Also: How secure is Jack Dorsey's new 'secure' messaging app?
Welcome to TechCrunch AM! This morning, we've got words on xAI's new model; a fresh California bill that would hold AI firms accountable; and what passes for "secure" these days. We've also got Trump's strange choice for a temporary NASA head; the antithesis of Cluely; the state of X's ad business post-Yaccarino, and more. Let's go! | | | Image Credits: Klaudia Radecka / NurPhoto / Getty Images | 1. PhD in Antisemitism: xAI last night launched its latest AI model, Grok 4, as well as a new $300-per-month AI subscription plan dubbed "SuperGrok Heavy." Elon Musk boldly claimed that Grok 4 is "better than PhD level in every subject, no exceptions." Read More 2. California State Senator Scott Wiener introduced new amendments to his latest bill, SB 53, that would require the world's largest AI companies to publish safety and security protocols and issue reports when safety incidents occur. Read More 3. How secure is 'secure'? Jack Dorsey's new open-source app Bitchat promises to deliver "secure" and "private" messaging without using centralized infrastructure. The problem is, Bitchat's code still hasn't been reviewed or tested for security issues at all. Read More | | | Image Credits: Stefani Reynolds / AFP / Getty Images | 🚀 Unprecedented: Trump continues to do things no other president has before. Like tapping Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to act as temporary NASA Administrator. TC's Aria Alamalhodaei writes that we can expect Duffy to act out Trump's near-term goals for NASA, like wide-ranging cuts. Read More 😎 Fight AI with AI: A Columbia student has built an app called Truely to help catch "cheaters" who use Cluely. Roy Lee, Cluely's founder, says he's not fazed by the anti-cheating tech, and that Cluely will prompt its users to be more transparent about their usage. Read More 👂 What's compassion? Microsoft execs seem to be suffering from a tone-deafness epidemic. In the wake of 9,000 layoffs, the company's COO Judson Althoff said that AI tools cut costs in 2024 by more than $500 million, and last week, Xbox Game Studios producer Matt Turnbull suggested that laid off workers could turn to AI tools for emotional support. Read More 🐦 The Linda effect: After two years as CEO, Linda Yaccarino has left X's ad business in a better state than she found it. That said, the business still isn't at 2021 levels, and her departure could hit X's profitability. Read More 🇮🇳 More ads, more fun: Google launched a suite of AI-powered ad tools in India, now that the repeal of the country's "Google tax" – thanks to pressure from the Trump administration – has made it a more attractive market for advertising. Read More | | | 😷 The doctor is in: Wired has a look at how both patients and doctors are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT for medical advice and diagnoses. Doctors, researchers and medical students are racing to determine how accurate the LLMs' medical answers are. Read More 🚸 We all knew this was coming: AI-generated images of child sexual abuse are flooding the internet and threatening to overwhelm law enforcement, reports The New York Times. A British watchdog identified nearly 1,300 such videos so far in 2025, compared with just two in the first half of 2024. Read More 🛡️ The making of a monopoly: The Intercept takes a look at how Anduril has become a major beneficiary of Trump's budget bill, which includes a section that requires new border surveillance towers to be certified "autonomous," effectively granting the weapons firm a monopoly. Read More | | | 🎂 Womp, womp: Cameo was a hit during the pandemic, as people stuck at home excitedly sent and received celebrity shout outs for birthdays. But sustaining a stream of celebs is hard, and the company's valuation dropped last year by 90%. Now, Cameo is attempting a weak comeback with Candl, an app to help users remember friends' birthdays. Read More | | | Featured jobs from CrunchBoard | | | Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. | | | Update your preferences here at any time | | Copyright © 2025 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. TechCrunch Media LLC. 9720 Wilshire Boulevard, 6th floor, Beverly Hills, CA | | | | |
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