Fireflies.ai, an AI meeting assistant, has reached a $1 billion valuation, coinciding with the launch of its latest product, “Talk to Fireflies.” Krish Ramineni and Sam Udotong founded the startup after meeting at the University of Pennsylvania, where they both studied, according to Tech Funding News. Udotong is a Nigerian American with a background in aerospace engineering and computer science. Ramineni, who is originally from India, worked at Microsoft before co-founding Fireflies. What is Fireflies? The AI meeting assistant used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies enables workers to summarize key information
Movable Ink is hiring on pocitjobs.com At Movable Ink, innovation is powered by people like Michael Green Jr., who brings creativity and technical expertise together in unique ways. As Director of Data Science for AI Insights, Michael helps teams and clients understand how their AI models work, turning complex data into clear, actionable insights. He’s also a fantasy novelist and entrepreneur, building a career that reflects both his analytical mind and creative spirit. He told POCIT how his passion for writing sharpens his approach to data science and how Movable
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content. Techish hosts Abadesi and Michael dive into how AI is shaking up applications and why some grads are crushing it while others are stuck, Timbaland swapping out human artists for AI, and the future of adult content. Chapters00:27 Is It a Graduate Recession?11:29 Timbaland Debuts AI-Generated Artist TaTa24:59 OnlyFans on Sale for $8 Billion [Patreon-Only] Listen To The Episode You can find the Techish podcast on Spotify, Apple, and all good podcast apps. Watch On YouTube Extra Reading & Resources No
Nigerian startup Salpha Energy has raised $1.3 million in funding from All On, an impact investment firm supported by Shell. Salpha Energy is the only female-founded startup that runs a solar home system assembly facility in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Distrupt Africa. The company is dedicated to providing affordable and reliable solar power to underserved communities across Africa. Having local manufacturing capacity enables the company to manage product quality and design more effectively, while also generating employment opportunities in the area. $1.3 million funding from All On The fund will be
Renowned producer Timbaland has launched his own AI entertainment company, Stage Zero, with its first artist, TaTa. The company was co-founded with his creative partner, Zayd Portillo, and film producer Rocky Mudaliar, according to Rolling Stone. Timbaland will handle most of the production for this new artificial intelligence venture, calling the new genre “A-Pop.” “I’m not just producing tracks anymore,” Timbaland said in a statement. “I’m producing systems, stories, and stars from scratch. [TaTa] is not an avatar. She is not a character. TaTa is a living, learning, autonomous music
Workday will face a collective-action lawsuit alleging that its AI-powered hiring tools discriminate against workers age 40 and older. The lawsuit was filed in February 2023 by Derek Mobley, a Black, disabled man in his 40s, who claims that he applied for over 100 jobs without securing a role, as stated by ITPro. The Independent reported that another plaintiff, Jill Hughes, said that she received automated rejections for hundreds of job applications “often received within a few hours of applying or at odd times outside of business hours,” as stated by
Krisp has announced the launch of AI Accent Conversion for Latin America, making it the first AI-powered voice provider to offer accent conversion services in the region. The noise cancellation app supports five Latin American English accents that represent around 85% of Spanish speakers across the major dialect groups in Latin America. This includes Mexican and Central American Spanish, Caribbean Spanish, Andean Spanish, and Standard Spanish. “By supporting the most widely spoken Latin American English accents, we’re not just improving call clarity but helping to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps
Join our Patreon for extra-long episodes and ad-free content. This week on Techish, host Abadesi is joined by TechCrunch reporter Dominic-Madori Davis. They break down: AI blackmail, the violence that’s rocking the crypto world, and why being frugal matters, Lauren Sanchez marrying Jeff Bezos, and what big racism payouts mean for tech giants. Chapters 01:07 Anthropic’s AI Chatbot Blackmails Engineer07:15 The Violence That’s Got the Crypto Elite Shook16:23 Why Keke Palmer Lives Below Her Means27:35 Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos’s Upcoming Wedding36:40 Google Settles $50M Race Discrimination Lawsuit [Patreon-Only] Listen
Michael Feldstein developed an AI Learning Design Assistant (ALDA) as part of a broader project aimed at addressing the needs of educators with the aid of AI. The project included a course that used AI tools to transform online course creation and was sponsored by D2L, VitalSource, and Engageli. Feldstein was the chief accountability officer at e-Literate, a publication dedicated to explaining educational technology (edtech). Now, he serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at 1EdTech, a leading member of a nonprofit edtech partnership dedicated to transforming the digital learning landscape. ALDA
The NAACP is demanding an immediate shutdown of Colossus, a Memphis-based supercomputer built by Elon Musk’s AI company xAI, citing violations of environmental regulations. NBC News reported that a letter was sent to the Shelby County Health Department and Memphis Light Gas and Water from the civil rights group on Thursday, May 29. In a letter addressed to Dr. Michelle Taylor, director of the Shelby County Health Department, leaders from the NAACP criticized the organization’s “lackadaisical approach to the operation of this dirty data center.” They urged them to “issue
