Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: a16z-backed Character.AI launches Character Group Chat, a feature that lets paying subscribers start group chats with AI characters, and with or without humans  —  Character.AI, the a16z-backed AI chatbot startup from ex-Google AI researchers, is out today with a new feature for its subscribers. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Karen Hao / The Atlantic: Sources: the US Department of Commerce is considering new export controls for general-purpose AI programs, a move that experts say could weaken US AI innovation  —  Washington and Beijing have been locked in a conflict over AI development.  Now a new battle line is being drawn. Lees verder op Tech Meme

Jacquelyn Melinek / TechCrunch: US v. SBF: Caroline Ellison says Alameda paid $100M to $150M in crypto transfers to Chinese officials to unfreeze its OKX and Huobi trading accounts, worth ~$1B  —  During the Sam Bankman-Fried trial on Wednesday, former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison testified that the crypto trading … Lees verder op Tech Meme

Bloomberg: Analysis: Apple’s key suppliers in Taiwan saw revenue fall 16.4% YoY to ~$38.7B in September, despite the launch of new iPhones and several Android smartphones  —  – September sales deepened double-digit decline seen in August  — Consumer electronics demand has been stubbornly low all year Lees verder op Tech Meme

Gabe Bullard / Nieman Reports: Internal memo: NPR lost a negligible amount of traffic in the six months since leaving Twitter, after the service labeled the outlet “US state-affiliated media”  —  The numbers confirm what many of us have long suspected — that Twitter wasn’t worth the effort, at least in terms of traffic Lees verder op Tech Meme