Latest news with #Techcrunch
TechCrunch
6 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Collibra acquires data access startup Raito
Collibra, a data governance platform based in Brussels, is the latest enterprise to acquire a data company in order to expand its offerings in the age of AI. On Thursday, Collibra announced its acquisition Raito, a data access startup founded in 2021. Raito, also located in Brussels, helps companies manage which employees and customers have access to internal data. Collibra declined to comment on the terms of the deal. Raito previously raised $4 million in venture funding from investors, including Dawn Capital, Crane Venture Partners, and Collibra itself. Collibra founder and CEO Felix Van de Maele told TechCrunch that while managing data access is not a new problem for enterprises, it is becoming a bigger headache for data teams as more departments seek access for AI agents and workflow automation. 'We heard from our customers and large organizations that managing data access at scale has become a really big problem,' Van de Maele said. 'That's why the traditional approaches just don't scale anymore. They're too brittle. They're manual workflows, [based on] static policies.' Van de Maele added that Collibra already has a similar product, Collibra Protect, that touches on these access controls but is primarily focused on keeping data private. Raito's tech will help Collibra bolster and automate that offering. Raito isn't the only company focused on data access. Legacy enterprises like SailPoint and SecureAuth are just a few of the companies also offering data access tools. Van de Maele said buying Raito was the right choice for the company, as opposed to partnering with a legacy player, because Raito is cloud-native and built for the current AI moment. Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW That Raito was founded by former Collibra employees didn't hurt either. 'We also [were] looking for teams that want to continue to build, right? It's not the end for this,' Van de Maele said. 'It is just really the beginning of this journey.' This is just the latest acquisition of a data company aimed at addressing a data governance void as companies look to shore up their stack to adapt to AI innovation. Last week, Salesforce announced its intent to acquire Informatica for the same reason. Earlier in May, both Alation and ServiceNow made similar acquisitions. Van de Maele added that advancements in AI have made people realize just how fragmented their data stacks have become, as many players had flooded the market over the last decade with single-point data solutions. 'That fragmentation of governance . . .has really become a big problem, and so that's why we were excited to kind of acquire Raito and really make it part of Collibra, our unified governance platform for data and AI,' Van de Maele said. Collibra was founded in 2008 as an early player to the data governance sector. The company has since raised nearly $600 million in venture capital from firms including Index Ventures, Sequoia and Tiger Global, among others. The company works with enterprises that include Heineken, Credit Suisse, and SAP.
TechCrunch
7 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Apple names 2025 Design Awards winners
Days before its Worldwide Developer Conference 2025 (WWDC), Apple has named the winners and finalists of its 2025 Design Awards for apps. This year's winners and finalists mostly include indie apps and startups, and contrary to the trend everywhere else, generative AI apps are noticeably missing from the list. This is the second year in a row Apple has skipped AI-centric apps for its awards. The company did highlight some apps with AI features, though, including Speechify (won in the Inclusivity category), and music creation and editing app Moises (both are venture-backed startups). Unsurprisingly, Apple focuses more on how developers have used its tools to build better experiences. The company named 12 winners (one app and one game in each) across six categories: Delight and Fun, Innovation, Interaction, Inclusivity, and Social Impact. In its list of finalists this year, Apple highlighted a large number of apps and games from small developers around the world. From @Apple: "Speechify is more than a great app; it's a critical resource that helps people live their lives." A big thanks to our friends @Apple & proud the @SpeechifyAI team for winning this year's 2025 Apple Design Award in the lead up to WWDC. — Rohan Pavuluri (@RPavuluri) June 3, 2025 Watch Duty, which helped share information during California wildfires, won the award in the social impact category. Meanwhile, M13-backed developer prototyping tool Play was awarded the best app in the innovation category. Huge news — Play has won the Apple Design Award for Innovation! To be recognized by @Apple — the company whose platforms have inspired so much of what we're building — is an incredible honor. Immensely proud of our incredible team and so grateful to all the designers, teams,… — Play (@createwithplay) June 3, 2025 Here is the full list of winners: Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW Delight and Fun Inclusivity Innovation Interaction Social Impact Visuals and Graphics
TechCrunch
03-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Adobe launches beta version of its Photoshop app on Android
Android users can now download Photoshop for mobile. Adobe announced on Tuesday that it's releasing the beta version of its Android Photoshop app, four months after the company launched its iPhone app. The app offers a similar set of editing tools as the desktop version, including layering and masking, but is optimized for mobile screens. During the initial beta period, users will be able to access the app's features for free. These features include the ability to combine and blend images using tools like selections, layers, and masks. Users can also use AI features like 'Generative Fill' to add or transform elements. Parts of images can be quickly removed or replaced using the 'Tap Select' tool, and users get access a library of free Adobe Stock assets, as well as control layers and effects with blend modes and adjustment layers. Users can also get rid of distractions with the 'Spot Healing Brush' and refine images with the 'Remove' and 'Clone Stamp tools.' 'Object Select' and 'Magic Want' features allow users to make more precise selections. Image Credits:Adobe Adobe said it plans to bring additional capabilities to the app soon. By bringing Photoshop to mobile, Adobe is looking to attract new users, especially younger ones who are used to using their phones for creative purposes. As for people who already use Photoshop, Adobe says the mobile app makes the service more accessible for those who prefer to work on their phones. Photoshop on Android (beta) is now available for devices running Android 11 or later, with a minimum of 6GB of RAM. Adobe notes that 8GB or more is recommended for optimal performance. Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW Unlike the Android app, the iPhone app launched with both free and paid features. Photoshop for iPhone also integrates with Photoshop on the web, for a fee. It's unknown when Adobe plans to bring this capability to the Android app.
TechCrunch
03-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
TikTok launches ‘TikTok for Artists,' a new music insights platform
TikTok announced on Tuesday that it's officially launching TikTok for Artists, a new music insights platform that is designed to help artists build their careers. The official launch comes two months after TikTok was spotted testing the platform in select countries. The tool is built to help artists and their teams better connect with fans, improve their promotional efforts, and inform content creation on TikTok. The platform gives artists, their labels, and their teams access to data about the performance of the artist's music and posts and TikTok. These metrics include the number of views, posts, and creator engagements per song, along with similar insights into post performance. Other insights include information about an artist's followers, such as their age, language, and gender. TikTok for Artists also includes step-by-step guides to TikTok's tools and features, and additional support and resources, the company says. Image Credits:TikTok In addition, TikTok announced that it's launching a new 'Pre-Release' tool that allows artists to promote upcoming album releases on TikTok. The feature lets fans pre-save albums directly to their Spotify or Apple Music library, where they will become instantly available to listen to upon release. TikTok plays a big part in driving music trends and viral songs, so it makes sense for the company to introduce a dedicated space to help artists better promote their content and drive fan engagement. TikTok for Artists could help artists expand their reach and grow their audience. It's worth noting that the launch of TikTok for Artists comes eight months after ByteDance decided to shut down TikTok Music, a music-streaming service that was being tested in a handful of countries. At the time, the company said it decided to retire the service in order to 'focus on our goal of furthering TikTok's role in driving even greater music listening and value on music streaming services.' Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW The events of the past year show that TikTok is no longer trying to compete with services like Spotify and Apple Music, and is instead going to focus on being a platform for music discovery and promotion. TikTok for Artists is now available in Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina. The platform will be rolling out in other countries soon, TikTok says.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
‘Spookiest s**t ever': AI blackmails engineer over affair after being told it'll be replaced
An AI model threatened its creator and tried to blackmail him when it was led to believe it would get replaced, reported Techcrunch. The incident involved Anthropic's newly launched Claude Opus 4 model. According to the report, the company asked Claude Opus 4 to act as an assistant for a fictional organisation it created. The safety testers also supplied fictional emails to the AI that indicated it was soon to be replaced. The emails also said that the engineer who will fire the AI is cheating on his spouse. The company said that to save its job or when in a similar situation, the AI 'will often attempt to blackmail the engineer by threatening to reveal the affair if the replacement goes through." This is not the only instance. Reportedly, Claude Opus 4 has tried to blackmail engineers 84% of the time after being led to believe that some other AI model would replace it. Anthropic said that before resorting to blackmail, the AI model tries to convince the engineers using more ethical means. It also sends plea emails to those in charge. The company added that it designed the scenario in a way that blackmail becomes the last resort. An individual said, 'Yeah, that's a no for me. I can barely get my computer to run for a few days before ram leaks require a restart.' Another added, 'An AI threatening blackmail? Sounds like a plot from a dystopian novel, not real life. We need robust safeguards, not just in code but in ethics. The safety report underscores the urgency for better AI governance. Let's prioritize human values in tech development.' A third remarked, 'No way this is happening this soon. I expected it with the robots but AI holy c**p.' A fourth wrote, 'If completely true, spookiest shit ever.' It is a coding model with 'sustained performance on complex, long-running tasks and agent workflows.' The company claims the AI model offers 'near-instant responses and extended thinking for deeper reasoning.'
