Welcome to Startups Weekly \u2014 Haje<\/a>\u2018s weekly recap of everything you can\u2019t miss from the world of startups. Sign up <\/span><\/i>here<\/span><\/i><\/a> to get it in your inbox every Friday.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n We\u2019ve been drowning<\/em> in AI news this week. Google\u2019s I\/O set the pace: At its keynote, the word \u201cAI\u201d came up on average once per minute<\/a> throughout its two-hour keynote. Yowzers! Here\u2019s the DL on Google\u2019s AI plans<\/a>.<\/p>\n OpenAI just dropped GPT-4o<\/a> \u2014 the AI model that\u2019s ChatGPT on steroids. This new \u201comni\u201d wonder-child can handle text, speech, and video like a multitasking prodigy hopped up on espresso shots. Also, OpenAI\u2019s co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever decided to jump ship<\/a>. The guy who basically helped build the brain of our future AI overlords is off to chase some \u201cpersonally meaningful\u201d rainbows.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, OpenAI is now considering AI-generated porn. Yes, you read that right \u2014 it seems like our future involves robots with an artistic flair for NSFW content. The company wants to \u201cresponsibly\u201d generate explicit images<\/a> and text without violating laws or rights. Between you and me, letting Skynet dabble in adult entertainment seems anything but responsible, but I guess you\u2019ll have to stay tuned for more updates on this roller-coaster ride because it seems we\u2019re hurtling toward an X-rated tech dystopia faster than you can say \u201calgo-rotica.\u201d<\/p>\n Oh, and it\u2019s also worth noting that Anthropic has let kids join the AI party, but only if developers play by the company\u2019s rules. Teens can access third-party apps using Anthropic\u2019s AI \u2014 just not Anthropic\u2019s own apps \u2014 provided these apps include safety features like age verification and content filtering<\/a> and a wall of \u201ccomply with COPPA\u201d signs plastered to every surface.<\/p>\n Did anything happen outside<\/em> of AI land? Sure, let\u2019s take a look \u2026<\/p>\n Ready to hand over your love life to a robot? Bumble\u2019s Whitney Wolfe Herd thinks it\u2019s time for bots to date other bots, all in the name of fostering \u201chealthy and equitable relationships.\u201d Picture this: An AI \u201cdating concierge\u201d critiques your insecurities and then sends its own bot on a test run with another bot. If sparks fly, maybe you get a match! It\u2019s basically Tinder meets \u201cBlack Mirror\u201d episode \u201cHang the DJ\u201d<\/a> minus the dystopian charm. While some folks are snickering, others are wondering if living vicariously through digital avatars is any worse than swiping right on someone because they have a cute dog in their profile pic. Truly, the modernest of romances.<\/p>\n Ever lost a bet and ended up founding a company? Nicholas Johnson has, and now he\u2019s here to save apartment-dwelling EV owners from the slow death of 120-volt outlets. Enter Orange Charger, peddling $750 smart outlets<\/a> that\u2019ll juice up your ride without landlords breaking into cold sweats over installation costs. The company raised a $6.5 million oversubscribed seed round<\/p>\n In a plot twist straight out of Silicon Valley\u2019s soap opera, Permira is taking Squarespace private in a $6.9 billion cash deal<\/a>. The website builder you probably used to start your probably-now-abandoned blog just got snapped up by some very serious people with very deep pockets. After riding the roller coaster of public trading and seeing its stock yo-yo like it was auditioning for Cirque du Soleil, Squarespace will be tucked away from prying market eyes once more.<\/p>\n In the latest episode of \u201cElon Musk Does Whatever He Wants,\u201d the social media platform formerly known as Twitter now flags the words \u201ccis\u201d and \u201ccisgender\u201d as slurs. Yes, really. While actual<\/em> hate speech targeting marginalized groups skates by unscathed, using a term recognized by medical and government authorities will get you a full-screen warning. It\u2019s almost like Elon is trying to make X a hostile environment<\/a> for anyone who isn\u2019t aligned with his new extremist fanbase. Never mind that the vast majority of people on the platform are<\/em> cisgender \u2014 if you use the word (or just enjoy basic human decency), consider this your cue to exit stage left.<\/p>\n Oh, and apropos Musk doing whatever he damn well pleases \u2026 Guess what happens when you put Elon Musk and a profitable division in the same room? You fire it, of course! Tesla\u2019s Supercharger network \u2014 an EV owner\u2019s dream with its 50,000+ global charging ports \u2014 is now in complete disarray after Musk axed the entire team<\/a>.<\/p>\nMost interesting startup stories from the week<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Most interesting fundraises this week<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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![\"Squarespace](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/GettyImages-1247870257-e1715598319955.jpg?w=680\")
Other unmissable TechCrunch stories \u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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