Wednesday, 4 March 2026
Welcome to today's roundup of the most interesting developments in AI and technology.
Top Stories
Why AI startups are selling the same equity at two different prices
Some AI founders are using a novel valuation mechanism to manufacture unicorn status.
Read moreClaude Code rolls out a voice mode capability
Anthropic is stepping up its game in the AI coding space with the rollout of Voice Mode in Claude Code.
Read moreThe integration of AI in modern forex automation
Try to think of just one area where artificial intelligence is not leaving a mark, and you’ll realise there’s almost none. And in the forex world, things have not been any different. It’s a big part of why Fortune Business Insights values the global AI market size at $375.93 billion. Looking ahead,
Read morePhysical AI adoption boosts customer service ROI
The adoption of physical AI drives ROI in frontline customer service by merging digital intelligence with human-like physical interaction. As businesses navigate shrinking labour pools, they are finding that simply automating routine workflows is no longer enough. A new partnership between KDDI and
Read moreAI-Native networks are no longer a 6G promise–MWC 2026 just proved it
AI-native networks have been a recurring talking point at Mobile World Congress for years. What made MWC 2026 in Barcelona different was the evidence. A cascade of announcements from the world’s biggest telecom vendors, chipmakers, and operators didn’t just reiterate the vision for AI-RA
Read moreCursor has reportedly surpassed $2B in annualized revenue
The four-year-old startup saw its revenue run rate double over the past three months, according to one Bloomberg source.
Read moreChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after DoD deal
Many consumers ditched ChatGPT's app after news of its DoD deal went live, while Claude's downloads grew.
Read moreUsers are ditching ChatGPT for Claude — here’s how to make the switch
Following controversies surrounding ChatGPT, many users are ditching the AI chatbot for Claude instead. Here's how to make the switch.
Read moreIndustry
Tech workers urge DOD, Congress to withdraw Anthropic label as a supply-chain risk
Tech workers have signed an open letter urging the Department of Defense to withdraw its designation of Anthropic as a "supply chain risk" and instead to settle the matter quietly.
Read moreAnthropic's Claude reports widespread outage
Anthropic's AI chatbot Claude experienced widespread service disruptions on Monday morning, with thousands of users reporting issues accessing the bot.
Read moreAI adoption in financial services has hit a point of no return
AI adoption in financial services has effectively become universal–and the institutions still treating it as an experiment are now the outliers. According to Finastra’s Financial Services State of the Nation 2026 report, which surveyed 1,509 senior executives across 11 markets, only 2% of fina
Read moreGoogle looks to tackle longstanding RCS spam in India — but not alone
Google is integrating carrier-level filtering into RCS in India through a partnership with Airtel to strengthen protections against spam.
Read moreInvestors spill what they aren't looking for anymore in AI SaaS companies
TechCrunch spoke with VCs to learn what investors aren't looking for in AI SaaS startups anymore.
Read moreOpenAI reveals more details about its agreement with the Pentagon
By CEO Sam Altman’s own admission, OpenAI’s deal with the Department of Defense was “definitely rushed,” and “the optics don’t look good.”
Read moreAnthropic’s Claude rises to No. 1 in the App Store following Pentagon dispute
Anthropic’s chatbot Claude seems to have benefited from the attention around the company’s fraught negotiations with the Pentagon.
Read moreSaaS in, SaaS out: Here's what's driving the SaaSpocalypse
What's behind the SaaSpocalypse? It simply seems a new supreme has risen.
Read moreResearch & Products
Alibaba's Qwen tech lead steps down after major AI push
Reactions rippled through Alibaba's Qwen team after tech lead Junyang Lin stepped down following a major model launch.
Read moreChatGPT's new GPT-5.3 Instant model will stop telling you to calm down
The company says the new model will reduce the "cringe" that's been annoying its users for months.
Read moreBest AI security solutions 2026: Top enterprise platforms compared
Artificial intelligence is no longer just powering defensive cybersecurity tools, it is reshaping the entire threat landscape. AI is accelerating reconnaissance, improving the realism of phishing, automating malware mutation, and enabling adaptive attack techniques. At the same time, enterprises are
Read moreA married founder duo's company, 14.ai, is replacing customer support teams at startups
14.ai also launched a consumer brand to understand how much AI can handle customer support tasks.
Read moreMWC 2026: SK Telecom lays out plan to rebuild its core around AI
At MWC 2026 in Barcelona, SK Telecom outlined how it is rebuilding itself around AI, from its network core to its customer service desks. The shift goes beyond adding new AI tools. It involves rewriting internal systems, expanding data centre capacity to the gigawatt scale, and upgrading its own lar
Read morePolicy & Ethics
AI companies are spending millions to thwart this former tech exec’s congressional bid
A tech billionaire-backed super PAC is spending $125 million to undercut candidates pushing for AI regulation. New York's Alex Bores, a former tech executive himself, is one of them.
Read moreX says it will suspend creators from revenue-sharing program for unlabeled AI posts of 'armed conflict'
Creators who break the rules will get a three-month suspension, and if they continue to violate the policy, they'll be permanently banned.
Read moreSantander and Mastercard run Europe’s first AI-executed payment pilot
An artificial intelligence system has, for the first time in Europe, completed a payment inside a live banking network without a human entering the final command. Banco Santander and Mastercard confirmed that they had executed a live end-to-end payment initiated and completed by an AI agent, a softw
Read moreNo one has a good plan for how AI companies should work with the government
As OpenAI transitions from a wildly successful consumer startup into a piece of national security infrastructure, the company seems unequipped to manage its new responsibilities.
Read moreThe trap Anthropic built for itself
Anthropic, OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and others have long promised to govern themselves responsibly. Now, in the absence of rules, there's not a lot to protect them.
Read more