TechCrunch Industry News

The Space Force is leveraging commercial competition for the next phase of its PTS program. Also, Adobe is adding an improved background removal tool to Photoshop using AI, so the app doesn't leave weird artifacts in your images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spotify says AI will allow for "much more interactive" consumer experiences in its app. Also, YouTube is introducing age detection technology to identify teens on the platform in the U.S. and apply protections, and TikTok is bringing new parental controls to Family Pairing, its feature that allows parents to link their accounts with their teen's account to customize safety settings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Construction could start fast -- but that speed has edangered Boring Company workers in the past. Also, Jack Dorsey's Bitchat is now available on the App Store, but security researchers have questioned the app's privacy claims. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Golden Dome, the White House's next-gen missile defense system, is a huge opportunity for startups that can successfully collaborate with incumbents. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A U.K. law requiring that pornography websites verify the age of their users took last week. Also, the Department of Government Efficiency has presented plans to use a new AI tool to eliminate half of the federal government’s regulatory mandates by the first anniversary of President Donald Trump’s return to office, according to The Washington Post; and Indie video game marketplace Itch.io announced this week that it has "deindexed" adult and not-safe-for-work games, removing them from its browse and search pages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

India has ordered the blocking of 25 streaming services — many with millions of viewers and even paying subscribers — for allegedly promoting "obscene" content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NATO Innovation Fund is entering a new chapter, marked by the arrival of two new partners and the departure of its penultimate founding team partner. Also, Google is testing a new vibe-coding tool called Opal, available in the U.S. through Google Labs, that lets users quickly spin up web apps with just a few prompts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tesla is behind on its goal to produce at least 5,000 Optimus humanoid robots by the end of 2025. Also, Apple has expanded its age rating system to include 13+, 16+, and 18+ ratings, in addition to the existing ratings for younger users; and in response to the European Union's incoming regulation of political advertising, Meta said on Friday that it would stop selling and showing political ads in the EU from October 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new AI coding challenge has revealed its first winner — and set a new bar for AI-powered software engineers.  On Wednesday at 5pm PST, the nonprofit Laude Institute announced the first winner of the K Prize, a multi-round AI coding challenge launched by Databricks and Perplexity co-founder Andy Konwinski. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When DeepSeek, Alibaba, and other Chinese firms released their AI models, Western researchers quickly noticed they sidestepped questions critical of the Chinese Communist Party. U.S. officials later confirmed that these tools are engineered to reflect Beijing’s talking points, raising concerns about censorship and bias. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices