Sports tech company, Ballin AI, just announced the close of a $500,000 angel round. The startup, founded by Division I athlete Nyla Pollard, analyzes players’ gameplay to help them improve their performance and increase their recruitment chances. After players upload their film, the footage is examined by a nationally recognized evaluator, who then scores it across various criteria, including defense, shooting, rebounding, scoring, transition, ball handling, and finishing. How does Ballin AI work? “We created Ballin because every athlete deserves the opportunity to have the information they need to develop
Vogue is receiving backlash for the use of an AI-generated model in its August issue. The double-page Guess advertisement, created by AI marketing agency Seraphinne Vallora, features a blonde model wearing two different outfits. Seraphinne Vallora specializes in “editorial-level AI-driven marketing campaigns and cinematic videos.” The agency has previously worked on editorial shoots featured in Harper’s Bazaar and Elle. Seraphinne Vallora told the BBC that it created 10 draft models for Guess cofounder Paul Marciano, who ultimately selected one brunette and one blonde. When asked about the choice of race for the model,
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content: https://www.patreon.com/techish This week, Techish host Michael Berhane teams up with TechCrunch reporter Dominic-Madori Davis to break down why Silicon Valley is leaning into the intense 996 work culture. They also dive into Black beauty brands like Ami Colé struggling to stay afloat. Flo’s privacy trial, and Mira Murati’s $2 billion seed round. And for the Patreon subscribers: why the Tea app is in hot water and the dark side of tech’s H-1B visas. Chapters 00:43 Silicon Valley Embraces Controversial 996 Workweek07:11 Black-Owned
Clark Atlanta University is partnering with IBM SkillsBuild to help aspiring developers build their AI skills competencies, providing the next generation of leaders with the necessary tools to thrive in the job market. Addressing the AI skills gap Generative AI has the potential to widen the racial economic gap in the United States by $43 billion each year, according to a study by McKinsey. Black workers are also increasingly overrepresented in four of the top five occupations at risk of automation: office support, production work, food services, and mechanical installation
Google will invest $37 million across Africa to expand artificial intelligence developments on the continent. A majority of the funds will be allocated to enhance food security and expand digital access in local languages, with $25 million being invested in an AI Collaborative for Food Security. This initiative will help African researchers and nonprofits create AI tools that tackle hunger, climate-related crop threats, and farming inefficiencies, according to TechPoint Africa. The program aims to safeguard millions of smallholder farmers against damaging economic and environmental shocks by leveraging AI in early
On Wednesday, 23rd July, President Donald Trump banned “woke AI” and AI models from government contracts. At an AI summit in Washington, Trump condemned “woke Marxist lunacy in the AI models” before signing the orders on stage at the Mellon Auditorium, as reported by The Guardian. The new order states that any artificial intelligence company receiving federal funding must maintain ideologically neutral AI models that are free of “ideological dogmas such as DEI.” This comes after Trump revoked a six-decade-old executive order that prohibited workplace discrimination by federal contractors. President
R&B singer SZA raised the alarm about the environmental impact of AI, especially on Black and brown communities, in a series of Instagram Story posts on July 16. The R&B singer said the only AI she is interested in using is “actual imagination,” according to a screenshot captured by Vibe. “AI is killing and polluting black and brown cities. None of you care cause your codependent on a machine. Have a great life,” the singer added. SZA Calls Out Environmental Racism Fans had flocked to SZA’s page in search of
Latimer AI, the first inclusive Large Language Model (LLM), and Grammarly are collaborating to help students improve their writing skills and cultural awareness. Grammarly for Education customers will now have access to both services, enabling institutions to enhance students’ academic success and improve learning outcomes. “Our partnership with Latimer helps us further demonstrate this commitment by providing an inclusive LLM to the more than 3,000 educational institutions we work with, supporting equity efforts in higher education,” Jenny Maxwell, Head of Education at Grammarly, said. Increasing students’ cultural awareness Latimer is
The NAACP and other civil rights groups have filed an appeal against a permit that would allow Elon Musk’s xAI to use gas turbines to power its massive data center. The complaint was filed by The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) on behalf of the NAACP and the youth-led group Young, Gifted & Green. The NAACP appealing a permit against xAI After xAI began operating in Memphis in 2024, the startup stated that the turbines at the data center were temporary and small enough not to require permits. But, residents living near
The Defense Department has announced that it will be deploying Grok in its operations, a week after it sent out antisemitic tweets. The xAI announcement was accompanied by the launch of Grok for Government, a suite that enables agencies and federal offices to utilize its chatbots for their specific purposes. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has pushed for faster adoption of artificial intelligence tools. The Defense Department using Grok On Monday, xAI shared that its products will be “available to purchase via the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule,” meaning
