumer products on the way.TechCrunch·July 30, 2026
