NBA star Stephen Curry will team up with Google in a long-term strategic partnership, shaping the company’s hardware, features, and AI services. Curry will join the company as a “performance advisor” for Google’s Health, Pixel, and Cloud products. In his role, Curry will actively shape the future of Google Health and Fitbit products and features. Curry becoming Google’s performance advisor Curry will work with Google’s health and AI engineers to alter products, train algorithms, and craft next-generation health experiences. He will also test and provide feedback for Fitbit’s new personal
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content. Techish is taking a short summer break, but we’ll be back in September! In the meantime, we’ve got a fantastic episode to share from our friends over at the IRL Podcast. You might remember we had IRL host Bridget Todd on Techish recently for our Falling in Love With Your AI episode. So trust us, you’re gonna love this one. ———————————————————— Decoding the Planet: From Whales to Whistleblowers From season eight of the IRL podcast: AI and Us. AI may be able to talk
Right-wing influencer Robby Starbuck has been appointed as an AI bias advisor at Meta to help the company’s chatbot be less “woke.” The announcement came after Meta settled a lawsuit filed by Starbuck, claiming that he was part of the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to MSNBC. “Since engaging on these important issues with Robby, Meta has made tremendous strides to improve the accuracy of Meta AI and mitigate ideological and political bias,” Meta and Starbuck said in a joint statement to Advocate. Who is Robby Starbuck? Starback is a former Hollywood director
Mastercard released a whitepaper highlighting Africa’s readiness, opportunity, and roadmap for responsible artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. Harnessing the transformative power of AI in Africa shares insights into how AI can unlock significant outcomes across the continent’s major industries, including agriculture, healthcare, education, energy, and finance. The whitepaper also details the potential positive impact of AI on digital infrastructure, policy and governance, research and development, local language processing, and investment into Africa. Additionally, it examined how AI can create more jobs, with up to 230 million digital jobs projected by 2030 on
Lava Payments, a fintech startup founded by Mitchell Jones to transform AI-driven transactions, has secured $5.8 million in seed funding. The round was led by Lerer Hippeau and supported by Harlem Capital, Streamlined Ventures, and Westbound. Lava is a digital wallet that lets merchants use usage credits to facilitate transactions, according to TechCrunch. Why Lava Exists Jones launched the startup after leaving his previous Y Combinator-backed fintech startup, Lendtable, where he began experimenting with AI. While building a basic form-filling agent, he continued to experience the same issues. “I was using
Steven Bartlett is using AI to create and host his latest podcast. The Diary of a CEO star has launched “100 CEOs with Steven Bartlett,” an animated documentary-style series hosted by Bartlett’s AI voice clone. The series features high-profile business figures like Richard Branson and Elon Musk. While Bartlett writes the initial scripts, the rest of the production is handled by AI, Business Insider reports. His company, FlightStory Studio, used tech from AI firms Runway, ElevenLabs, and Wondercraft. Creating hosts using AI The “100 CEOs” show doesn’t shy away from the fact
Howard alumni Lawrence Blackmon and Roger Roman are the founders of LegalEase, a justice‑tech startup helping people find their expungement eligibility and file court petitions within minutes. Their Expungement.ai platform provides users with a conversational experience to discover their expungement through voice, web chat, or SMS text. Helping people find jobs and housing In the US, nearly 8% of adults and around 33% of African American men have a felony conviction, according to a 2010 study by the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs. Additionally, a report by
Clay, an AI tool for sales representatives and marketers, has raised $100 million with a $3.1 billion valuation. CapitalG led the round with involvement from Meritech Capital Partners and Sequoia Capital, according to The New York Times. “This funding will helps us more deeply invest in our product and community, to whom we owe our deepest gratitude. Thank you to our partners, our team, and our customers,” Kareem Amin, Clay’s co-founder and chief executive, said in a LinkedIn post. About Clay Founded in 2017 by Kareem Amin and Nicolae Rusan,
SpreeAI, the fashion tech startup redefining virtual shopping experiences, has reached a $1.5 billion valuation after a recent funding round led by The Davidson Group. The AI-powered fashion app allows users to virtually allows users to try on clothes in an experience so lifelike it feels like you’re in a real dressing room. Designed for use both in-store and online, SpreeAI blends cutting-edge technology with real-world retail to transform how consumers shop and how brands sell. SpreeAI valued at $1.5 billion Co-founded and led by CEO John Imah, SpreeAI has
Browzwear, a digital apparel design software firm, has acquired Lalaland, an AI fashion model startup, to boost its AI capabilities and broaden Lalaland’s global reach. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, WWD reports. “And it’s a WRAP. Absolutely surreal Lalaland has been acquired by Browzwear. It’s the end of a wild era and the start of an even bigger one,” Michael Musandu, Co-Founder and CEO of Lalaland, said in a LinkedIn post. Browzwear acquiring Lalaland. Amsterdam-based Lalaland aims to make fashion more inclusive by allowing retailers to
