Around the corner is perhaps one of the most important elections this nation has ever seen, yet many people are still unaware of the details needed to cast informed ballots.
It’s not necessarily their fault — some voting information can be quite hard to find, especially when it comes to learning about, say, the political stances of judges up for recall or what a certain new amendment might mean for everyday life. In a very Silicon Valley way, there is an app looking to help with that called MyBallot AI, an interactive mobile platform to help make voting information more accessible.
All a user has to do is type into a chat box what they want to know about any upcoming elections and they will receive real-time answers to their questions.
The app, founded by Mark Larman, was publicly launched on Friday. It is powered by Google Gemini and sources its data from the Google Civic API and the BallotReady API. A little noteworthy feature is that the app reveals its sources when responding with information, perhaps as a way to avoid the plagiarism accusations that have plagued other chatbots.
Advertisement
On MyBallot, users can also fill out a sample ballot so they can start to familiarize themselves with the language on the ballot. Larman said he hired a developer back in February and “it just feels like a blessing to have it finally ready in time for the election.”
This app comes at a critical time. Misinformation remains a concern among voters this election and one person in particular is causing a stir for election officials: Elon Musk. CNN reports that states are trying to fact-check the billionaire to stop him from spreading claims that will “mislead voters.” Meanwhile, Axios reported that Facebook users are falling for AI images of fake people giving endorsements, with a flood of AI-generated content — including video and audio — taking hold over the internet. All of this, paired with the fact that search engines have deprioritized news, makes it hard for the average voter to find credible information about voting.
Mark Larman, founder of MyBallot AI. Image Credits:Courtesy of Mark Larman
Larman says he’s wanted to build an app like this since the 2020 election. He spent time that year protesting the murder of George Floyd and, when he found himself in the voting booth, he recalled looking at the ballot and not recognizing who any of the judges were.
“I was out there protesting and then when it came time to vote I didn’t even know which of these judges was for us or against us,” he said.
He spent the next three years thinking about creating a product that could effectively educate voters. When access to artificial intelligence was democratized, he took that opportunity to start building MyBallot AI. Now, he’s in the process of fundraising and still works at his day job as he builds the app.
Advertisement
“The app is especially important now to exist as a verifiably non-biased source for information,” he continued, adding that voters feel like news right now is biased. “If people weren’t so uninformed and knew more about the issues and candidates they were voting for instead of just voting for the team, they’d feel less like they got cheated or lied to.”
Many young people are also taking to the polls for the first time. Efforts are made each election to engage young voters, who are less likely to vote than older people. Tufts estimates that in 2020, 50% of young people (considered between the ages of 18 to 29) voted in the presidential election, an increase from 39% in 2016.
Larman thinks young people are going to come out this election, pointing out that the youth are very active in politics, “but, on the other hand, they may be the least likely to take the effort to navigate the existing non-user friendly websites to learn about state and local elections and they certainly aren’t interested in reading any 100-page voting manuals sent to their house.”
MyBallot right now can be used anywhere in the U.S., though it says it has plans to expand to other countries soon.
Advertisement
Larman has other big plans for the app, too. He aims to build a networking component so that users will be able to directly ask questions to candidates running for office — he will start reaching out to representatives after the presidential election, just in time for the midterms. To boost engagement, Larman also hopes to add political quizzes that can then help give ballot recommendations and work with organizations and universities to reach even more voters.
“I want people to trust it as a tool that doesn’t necessarily care what you think, we just want you to think,” he said.
It’s not enough for a TV to just be able to turn on and display whatever movie, show, or video game you’re diving into that day. Cutting-edge sets are all about 4K and 8K resolution, advanced picture processing, and smart TV capabilities. Fortunately, most manufacturers are at the ready when it comes to state-of-the-art features, and one brand we’re always prepared to stand behind is TCL.
We’ve reviewed several TCL TVs over the last couple of years, so we can say, without a doubt, that these are some of the best LED-LCDs and QLEDs on the market. Most TCL TVs are relatively affordable, too, which is why we’d like to shine a light on this fantastic offer: Right now, when you order the TCL 55-inch NXTFRAME 4K QLED at Best Buy or Amazon, you’ll save $500. At full price, this model sells for $1,500.
The TCL NXTFRAME is designed to showcase professional art prints and personal media. Even its surface-level cosmetics give the impression that you’re looking at a matte canvas! Once connected to Wi-Fi, the NXTFRAME gives you access to TCL’s Art Library and AI art features. You’ll even be able to choose your own matte background, and the TV comes with a Flush Wall Mount for getting as snug to the wall as possible (as you would a painting or photograph).
The NXTFRAME is far more than an art showcase, though. With its 4K screen and 120Hz refresh rate (up to 144Hz with compatible gaming hardware), this TCL QLED delivers bright and colorful picture. On top of class-leading HDR support and numerous gaming optimizations (including ALLM and AMD FreeSync Premium), the TCL NXTFRAME runs Google TV OS for all things smart TV, including apps like Netflix and Disney+.
It’s hard to say how long this discount is going to stick around, but our experience with Best Buy deals and Amazon deals is they tend to vanish quickly. That being said, now might be the best time to save $500 on the TCL 55-inch NXTFRAME 4K QLED. You may also want to check out some of the other great TCL TV deals we’ve been finding.
Google has become one of the biggest names in the AI-based development space on its own merits. The company is a pioneer in implementing artificial intelligence in mobile devices, offering advanced features and new possibilities. However, it has also implemented AI in its software products and services via Gemini models. Google’s new AI-powered virtual tourist guide is proof of that.
Since Google offers many products and services, you may not know them all. The Arts & Culture app is not as mainstream as Google Maps or Gmail, but it has a solid user base. As its name suggests, the app is a hub for multiple fun features and options related to art. For example, you can take virtual tours of cultural places (or “landmarks”) powered by Google Maps Street View.
Google develops an “AI tour guide” that offers commentary on what’s around you
Now, Google is integrating “Talking Tours” as a new AI-powered feature to the Arts & Culture app. Talking Tours harnesses the power of generative AI to give you audible commentary on artwork, locations, and other things of artistic value during virtual tours. The feature supports hotspots in up to 55 locations around the world.
That said, the feature isn’t limited to just Google’s predefined tours. Talking Tours can also generate commentary on what’s around you. To do this, the app will give you the option to take a 360-degree panorama that allows the AI to analyze the scene. Then, the “virtual tourist guide” will offer you helpful feedback on what’s in the scene.
Advertisement
Works on Google’s Arts & Culture landmarks
Talking Tours isn’t compatible with just any location, though. You have to be in one of the 55 hotspots supported by virtual tours. However, it’s impressive that your phone can do the job without a tourist guide in one of those areas thanks to AI. According to Techradar, the feature still needs some polishing. But this is expected given that this is only the initial version.
Talking Tours is available as an experimental feature in the Arts & Culture app for both Android and iOS. You can also try it out on the web version of the service.
One of fantasy and sci-fi’s all-time greats has passed away. Artist Greg Hildebrandt, known for his iconic work on Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Marvel and Magic: The Gathering, died on Thursday at 85. He and his twin brother Tim, who died in 2006, were a powerhouse duo — the Brothers Hildebrandt — until they decided to pursue solo careers in 1981.
The duo was perhaps best known for their “Style B” poster (above) for the original Star Wars in 1977. Released in the UK (Tom Jung’s “Style A” was the original US poster), the art shows Luke Skywalker heroically hoisting his lightsaber high above his head like King Arthur wielded Excalibur. He’s flanked by a blaster-toting Princess Leia, with C-3PO and R2-D2 looking on from behind. Darth Vader’s imposing mask peers down on them in the background among a sea of stars, the Death Star and starfighters.
As for Luke and Leia’s noteworthy lack of resemblance to Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, neither the Brothers Hildebrandt nor Jung had access to the actors’ photos. So, they made do with generic hero images that could have been ripped from 1970s fantasy book covers. (Still rad, if not screen-accurate.) The Hildebrandt poster was used in the UK until January 1978, when it was replaced by Tom Chantrell’s “Style C” poster, which depicted the actual cast.
Greg Hildebrandt / X
The brothers were also strongly associated with a series of The Lord of the Rings calendars. Decades before Peter Jackson brought the films to live action (and even before the 1978 animated version), their art — which drew on their influence from classic Disney films — was the most prominent visualization of Tolkien’s epic for many a 1970s fantasy reader.
Advertisement
Among Hildebrandt’s many other projects were comics for Marvel and DC, illustrations for Wizards of the Coast (Magic: The Gathering and Harry Potter), magazines Omni, Heavy Metal and Amazing Stories, album art for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Black Sabbath and a long list of book covers.
Hildebrandt also fought for freedom with his artistic gifts. After Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he contributed illustrations for Operation USA’s benefit anthology comic book series. Profits were donated to Ukrainian refugee relief efforts. Explaining his decision, he wrote, “Any project that I can lend my art to that will thwart Putin is a project I will join with all my heart, soul and mind.”
Strange particles that have mass when moving one direction but no mass when moving in another were first theorised more than a decade ago. Now, these mass-shifting particles have been glimpsed in a semimetal exposed to extreme conditions.
Advertisement
“This [particle] is very bizarre. You can imagine walking on the streets of New York and if you go straight, you are super light, you are massless. But turn 90 degrees east or west, and you become super massive,” says …
Sequoia, a tech investment firm, has announced that they are investing heavily into DecaartAI, using a demo codenamed Oasis to show off the new generative AI technologies. In this case, DecartAI presented a fully playable version of Microsoft and Mojang’s Minecraft not running on a game engine.
This is a fully playable version of Minecraft WITH NO GAME ENGINE, it’s purely a video model rendering pixels in real time pic.twitter.com/pj8AKYEpCC— Shaun Maguire (@shaunmmaguire) October 31, 2024
In the demo, the game is not being dictated by logic, claims Decaart. It is being created pixel-by-pixel in realtime through generative AI.
“Oasis takes in user keyboard input and generates real-time gameplay, including physics, game rules, and graphics,” Decaart writes in a blog post. “You can move around, jump, pick up items, break blocks, and more. There is no game engine; just a foundation model.”
It might be more accurate to argue that Oasis is an interactive video that takes input that is different from what is traditionally referred to as a video game. But it might be an example of how game creation is changing due to AI, as the idea of an engine-less model might birth new terms as developers come to grips with the technology.
GB Daily
Stay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox daily
Welcome to Startups Weekly — your weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want it in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.
Money attracts money, as the saying goes. This week seemed to confirm it, with a couple startups announcing new rounds of funding only months after their previous ones, and familiar names launching new ventures.
Most interesting startup stories from the week
Image Credits:Romain Dillet / TechCrunch
Whether it’s about IPOs, lobbying, or launching in public, finding momentum is key to success.
Half Zomato: India’s largest food delivery and quick-commerce scale-up Swiggy is looking to go public at a $11.3 billion value, less than half the market cap of its rival Zomato.
Advertisement
Wait and see: Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman declared that she wasn’t surprised that we haven’t seen a resurgence in startup IPOs yet. However, she thinks these will start to return with momentum in 2025.
EU Inc momentum: A petition calling for a new legal form for European startups is gaining momentum, with hopes of fostering Pan-European tech champions, but there are many hurdles to overcome along the way.
If the names below sound familiar, it’s because several of these startups raised their previous rounds quite recently.
Chatbots: Sierra, an AI customer service startup co-founded by OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor and longtime Google exec Clay Bavor, is valued at $4.5 billion after raising $175 million.
Advertisement
Threat intelligence: French cybersecurity startup Filigran secured a $35 million Series B round of funding for its threat management suite of products, which includes both open source and enterprise offerings.
More bots: Read AI, whose AI bot summarizes meetings and more, released a Chrome extension and announced it raised $50 million in a Series B funding round, only six months after its $21 million Series A.
Protein cages: Archon Biosciences emerged from stealth and announced it raised $20 million in seed funding. The biotech startup is applying AI to drug development, with a focus on addressing shortcomings of antibody treatments.
Chip demand: GMI Cloud, a U.S.-based startup providing GPU cloud infrastructure, raised a Series A round of funding consisting of $15 million in equity and $67 million in debt financing. The round was led by Headline Asia, with participation from strategic investors based in Asia.
Advertisement
Hot wave: Brightwave, a startup that developed an AI agent for asset managers, raised a $15 million Series A only four months after its seed round.
Most interesting VC and fund news this week
Image Credits:Taylor Hill / Contributor / Getty Images
Wilde bets: Actor and director Olivia Wilde quietly launched a venture firm late last year, according to Bloomberg. Called Proximity Ventures, it is already investing in the consumer and enterprise sectors.
Same thesis, more capital: African venture capital firm Janngo Capital closed its oversubscribed second fund at €73 million (around $78 million) and plans to keep on writing checks ranging from €50,000 to €5 million.
New frontiers: Crosscut’s $100 million sixth fund will invest in “frontier tech,” including energy and power, space and underwater exploration, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, and security and defense.
Horizon Europe: The European Innovation Council will dedicate €1.4 billion (about $1.5 billion) to European deep tech research and startups next year, a €200 million budget increase in comparison with 2024.
Advertisement
Last but not least
Image Credits:Xaira
AI is often present in funding stories these days, but aggregate data adds more nuance to the picture. Of the nearly 240 mega-rounds into U.S. startups that Crunchbase tracked so far this year, 87 went to biotech and healthcare, placing this category ahead of pure AI, although crossovers are common — for instance, in AI-enabled drug discovery. Xaira Therapeutics is one example; it raised a $1 billion mega-round earlier this year.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login