Lidar-maker Ouster has acquired StereoLabs, a company that makes vision-based perception systems for robotics and industrial applications, for a combination of $35 million and 1. The deal is the latest in a march toward consolidation among perception sensor suppliers. Just last month, MicroVision bought the lidar assets of the buzzy-but-now-bankrupt …

OpenAI on Monday announced it’s beginning to test ads in the U. for users on its Free and Go subscription tiers. The newer Go plan is a low-cost subscription at $8 per month in the U. and was introduced globally in mid-January. Subscribers to OpenAI’s paid plans, including its Plus, …

As Anthropic expands into India, a local software company has filed a court complaint saying it was already using the name “Anthropic,” spotlighting how the rapid global push of AI firms can collide with local incumbents. The filing comes amid Anthropic deepening its focus on India, announcing an India office …

On Monday, Databricks announced it reached a $5. 4 billion revenue run rate, growing 65% year-over-year, of which more than $1. 4 billion was from its AI products. Co-founder and CEO Ali Ghodsi wanted to share these growth numbers because there’s so much talk about how AI is going to …

In Brief Social network Bluesky is finally rolling out one of users’ most-requested features: drafts. Bluesky’s competitors, X and Threads, have long supported the ability to write drafts, which is seen as a baseline feature for services like this. Users can access drafts on Bluesky the same way they do …

YouTube megastar MrBeast announced on Monday that his company, Beast Industries, is buying Step, a teen-focused banking app. Step, which raised half a billion in funding and has grown to over 7 million users, offers financial services geared toward Gen Z to help them build credit, save money, and invest. …

In Brief Waymo has pulled the human safety driver from its autonomous test vehicles in Nashville, as the Alphabet-owned company moves closer to launching a robotaxi service in the city. Waymo, which has been testing in Nashville for months, is slated to launch a robotaxi service there this year in …

India is pushing Aadhaar, the world’s largest digital identity system, deeper into everyday private life through a new app and offline verification support, a move that raises new questions about security, consent, and the broader use of the massive database. Announced in late January by the Indian government-backed Unique Identification …

As AI data centers drive up electricity prices, London-based startup Tem thinks AI might be able to help solve it, too. Tem has built an energy transaction engine that relies on AI to cut prices relative to other energy traders. The company has signed up more than 2,600 business customers …

BBC Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been accused of attempting a "No 10 coup", reports the Daily Telegraph in its top story. It characterises his publication of texts with former British ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson as "an attempt by Mr Streeting to neutralise any obstacles in a …