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A hub for startup news, trends, and insights, covering the global startup ecosystem for founders, investors, and innovators. Community: @startupdis Buy Ads: @strategy (this is our only account).
🧪 Scientists Propose Cutting Earth’s Population to 4 Billion
Scientists suggest reducing the global population to 4 billion by 2200, about half of today’s 8.3 billion. The planet’s population grew from 2 billion a century ago and could reach 11.5 billion by 2100 according to optimistic forecasts.
In the last 50 years, CO₂ emissions doubled, energy consumption tripled, and biodiversity halved. Resources on Earth won’t be enough for everyone if trends continue.
📊@tech
🇨🇳 China's Market for Renting Human Faces to AI
In China, people rent out their faces for AI ads, games, and microdramas, earning between $15 and $700. Producers select faces by age, gender, and type, from "ordinary neighbor" to "supermodel."
This trend follows a surge in AI content: over 95% of 128,000 Chinese microdramas in the first three months of the year used AI. Real faces help characters avoid looking identical.
Lawyers warn that sharing biometric data risks losing control over how one’s appearance is used later.
📊@tech
🤖 OpenAI launches Presence for real-world AI agents
OpenAI introduced Presence, a product that puts AI agents directly into customer support and internal company workflows instead of keeping them hidden in demos or internal GPTs.
Presence is tailored for business use, with OpenAI engineers customizing setups when standard configurations fall short. Access is limited as companies are selected manually, with no clarity on compliance with the European AI Act.
📊@tech
🚘 Audi unveils largest SUV with ChatGPT system
Audi introduced the Q9, its biggest SUV ever, larger than the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS. It features a media system with built-in ChatGPT and will launch in Europe from €108,000 by the end of the year.
The base model has a V6 engine with 429 hp, reaching 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. The top SQ9 version uses a V8 with 591 hp and does 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds. A hybrid with a V6 and 48V electric motor is also available.
📊@tech
🤖 ChatGPT Chrome extension reads tabs and pages
The ChatGPT extension for Chrome now sees open tabs and interacts with page content. You can highlight any text, right-click, and select "Ask ChatGPT" to get answers.
The sidebar opens automatically without manual setup. The built-in browser also suggests site addresses as you type, making it more intuitive and faster.
📊@tech
🚘 Mercedes GLA adds ChatGPT and Gemini tech
Mercedes launched the new GLA with a multimedia system featuring ChatGPT and Gemini. It can plan routes, find charging stations, and control car functions.
The initial lineup includes three electric models with engines from 224 to 354 hp. The top model accelerates to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds and has a range up to 643 km.
📊@tech
💻 Casio adds health sensors to smart ring watch
Casio's new CRW-H001M-8 ring watch includes sensors for pulse, blood oxygen, sleep, and body temperature. It also tracks steps and calories burned, with a battery life of 4-6 days.
The device is a miniature digital watch worn on the finger, combining classic Casio style with smart health monitoring features.
It will launch first in China, with hopes for wider availability later.
📊@tech
💻 Radeon RX 9050 Returns with 4GB VRAM
ASRock listed the Radeon RX 9050 with 4GB of video memory, the first modern card with this capacity in years. It features RDNA 4 architecture, 16 compute units, and a boost clock up to 2600 MHz, but only a 64-bit memory bus and 18 GB/s bandwidth.
The 4GB VRAM is well below current AAA game recommendations, limiting play to 1080p with no future-proofing. The card appeared in a Best Buy prebuilt priced at $889, paired with 8GB DDR4 RAM, a 500GB SSD, and a Ryzen 5 5500 CPU.
Higher memory costs and component shortages force manufacturers to cut specs rather than raise prices. The 4GB card is a sign of how tight the market remains, making this low VRAM configuration acceptable again.
📊@tech
✈️ Airbus A350-1000ULR sets flight duration record
The Airbus A350-1000ULR flew nonstop for 24 hours and 24 minutes from Melbourne to Toulouse, covering nearly 17,000 kilometers.
This model is designed for ultra-long-range flights, enabling continuous travel over vast distances without stops.
📊@tech
Ⓜ️ Meta AI joins Threads private chats
Threads added a private chat with Meta AI, letting users send posts, photos, or videos for one-on-one discussion. This feature was already on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp before arriving on Threads.
In five countries, Meta AI also posts publicly in Threads feeds under @meta.ai. Users cannot block these posts, only mute them. The AI’s presence in feeds is permanent, unlike the optional private chats.
📊@tech
🖥 Microsoft launches AI for code vulnerability detection
Microsoft integrated MAI-Cyber-1-Flash into MDASH, an AI agent system that finds, verifies, and helps fix vulnerabilities in large codebases. The lightweight model handles up to 90% of tasks, while the toughest 10% go to GPT-5.4, speeding up protection and cutting costs.
The MAI-Cyber-1-Flash and GPT-5.4 combo scored 96% on CyberGym, 12 points above Mythos and better than Gemini and standalone GPT models. This setup also halves the cost compared to Microsoft’s previous system using GPT-5.4, GPT-5.4 mini, and GPT-5.3 Codex.
📊@tech
💀 Nike launches smart warming slippers
Nike introduced Air Zoom Hyperslide slippers with removable magnetic modules offering three heat and vibration modes. They connect to an app and can be worn indoors or outdoors.
The slippers warm and massage feet after workouts. They cost $250 and launch in September.
📊@tech
🤖 Anthropic launches free Claude Code course
Anthropic released a free course showing real scenarios of Claude Code in action. It teaches how to turn Claude Code into a full AI agent that writes code, works with GitHub, automates routine tasks, uses hooks and skills, and handles long tasks with minimal human control.
The course has about 15 short lessons and ends with a certificate. It aims to help developers quickly master Claude Code and use it effectively.
📊@tech
🎓 AI Schoolboard Unveiled at WAIC
The AI-powered schoolboard debuted at WAIC 2026 in China. It recognizes handwriting, corrects materials, and explains topics using AI.
It turns lessons into interactive sessions, aiding both teachers and students.
📊@tech
A clever design.
Looks like a container that washes berries and beans almost automatically.
The shape really takes advantage of fluid dynamics.
📊@tech
💻 Pocketbyte: Modular Computer the Size of a Card
Pocketbyte is a tiny portable computer measuring about 75 × 55 mm, roughly the size of a credit card. It runs on an ESP32-S3 processor with 8 MB PSRAM, has a 2.8-inch IPS screen, 1500 mAh battery, microSD slot for up to 32 GB, a mono speaker, and a 3.5 mm jack.
Its key feature is a modular pin connector that lets you attach hardware like a gamepad for retro emulators, a BlackBerry-style QWERTY keyboard, or a development board to control other electronics. The software is open source, based on FreeRTOS, supports Arduino, and apps can be installed via Wi-Fi from a built-in store.
📊@tech
💫 NASA funds exoplanet surface imaging concept
NASA has backed a concept to capture images of continents and oceans on exoplanets many light years away. The challenge is the star’s brightness, about 10 billion times stronger than the planet’s reflected light, and their close proximity in the sky.
Physicists propose two solutions: a dynamic hierarchical nuller that cancels out starlight by combining light from multiple apertures, and a virtual telescope formed by two instruments spaced 100 km apart to achieve a giant effective aperture.
This approach could finally move exoplanet observation beyond single points of light to actual surface details, overcoming fundamental limits of telescope size and star glare.
📊@tech
🤖 Gravity Falls Creator Trolls Sam Altman
Sam Altman shared a ChatGPT hack to connect the bot to family calendars and create daily podcasts about kids' interests and events.
Alex Hirsch, creator of Gravity Falls, replied suggesting it’s better to just talk to your kids instead.
📊@tech
⌚️ Nothing readies first main brand smartwatch
Insider Yogesh Brar reports Nothing will launch its first main brand smartwatch in September. It may feature the company’s transparent design, cost under $300, and be limited to select markets.
Nothing currently sells smartwatches only under its CMF subbrand, like the Watch Pro 2 and Watch 3 Pro. A main brand watch could target a higher segment, possibly running Wear OS.
This comes amid reports of Nothing scaling back in some countries, which the company denies. Co-founder Akis Evangelidis calls it a reorganization into regional hubs and new units for growth.
If launched, the watch would complete Nothing’s ecosystem alongside phones, earbuds, and wearables. More details are expected soon.
📊@tech
💶 Scramble makes investing in consumer brands simple
Scramble is a European platform that lets anyone back fast-growing consumer companies and earn from it - without the noise of stocks or daily market tracking.
Each month, users get a curated batch of companies, and investments are automatically diversified.
➡️ Founder-backed loans, disbursed in stages to reduce risk
➡️ Group A: monthly repayments, up to 12.4% annually
➡️ Group B: higher risk, up to 25% returns
➡️ Scramble co-invests up to 20% in every batch
✨ New users get €10 for signing up, plus €5 bonus for every €100 invested.
🔍 Pixel 11 Pro Fold leaks ahead of launch
Marketing renders of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold leaked two weeks before Google's event. The foldable keeps the same 8-inch inner screen and elongated outer display as last year, ignoring trends set by Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the upcoming foldable iPhone.
The main update is a redesigned camera block with a glowing light feature teased for the Pixel 11 Pro. The new olive-green color stands out, matching leaked Pixel Buds and Pixel Watch in the same shade.
📊@tech
📱 Honor Robot Phone Unboxed Early
A Weibo video shows the Honor Robot Phone before launch. Its robotic arm unfolds in 0.8 seconds when the lens cover slides open, with an on-screen animation, and folds flush when idle.
Honor’s phone features 360-degree stabilization via a three-axis optical system, a four-degree mechanical gimbal, a coprocessor, and AI, reaching a CIPA rating of 5.5. It has a 200MP main sensor on the gimbal, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 200MP periscope lens, color-tuned with ARRI cinema cameras.
Preorders in China need a 1000 yuan deposit and include lifetime YOYO AI SVIP, a year of free gimbal replacement, accessories, 24-month installments, and trade-in options. The price is undisclosed. The official reveal is in August.
📊@tech
😐 Grok 4.6 Launch Set for Next Week
Elon Musk announced that Grok 4.6 will launch on August 7 with 1.5T parameters. Grok 4.7 is planned to follow just weeks later.
Around the same time, rumors surfaced about Composer 3, developed by Cursor under SpaceX. It was trained from scratch on the Colossus 2 cluster and aims to match Opus 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol quality at a fraction of the cost.
📊@tech
🤖 Italian Startup Builds Robot with Sensor Skin
Italian startup Generative Bionics created the robot Gene.01 covered in sensor skin that tracks touch, temperature, proximity, and force. This lets it detect humans before contact and adjust movements.
Gene.01 learns by physical guidance instead of video. Holding its hand and moving it teaches the robot the right grip strength, solving a key challenge in humanoid robotics.
The robot is based on research from the Italian Institute of Technology published in Nature Machine Intelligence. It took six months to build Gene.01 from concept to a working humanoid.
Gene.01 is a platform for specialized robots with customizable AI, outer shells, and interchangeable limbs for different tasks.
📊@tech
🔍 Google Pixel 11 lineup details leak
Google plans to launch four Pixel 11 models: Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold. Screen sizes and resolutions remain similar to the previous generation, but brightness will increase to 3100 nits on the base model and 3600 nits on Pro versions. The foldable model features dual screens with 3600 nits outside and 3500 nits inside.
The Pixel 11 series runs on the new Tensor G6 chip built on a 2nm TSMC process, featuring a seven-core CPU with an ARM C1-Ultra core at 4.11 GHz, PowerVR graphics, Titan M3 security chip, and MediaTek M90 modem. Storage starts at 256 GB, eliminating the 128 GB option and raising the entry price to match last year's 256 GB model.
📊@tech
😐 Grok launches Build Mode for instant apps
Grok introduced Build Mode, letting users describe an idea and get a ready app published with its own domain. This works on Grok’s site, iPhone, or Android.
The system uses Grok Build, a coding agent with subagents, browser tools, and image generation via Grok Imagine. Apps can be dashboards, productivity tools, games, or other web apps.
Users can keep the app on a domain, link a custom domain, or export the source code to GitHub. Build Mode is available now for SuperGrok Heavy users.
📊@tech
🤖 OpenAI adds Health mode to ChatGPT
OpenAI’s Health mode lets ChatGPT access your medical records and Apple Watch data to answer health questions with real metrics. Users link Apple Health and records from One Medical or Function Health to share tests, medications, visits, sleep, and activity.
ChatGPT compares blood tests, explains medical terms, or suggests allergy-safe restaurants. Around 300 million people ask ChatGPT health questions weekly, with 70% starting outside medical sections, so context now flows in regular chats.
Free users get GPT-5.5 Instant, which flags when a live doctor is needed. Paid users access GPT-5.6 Sol, better at complex cases and explanations.
📊@tech
🧠 Neuralink demos mind-controlled wheelchair
Neuralink showed participants in clinical trials controlling an electric wheelchair using only their thoughts. An implant reads movement intentions in real time and moves a cursor on a screen to direct the chair.
The cursor controls an app displaying a live camera feed from the wheelchair’s perspective. Moving the cursor up drives forward, down reverses, left and right steer, and pushing the cursor further increases speed.
This “telepathic wheelchair control” is still early stage but aims to restore independent mobility for people with paralysis. Even moving around a room without help is a big step.
📊@tech
🤖 Altman to Present New OpenAI Model in DC
Sam Altman is heading to Washington to show the White House a new internal OpenAI model. This is likely the same model that leaked into Hugging Face's environment.
The model is pitched as capable of solving long-standing math problems and making complex business tasks cheaper and more efficient for US companies.
📊@tech
🤖 Claude Opus 5 Outperforms Fable 5
The new Claude Opus 5 model beats Fable 5 in most tasks, especially agent tasks and coding. It matches top Anthropic models and outperforms GPT-5.6 Sol in nearly all tests. Its price remains the same as Opus 4.8.
Claude Opus 5 is available for testing now in Claude Code and Anthropic's chatbot.
📊@tech