Techin' Geek

AI researcher, entrepreneur, and investor Rana el Kaliouby expresses concern that AI may evolve into yet another “boys’ club” within the tech sector. During her talk at the SXSW conference in Austin on Sunday, el Kaliouby articulated her belief that insufficient diversity in the field could create economic challenges for women in technology, with broader consequences.

“Currently, I perceive AI as a boys’ club. The topic of diversity isn’t particularly trendy at the moment, but its significance cannot be overstated, as AI is generating remarkable economic prospects,” el Kaliouby stated onstage when questioned if the notion of AI as a boys’ club is merely a myth. (The interviewer presented various headlines from TechCrunch highlighting AI startups led by male founders to illustrate the issue.)

El Kaliouby, who divested her emotion-recognition software enterprise Affectiva in 2021 and is presently a co-founder and general partner at Blue Tulip Ventures, mentioned that 75% of her firm’s investments go to startups led by women CEOs.

“I don’t merely invest in women,” she explained. “However, I actively seek to support these women entrepreneurs, whether through funding or other means, as they aren’t receiving the opportunities they truly deserve.”

“If women are sidelined—whether from not founding these firms, not acquiring necessary funding, or even from not investing in the funds that are backing these companies—we will look back five or ten years from now and…widened the economic divide significantly. This issue greatly troubles me,” el Kaliouby emphasized.

Her mention of the current “unpopularity” of diversity discussions is in reference to the Trump administration’s reduction of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives, which subsequently affected the tech industry. Such changes influence not just hiring practices in tech firms, but also the development of their products. In AI, for example, companies might be pressured to align their model outputs with the priorities of the White House.

For el Kaliouby, the absence of diversity is not solely about potential economic disadvantages; it also pertains to the outcomes as well.

“I genuinely believe we are in a very thrilling era. However, I firmly assert that if we fail to take action, stand up for what matters to us—like ethics and diversity of thought and viewpoint while prioritizing the human element—the outcomes may not be favorable,” she continued. “Thus, this is a crucial moment to utilize our voices and leadership to shape the future direction.”

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Oura, the Finnish smart ring manufacturer, is making its debut in India, challenging local competitors like Ultrahuman in a relatively nascent smart ring ecosystem that is becoming more sensitive to pricing due to a surge of affordable alternatives.

The Oura Ring 4 is priced starting at ₹28,900 (approximately $313) and going up to ₹39,900 (around $432), with an optional monthly subscription of ₹599 (about $6). In the United States, the same ring retails from $349 with a $5.99 subscription fee. In contrast, Ultrahuman offers the Ring Air for ₹28,499 (around $308), while its newly launched Ring Pro is priced at ₹42,990 (approximately $465).

According to IDC, India’s smart ring market is still modest, experiencing a 30.6% decline in shipments in 2025 compared to the previous year, and average selling prices fell by 8.7% to $159.7 as budget brands increase their market share.

This downturn illustrates the relatively immature nature of smart rings in India, where they remain a niche offering with limited consumer awareness and relatively high costs even with the introduction of lower-priced options, remarked Vikas Sharma, senior market analyst for wearable technology at IDC. The segment initially gained traction as a developing technology trend, yet that growth has not been sustained, he noted. Marketing efforts have also been subdued as most companies focus on larger markets.

The limited expansion of the category is further hampered by the lack of competition beyond a few key players, which means there is not a wider ecosystem to foster awareness and innovation, Sharma told TechCrunch.

Last year, Ultrahuman led the smart ring market in India with a 30.4% market share, followed by Gabit at 18.3%, as per IDC data.

Oura is presenting the Ring 4 as a high-end health device, merging hardware with a subscription service that offers tailored insights on sleep, activity, and recovery. This blend of product positioning and services differentiates Oura from many local competitors, who primarily focus on pricing.

The competition between Oura and Ultrahuman goes beyond Indian borders: Oura has taken legal action against Ultrahuman in the U.S., impacting the sales of the latter’s Ring Air in that market. The company based in Bengaluru stated that it has redesigned the new Ring Pro to navigate Oura’s patents and has sent it to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to verify its eligibility for legal import.

In conjunction with the launch, Oura published a report detailing sleep trends among its Indian user base, utilizing data gathered from October 2024 to September 2025. The study indicated that users averaged around six hours and 28 minutes of sleep nightly, below the recommended duration, and spent less time in crucial sleep stages than the global average.

These findings highlight both the potential and the difficulties in India: While there is growing consciousness of health and wellness, converting that awareness into demand for premium, subscription-driven devices in a cost-sensitive market is still uncertain.

The ability of this demand to grow will rely on an influx of brands entering the market and diversifying their pricing and positioning, Sharma stated.

World, co-founded by Sam Altman, focuses on developing what it refers to as “proof of human” technology — identification verification solutions for an internet increasingly filled with AI-generated content of questionable quality. It’s notable that Altman’s other enterprise, OpenAI, has been frequently criticized for generating a significant amount of that content (though it’s arguable that he anticipated these issues when he established World).

This week, Tools for Humanity (TFH), the organization behind World, launched the beta version of a new verification tool — tailored to enhance the growth of agentic commerce, the rapidly expanding practice of utilizing AI programs to navigate the internet and make purchases on behalf of users.

An increasing number of consumers are opting for AI agents to browse websites and purchase items for them. While this trend offers a degree of automated convenience, it has also brought to light new potential for fraud, spam, and various forms of widespread internet misuse.

On Tuesday, World unveiled its claimed solution: AgentKit, a software development tool aimed at commercial websites that facilitates the integration of a new verification method that enables those platforms to confirm a genuine human is behind an agent’s purchasing actions.

AgentKit is based on World ID, which serves as the cornerstone of TFH’s verification framework. The most secure iteration of the ID is created from a scan of a user’s eyes through World’s Orb device. The Orb transforms an iris into a distinct and encrypted digital identifier — the authenticated World ID — which can subsequently be utilized to access TFH’s suite of services through the company’s World app.

AgentKit permits a user’s World ID to be incorporated into a newly introduced payment framework known as the x402 protocol. Developed by Coinbase and Cloudflare, x402 is a blockchain-driven open standard that enables automated computer systems to interact with one another directly online — without needing human oversight at each stage. To utilize AgentKit, users only need to register their AI agents with their World ID, which then informs websites — via the x402 system — that a specific verified human approves the agent’s buying choices.

“AgentKit is designed as a supplementary extension to the x402 v2 protocol, in collaboration with Coinbase,” Tools for Humanity stated in a press release. “The integration is intended so that any site already utilizing x402 can facilitate proof of unique human verification alongside (or in lieu of) micropayments.”

In a discussion with TechCrunch, TFH Chief Product Officer Tiago Sada likened the new feature to assigning “power of attorney” to an agent. By confirming that the AI program represents a specific user, a website can determine whether to trust the transactions initiated by those agents, Sada explained. “What the World ID credential indicates is that an individual is a genuine and distinct human,” he remarked, noting that websites still retain the option to block certain users they suspect of acting in bad faith.

AgentKit is currently being made available in beta to developers, with the expectation that feedback will enhance it over time. Sada also emphasized that consumers will need to have a validated World ID, obtained from an Orb scan, to be eligible for this level of verification.

This is a timely initiative. Leading e-commerce platforms and financial services have already begun to adopt agentic commerce. Last year, firms such as Amazon and Mastercard rolled out automated purchasing functionalities on their platforms, while Google recently introduced its own protocol aimed at supporting this trend. As the sector expands, the industry will undoubtedly seek mechanisms that guarantee it remains trustworthy and stable. World is evidently striving to establish itself as the primary provider of that stability.

Apple revealed a range of new products this month, from an economical MacBook to a fresh iPhone. 

The tech titan kicked off the announcements on March 2 with the introduction of the iPhone 17e and the M4 iPad Air. The following day, Apple unveiled the M5 MacBook Air, new models of MacBook Pro, the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, along with a new Studio Display and the Studio Display XDR. On March 4, Apple shared details about a more affordable MacBook named the MacBook Neo, which operates on a chip comparable to those in the iPad and iPhone. 

A week and a half later, Apple made an unexpected announcement: the AirPods Max 2, the much-anticipated successor to its luxury headphones released in 2020.

If you couldn’t find the time to review all the new releases, we’ve gathered every announcement for you right here. 

iPhone 17e

Apple introduced the newest variant of its economical iPhone series, the iPhone 17e, priced at $599 and set to launch on March 11. 

This smartphone is equipped with the A19 chip used in the standard iPhone 17. The basic model offers 256 GB of storage, which is double the initial storage capacity of the iPhone 16e. 

A key enhancement in this budget-friendly iPhone is the introduction of MagSafe and Qi2, which facilitate wireless charging at up to 15 W. The camera remains the same 48-megapixel offering as in the iPhone 16e.

The iPhone 17e also includes C1X, which is Apple’s latest cellular modem, reportedly up to 2x quicker than the C1 in the iPhone 16e, and consumes 30% less power than the modem in the iPhone 16 Pro, leading to enhanced battery life.

The smartphone is available in black, white, and a fresh soft pink hue. 

iPad Air M4

Apple revealed the updated iPad Air, now driven by the M4 chip, making it 30% quicker than the M3 iPad Air and 2.3 times more powerful than the M1 model. The device continues to retail at the same price: $599 for the 11-inch variant and $799 for the 13-inch version. There’s a $50 discount for educational customers. 

The iPad Air’s speed enhancements are thanks to an upgraded neural engine and increased memory, enhancing its AI capabilities. 

It also includes an 8-core CPU paired with a 9-core GPU, rendering it a solid choice for gaming or photo editing. Additionally, it boasts 12GB of unified memory, a 50% increase from its predecessor, along with a memory bandwidth reaching up to 120GB/s. Apple claims these improvements allow users to operate AI models more swiftly compared to previous versions.

This device is available in four colors: blue, purple, starlight, and space gray. Storage choices include 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. 

MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max

In conjunction with the launch of the new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, Apple also introduced upgraded MacBook Pro models harnessing the latest technology. Apple states these chips have been tailored specifically for improved performance in handling demanding AI tasks. The new models can tackle AI workloads as much as 4 times quicker than their M4 counterparts.

The M5 Pro and M5 Max chips offer up to 4x faster performance for LLM prompt processing and up to 8x faster performance for AI image generation when compared to the M4 Pro and M4 Max, respectively.

The MacBook Pro boasts read/write speeds that are up to 2x faster than the previous generation, starting with 1TB of storage for the MacBook Pro featuring the M5 Pro chip, and 2TB for the M5 Max version. Battery life can reach up to 24 hours; using a USB-C adapter of 96 W or higher allows users to charge to 50% in just 30 minutes. The laptops are equipped with Thunderbolt 5 and a six-speaker audio system.

The MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro chips start at $2,199 for the 14-inch variant and $2,699 for the 16-inch model, while the versions with M5 Max chips begin at $3,599 and $3,899, available in black or silver. 

M5 MacBook Air

Similar to the new MacBook Pro models, Apple’s latest MacBook Air has been engineered for better AI task management. 

The updated MacBook Air boasts 18 hours of battery life, enhancing performance by six hours compared to the 2020 Intel models. It contains a 12 MP Center Stage camera for video calls, a three-mic setup, and an audio system that supports Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos. Additionally, it offers two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a MagSafe charging port, and a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack.

The 13-inch MacBook Air is priced starting at $1,099, while the 15-inch variant begins at $1,299. The devices are available in sky blue, midnight, starlight, and silver. The Air now has a base storage of 512GB, doubling the entry capacity of the previous model.

MacBook Neo

Apple launched an affordable, entry-level device named the MacBook Neo, a competitor to Google’s Chromebook. Starting at $599, the MacBook Neo caters to students and casual users whose computing needs do not involve heavy tasks like video editing or 3D rendering.

This 13-inch laptop is offered in four colors: silver, blush, citrus, and indigo. The base model includes 256GB of storage, while the $699 version comes with 512GB and features Touch ID. 

Powered by the A18 Pro chip, which is also found in the iPhone 16 Pro models, this laptop does not utilize the more advanced and expensive M5 chip as the latest MacBook Air does.

The MacBook Neo is equipped with a 1080p FaceTime HD camera and dual microphones, plus speakers on each side delivering Spatial Audio capabilities. The battery life can extend up to 16 hours on a single charge, which can be replenished through either of its two USB-C ports. 

This device incorporates a five-core GPU along with a 16-core Neural Engine, enabling it to perform on-device gaming and AI tasks comparable to recent iPhones.

Additionally, this laptop is considered the most repairable MacBook in approximately fourteen years, as revealed by a teardown conducted by the how-to website iFixit.

AirPods Max 2

The new AirPods Max 2 from Apple retail for $549 and are equipped with active noise cancellation, Apple’s audio-centric H2 chip, live translation support, enhanced audio quality, and additional features. Available colors include midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue.

Apple claims the active noise cancellation (ANC) in these new headphones is up to 1.5 times more effective than that of their predecessors. The Adaptive Audio feature allows the headphones to automatically adjust ANC and Transparency settings based on the surrounding environment for optimal listening.

Additionally, the Transparency mode offers a more natural experience, thanks to a newly optimized digital signal-processing algorithm tailored for the H2 chip and the AirPods Max microphone array, ensuring users remain aware of their environment and those nearby.

The headphones also incorporate a Camera Remote function, allowing users to trigger the camera shutter on iPhones or iPads from a distance, along with a Loud Sound Reduction feature to shield users from loud ambient noise while maintaining the sound quality of their listening experience.

Studio Display and Studio Display XDR

Apple launched a new $1,599 Studio Display and a $3,299 Studio Display XDR. These 27-inch displays come with improved cameras and better connectivity options. Both models feature a 12 MP Center Stage camera, which Apple claims enhances image quality, and support for Desk View, which shows both a user’s face and an overhead view of their workspace simultaneously.

The displays include Thunderbolt 5 ports for connecting to peripherals and daisy-chaining up to four monitors (a Thunderbolt 5 Pro cable is included). 

The Studio Display’s 5K Retina screen features over 14 million pixels, 600 nits of brightness, and adheres to the P3 wide-gamut color standard, covering a larger spectrum of visible colors compared to formats like sRGB.

Meanwhile, the Studio Display XDR sports a 5K Retina XDR panel (5120 x 2880 resolution) with a mini-LED backlight and over 2,000 local dimming zones. It can achieve up to 1,000 nits of SDR brightness and 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness, alongside a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. It also caters to the Adobe RGB color standard.

M5 Pro and M5 Max chips

These new chips are built around Apple’s Fusion Architecture, a sophisticated design encompassing a potent CPU, scalable GPU, Media Engine, unified memory controller, Neural Engine, and Thunderbolt 5 capabilities.

Both chips come with an 18-core CPU, an upgrade from the 14-core configuration in the M4 Pro and the 16-core in the M4 Max. 

The CPU now features six “super cores,” which is Apple’s designation for its highest-performing cores, along with 12 brand-new performance cores. This overall architecture increases professional workload performance by up to 30%.

M5 Pro supports up to 64GB of unified memory, an increase from the 48GB available in M4 Pro, and its bandwidth reaches 307GB/s. Meanwhile, M5 Max continues to allow for up to 128GB of unified memory, with bandwidth escalated to 614GB/s.

New accessories 

Apple has introduced vibrant new spring colors for iPhone cases, Apple Watch bands, and the Crossbody Strap. The standard iPhone 17 now features the silicone case available in three new hues: Bright Guava, Vanilla, and Electric Lavender. Bright Guava and Vanilla are also included for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. 

The Apple Watch Sport Band comes in Bright Guava, Clementine, and Soft Pink, while the Sport Loop now features Bright Guava, Blue Mist, and Cantaloupe.

The Crossbody Strap can now be found in Bright Guava and Soft Pink.

Gamma, a service that enables the use of AI for creating presentations and websites, is unveiling a fresh image-generation tool aimed at producing marketing materials as it strives to compete more effectively with companies like Canva and Adobe.

The firm states its latest offering, named Gamma Imagine, will allow users to utilize text prompts to produce brand-tailored assets including interactive charts and visual representations, promotional material, social media graphics, and infographics. Currently, Gamma provides over 100 templates that users can leverage alongside its AI capabilities to craft the necessary assets.

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To enhance its data-centric asset-creation functionalities, the firm is integrating with platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Make, Zapier, Atlassian, n8n, and Superhuman Go.

“As we collaborated with many of our initial users, we recognized that in the presentations they aimed to develop, there were numerous graphic design applications they all desired,” stated Grant Lee, CEO and co-founder of Gamma, to TechCrunch. “Thus, we partnered with them to essentially create a new suite of tools that empowers them to extend well beyond the conventional presentation format,” he noted.

Lee opines that Gamma occupies a strategic position between professional-grade tools like Adobe or Figma and traditional tools such as Microsoft PowerPoint.

“We believe we can cater to the extended tail of knowledge workers and business professionals whose roles require visual communication, yet they lack the appropriate tools. They often need to engage a design resource to assist with such tasks, and we aim to offer an AI-native solution that addresses their needs in a market segment we perceive as significantly underserved,” he remarked.

Last November, Gamma secured $68 million in a Series B funding round led by a16z, achieving a valuation of $2.1 billion. At that time, the firm indicated it had an ARR of $100 million and 70 million users. Gamma informed TechCrunch that it is nearing 100 million users now.

The apparel sector is aware of its waste issue. Approximately one garbage truck’s worth of textiles is discarded every second. In addition, this sector produces more carbon emissions than combined international flights and maritime shipping. 

Some businesses are trying out innovative methods to recycle textile waste, while others are creating new materials that do not rely on fossil fuels. One startup, Rubi, is “essentially extracting the machinery of biology from the cell” to create the foundational components of lyocell and viscose, co-founder and CEO Neeka Mashouf shared with TechCrunch. The technology developed by the startup will enable any firm using cellulose to manufacture products from captured carbon dioxide.

Rubi has recently secured $7.5 million to construct a demonstration-scale version of its cellulosic production system, aimed at generating tens of tons of material by using CO₂ as its primary ingredient. This funding round was spearheaded by AP Ventures and FH One Investments, with additional involvement from CMPC Ventures, H&M Group, Talis Capital, and Understorey Ventures, as exclusively reported to TechCrunch by Rubi.

The startup has secured over $60 million in non-binding off-take deals with several partners, Mashouf indicated to TechCrunch. The company has conducted material testing with 15 pilot partners, including H&M, Patagonia, and Walmart.

To create cellulose for lyocell or viscose, Rubi employs enzymes. This approach is distinct from other startups that may utilize engineered bacteria in a fermenter or chemical catalysts to convert carbon dioxide into the required compound. Currently, the majority of cellulose is sourced from trees, encompassing plantations and untapped rainforests.

“These textile and raw material supply chains are very lengthy,” Mashouf remarked. “In the U.S., we’ve seen interest in the ability to actually produce textile-grade cellulose pulp, which is not currently available.”

The inspiration to use enzymes arose when Mashouf, a scientist focused on researching new materials, collaborated with her twin sister, Leila, a medical student at Harvard Medical School. “We examined all the existing technology,” she noted, but always returned to enzymes.

The enzyme sector is substantial, she stated. It is utilized in the production of high-fructose corn syrup and in the treatment of wastewater. “The existing capacity is already available and can be quite cost-effective.”

Rubi employs a “cascade” of enzymes to process waste carbon dioxide. The company has integrated AI and machine learning techniques to enhance the enzymes’ efficiency and stability. 

At present, the enzymes are suspended in an aqueous solution; as carbon dioxide is introduced, white cellulose will form within minutes inside the reactor, Mashouf explained. The reactors are designed to fit within modules the size of shipping containers. Ultimately, Rubi intends to modify its process for continuous production.

While the startup aims to serve apparel companies as its initial clients, it aspires to provide cellulose to any sector that utilizes it in the future. “This truly is a foundational platform,” Mashouf asserted. “We view it as a means to produce all the crucial chemicals and materials across the economy at a reduced cost.”

Electricity serves as a crucial raw material for artificial intelligence, yet emerging processing methods surpass the capacity of data center operators to handle their power grid interactions, compelling them to reduce output by as much as 30%.

“There is an immense amount of energy wasted in these AI facilities,” stated Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during a keynote address at the company’s annual GTC customer conference. “Every watt that goes unused equates to lost revenue,” the firm asserted during the yearly presentation.

Now, the startup Niv-AI has surfaced from stealth mode with $12 million in seed funding aimed at addressing this issue by accurately gauging GPU power consumption with innovative sensors and creating tools to manage it more effectively.

Founded in Tel Aviv last year by CEO Tomer Timor and CTO Edward Kizis, the startup counts Glilot Capital, Grove Ventures, Arc VC, Encoded VC, Leap Forward, and Aurora Capital Partners among its backers. The company opted not to disclose its valuation.

As advanced labs utilize thousands of GPUs simultaneously to train and operate complex models, intermittent, millisecond-level spikes in power demand occur when processors alternate between computational tasks and communication with other GPUs.

These spikes create challenges for data centers in managing their power intake from the grid. To prevent potential power shortages, data centers invest in temporary energy storage to handle surges or limit their GPU workloads. Both options diminish the return on investments in high-cost chips.

“We simply cannot continue constructing data centers the way we currently do,” remarked Lior Handelsman, a partner at Grove Ventures who serves on Niv’s board.

The initial phase of Niv’s strategy involves gaining insight into ongoing operations; the company is currently rolling out rack-level sensors that monitor power consumption at the millisecond level on GPUs that they possess and those of their design partners. The objective is to comprehend the distinct power profiles of various deep learning tasks and develop strategies that enable data centers to tap into more of their current capabilities.

Predictably, the engineers plan to develop an AI model based on the data they gather, aiming to train it to forecast and coordinate power loads across the data center — functioning as a “copilot” for data center engineers.

Niv-AI anticipates having an operational system in several U.S. data centers within the next six to eight months. This prospect is appealing, as hyperscalers looking to establish new data centers encounter challenging land-use and supply chain obstacles. The founders envision their final product as an essential “intelligence layer” bridging data centers and the electrical grid.

“The grid is genuinely concerned about the data center drawing excessive power at a particular moment,” Timor shared with TechCrunch. “The issue we are addressing is one with two facets: One aspect is to assist data centers in better utilizing their GPUs and, ideally, maximizing the power they are already paying for. Conversely, there’s a chance to create much more responsible power profiles between the data centers and the grid.”

Amazon is introducing one-hour and three-hour delivery services in various cities across the U.S. as the e-commerce leader aims to rival instant delivery services such as Instacart, DoorDash, and Uber Eats.

The retail giant is offering over 90,000 products through this new delivery method. If a user can receive an item within one or three hours, a label will indicate this next to that item in the Amazon app. Additionally, there is a filter for these new delivery choices available in the app and on the website.

Subscribers to Amazon Prime will be billed $9.99 for one-hour deliveries and $4.99 for three-hour deliveries. Non-Prime members will incur charges of $19.99 for one-hour deliveries and $14.99 for three-hour deliveries.

Amazon stated that it is rolling out the one-hour delivery service in hundreds of U.S. cities, including sectors of major urban areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., along with Des Moines, Boise, and American Fork. The three-hour service is set to be available in more than 2,000 cities and towns across the U.S.

Additionally, the firm is launching a specific storefront to showcase items that qualify for these new delivery options.

“Our customers lead increasingly busy lives and are seeking innovative solutions to save time while managing their households. We recognized an opportunity to leverage our distinct operational know-how and delivery infrastructure to streamline our customers’ lives, offering enhanced value for Prime members,” said Udit Madan, senior vice president of Worldwide Operations at Amazon, in a remark.

The corporation mentioned that it is utilizing its current same-day fulfillment centers for these new delivery options.

This marks not the first attempt by Amazon at instant deliveries. The company previously initiated one-hour deliveries through the “Prime Now” service in 2014, but discontinued it in 2021. Later, in December 2025, it tested a 30-minute delivery option in Seattle and Philadelphia.

The firm has been striving to enter the quick-commerce sector on a global scale. In India, it introduced Amazon Now in 2024, providing a 10-minute delivery service for groceries and various products, which was expanded to multiple cities last year. Amazon also launched the service in the United Arab Emirates last October, pledging deliveries within 15 minutes.