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Social Media

Threads Explores User-Controlled Algorithm Configuration

Instagram is experimenting with algorithm control tools for Threads, allowing users to 'tag' the algorithm to customize their feed. Reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered the code, and Instagram confirmed the internal prototype. Users can tag an account to indicate desired content. This mirrors Elon Musk's plan for X. Instagram is revamping its app to focus on Reels and recommendations. These changes respond to concerns about social media's influence on youth and the rise of open social networks like Bluesky.

Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT Pulse: OpenAI's Proactive AI Assistant for Personalized Morning Briefs

OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Pulse, a new feature designed to proactively generate personalized reports for users, delivering five to ten daily briefs. This aims to encourage users to start their day with ChatGPT, similar to checking social media or news apps.

Pulse is part of OpenAI's shift towards asynchronous AI interaction, positioning ChatGPT as a proactive assistant rather than a reactive chatbot. Initially available for $200-a-month Pro plan subscribers, Pulse offers news roundups, personalized briefs, and travel itineraries based on user context. It leverages ChatGPT's Connectors for integration with apps like Google Calendar and Gmail.

The service is designed to be different from engagement-optimized social media apps, intentionally limiting the number of reports generated. OpenAI envisions Pulse becoming more agentic in the future, capable of making reservations and drafting emails, though this is a long-term goal.

Artificial Intelligence

Clarifai's Reasoning Engine Boosts AI Model Efficiency

Clarifai has launched a new reasoning engine designed to accelerate AI model performance and reduce costs. According to Clarifai, the engine can make running AI models twice as fast and 40% less expensive. The engine is adaptable to various models and cloud hosts, employing optimizations to enhance inference power.
Third-party firm Artificial Analysis verified the results, reporting industry-best records for throughput and latency. The engine focuses on inference, which addresses the computing demands of operating trained AI models, particularly beneficial for multi-step agentic models.
Clarifai's CEO, Matthew Zeiler, believes optimizing existing infrastructure is crucial, emphasizing the potential of software and algorithm improvements to reduce the need for extensive data centers.

Social Media & Teen Safety

Meta Expands Teen Accounts Globally on Facebook and Messenger with Enhanced Safety Features

Meta has expanded its Teen Accounts to Facebook and Messenger globally, offering built-in protections and parental controls for younger users. Originally launched on Instagram, these accounts automatically limit inappropriate content and unwanted contact for teens under 16, requiring parental permission to change settings.
Teens will only receive messages from people they follow or have messaged before, and their stories, tags, mentions, and comments will be limited to their friends. They will also receive reminders to leave the social networks after an hour of daily use and will be enrolled in "Quiet mode" overnight.
Meta also launched the School Partnership Program, allowing educators to report safety concerns directly to Instagram for quicker review and removal. This initiative aims to address teen mental health concerns tied to social media, which have been raised by the U.S. Surgeon General and several states.

Logistics & Delivery

Doorstep Secures $8M Seed Funding to Revolutionize Delivery Tracking

Doorstep, founded by Shashwat Murarka and Sheel Patel, has raised an $8 million seed round led by Canaan Partners to improve delivery tracking. The company's technology integrates into existing delivery apps, using phone sensors to track drivers inside buildings and provide real-time, verifiable data to platforms like UberEats and DoorDash. This helps automate dispute resolution, validate deliveries, and rebuild trust between platforms, customers, and drivers. The funding will be used to move the technology from pilot to full production and expand the team.

Technology Regulation

Apple Challenges EU's Digital Markets Act, Citing User Experience and Security Concerns

Apple is pushing back against the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), claiming it forces the company to delay the launch of some features in the EU, impacting user experience and security. Apple argues that DMA's interoperability requirements compromise user privacy and increase risks of scams and malware. The company has called on the European Commission to repeal the DMA. However, the EU Commission argues that DMA is about user choice and fair competition, not about lowering privacy or security standards.

Business and Technology

Nothing to Establish CMF as Independent Subsidiary in India

Hardware startup Nothing plans to make its affordable device brand, CMF, an independent subsidiary with India as its headquarters for manufacturing and R&D. CMF was launched in 2023 with earbuds and a smartwatch and has since introduced smartphones. Nothing is partnering with Indian ODM Optiemus in a joint venture, investing over $100 million in three years and creating over 1,800 jobs.
The decision to base CMF in India is strategic, given the popularity of sub-$200 smartphones in the country. Nothing's CEO, Carl Pei, aims to build CMF into India's first global smartphone brand. The move follows the appointment of Himanshu Tondon from Xiaomi's POCO as VP of Business for CMF.
Brand spin-offs are increasingly common, with examples including Xiaomi spinning off POCO, Huawei selling off Honor, and Oppo making Realme a separate company.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Infrastructure Consolidation: Google Cloud's Startup Strategy

The AI infrastructure landscape is being reshaped by mega-deals, with Nvidia and OpenAI forming a $100 billion partnership. Google Cloud is pursuing a different strategy, focusing on capturing the next generation of AI companies. Francis deSouza, Google Cloud's COO, highlights that most top AI labs and generative AI unicorns use Google's infrastructure.

While other companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Oracle are making large investments in AI infrastructure, Google Cloud is targeting smaller, emerging AI startups, offering them cloud credits, technical support, and access to their AI stack. This approach allows Google to foster competition and potentially gain favor with regulators.

Google Cloud's strategy includes providing TPU chips to OpenAI and hosting Anthropic's Claude model, even while competing with them through its own Gemini models. This approach reflects Google's commitment to openness and its belief that empowering the next generation of AI companies is crucial.

Entrepreneurship

YC's New 'Early Decision' Program: Bridging Education and Entrepreneurship

Y Combinator (YC) is shifting its stance on the necessity of dropping out of college for startup founders. The accelerator has launched a new 'Early Decision' track that allows students to apply, get accepted, and receive funding while still in school, deferring their participation in YC until after graduation. This initiative aims to cater to students who want to finish their education before fully committing to a startup. The program reflects a change in Silicon Valley's culture, acknowledging the value of completing college while pursuing entrepreneurship, potentially broadening YC's applicant pool to include more deliberate student founders. Early Decision gives students an option that competes with other programs like Thiel Fellowship, Neo Scholars, Founders Inc, as well as Big Tech internships and grad school pipelines.

Policy & Law

Indian Court Upholds Government's Content Takedown Authority Over X

An Indian court has dismissed X's (formerly Twitter) challenge against the Indian government's content takedown orders, asserting that as a foreign entity, X does not have constitutional free speech rights under Indian law.

The Karnataka High Court validated the government's use of the Sahyog portal for issuing takedown orders, stating that constitutional free expression applies only to Indian citizens. This ruling highlights India's increasingly assertive regulatory stance towards global tech companies.

X had contested the takedown orders, arguing that the Sahyog portal lacked transparency and violated free expression principles. The court, however, emphasized that Article 19 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees free speech, is exclusively for citizens.

The decision arrives as Elon Musk expands his ventures in India, including Tesla operations and Starlink. Experts suggest the ruling may improve government-platform coordination but caution against blanket compliance with takedown orders, especially those originating from the Sahyog portal, advocating for adherence to the safeguards in Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

Content takedown orders in India have increased recently, with several instances occurring during the 2020-2021 farmers’ protests. The Sahyog portal was introduced to expedite the removal of unlawful content. While X can appeal to the Supreme Court, some experts believe a favorable outcome is unlikely.