Tayla Cannon, an Australian native, received $1.1 million in seed funding from Slow Ventures' Creator Fund to develop Rebuildr, a HIPAA-compliant mentorship app designed to assist rehab professionals in managing their online businesses. Cannon, a former physiotherapist, transitioned to content creation, amassing a significant online following by sharing proactive and holistic approaches to pain management.

Driven by her experiences in the traditional physical rehab model, Cannon aims to shift towards a proactive, holistic approach with Rebuildr, combining consumer solutions, clinical expertise, education, and software to deliver scalable care. She credits her success to authenticity and unfiltered content, and the funding from Slow Ventures will help her expand Rebuildr's vision and reshape the rehab industry, making high-quality rehab accessible globally.

Zoox, an Amazon-owned company, is initiating public robotaxi rides in San Francisco, marking a move closer to commercial operations and competition with Waymo.

The company's custom-built robotaxis, without steering wheels or pedals, have been tested in San Francisco for about a year. Initially, rides were limited to employees and their network.

Now, through the Zoox Explorer program, select individuals from the waitlist will gain free access to the service. Zoox intends to gradually expand the service, aiming to eliminate the waitlist by 2026.

Currently, Zoox operates around 50 robotaxis in Las Vegas and San Francisco, with the service area covering SoMA, Mission, and Design districts in San Francisco.

To launch a commercial robotaxi service, Zoox needs permits from the California Public Utilities Commission and approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Agentio, a startup connecting brands with YouTube creators for sponsored videos, has raised $40 million in Series B funding led by Forerunner. This brings their total funding to $56 million, valuing the company at $340 million.

The company leverages AI to automate ad buying, matching brands with creators and reviewing content to ensure brand safety and campaign alignment.

Agentio has seen significant growth, with brands experiencing improved return on ad spend and new customer acquisition. They are expanding beyond YouTube to platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Snap.

The funding will be used to further scale the team and platform capabilities, focusing on AI-powered features and multi-platform support.

Roblox is implementing mandatory facial verification for all users to access communication features, starting in January. The platform introduces age-based chat, restricting communication to similar age groups.

Users can voluntarily verify their age to secure access to communication features. In December, the age-check becomes mandatory in select markets like Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

The move follows lawsuits over child safety concerns, with reports of young users being exposed to grooming and explicit content.

The age-check involves facial verification through a third-party vendor, Persona, with deletion of images/videos post-verification. Users will be assigned to one of six age groups: under 9, 9-12, 13-15, 16-17, 18-20, and 21+.

Roblox is also launching a Safety Center for parents with guidance and tools for Parental Controls.

A pro-AI super PAC, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI President Greg Brockman, is targeting New York Assembly member Alex Bores due to his support for AI regulation.

Bores is the chief sponsor of New York’s bipartisan RAISE Act, which mandates safety plans for large AI labs and imposes penalties for non-compliance. The super PAC, named Leading the Future, aims to counter policymakers who advocate for AI regulation.

Bores stated that AI anxieties are rising among his constituents, who are concerned about issues ranging from data centers increasing utility bills to chatbots impacting mental health. He is coordinating with policymakers in other states to standardize legislation and avoid redundancies with the EU AI Act.

Bores emphasizes that AI regulation is not intended to limit innovation, but to ensure trustworthiness in AI development.