Welcome to Week in Review: TechCrunch’s newsletter rounding up the biggest news of the week.
This week, Apple revealed new iPad models at its Let Loose event, including a new 13-inch display for the iPad Air, as well as Tandem OLED and a new M4 chip for the iPad Pro. But it was its ad for the new iPad Pro that made the most noise at the event, for all the wrong reasons. For Apple completists, we’ve compiled all the new announcements in case you missed them.
In the world of electric vehicles, the troubled Fisker Ocean faces a new federal safety investigation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a fourth investigation into the SUV regarding allegations of “inadvertent automatic emergency braking.”
AI deepfakes took center stage at this year’s Met Gala. AI-generated images of Katy Perry and Rihanna, neither of whom attended the event, went viral on X. A good reminder that we can’t believe everything we see online.
It’s been a big week. Let’s go.
News
New OpenAI updates: On Monday at 10:00 a.m. PT, OpenAI will demonstrate new features for ChatGPT and GPT-4. CEO Sam Altman has denied reports that the company was preparing to announce a rival search engine product ahead of Google’s I/O conference. Learn more
Say hello to the portal: A new always-on video portal allows residents of New York and Dublin to interact in real time. Portals.org, the organization behind the project, wants to encourage people to interact with each other “across borders and prejudices”. Learn more
OpenAI explores allowing AI porn: The company has released a new NSFW policy intended to start a conversation about how it might allow explicit images and text in its AI products. But can we trust OpenAI – or any other generative AI provider – to get it right? Learn more
Cops can’t use Microsoft’s AI tool: Microsoft has reaffirmed its ban on American police departments using generative AI for facial recognition via its business tool: Azure OpenAI Service. Learn more
Dorsey says goodbye to Bluesky: Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey revealed on X that he is no longer on Bluesky’s board of directors. In a statement, the company thanked Dorsey for helping finance Bluesky and said it was actively looking to replace its headquarters. Learn more
Is Gen Z ditching Tinder for Hinge?: Match Group released its first quarter earnings report, which showed a steady decline in Tinder’s paid user base. But Hinge is poised to become a “billion-dollar company,” thanks in part to its a la carte offerings aimed at price-conscious Gen Zers. Learn more
Spotify Paywalls Lyrics: The music streamer has quietly confirmed that it has started moving its lyrics feature behind a paywall in a bid to entice more users to migrate to its Premium subscription service, angering users in the process. Learn more
Analysis
Apple’s ‘Crush’ ad is disgusting: Devin Coldewey says Apple’s latest ad that crushes analog creative tools into an iPad Pro missed the mark. Apple has since apologized and canceled plans to televise it. Learn more
How Newchip’s bankruptcy threatened thousands of startups: Mary Ann Azevedo and Christine Hall report on the fall from grace of startup accelerator Newchip and the impact on its founders, including those who lost their companies in the fallout. Learn more
Is the rabbit’s R1 really that bad?: Much has been made of Rabbit’s ambitious R1 AI assistant and how it doesn’t deliver on its promises. Devin says that while it was probably shipped too early, an experimental device like this is a fun glimpse into a possible future. Learn more
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