Canva is significantly increasing prices for select customers. Canva Teams subscribers on older pricing plans will see a 300% increase for a five-person plan, jumping from $119.99 per year to $500 per year. Users will receive a 40% discount for the first 12 months before the switch takes effect. The company is justifying the price hike by highlighting its suite of AI-powered design features, including Magic Studio.
Google Photos’ AI-powered search feature is now rolling out. Utilizing Google’s Gemini AI model, Ask Photos allows users to search their photos using natural language queries that leverage the AI’s understanding of the content and metadata of their photos. This feature could potentially provide insights into past experiences based on the user’s photo library.
Ilya Sutskever’s AI startup, Safe Superintelligence (SSI), has successfully raised over $1 billion in capital. Prior to SSI, Sutskever led the now-disbanded Superalignment team at OpenAI, focusing on general AI safety research. After a highly publicized fallout due to “breakdown in communications,” Sutskever quietly left OpenAI several months later.
This is TechCrunch’s Week in Review, where we summarize the week’s major news. Want to receive this in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here.
News
Bluesky experiences a significant uptick: Following X’s shutdown in Brazil, Bluesky has acquired over 2 million new users within days. Becoming the top app in Brazil post-ban, Bluesky has surpassed Meta’s X competitor, Instagram Threads. Read more
Introducing a revolutionary robotic wheelchair: Korea’s Institute of Machinery and Materials has developed a wheelchair capable of climbing stairs and navigating rocky terrain. This innovation is achieved through a compliant wheel with a unique “smart chain” structure that adapts to the ground’s surface. Read more
Anthropic makes moves against OpenAI: Anthropic is launching Claude Enterprise, a new subscription plan for its AI chatbot, directly competing with OpenAI’s business-focused solution, ChatGPT Enterprise. Read more
Blending PC technology with traditional paper: The new Paper Pro tablet from reMarkable combines color and advanced features while maintaining a focus-centric philosophy. This tablet can also serve as a typedeck for a truly immersive writing experience. Read more
Global expansion for Spotify’s daylist: Spotify is introducing daylist, a personalized playlist that evolves throughout the day, on a global scale. Users can now enjoy tailored playlists like “bedroom pop banger early morning” or “’90s rave rainforest late night” from anywhere. Read more
A new approach to family communication: Karo is a task management app that allows users to assign tasks to friends and family. An interesting feature of the app is the ability to send reminders to contacts even if they are not using the app. Read more
Salesforce’s major acquisition: Salesforce acquires Own Company, a New Jersey-based provider of data management and protection solutions, for $1.9 billion in cash. This deal marks Salesforce’s largest acquisition since purchasing Slack for $27.7 billion in 2021. Read more
Changes in YouTube’s content recommendation: YouTube is limiting teens’ exposure to videos promoting specific body image ideals or fitness levels. This move comes after criticism for potentially encouraging eating disorders through some content. Read more
Halliburton faces cyberattack: Energy giant Halliburton reports a cyberattack that resulted in unauthorized access and data exfiltration. The company is currently assessing the impact of the incident on its oil and fracking operations. Read more
Instagram enhances DM experience: Instagram is adding new features for photo editing, sticker creation, and themes to its messaging platform to improve user experience. Read more
Analysis
The Rise of “Emotion AI”: Is it a Positive Development? The emerging trend of “emotion AI” sees companies leveraging AI to enhance bots’ understanding of human emotions. While this approach may seem promising, it raises concerns about using technology to address problems caused by technology. Julie Bort explores the potential of automated empathy in AI bots and its effectiveness. Read more
Exploring NightCafe, the Unsung Competitor of Midjourney: Despite not receiving as much attention as Midjourney, NightCafe boasts an impressive user base of over 25 million and continues to thrive. Kyle Wiggers dives into the backstory of NightCafe, one of the web’s oldest generative art marketplaces, by chatting with co-founder Elle Russell about its origins and future evolution. Read more
