NEWS

News

Selected news, industry updates, and company developments.

AINews10/12

Will the HomeView be Apple’s first smart home success?

Apple will announce a new smart home hub on Tuesday called the HomeView, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman . Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen multiple reports that Apple was working on a new smart home product , but now it seems the product has a name and a launch date. Gurman described the HomeView as a Siri-powered device with a display and an A18 chip, allowing customers to control their other smart home devices. The HomeView will reportedly be available in two models — one designed for countertops and the other to be mounted on walls. This would be Apple’s most serious bet on the smart home to date, after it failed to get much traction for its HomeKit software framework or it…

AINews10/12

48 hours to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 — hear directly from the people building what’s next

In less than 48 hours, the doors open for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. Save up to $100 on your ticket before prices increase at the door. Don’t forget to get a second pass at 50% off. Register now. On October 13-15, more than 10,000 founders, investors, and tech leaders will be showing up to make the connections that’ll change their trajectory. More than 250 speakers are getting ready to take the stage across 200+ sessions . Discover 300+ startups showcasing what’s next. Register now before rates hike at the door on October 13, 8 a.m. PT. Hear the conversations shaping tech right now If you’re coming for the conference program, 200+ sessions across six stages, rou…

AINews10/12

Can the AI industry persuade data center opponents by getting rid of NDAs?

Amazon recently followed Microsoft’s lead and said it will no longer use nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) while negotiating with local governments over data centers. On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast , Sean O’Kane, Rebeccan Bellan and I discussed Amazon’s announcement, which came in the middle of a longer blog post making the case that data centers are actually good for communities. Rebecca was a bit skeptical that the recent spate of data center moratoriums will have a lasting effect, especially since the moratoriums only last for a year or two and “these data centers aren’t coming online for the next two, three, four, five years,” though I countered that data center backe…

AINews10/11

These execs think voice AI hasn’t reached its ChatGPT moment yet

The theory of voice being the next big interface has picked up strong momentum, with investors pouring billions of dollars into voice AI startups working on areas ranging from model makers to enterprise customer service providers, and from meeting note-takers to AI-powered dictation. Every week there is a new model or a tool release that claims to sound human and converse like one. However, in reality, that might not be the case. Enterprise voice AI platform PolyAI’s CTO Shawn Wen thinks that despite the release of full-duplex models — which can speak while listening to you — voice AI doesn’t have its “ChatGPT moment” yet. “We have reached the milestone of developing full-duplex models. The…

AINews10/11

Microsoft’s Satya Nadella says AI models need an ‘emergency brake’

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is the latest tech executive to offer lengthy thoughts on how AI safety might be improved. In a Saturday morning post on X , Nadella wrote that it’s time “to step back and assess the trust architecture” of AI. “We can’t treat Super Intelligence as a set of nested black boxes and simply accept or reject its recommendations, answers, and actions,” Nadella wrote, using the Trump administration’s preferred term for AI . As outlined by Nadella, this approach “means separating the model from the harness that orchestrates its work,” as well as “externalizing controls and safeguards.” He also called for “every meaningful model action” to be documented with “tamper-proof h…

AINews10/11

Apple discloses deal to hire team and license tech from personalized podcast startup Huxe

Apple revealed in a regulatory filing that it has reached an agreement to bring on team members and technology from personalized audio startup Huxe, in what’s commonly known as a reverse acqui-hire deal. As first reported in MacRumors , Apple disclosed to the European Commission that it has agreed to make employment offers to “certain employees of Huxe AI,” and to “receive a non-exclusive license to Huxe’s intellectual property rights.” Reverse acqui-hires emerged in recent years as a way for larger companies to hire key team members and license technology from startups without acquiring the startups outright — presumably allowing them to build up AI talent and tech without drawing as much a…

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