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To get a roundup of TechCrunch\u2019s biggest and most important stories delivered to your inbox every day at 3 p.m. PDT,<\/em> subscribe here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Well, the weather outside is\u2026entirely dependent on where you are, we suppose. For the purposes of this newsletter, let\u2019s imagine sunshine, some pristine beaches, a lovely gentle cooling breeze, and some pi\u00f1a coladas, because if we\u2019re going to make up some fictional weather, we may as well make it lovely, right? \u2014 Christine<\/a> and Haje<\/a><\/p>\n Text-to-image AI exploded this year as technical advances greatly enhanced the fidelity of art that AI systems could create. As controversial as systems like Stable Diffusion and OpenAI\u2019s DALL-E 2 are, platforms such as DeviantArt and Canva have adopted them to power creative tools, personalize branding and even ideate new products, writes Kyle<\/a>\u00a0as he takes you on a tour through a brief history of diffusion, the tech at the heart of modern image-generating AI<\/a>.<\/p>\n Speaking of AI, Amanda<\/a> reports that Unstable Diffusion, a group trying to monetize AI porn generation, raised more than $56,000 on Kickstarter from 867 backers. Then, as Kickstarter changed its thinking about what kind of AI-based projects it will allow, the crowdfunding platform shut down Unstable Diffusion\u2019s campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n And in only partially AI news:<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Anthony Lee (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a> \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Analysts estimate that IT spending will increase in 2023, but tell that to SaaS sales teams who are trying to close contracts with customers who\u2019ve been instructed to slash spending.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat every company needs now is efficient sales,\u201d says Anand Shah, CEO and co-founder of Databook.<\/p>\n In a TC+ guest post, he explains why reactive moves like increasing sales quotas or raising prices are wrongheaded moves that won\u2019t move the needle.<\/p>\n \u201cMake real changes to meet your buyers\u2019 needs. Use the macroeconomic backdrop to make the necessary sales productivity improvements.\u201d<\/p>\n Three more from the TC+ team:<\/p>\n TechCrunch+<\/em><\/a> is our membership program that helps founders and startup teams get ahead of the pack.<\/em> You can sign up here<\/em><\/a>. Use code \u201cDC\u201d for a 15% discount on an annual subscription!<\/em><\/p>\n Having that ad blocker box pop up when you try to open a new website is annoying, but Zack<\/a> says we should find the good in it \u2014 heck, even the FBI says you should use an ad blocker<\/a>, he writes. Why? Apparently, \u201ccybercriminals are buying ads to impersonate legitimate brands, like cryptocurrency exchanges\u201d and they are so good that it\u2019s hard to tell it\u2019s not the real thing. Stay safe, everyone!<\/p>\n What do we want? News! When do we want it? Now!:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe TechCrunch Top 3<\/h2>\n
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