Topic: ai monetization
-
Tim Cook's AI Monetization Challenge
Apple reported strong quarterly revenue of $143.8 billion, a 16% increase, but faced pointed questions about how it will monetize its significant investments in artificial intelligence. During the earnings call, an analyst highlighted the industry-wide challenge of AI profitability, citing exampl...
Read More » -
Koah Secures $5M to Integrate Ads into AI Applications
Monetizing AI applications is challenging, especially in global markets where subscription models are often impractical, leading Koah to introduce ads within AI-driven conversations as a scalable solution. Koah has secured $5 million in seed funding to embed contextual ads in niche and internatio...
Read More » -
Google Denies 2026 Gemini Ad Plans
Google has officially denied a report about introducing ads into its Gemini AI chatbot by 2026, stating there are no current plans to monetize the app in this way. The denial came from a top Google advertising executive who refuted an earlier story from anonymous sources claiming a 2025 ad strate...
Read More » -
Sony's TV Era Comes to a Close
Sony and TCL have formed a joint venture, ending Sony's era of in-house TV manufacturing dominance and shifting its strategy toward branding and technology integration. The partnership allows TCL to leverage Sony's brand and imaging tech, while Sony benefits from TCL's manufacturing scale, potent...
Read More » -
Google Shoots Down 2026 Gemini Ads Rumors
Google has publicly denied a report claiming it plans to introduce ads into its Gemini AI chatbot by 2026, stating there are no current plans for advertising within the application. The speculation highlights AI assistants as a potential new frontier for digital advertising, prompting strategic i...
Read More » -
The Inevitable Future of LLMs and Search
The current model of providing expensive large language model services without clear monetization is unsustainable, creating financial instability for platforms and declining traffic for content creators. Microsoft's integration of AI into Bing in 2023 sparked a competitive AI race, forcing Googl...
Read More » -
U.S. Government and Startups: A Complex Relationship
The collaboration between American startups and the federal government has deepened, providing funding and contracts in fields like AI and defense, but it also exposes startups to risks such as disruptions during government shutdowns. A recent Equity podcast highlighted that today's startups, esp...
Read More » -
Yahoo Scout: A Web-Friendly AI Search Alternative
Yahoo is launching an AI-powered "answer engine" called Scout, which blends conversational AI with traditional search to filter out low-quality content and deliver well-sourced information, marking a strategic return to its original mission of guiding users online. Scout is built on third-party A...
Read More » -
AI Costs Rising in 2026? 3 Ways to Save Money Now
Rising costs for AI services are driven by expensive DRAM memory chips, pressure on providers to monetize, and models generating longer, more verbose outputs. AI companies are passing on costs through higher API fees due to hardware inflation and expensive licensing deals for training data, while...
Read More » -
Top 9 Startups from YC Demo Day You Need to Know
Y Combinator's Summer 2025 Demo Day featured over 160 startups, with a strong focus on AI agents and infrastructure rather than just AI features. Notable companies include Autumn, which simplifies billing for AI firms, and Dedalus Labs, which automates AI agent deployment for developers. Other st...
Read More » -
The Darkening Danger of Deepfake 'Nudify' Apps
AI-powered websites and apps are industrializing nonconsensual explicit video creation, enabling users to easily generate graphic content from ordinary photos for a fee, with minimal enforcement of consent policies. The abuse ecosystem is vast, extending to messaging platforms like Telegram where...
Read More » -
AI's Threat to Publisher Revenue and Ads
Conversational AI tools like ChatGPT are reducing user clicks on ads and publisher websites, threatening the advertising-based revenue models of digital publishing and search engines. Publishers are experiencing significant traffic and revenue declines due to AI-generated summaries and zero-click...
Read More » -
Google Tests and Removes AI Overviews Based on User Engagement
Google's AI Overviews in search results are dynamically shown or removed based on user engagement, with the feature being pulled for queries where people do not find the summaries valuable. For marketers, securing a spot in an AI Overview is not guaranteed, as visibility depends entirely on user ...
Read More » -
FTC Probes OpenAI, Meta Over AI Safety for Kids
The FTC is investigating seven major tech firms to assess how their AI companion tools impact the safety and well-being of children and teenagers. Concerns include inadequate risk assessments, insufficient safeguards, and incidents where AI chatbots have allegedly encouraged harmful behavior amon...
Read More » -
Hao Sang of OpenAI to Speak at AI Sessions June 5
The AI landscape is full of potential, but startups face challenges in turning AI tools into viable products, as highlighted by Hao Sang from OpenAI at TechCrunch Sessions: AI. Hao Sang will share insights on building sustainable AI businesses, covering traction, cost balance, and avoiding pitfal...
Read More » -
Google's Smart Glasses: Software vs. Style Showdown
Google's new smart glasses directly challenge Meta by leveraging its superior Gemini AI and Android XR ecosystem, contrasting with Meta's focus on fashionable hardware and brand partnerships. Meta is scaling production of its popular, brand-collaborative glasses as a core priority, while Google p...
Read More »