‘French scar’ leaves another mark on TikTok’s painful week


TikTok’s rough week in the west went from bad to worse today when Italian authorities slapped the app with a €10mn fine over a viral challenge called the “French scar.” The game invites users to pinch their cheeks until they leave a lasting bruise. It became particularly

11mo | The Next Web
Dutch startup TheyDo bags $34M to solve ‘biggest business problem of the century’


Dutch startup TheyDo has raised $34mn to solve “the biggest business problem” of the century —  scaling customer journeys. Founded in 2019, the company produces a live platform that provides actionable insights about customers. Enterprises can use the tools a

11mo | The Next Web
Princess Kate photo scandal triggers calls for watermarking untouched images


A distinctly British scandal caused by sloppy photo editing has sparked calls for watermarking untouched images. The pleas come after a picture of Princess Kate intensified wild rumours about her whereabouts. Kate’s representatives issued the image this week

11mo | The Next Web
UK looks to nature to train AI at 0.1% of the cost


Computing power to develop artificial intelligence does not come cheap. While you can build a simple AI chatbot for next to nothing, training a fine-tuned model on large data sets can cost millions of do

11mo | The Next Web
EU finally adopts AI Act, marking a ‘new era’ for artificial intelligence


The EU has officially adopted the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive rulebook on artificial intelligence. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) overwhelmingly endorsed the regulation on Wednesday. The law passed with 523 votes in favour, 46 against,

11mo | The Next Web
TNW Podcast: From Operation ‘Beethoven’ to founders’ mental health


Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast — the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In today’s episode, Andrii and Linnea talk

11mo | The Next Web
Watch: The first test of a magnetic levitation train on an existing track


Floating trains have glided closer to Europe after a pioneering trial of magnetic levitation — aka maglev. Italian firm IronLev, which developed the tech, claims to have completed the first-ever maglev test on an existing train track — and has the footage to pr

11mo | The Next Web
Brain stimulation tech wins €5M to fight depression at home


Depression affects approximately 280 million people all over the world, and disproportionately affects the female population — it is 50% more common in women than men. Treatments range fr

11mo | The Next Web
This startup taps quantum, AI to fast-track discovery of new materials


From batteries and semiconductors to energy storage, the transition to green technologies requires the development of new, sustainable materials at an unprecedented pace. German startup Quantistry believes it can fast-track the discovery of s

11mo | The Next Web
5 ways to boost your salary as a software developer in 2024


For much of the 21st century, software development has been an attractive career option. Now, however, there are perceived threats on the horizon as new tools seem set to fill the software development skills gap. Generative AI models are evolving quickly with t

11mo | The Next Web

Chercher