Latest AI News
Bumble adds AI-powered photo feedback and profile guidance tools
Bumbleannouncedon Thursday that it’s adding a series of AI-driven features intended to help turn matches into lasting connections, including those that offer feedback and guidance on users’ bios, photos, and prompts. The dating app’s new AI-suggested profile guidance tool will roll out globally and give “personalized, actionable feedback” on users’ bios and prompts. For users in the U.S., the profile guidance feature can be augmented with an AI photo feedback tool, which can “help you choose the best photos and show up as your most authentic self.” According to Bumble’s blog post explaining these features, it doesn’t seem like the insights from these AI tools are particularly groundbreaking — for example, Bumble says that its AI photo tool might encourage you to ditch photos where you’re wearing sunglasses that cover your face, and add a wider variety of photos, like ones taken outdoors or with friends. It’s advice you could’ve easily gotten from a friend 10 years ago, but it’s still new information to many users. In Canada, Bumble is testing another, non-AI feature called “Suggest a Date.” When a conversation stalls, a user can signal that they are open to meeting in person, which the company says is “a simple way to signal that they’re ready to connect offline.” Of course, another way for people to “signal that they’re ready to connect offline” is to literally ask someone on a date. But realistically, it doesn’t seem like users are taking the plunge, so having an in-app way to indicate interest may motivate some potential couples to move their conversation IRL. “With Suggest a Date, we’re creating a clear expression of intent and giving members a way to bypass the traditional back-and-forth and move toward meeting in real life,” Bumble CTO Vivek Sagi said in a statement. “When we reduce friction at the moments that matter most, we help people connect with clarity and confidence, and increase the likelihood of meaningful relationships forming offline.” Bumble and other popular dating apps, like Match Group’s Tinder and Hinge, have all embraced AI-powered features in recent months. For instance, in December, Hinge introduced a tool to help generate more interesting conversation starters than “How are you?” Tinder may take things a step further. In Australia, Tinder is piloting a tool calledChemistry, which asks users to provide the app with access to their camera roll, which is a concerning amount of data to feed into an AI tool. Based on a user’s camera roll and answers to a series of questions, the AI can learn more about someone’s interests and personality to supposedly reduce “swipe fatigue” and suggest better matches. Meta’s Facebook Dating tool does something similar — in October, it launched a feature thatasks to use its AI on photos in your camera rollthat you haven’t yet shared in order to suggest AI edits. As these companies try to come up with new ways to keep users happy, some young people have thrown in the towel on online dating altogether, instead seeking morereal-world experiencesthat are not intermediated by an app.
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Read AI launches an email-based ‘digital twin’ to help you with schedules and answers
Meeting notetaker Read AI on Thursday launched an AI-powered email-based assistant called Ada, saying it helps users manage their schedules, answer questions based on a company’s knowledge base, and reply to out-of-office emails. The company is calling Ada a “digital twin” that handles tasks for you around the clock. Read AI said that the assistant will be available to all users, and they can start configuring it by sending an email to “ada@read.ai” and writing “Get me started.” When you ask Ada to find a time to meet with someone, it replies to the other person in the thread with your availability. If the other person replies that they are unavailable at those times and would like a different time slot, Ada responds with new options. While Ada has access to your calendar through Read AI, it does not reveal the nature of those meetings with other people. Ada can also answer questions using a company’s knowledge base, topics discussed in your prior meetings, and public internet searches. For instance, you can ask, “Ada, can you provide an update on how we are tracking for Q1 goals?” to get information. If someone else asks a question in a thread, Ada will prepare a response for you and help you refine it before it is sent to the other person. The startup said that Ada doesn’t reveal any sensitive information without your permission. Read AI’s VP of Product, Justin Farris, said that the new feature doesn’t rely on MCPs (model context protocols, a technical standard for connecting AI tools to external services), and instead builds a knowledge graph based on meeting data and connected services for more contextual answers. He added that over time, the assistant will also take proactive actions for you. For instance, if you mentioned a follow-up item in a meeting, Ada will ask you to set that up after the meeting with contextual data. “The way I describe our solution is that when you are bringing on a new employee, you train them. When you add Ada to your workflow and connect more services to give more context, it starts to ramp up and handle more tasks for you,” CEO David Shim told TechCrunch. The company said that while Ada currently works via email, it will soon be available on Slack and Teams. On the sidelines of Web Summit Qatar earlier this month, Shim told TechCrunch that the company now has over 5 million monthly active users and plans to grow that number to 10 million. He mentioned that the company sees 50,000 sign-ups every day and has a broader base of 100,000 users who consume Read AI’s content, like meeting summaries, without creating an account. For Read AI, the U.S. remains the largest market with strong international growth. While 60% of users are outside the U.S., the revenue is split roughly equally. The company, which has raised over$81 million in funding, is increasingly adding AI-powered tools to its suite. Last year, it launchedSearch Copilotfor knowledge discovery for users, and last month it added the ability to update customer-service relationship software, send custom emails from within a meeting report, and stay up to date on topics basedon internal and web knowledge. Other meeting notetakers are also offering new tools to extract more insights and actions from meeting notes. Last September, Granola added“recipes” in the form of repeatable promptsto surface knowledge from meeting data.Quill, which came out of stealth with a $6.5 million funding round this week, also connects to various tools like Linear, Notion, and CRMs, and aims to automate tasks.
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Figma partners with OpenAI to bake in support for Codex
Figma is integrating OpenAI’s AI coding tool, Codex, to let users create and tweak designs from within their coding environments. The move comes a week after the design companystrucka similar partnership with Anthropic to integrate Claude Code. This integration lets users start working with a design in Figma or code in Codex, and move between the two platforms easily using Figma’s MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. Previously, users could bring details from Figma design files, Figma Make, or FigJam into Codex for code-based implementation. “With this integration, teams can build on their best ideas—not just their first idea—by combining the best of code with the creativity, collaboration, and craft that comes with Figma’s infinite canvas,” Loredan Crisan, Figma’s chief design officer, said. Loading the player… “The integration makes Codex powerful for a much broader range of builders and businesses because it doesn’t assume you’re ‘a designer’ or ‘an engineer’ first. Engineers can iterate visually without leaving their flow, and designers can work closer to real implementation without becoming full-time coders,” Codex product lead Alexander Embiricos said in a statement. OpenAI first launchedCodex as a command-line coding assistantlast year to compete with Anthropic’s much lauded Claude Code. Later, the company builtthe coding tool into ChatGPT, and earlier this month launcheda dedicated MacOS app for Codex. The MacOS app was downloadeda million times within the first weekof release. The company also releasedtwonewCodex models just days afterwards. OpenAI said that overa million users are using Codex weekly. Figma has been a prominent partner for OpenAI, and it wasone of the first companies to launch an appin ChatGPT in October 2025.
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Trace raises $3M to solve the AI agent adoption problem in enterprise
For all their potential, AI agents have been slow to make an impact in the enterprise, and one new startup is betting that the reason they haven’t is a lack of context. Launched as part of Y Combinator’s 2025 summer cohort,Traceis a workflow orchestration startup aimed at filling that gap. The company maps complex corporate environments and processes so that agents have the context they need to scale quickly. “OpenAI and Anthropic are building these brilliant interns that can be leveraged within the company,” says Trace CEO Tim Cherkasov, referring to the AI labs’ tools. “We’re building the manager that knows where to put them.” On Thursday, the London-based company said it had raised $3 million in seed funding from Y Combinator, Zeno Ventures, Transpose Platform Management, Goodwater Capital, Formosa Capital, and WeFunder. Angel investors Benjamin Bryant and Kevin Moore also invested. Trace’s system starts by building a knowledge graph from a company’s existing tools — systems like email, Slack, and Airtable that shape the day-to-day working life of the firm. With that context in place, users can prompt the system with a high-level task — like “We need to design a new microsite” or “Lets develop our 2027 sales plan” — and Trace will come back with a step-by-step workflow, delegating some tasks to AI agents and assigning others to human workers. When the system does invoke an AI agent, it will prompt it with the specific data needed to complete its sub-task. The idea is to automate away the delicate work of on-boarding AI agents, one of the biggest blockers for actual deployment within companies. With so many companies focused on agentic AI, Trace will have plenty of competition.Earlier this week, Anthropic launched its own take on enterprise agents, focused on pre-built plugins for specific departmental functions. And many of the workplace productivity services Trace will be drawing from, likeAtlassian’s Jira, are launching their own agents, which will potentially compete with the startup’s system. But Trace’s founders believe their knowledge-graph approach will be the key to success, as they can build context engineering deep into the structure of agentic deployment. “2024 and 2025 was still about prompt engineering. Now we’ve moved from prompt engineering to context engineering,” says CTO Artur Romanov. “Whoever provides the best context at the right time is going to be the infrastructure on top of which the AI-first companies will be built. And we hope to be that infrastructure.”
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Exhibit in Boston’s startup ecosystem at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026
On June 9, 1,000+ founders, investors, and decision-makers will gather forTechCrunch Founder Summit 2026. This isn’t just foot traffic. It’s a full day of concentrated deal flow. An exhibit table turns that energy into measurable growth. You don’t need more awareness. You need customers, capital, and strategic partners. Secure your exhibit tableand put your startup at the center of the startup universe. Direct access to buyers:The Expo Hall is where founders and operators actively source tools and partners. Capture leads instantly through the event app and start building your pipeline on the spot. Where handshakes replace cold pitches:Move from cold outreach to face-to-face conversations. With access to roundtables, breakouts, and curated networking, your team can turn visibility into velocity. Credibility that compounds:Your startup is featured across the Founder Summit website, app, sponsor directory, announcements, and closing ceremony — reinforcing trust with customers and investors alike. Multi-channel ROI:Lead gen tools, sponsor listings, and team-wide passes mean you’re not just exhibiting. You’re executing across sales, marketing, and fundraising at the same time. Deploy your team strategically:With five total passes, you can split focus across sales, partnerships, hiring, and curated meetings to maximize every hour onsite. Spots are limited and first-come, first-served. If you’re ready to turn three days into months of pipeline,reserve your exhibit table nowbefore your competitor does.
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2 days left: Lock in the best discounts for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
Super Early Bird pricing endstomorrow, February 27, at 11:59 p.m. PT. After that, prices forTechCrunch Disrupt 2026go up. Miss this, and you’ll be paying more for the same access to one of the most anticipated tech events of the year.Register nowto secure discounts of up to $680 on your pass, or up to 30% ongroup passes. If you want to raise capital, hire top talent, launch your startup, or discover your next portfolio company, don’t missDisrupt, taking place October 13–15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. Here’s what you’ll gain by attending: Founder Pass: Accelerate growth with the right insights, tools, and connections. Meet investors aligned with your startup. Investor Pass: Discover standout startups and expand your portfolio with curated access. Use matchmaking tools to make every conversation count. This window to the lowest ticket rates of the year is closing after tomorrow ends.Register nowto secure your ticket with up to a $680 discount. Or save up to 30% withcommunity passesof 4+.
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Indian IT Builds the Missing Layers in Open-Source Agentic AI Frameworks
Tech Mahindra and Persistent detail enterprise safeguards as study flags immature frameworks.
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Google Unveils 10-Hour AI Certificate in Latest Learning Push
The curriculum focuses on applied skills across research, strategic planning, professional communication, content creation, data analysis and workflow automation.
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T-Hub Partners With Tripura Govt to Strengthen Startup Ecosystem
The partnership aims to build a long-term startup ecosystem with incubation support, acceleration programmes, and national market access.
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12 Nano GCCs Building Core Product, Deep Tech Capabilities in India
Global companies are rethinking talent and strategy, increasingly relying on nano GCCs instead of relocating employees.
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AI Clinical Intelligence Co Cohere Health Launches GCC in Hyderabad
The Hyderabad centre will play a central role in advancing Cohere Health’s clinically trained AI platform.
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Steel Major ArcelorMittal Sets Up GCCs in Hyderabad and Pune
ArcelorMittal plans to hire nearly 2,000 professionals in the new GCCs.
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