Welcome again to Week in Evaluation. I missed you! This week, we’re diving into all of the devices and bulletins out of this yr’s CES, Meta’s choice to roll again its fact-checking program, TikTok’s response to staff affected by the California wildfires, and extra! Let’s do that.
CES 2025 got here and went this week. The occasion featured keynotes from the large gamers in tech like Nvidia, Samsung, Toyota, and extra. Along with that, there have been, in fact, the anticipated devices, gizmos, and attention-grabbing AI claims out on the present flooring. Our group of reporters have been on the bottom, and you may make amends for every thing that caught our eye at this yr’s present proper right here.
Meta is overhauling its content material moderation insurance policies that it created in response to criticism that it had helped unfold political and well being misinformation. The corporate is eliminating its third-party fact-checking program in favor of an X-like Neighborhood Notes mannequin, which critics see as an try to cater to the incoming Trump administration. The backlash has been swift, with curiosity in searches associated to deleting Meta accounts hovering.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman mentioned the corporate is dropping cash on its $200-per-month ChatGPT Professional plan as a result of persons are utilizing it greater than the corporate anticipated. Launched late final yr, ChatGPT Professional grants customers entry to an upgraded model of OpenAI’s o1 “reasoning” AI mannequin and lifts price limits on a number of of the corporate’s different instruments, like its Sora video generator.
That is TechCrunch’s Week in Evaluation, the place we recap the week’s greatest information. Need this delivered as a e-newsletter to your inbox each Saturday? Join right here.
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Wildfires vs. the horrors of capitalism: TikTok informed members of its LA employees who have been affected by wildfires to make use of private/sick hours if they’re unable to make money working from home. The corporate’s LA workplace stays closed as wildfires devastate the better Los Angeles space. Learn extra
Good day, Challenge Digits: At CES 2025, Nvidia unveiled Challenge Digits, a “private AI supercomputer” designed for AI researchers, knowledge scientists, and college students that gives entry to the corporate’s Grace Blackwell {hardware} platform in a compact type issue. Learn extra
Extra copyright woes for Meta: A brand new submitting claims that Mark Zuckerberg gave a inexperienced mild to the group behind Meta’s Llama AI fashions to make use of a dataset of pirated e-books and articles for coaching, together with works from authors like Sarah Silverman and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Learn extra
A robotic cat that cools down your tea: The newest lovable gadget from Yukai Engineering is the Nékojita FuFu, a tiny robotic cat that may be mounted on a mug or bowl and can blow air to assist cool off your espresso or soup. Learn extra
X clarifies its stance on parody accounts: X mentioned it would start to label parody accounts on the platform. Customers have mistaken posts from parody accounts as genuine statements since X rolled again conventional verification badges in favor of paid verification. Learn extra
AI that simulates the true world: Google is forming a brand new group to work on AI fashions that may simulate the bodily world. The group will likely be led by Tim Brooks, who was one of many co-leads on OpenAI’s Sora. He left for Google DeepMind in October. Learn extra
Hashish model hit by cyberattack: Common Los Angeles-based hashish model Stiiizy confirmed that hackers accessed delicate buyer knowledge, together with government-issued paperwork and medical hashish playing cards, throughout a November cyberattack. Learn extra
This electrical spoon may make your meals style higher: Why add extra salt to your meal when a $127 spoon may do it for you? Kirin Holdings confirmed off an digital spoon that makes use of a weak electrical present to pay attention sodium ion molecules in your meals. Learn extra
That’s loads of money: A Delaware choose has accredited a settlement that can see Tesla administrators return as much as $919 million to the automaker, formally resolving allegations that they overpaid themselves. Learn extra
The weirdest devices at CES 2025: It wouldn’t be CES with out some actually audacious merchandise, claims, and keynote moments. We rounded up probably the most eyebrow-raising examples from the present flooring. Learn extra