TechCrunch Top 3

Image Credits: Stefano Guidi / Getty Images

1. Slow down there, Icarus: If you've checked out OpenAI's new video model, Sora, you might notice that it looks like it was trained on copyrighted video games and unlicensed playthroughs of games. Legal experts say that could be a problem. Read More

2. Flying war machines: Other than AI, probably the best way to raise money lately is to embrace defense tech. Archer Aviation is getting on board in a real way: The eVTOL startup has raised $430 million to fund a new defense unit, and is partnering with Anduril to build a hybrid aircraft for defense applications. Read More

3. Video natives: Twelve Labs (no, not ElevenLabs) trains video-analyzing models to let users search through videos for specific moments, summarize clips, and ask questions like, "When did that guy in the red shirt leave the bar?" A powerful set of capabilities, which has allowed the startup to secure backing from big names like Nvidia, Samsung, and Intel. Read More

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Morning must-reads

Image Credits: Anybotics

🐕 Who's a good cyberdog? Swiss robotics company Anybotics has rounded out its Series B with another $60 million, bringing the round to $110 million. With that cash, the startup wants to bring more of its quadruped autonomous inspection robot, Anymal, to the U.S. Read More

📚 Gestures of goodwill: Harvard and Google have released 1 million public domain books as a dataset to "level the playing field" for training AI. The books, from authors like Dickens, Dante, Jack London and Shakespeare, are no longer protected by copyright. Read More

📶 Global connectivity layer: Mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) are here to disrupt the dusty old telecom sector, and Gigs is seizing the trend by the horns. The startup has raised $73 million to help any company become an MVNO. Read More

🤑 We're all investors now: Retail investing is taking off, and startup Upvest is helping people put their money to work. The Berlin-based company provides a white-label investment platform that's used by some of the biggest fintechs in Europe, like Bunq, Plum, and Resolut. It recently raised a $105 million Series C from investors like the mysterious investment firm, Hedosophia. Read More

📉 Ripple effects: Microsoft says it will take a $800 million impairment charge as a result of General Motors' decision to shut down its Cruise robotaxi program. Microsoft invested in Cruise in 2021 and expects the shut down to negatively impact its net profit by about $0.09 per share in the second quarter. Read More

🚘 Maybe cars should stick to being low tech: Security researchers have found multiple vulnerabilities in the infotainment units used in the Skoda Superb III. The vulnerabilities could let anyone determined enough track the car's location, hear conversations using the in-car mic, and even steal synced contacts. Read More

🚸 Better late than never: Character AI, which lets users create different AI characters and talk to them, is finally introducing safety tools aimed at teenagers. The company has been sued for allegedly contributing to a teen's suicide, exposing a 9-year-old to hypersexualized content, and promoting self-harm to a 17-year-old. Read More

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Around the web

✊ Showing solidarity: Telefónica, one of the largest telecom carriers, will preinstall the Epic Games Store on every new compatible Android phone it sells, which includes Samsung phones, reports The Verge. It's a huge win for Epic, which has been challenging Google and Apple's app store duopoly in courts. Read More

🔫 Thirst trap vigilante: The internet is obsessed with Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old who has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The cultural zeitgeist has embraced Mangione as a class war hero, a vigilante, and, frankly, a babe, with pics of him shirtless circulating the web. Wired has the write up. Read More

🔮 Crypto's legacy: Crypto has many use cases, but many have eschewed it as a tech solution in search of a problem. The Atlantic's Charlie Warzel argues that the presidential election has revealed crypto's true purpose: its "transformative product is not a particular service, but a culture – one that is, by nature, distrustful of institutions…" Read More

Before you go

Image Credits: Realize Music

🎤 Sing it, sister: What ever happened to singing in the shower or in the car just because? Are we all too fearful of being judged to just enjoy singing because it feels good? Mike Wilson, founder of Realize Music, wants to change that with a game called Sing that lets you sing in VR for the hell of it. Hey, Mike, hit me up if you need a product tester. Read More