AI researchers at Stanford and the University of Washington were able to train an AI “reasoning” model for under $50 in cloud compute credits, according to a new research paper released last Friday. The model known as s1 performs similarly to cutting-edge reasoning models, such as OpenAI’s o1 and DeepSeek’s r1, on tests measuring math…
Scout Motors’ plan to eschew traditional dealerships and sell EVs directly to consumers is running into legal trouble. A group of Volkswagen and Audi dealers filed a lawsuit this week against Scout Motors, the EV that spun out of Volkswagen. The lawsuit, which was first reported by Automotive News, seeks to block Scout’s direct-to-consumer sales…
A clearer picture of Bench’s downfall is emerging thanks to newly-released bankruptcy filings. The records show that the Canada-based startup, which ironically enough offered cloud accounting software for small businesses, consistently struggled to reach profitability. It burned through $135 million from its founding in 2012 to September 2024. By the time of its collapse, Bench…
Amazon may be gearing up to release a next-gen, AI-powered Alexa experience, according to Reuters. Per the outlet’s report, Amazon plans to preview an upgraded version of Alexa, the company’s smart home assistant that runs on a number of first- and third-party devices, at an event on February 26. The revamped Alexa is said to…
Hey, real quick: look at this keyboard. There’s something cool about it. It’s a mechanical keyboard. It’s a laser keyboard. It’s a magnetic induction keyboard. It has the new switches. It has the old switches. It’s very thin. It’s got a weird layout. It has a trackpoint. Or a screen. It has cool keycaps. It…
Reddit has seen an increase in rule-breaking posts across “several communities,” and it has issued a temporary ban on one that featured users calling for violence against people who work for the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In a note on the subreddit, Reddit says it was banned “due to a prevalence of…
Jen Keane’s claim to fame is that she grew a shoe using bacteria, coaxing the microbes to deposit their nanocellulosic materials in the shape of a sneaker. But she’s kind of over that. “I feel like that sort of misses the point,” she told TechCrunch. “The fiber produced by bacteria — like, that’s not a…
Startups and big tech companies have aggressively used AI to help developers write code or learn programming better. People have used chatbots to prepare for different scenarios in life, like interviews. Tech assessment platform CodeSignal, which introduced a learning platform for technical subjects with AI assistants last year, launched soft skill courses on its platform today…
On Wednesday, Mediterranea Saving Humans, an Italian nonprofit with the mission of rescuing immigrants who try to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa to Europe, said one of its founders was among the targets of a recent spyware campaign carried out against WhatsApp users. In a press release, Mediterranea said WhatsApp notified its founder Luca…
Ransomware payments fell by more than one-third in 2024 as an increasing number of victims refused to negotiate with hackers. In a report published Wednesday, crypto forensics firm Chainalysis said that while ransomware gang leak sites posted more victims than in previous years during 2024, fewer victims gave in to the hackers’ demands. Chainalysis reported…