Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

Aaru, a startup that provides near-instant customer research by using AI to simulate user behavior, has raised a Series A led by Redpoint Ventures, according to three people familiar with the deal. The funding round included different valuation tiers, these people said. Although some equity was acquired at a $1 billion valuation, a lower valuation for other investors resulted in a blended valuation below $1 billion, according to people familiar with the deal. Multi-tier valuations within the same round are an unusual mechanism in venture capital, but investors say they are becoming increasingly common for desirable AI startups in the…

At least 14 cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been reported in central Florida.In an email to state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, the Florida Department of Health revealed the outbreak is linked to a gym, reported ABC News affiliate WFTV.The letter from the department did not list the name of the gym, but WFTV reported that a Crunch Fitness in Ocoee — 12 miles west of Orlando — had members reporting cases of Legionnaires’ disease.3 dead and at least 67 sick from growing Legionnaires’ disease cluster in New York CityCrunch Fitness told the station it is working with the health department, has…

An anti-vaccine lawyer who has regularly sued federal and state health agencies spoke Friday at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel — an unheard-of departure for the committee, which for decades was a trusted source for vaccine recommendations.The lawyer, Aaron Siri, has also served as the personal attorney for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist.Siri delivered a lengthy presentation about the childhood immunization schedule, chronicling what he said were concerning adverse events from routine vaccines and calling particular attention to vaccines for hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease and a combination…

An anti-vaccine lawyer who has regularly sued federal and state health agencies spoke Friday at a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel — an unheard-of departure for the committee, which for decades was a trusted source for vaccine recommendations.The lawyer, Aaron Siri, has also served as the personal attorney for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist.Siri delivered a lengthy presentation about the childhood immunization schedule, chronicling what he said were concerning adverse events from routine vaccines and calling particular attention to vaccines for hepatitis B, pneumococcal disease and a combination…

New moms and their babies will likely see a change in preventative treatment after they give birth, thanks to a decision by a federal vaccine panel that weakens longstanding guidance on the hepatitis B vaccine.For years, hospitals and birthing centers have encouraged parents to give their babies three things soon after their children’s birth – the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine, a shot of vitamin K and an antibacterial eye ointment – as part of a practice often called “3 at Birth.”But the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a board that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overhauled by adding…

Limitless, the AI startup formerly known as Rewind, has been acquired by Meta, the company announced Friday on its website. The company, which made an AI-powered pendant to record your conversations, says it will no longer sell its hardware devices and will maintain support for its existing customers for a year. Customers will no longer have to pay a subscription fee and will be moved to the Unlimited Plan for the time being. Other functionality will be wound down, including its non-pendant software “Rewind,” which recorded users’ desktop activity and turned it into a searchable record. The startup, founded by…

ChatGPT’s growth is starting to taper off, according to new data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Today, the OpenAI-owned AI chatbot remains the leader in the space, accounting for 50% of global downloads on mobile devices and 55% of the global monthly active users. However, Google’s Gemini has begun to outpace ChatGPT in terms of download growth, growth of monthly active users, and growth of time spent in app, the firm found. Over time, that increased pace of adoption could help Gemini narrow the gap with ChatGPT. That’s something OpenAI is now worried about, as its recent “code red”…

2025-12-05T19:39:00.567Z Share Facebook Email X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky WhatsApp Copy link lighning bolt icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. How much would you pay for a single AI killer app? Hedge fund honcho Sam Leffell has views. I got to know Sam while researching ChatGPT’s predictive abilities. He uses that leading AI tool constantly for work and in his personal life.He also tried Google’s Gemini earlier this year…

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts’ highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state’s lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users.The lawsuit, filed in 2024 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms.“We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is bringing back dozens of Education Department staffers who were slated to be laid off, saying their help is needed to tackle a mounting backlog of discrimination complaints from students and families.The staffers had been on administrative leave while the department faced lawsuits challenging layoffs in the agency’s Office for Civil Rights, which investigates possible discrimination in the nation’s schools and colleges. But in a Friday letter, department officials ordered the workers back to duty starting Dec. 15 to help clear civil rights cases.A department spokesperson confirmed the move, saying the government still hoped…