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Revolutionizing Mobility: How Scewo BRO Is Empowering Lives with Stair-Climbing Technology

Globally, over 20 million people report some form of mobility difficulty each year. While most affected individuals are between the ages of 59 to 67, younger adults are not exempt from these challenges. For people with mobility impairments, the world is often filled with physical barriers—none more daunting than stairs. Navigating such obstacles often leads to social exclusion, limiting access to essential services, education, and participation in events.

In response to this pressing issue, Swiss tech company Scewo has introduced a groundbreaking solution—Scewo BRO, the world’s first power wheelchair capable of combining two-wheel drive with stair-climbing functionality. Designed to overcome the limitations of traditional mobility aids, BRO is transforming lives across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and beyond.

 

The Technology That Moves Beyond Limits

Scewo BRO’s unique engineering has won it multiple prestigious design awards. Unlike conventional wheelchairs, BRO is equipped with advanced sensors that read its environment and detect the edge of stairs, enabling a safe and smooth ascent or descent.

Its stair-climbing capability is coupled with remarkable adaptability, allowing users to control the chair through a smartphone app, a side-mounted control panel, or a hand joystick. With a maximum speed of 10 km/h and a durable battery offering more than 1,000 charging cycles, BRO is both powerful and reliable.

What truly sets BRO apart is its thoughtful design. The wheelchair offers customizable seating comfort and evolves over time with frequent software updates, becoming smarter and more responsive with each iteration. Its modular architecture supports an expanding range of accessories, ensuring it remains adaptable to diverse user needs.

 

A Startup with a Vision, Backed by Visionaries

Launched in 2014 by founders Bernhard Winter and Pascal Buholzer, Scewo developed BRO in just three years—an impressive feat in the world of medtech innovation. The startup's rapid success caught the attention of global investors. In a Series A funding round held between July and November 2021, Scewo raised CHF 11.5 million to accelerate its growth and international expansion.

Key investors in this round included Verve Ventures, several private investors, and Boundary Holding, a European deep tech investment firm led by Rajat Khare. After meeting the founders in Switzerland, Mr. Khare was impressed by their passion and visionary approach. Recognizing the alignment of their mission with his investment philosophy, he promptly sealed the deal, bringing critical support to the company’s ambitious plans.

 

Innovation Recognized

Scewo’s contributions to medtech have not gone unnoticed. In 2021, the company was awarded the Swiss Medtech Award, a testament to its innovative edge and market potential. The BRO wheelchair continues to receive accolades for both its function and form, reinforcing its position as a revolutionary product in the mobility space.

Commenting on their journey, co-founder Bernhard Winter stated:

“The interest from customers is huge! We are now evaluating strategically located and qualified distribution partners to offer local test drives and a good service.”

 

The Future of Independent Living

Scewo BRO is more than just a wheelchair—it’s a symbol of independence, inclusivity, and intelligent design. As Scewo continues to scale and evolve, it’s reshaping how society addresses mobility challenges, offering users the freedom to move, explore, and engage with the world around them.

With powerful technology, thoughtful design, and visionary support, Scewo BRO stands as a shining example of how innovation can be harnessed to improve lives and remove barriers—one stair at a time.

Source: The information provided in this article is based on available source link.

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The Evolution of MedTech: Transforming Healthcare Through Innovation and Investment

The omnipresence of technology has significantly impacted the healthcare industry, driving the adoption of advanced medical devices not only for diagnosis but also as preventive health measures. What once seemed like a distant possibility is now a reality, thanks to continuous advancements in medical technology (MedTech).

The Growth of MedTech: A Billion-Dollar Industry

The MedTech industry has been experiencing exponential growth, with projections estimating it will reach a valuation of $594 billion by 2024. Many organizations are actively working toward developing affordable and innovative technologies to enhance healthcare systems worldwide. Europe, following the U.S., has emerged as a major hub for MedTech advancements, with over 14,000 patent requests highlighting its potential as a key player in the sector.

Innovations Reshaping Healthcare

A surge of innovative companies is revolutionizing healthcare through groundbreaking solutions. Some notable players include:

Neo-Medical: Specializing in spinal care solutions, Neo-Medical leverages AI-powered technology, "Assist AI," to guide surgeons in real-time, reducing stress overload on patients' spines and improving surgical outcomes.

Remidio: A game-changer in eye care, Remidio has developed a handheld, nonmydriatic fundus camera that enables quick and effortless retinal imaging, making eye disease detection more accessible.

Scewo: Pioneering mobility solutions, Scewo has introduced a motorized wheelchair capable of traversing various terrains and even climbing stairs, offering users greater independence and mobility.

These companies are not only addressing medical challenges but also redefining healthcare accessibility and efficiency through cutting-edge technologies.

The Role of Investment in MedTech Expansion

While technological advancements are critical, financial backing plays an equally significant role in bringing these innovations to life. Investment firms like Boundary Holding, founded by Rajat Khare, have been instrumental in supporting MedTech startups. Rajat Khare believes that the digital revolution will continue to break barriers in healthcare, with artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, cloud storage, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) shaping the future of MedTech.

Other influential leaders in the financial sector share a similar vision. Michel Le Bars, a key figure at Deloitte Switzerland overseeing mergers and acquisitions in life sciences and healthcare, emphasizes Switzerland’s stronghold in the MedTech industry. According to him, the country’s high density of manufacturers and specialized suppliers makes it a leader in medical technology innovation.

Additionally, Charity Kufaas, Vice President of Strategy and Commercial Development for EMEA at Medtronic in Switzerland, highlights Europe’s strategic importance in MedTech. Medtronic is actively seeking collaborations with MedTech SMEs and investors to drive advancements in cardiology, medical-surgical solutions, neuroscience, and diabetes management.

The Future of MedTech: A World of Possibilities

As MedTech continues to evolve, we can anticipate groundbreaking developments not just in research but also in turning visionary ideas into reality. The industry’s growth would not be possible without the support of investors, innovators, and financial institutions that recognize the transformative potential of medical technology.

With sustained investment and collaboration, MedTech is poised to redefine global healthcare, making advanced treatments and diagnostic tools more accessible and effective than ever before. The future is undoubtedly bright for this ever-expanding industry, and we are only scratching the surface of what’s possible.

Source: The information provided in this article is based on available source link.

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OpenAI may ‘adjust’ its safeguards if rivals release ‘high-risk’ AI

OpenAI has updated its Preparedness Framework — the internal system it uses to assess the safety of AI models and determine necessary safeguards during development and deployment. In the update, OpenAI stated that it may “adjust” its safety requirements if a competing AI lab releases a “high-risk” system without similar protections in place.

The change reflects the increasing competitive pressures on commercial AI developers to deploy models quickly. OpenAI has been accused of lowering safety standards in favor of faster releases, and of failing to deliver timely reports detailing its safety testing. Last week, 12 former OpenAI employees filed a brief in Elon Musk’s case against OpenAI, arguing the company would be encouraged to cut even more corners on safety should it complete its planned corporate restructuring.

Perhaps anticipating criticism, OpenAI claims that it wouldn’t make these policy adjustments lightly, and that it would keep its safeguards at “a level more protective.”

“If another frontier AI developer releases a high-risk system without comparable safeguards, we may adjust our requirements,” wrote OpenAI in a blog post published Tuesday afternoon. “However, we would first rigorously confirm that the risk landscape has actually changed, publicly acknowledge that we are making an adjustment, assess that the adjustment does not meaningfully increase the overall risk of severe harm, and still keep safeguards at a level more protective.”

The refreshed Preparedness Framework also makes clear that OpenAI is relying more heavily on automated evaluations to speed up product development. The company says that while it hasn’t abandoned human-led testing altogether, it has built “a growing suite of automated evaluations” that can supposedly “keep up with [a] faster [release] cadence.”

Some reports contradict this. According to the Financial Times, OpenAI gave testers less than a week for safety checks for an upcoming major model — a compressed timeline compared to previous releases. The publication’s sources also alleged that many of OpenAI’s safety tests are now conducted on earlier versions of models rather than the versions released to the public.

In statements, OpenAI has disputed the notion that it’s compromising on safety.

Other changes to OpenAI’s framework pertain to how the company categorizes models according to risk, including models that can conceal their capabilities, evade safeguards, prevent their shutdown, and even self-replicate. OpenAI says that it’ll now focus on whether models meet one of two thresholds: “high” capability or “critical” capability.

OpenAI’s definition of the former is a model that could “amplify existing pathways to severe harm.” The latter are models that “introduce unprecedented new pathways to severe harm,” per the company.

“Covered systems that reach high capability must have safeguards that sufficiently minimize the associated risk of severe harm before they are deployed,” wrote OpenAI in its blog post. “Systems that reach critical capability also require safeguards that sufficiently minimize associated risks during development.”

The updates are the first OpenAI has made to the Preparedness Framework since 2023.

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Nvidia H20 chip exports hit with license requirement by US government

Semiconductor giant Nvidia is facing unexpected new U.S. export controls on its H20 chips.

In a filing Tuesday, Nvidia said it was informed by the U.S. government that it will need a license to export its H20 AI chips to China. This license will be required indefinitely, according to the filing — the U.S. government cited “risk that the [H20] may be used in … a supercomputer in China.”

Nvidia anticipates $5.5 billion in related charges in its Q1 2026 fiscal year, which ends April 27. The company’s stock was down around 6% in extended trading.

The H20 is the most advanced AI chip Nvidia can export to China under the U.S.’s current and previous export rules. Last week, NPR reported that CEO Jensen Huang might have talked his way out of new H20 restrictions during a dinner at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, in part by committing that Nvidia would invest in AI data centers in the U.S.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, Nvidia announced on Monday that it would spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the next four years manufacturing some AI chips in the U.S. Pundits were quick to point out that the company’s commitment was light on the details.

Multiple government officials had been calling for stronger export controls on the H20 because the chip was allegedly used to train models from China-based AI startup DeepSeek, including the R1 “reasoning” model that threw the U.S. AI market for a loop in January.

Nvidia declined to comment.

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Bolt’s Ryan Breslow pins his hopes on a new app that takes on Coinbase, Zelle, and PayPal

Ryan Breslow is officially back.

While the founder of one-click checkout company Bolt re-assumed its helm as CEO in March, Breslow is unveiling Wednesday a new “superapp” that he hopes will formally mark his return as the fintech’s leader. He describes the new product as “one-click crypto and everyday payments” in a single platform, in an exclusive interview with TechCrunch.

The controversial entrepreneur famously stepped down in January 2022 from the San Francisco-based company he started in 2014 after dropping out of Stanford. In recent years, Breslow has been the target of more than one investor lawsuit and faced allegations that he misled investors and violated security laws by inflating metrics while fundraising the last time he ran the company.

Breslow acknowledges that Bolt’s revenue has not been robust in recent years. But he hopes to change that with this new consumer app, which he ambitiously hopes will serve as “a centralized and personalized hub for financial services.”

The app at once competes with a number of other companies such as crypto exchange Coinbase, payments platform Zelle, and PayPal. Its advantage, Breslow claims, is the ability to do what all these others do from one place via mobile.

For example, the app will allow users to buy, sell, send, and receive major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDC, Solana, and Polygon directly within the app. Users are provisioned an on-chain balance powered by Zero Hash and will be able to see their balance in real time, Breslow says.

“I founded Bolt 11 years ago to build the easiest app to buy, sell, and send crypto. I believe this still hasn’t been done well in the marketplace. Today marks a significant day: the return of that original vision,” said Breslow. “We call it ‘Coinbase for the 99%’ who may not be the most technical, but still want to participate in the buying and selling of crypto.” (Bolt in 2022 paid $1.5 billion for cryptocurrency payments company Wyre. It started out as an “easy way to buy, sell, and send crypto” before pivoting to build one-click checkout first.)

Breslow is also hoping to pick up where Zelle left off with the shutdown of its standalone app. With Bolt’s new offering, users can process peer payments “with just a single click” within its app. With Zelle, users can only send payments to peers through banking apps.

On top of that, Bolt has partnered with Midland States Bank to now also offer a debit card that features a rewards program, including up to 3% direct cash back on eligible purchases and up to 7% in Love.com store credits. (Love.com is another startup founded by Breslow in 2023 that is focused on health and wellness. He remains its CEO.)

As Bolt doesn’t offer banking services, users will have to transfer money from another bank account into this one to fund purchases with the debit card.

And lastly, the new app also provides real-time order tracking for users — something other companies such as Klarna offer in their app, as well.

The app is available today in iOS and will soon be available in the Google Play store. Once downloaded, users will be added to a waitlist with iOS users being the first to get off the waitlist.

“Working nights and weekends” The new “superapp” was built within just six months, Breslow claims. Justin Grooms (Bolt’s president and former interim CEO) and Kartik Ramachandran (Bolt’s chief product officer) began work on the app before Breslow was reinstated. Breslow helped advise them during the months prior to his reinstatement.

“Our team has been working nights and weekends to get this ready in time,” Breslow said. Presently, Bolt has about 140 employees.

Despite lackluster revenue growth, Breslow claims that Bolt has managed to still grow in terms of users — with a two-sided network of tens of millions of U.S. shoppers and “hundreds” of merchants such as Revolve and Kendra Scott.

Bolt’s ARR stood at about $28 million with $7 million in gross profit as of the end of March 2024, tech publication Newcomer reported last year.

“Prior to my return, our revenue did not grow much and we haven’t closed as much business as we’d like. We don’t think the company was run as well as it could have been. And that’s something I’m going to change very quickly,” Breslow told TechCrunch. “However, our platform kept on enrolling shoppers and attracting network growth. When I left, it was at 10 million. Now our total shopper network is 80 million in the U.S. and even larger globally.”

He’s hoping to turn that network into revenue for Bolt by earning money from interchange fees for every debit card transaction and charging fees for the purchase and sale of crypto.

“We already have a large trove of data users have provided that has been verified and charged successfully,” he said.

Settling lawsuits The fintech company last year was reportedly trying to raise $450 million in an unusually structured deal that would have valued it at $14 billion. That deal raised questions over its unusual use of $250 million in “marketing credits” and lack of confirmation from an investor mistakenly identified as its lead.

Some of Bolt’s investors, including BlackRock and Hedosophia, sued to block the round, Forbes reported, but that was voluntarily dismissed by all parties, Bolt announced in March.

Today, Bolt is in “early conversations” on a new round that Breslow projects could close “in the mid to near future.”

Breslow was also previously sued by former investor Activant Capital over a $30 million loan that the founder had taken out. Activant claimed Breslow saddled the startup with $30 million in debt by borrowing that amount and then defaulting, with company funds used to pay it back.

The case was eventually settled, with Bolt agreeing to repurchase Activant’s shares for $37 million last year.

Speaking at Fintech Meetup in Las Vegas in March, Breslow defended the loan, framing it as an act of loyalty to Bolt rather than the self-dealing the Activant lawsuit alleged it was.

“I’ve had a tremendous amount of decline over the last three years and have been winning back the trust of judges, investigators, and our team, so it’s been incredibly challenging, but it’s been a remarkable learning experience,” he told TechCrunch. “I’ve learned more in these last three years than in the 10 years prior to that.”

He added: “And even though it’s been challenging, I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity in front of us. I feel so grateful that our company has weathered the storm.”

Bolt, which provides software to retailers to speed up checkout, raised around $1 billion in total venture-backed funding and at one time was valued at $11 billion. Investors include funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Schonfeld, Invus Opportunities, CreditEase, H.I.G. Growth, and Moore Strategic Ventures, among others.

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Deck raises $12M to ‘Plaid-ify’ any website using AI

Deck, a startup that claims to be building “the Plaid for the rest of the internet,” has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round — about nine months after closing its seed financing, it tells TechCrunch exclusively.

The new raise, led by Infinity Ventures, brings Montreal-based Deck’s total raised since its January 2024 inception to $16.5 million. Golden Ventures and Better Tomorrow Ventures co-led its seed raise.

Deck claims that it is building the infrastructure for user-permissioned data access — across the entire internet. Its browser-based data agents “unlock” the data from any website through automation.

To put it more simply, Deck helps users connect any account online and aims to turn the information into structured, usable data, with full user permission.

President Frederick Lavoie, CEO Yves-Gabriel Leboeuf, and CTO Bruno Lambert (pictured above, left to right) co-founded Deck in June 2024.

The startup’s approach is to treat the web itself as an open platform. It operates under the premise that users have “tons of valuable data” locked behind usernames, passwords, and session-based portals with no real way to share it securely.

Deck hopes to change that.

“Just like Plaid gave developers an easy, secure way to access bank account data with user permission, Deck does the same for the 95% of platforms that don’t offer APIs such as utility portals, e-commerce backends, payroll systems and government services,” Leboeuf told TechCrunch. Its goal is to make it easier for developers to access the data users already have without all the manual work

When a user connects an account, Deck’s infrastructure handles everything behind the scenes. Its AI agents log in, navigate, and extract the data “just like a human would — but faster, more reliably, and at scale,” said Leboeuf.

It then generates scripts to keep those connections live and reusable without AI involvement going forward.

“Companies use Deck to eliminate the friction of getting their user data from places where APIs don’t exist — or are incomplete, expensive, or unreliable,” Leboeuf said. “We basically ‘Plaid-ify’ any websites. Whether you’re doing accounting, KYC, automating reporting, or verifying a business, Deck lets you build those features in minutes instead of months.”

Repeat founders Leboeuf and Lavoie previously started Flinks, a startup that was dubbed the “Plaid for Canada.” The National Bank of Canada acquired it in 2021 for about US$140 million. (Lambert was one of Flinks’ first engineers.)

After that sale, the founders started talking to entrepreneurs across industries.

“Again and again, we heard the same thing: Our data is broken,’” said Leboeuf.

One founder had millions in food sales intelligence trapped in dozens of “clunky” distributor portals. Another spent months trying to access music royalty data — to help users claim over a billion in unpaid royalties.

“We even experienced the problem firsthand,” Lavoie said. “The pattern was clear: data access was fragmented, fragile, and failing — and not just in banking. It was everywhere.”

So they built Deck, which today competes with Arcadia, a company that the founders had tried using but grew frustrated by.

The trio believes that recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) have underscored the urgency of open access to non-financial data. Without it, AI risks being trained on outdated, biased, or incomplete information.

Initially, the company has been focused on working with utility companies, having connected to over 100,000 utility providers in more than 40 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia. Customers include EnergyCAP, Quadient, and Greenly. Deck is also working with non-utility customers such as Notes.fm, Glowtify, and Evive Smoothies. It believes that its technology can be applied to any industry where data is “trapped” in online accounts.

“Think of us as the bridge between the application layer and foundational tools like browser automation or AI operators such as Playwright, Browser Use, OpenAI Operator,” Leboeuf said. “We’ve taken the messy, foundational pieces — authentication, data normalization, rate limiting, consent management, and antibot protection — and turned them into a seamless, productized platform.”

Rapid growth Deck has seen the number of developers building on its platform “grow drastically” in the last couple of months, according to its founders. In February, for example, its connections grew by over 120% compared to the previous month. The startup’s pricing model is performance-driven, charging clients based on “successful” API calls.

“That means you only pay when the data works,” said Lavoie.

Like Plaid and Flinks, Deck relies only on explicit user consent to connect and collect data.

“While it may hypothetically be violating some terms and conditions, our technology follows the open data international trend that was initiated and greatly popularized by open banking, and has pushed regulators across the world to make it clear in several jurisdictions that consumers and businesses have the right to access and transfer their data,” said Leboeuf.

Deck also claims to have proprietary technologies to avoid being labeled as bots or crawlers. Those technologies include several different methods, such as vision computing and human-like mouse movement.

“While we see a lot of antibot technologies in sectors like telcos or HR, where there is a lot of fraud from identity theft, lots of other data verticals have limited to no antibot technologies,” said Lavoie.

For now, it’s not using the data collection to train models, instead focusing on building the best way to collect the data rather than building products on top of the collected data itself.

“We operate in a dual consent environment, where we would need end-user consent, and Deck’s client consent, to use the data,” Leboeuf said.

The company soon plans to launch a data vertical creator, which it claims will let any developer “get up and running for any data verticals for any industry… in no time.”

Presently, Deck has 30 employees.

Jeremy Jonker, co-founder and managing partner at Infinity Ventures, believes that Deck is “transforming” the user-permissioned data sector, “just as open banking reshaped financial data.”

“With a modular platform and reusable recipes, they deliver speed, reliability, and adaptability that extend well beyond utilities,” he told TechCrunch. Jonker has joined Deck’s board as part of the financing.

Intact Ventures, along with previous backers Better Tomorrow Ventures, Golden, and Luge Capital also participated in the Series A financing.

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Revolutionizing Medicine: How AI is Shaping the Future of Healthcare

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of a healthcare revolution, transforming how medical professionals diagnose, treat, and predict diseases. By leveraging advanced algorithms and machine learning techniques, AI enhances patient outcomes, reduces healthcare costs, and improves the overall quality of care.

AI in Diagnosis and Treatment

AI is rapidly becoming crucial in medical procedures, particularly in diagnosing complex conditions such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. By analyzing vast amounts of patient data and medical images, AI-driven diagnostic tools facilitate early detection and intervention, leading to better prognoses and patient recovery rates. For instance, AI is making its way into operating rooms, assisting surgeons with precision-guided procedures and optimizing treatment plans.

One notable area where AI is making a significant impact is spinal cord injury treatment. AI-driven technologies enhance rehabilitation efforts, helping individuals regain mobility and improve their quality of life. Companies like Scewo are pioneering advancements in MedTech by developing innovative solutions for patients with spinal cord injuries.

Personalized Medicine Powered by AI

Personalized medicine is another area where AI is revolutionizing healthcare. AI algorithms analyze extensive patient data—including genetic information, lifestyle factors, and medical history—to create tailored treatment plans. This individualized approach minimizes adverse effects and improves treatment efficacy. Companies such as Novarad are utilizing AI to enhance various healthcare technologies, including PACS, RIS, cardiology, orthopedics, and radiology workflow systems. These innovations streamline healthcare operations, improve collaboration among medical professionals, and enhance patient care.

Investment in AI-Driven MedTech

Venture capital firms like Boundary Holding, under the leadership of Rajat Khare, play a pivotal role in advancing AI in MedTech. Recognizing the immense potential of AI-driven healthcare solutions, Boundary Holding has invested in companies like Scewo, fueling their growth and enabling groundbreaking innovations. These strategic investments not only drive the development of cutting-edge medical technologies but also contribute to the broader advancement of healthcare science and patient care.

Rajat Khare’s advocacy for AI in healthcare demonstrates his strategic foresight in identifying and supporting transformative opportunities in the MedTech sector. By fostering collaborations and providing essential funding, such investments accelerate the integration of AI into healthcare, ensuring that new technologies reach patients and healthcare providers worldwide.

AI in Prognostics and Workflow Optimization

Beyond diagnosis and treatment, AI is enhancing prognostic models by analyzing patient data to detect disease progression. These predictive analytics tools help healthcare providers develop effective treatment strategies, improving patient outcomes. Additionally, AI-powered systems streamline administrative tasks in healthcare settings, freeing up medical professionals to focus more on patient care. This improved efficiency leads to better resource utilization and enhanced healthcare delivery.

AI in Wearable Devices and Remote Monitoring

The integration of AI in wearable devices and remote monitoring systems is revolutionizing patient care by enabling continuous health tracking. AI algorithms analyze real-time patient data to detect concerning trends or emergencies, alerting healthcare providers for timely interventions. This proactive approach ensures early response to potential health issues, improving patient safety and long-term health management.

Ethical Considerations and Challenges

Despite AI’s transformative potential, ethical considerations must be addressed. Ensuring patient privacy, data security, and algorithm transparency is critical for the responsible use of AI in healthcare. Regulatory frameworks must evolve to accommodate AI advancements while maintaining ethical standards. Overcoming these challenges will pave the way for widespread AI adoption, leading to a future where AI-driven healthcare enhances efficiency, delivers personalized treatments, and improves patient outcomes.

Conclusion

AI is revolutionizing healthcare by transforming diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Companies like Scewo, supported by strategic investments from firms like Boundary Holding, exemplify AI’s potential to reshape MedTech. As AI continues to evolve, its integration into healthcare will lead to groundbreaking innovations, ultimately improving patient care, operational efficiency, and medical advancements. With continued research, investment, and ethical oversight, AI will shape the future of medicine, making healthcare more accessible, effective, and patient-centered.

Source: The information provided in this article is based on available source link.

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Health expert warns of leaning too heavily on AI for social connections

With the rise of AI companions who serve as online friends or romantic interests, experts are questioning how the technology affects our real-world social connections and relationships.

According to Kasley Killam, author of the social health-focused book “The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health Is the Missing Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier,” there may be some benefits to using AI as a tool to practice social interactions, but the technology should only be used to augment, not replace, our personal relationships and real-world connections.

On Friday, the social health expert and graduate of the Harvard School of Public Health explained during a panel at the SXSW conference in Austin that she was skeptical that AI could improve people’s social skills.

She noted that AI companies will often tout the benefit of using their AI companions as a way for people to practice conversations and other social skills for use in the real world.

“That may be true,” she said, but she warned that this type of practice should not replace real-world connections.

“I want to have a society where people feel comfortable and have opportunities practicing that in person — like if we’re teaching this in schools and practicing it in real time, then that just becomes part of our toolkit for how to go about life,” Killam said.

The author also noted that while she was researching her book, she found that “hundreds of millions” of users were already using AI as a “friend, as a lover, as a husband, as a wife, as a boyfriend, [or] as a girlfriend.”

Recent research from app intelligence provider Appfigures found that AI companion mobile apps were seeing over 652% year-over-year revenue growth in 2024, attracting $55 million in consumer spending over the course of the year, for instance. The U.S. was the top market for these apps last year, accounting for 30.5% of total consumer spending.

“I have a lot of feelings about this,” Killam said. “On one hand, I’m concerned. I’m concerned that we have created a culture where people feel like they need to turn to AI for companionship. That’s concerning. On the other hand, I think that if it’s in addition to our in-person relationships … maybe that can be great.”

Killam agreed that AI chatbots like ChatGPT could be useful at times, but she recommended that these types of tools are best used as “part of our portfolio” of social health, not as a replacement for actual relationships.

“One of the core principles of social health is that it’s important to have diverse sources, meaning not just one. You don’t just socialize with your romantic partner and no one else. You have friends, you talk to co-workers, you chit-chat with the barista, and other people. And so if AI is one of those sources, I’m open to that.”

“Where it becomes a problem is when it becomes the only or one of the main sources.”

She also touched on other areas where technology intersects with social health, including its impact on the loneliness epidemic, our culture of “busyness,” and how people now spend time scrolling social media or listening to or watching media to kill time instead of talking to other people.

She suggested sometimes calling or texting a friend in your downtime, rather than immediately turning to technology to keep you entertained.

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Google co-founder Larry Page reportedly has a new AI startup

Google co-founder Larry Page is building a new company called Dynatomics that’s focused on applying AI to product manufacturing, according to The Information.

Page is reportedly working with a small group of engineers on AI that can create “highly optimized” designs for objects and then have a factory build them, per The Information. Chris Anderson, previously the CTO of Page-backed electric airplane startup Kittyhawk, is running the stealth effort, The Information reports.

Page isn’t the only entrepreneur exploring ways AI could be used to improve manufacturing processes (although he might be one of the richest).

Orbital Materials is creating an AI platform that can be used to discover materials ranging from batteries to carbon dioxide-capturing cells. PhysicsX provides tools to run simulations for engineers working on project areas like automotive, aerospace, and materials science. Elsewhere, Instrumental is leveraging vision-powered AI to detect factory anomalies.

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US lawmakers have already introduced hundreds of AI bills in 2025

Just over two months into 2025, the number of pending AI bills in the U.S. has grown to 781, according to an online tracking tool.

The tool, maintained by consulting firm MultiState, shows that the number of pending U.S. bills pertaining to AI now exceeds the total number of AI bills proposed in all of 2024 (743). In 2023, state and federal lawmakers proposed fewer than 200 AI-related bills.

A few recently proposed laws include Maryland’s H.B. 1331, a bill regulating the development and use of high-risk AI in consequential decisions; Texas’ expansive Texas Responsible AI Governance Act; and Massachusetts’ HD 3750, which would require healthcare insurance providers to disclose the use of AI for reviewing insurance claims.

The legislative chaos can largely be attributed to inaction at the federal level. So far, Congress has struggled to pass a comprehensive AI framework comparable to bills like the EU’s AI Act.

The Trump administration hasn’t shown an appetite for aggressive AI governance. In late January, Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to promote the development of AI “free from ideological bias” that promotes “human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.” But Trump has yet to endorse major congressional AI legislation.

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Signal President Meredith Whittaker calls out agentic AI as having ‘profound’ security and privacy issues

Signal President Meredith Whittaker warned Friday that agentic AI could come with a risk to user privacy.

Speaking onstage at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, the advocate for secure communications referred to the use of AI agents as “putting your brain in a jar,” and cautioned that this new paradigm of computing — where AI performs tasks on users’ behalf — has a “profound issue” with both privacy and security.

Whittaker explained how AI agents are being marketed as a way to add value to your life by handling various online tasks for the user. For instance, AI agents would be able to take on tasks like looking up concerts, booking tickets, scheduling the event on your calendar, and messaging your friends that it’s booked.

“So we can just put our brain in a jar because the thing is doing that and we don’t have to touch it, right?,” Whittaker mused.

Then she explained the type of access the AI agent would need to perform these tasks, including access to our web browser and a way to drive it as well as access to our credit card information to pay for tickets, our calendar, and messaging app to send the text to your friends.

“It would need to be able to drive that [process] across our entire system with something that looks like root permission, accessing every single one of those databases — probably in the clear, because there’s no model to do that encrypted,” Whittaker warned.

“And if we’re talking about a sufficiently powerful … AI model that’s powering that, there’s no way that’s happening on device,” she continued. “That’s almost certainly being sent to a cloud server where it’s being processed and sent back. So there’s a profound issue with security and privacy that is haunting this hype around agents, and that is ultimately threatening to break the blood-brain barrier between the application layer and the OS layer by conjoining all of these separate services [and] muddying their data,” Whittaker concluded.

If a messaging app like Signal were to integrate with AI agents, it would undermine the privacy of your messages, she said. The agent has to access the app to text your friends and also pull data back to summarize those texts.

Her comments followed remarks she made earlier during the panel on how the AI industry had been built on a surveillance model with mass data collection. She said that the “bigger is better AI paradigm” — meaning the more data, the better — had potential consequences that she didn’t think were good.

With agentic AI, Whittaker warned we’d further undermine privacy and security in the name of a “magic genie bot that’s going to take care of the exigencies of life,” she concluded.

[bloggerpaula]

From Investment to Impact: How Rajat Khare's Boundary Holding is Redefining Healthcare Solutions

Medical technology, or MedTech, has become a game-changer in modern healthcare, revolutionizing patient care, diagnostics, treatment, and overall healthcare delivery. The rapid evolution of technology has paved the way for groundbreaking innovations that enhance medical outcomes and improve the well-being of individuals globally. Venture Capitalist Rajat Khare, has been at the forefront of this transformation through his VC firm, Boundary Holding, which strategically supports pioneering MedTech companies to drive impactful growth in healthcare.

Recent advancements in MedTech have led to remarkable developments, with companies like 24SENS, JAPET, SCEWO, Neo Medical, and REMIDIO spearheading transformative solutions. These firms leverage cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and wearable devices, to drive medical advancements and reshape the industry.

The integration of AI-powered diagnostic tools, such as those developed by 24SENS, is revolutionizing disease detection by enabling early interventions. These advanced tools analyze vast patient data, medical imagery, and genetic information, assisting healthcare professionals in making precise diagnoses and developing personalized treatment plans.

JAPET is redefining rehabilitation and physical therapy with its innovative wearable devices. Utilizing robotics and smart sensors, these devices facilitate targeted therapy, enabling patients to recover faster and regain mobility. Similarly, SCEWO has introduced cutting-edge mobility solutions, particularly benefiting individuals with spinal cord injuries by enhancing their independence and quality of life.

In the realm of eye care, REMIDIO has developed portable and cost-effective medical devices that leverage smartphone technology and AI algorithms to detect eye conditions at an early stage. These advancements make eye examinations more accessible, particularly in underserved regions, ultimately improving vision care and treatment outcomes.

Neo Medical has engineered a surgical platform centered around value-based care principles. Their proprietary Controlled-Fixation technology promotes a more anatomically neutral and stable post-operative spine, enhancing patient outcomes while reducing costs and prioritizing environmental sustainability.

Recognizing the transformative potential of MedTech, Rajat Khare’s venture capital firm, Boundary Holding, has strategically invested in firms like 24SENS, JAPET, SCEWO, and REMIDIO. These investments align with Khare’s vision of advancing MedTech to drive impactful and sustainable healthcare solutions worldwide. By supporting these pioneering companies, Boundary Holding is not only fostering innovation but also contributing to a global movement toward improved medical accessibility and efficiency.

As MedTech continues to push the boundaries of healthcare, the integration of next-generation technologies is reshaping the medical landscape. Companies like 24SENS, JAPET, SCEWO, and REMIDIO are addressing critical healthcare challenges, ensuring precision in diagnosis, personalization in treatment, and enhanced patient care. With the strategic backing of Boundary Holding, the future of MedTech is set to unlock new possibilities, driving a healthier and more connected world.

Source: The information provided in this article is based on the article published at Daily Scanner

[bloggerpaula]

This New EV Motor Will Become The GOD of Electric Cars

[bloggerpaula]

This week in DOGE: Elon Musk's role in overhauling 'America, Inc.'

We'll be recapping what you need to know every Friday morning for the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Get more updates and analysis in the NPR Politics newsletter.

As President Trump seeks to roll back the size, scope and spending of the federal government, a key figure in those plans has been tech billionaire Elon Musk. Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency, an idea conceived as an outside review of how the government operates but has now become an entity based inside the White House with virtually unfettered access to federal agencies and wide-ranging permission to eviscerate purchases, programs and staff to achieve its goals.

As we outlined last Friday, DOGE has had a busy few weeks, encouraging federal workers to resign, pushing for the shutdown of USAID — responsible for doling out about half of U.S. foreign aid — and accessing agencies' records, including sensitive payment information at Treasury. And this week's pace was no different. So let's sift through the continued onslaught of headlines: about how the world's richest man is wielding the power given to him by Trump to help remake the United States, the lack of transparency into his actions and the ongoing concerns that his companies stand to benefit from many changes.

[bloggerpaula]

A federal worker tried to take Trump's 'Fork' resignation offer. Here's what happened

The "Fork in the Road" email arrived in Liz Goggin's inbox around 11 p.m. on Jan. 28th.

The email blast from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) went to nearly all federal employees — some 2.3 million people across the U.S.

The memo presented federal workers with a choice: Offer your resignation by Feb. 6, in exchange for pay and benefits through the end of September. Or remain in your position, with the understanding that you may be laid off.

Goggin is among roughly 75,000 federal employees who agreed to resign, according to OPM. But she is also one of an unknown number of people who have since learned they can't take the deal, because their positions are exempt.

A good offer "in the abstract"

By the time Goggin received the "Fork in the Road" offer, her household was already in upheaval. The Trump administration's freeze on foreign aid was directly impacting her husband's position with a nongovernmental organization.

"It became pretty clear that he was very likely to lose his job," says Goggin, a scary prospect given the couple has two young children and a mortgage.

Like many federal employees, she was also a bit skeptical of the deal.

But in the days that followed, OPM issued an FAQ clarifying that employees who resigned wouldn't be expected to work during the "deferred resignation period" and would be allowed to get a second job.

"In the abstract, it did sound like a good offer," she says. "My husband and I talked about it, and if this offer was legitimate, it seemed like, wow... I could potentially be making double salary for six months, which would give him some time to regroup and find a job he cares about."

[bloggerpaula]

How European Venture Capitalists Are Adapting to the Deep Tech Boom

The deep tech revolution is reshaping industries across the globe, and Europe is no exception. However, a significant challenge for European Venture Capitalist (VC) firms lies not in the availability of funds but in the ability to identify and support the right deep tech organizations. A knowledge gap among investors has made it difficult to evaluate these emerging technologies effectively, slowing down potential investments.

Bridging the Knowledge Gap in Deep Tech Investment

Unlike traditional startups, deep tech companies operate in complex, research-intensive domains such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, robotics, cybersecurity, and machine learning. The sheer breadth of these fields makes it challenging for new Venture Capitalist to assess potential investments confidently. Despite this, many Venture Capitalists like Rajat Khare have recognized the potential of deep tech and have already begun making strategic moves.

European VC Firms Leading the Deep Tech Charge

Several forward-thinking VC firms in Europe have stepped up to support the deep tech boom. Angular Ventures, a UK-based firm founded in 2019 by Gil Dibner, focuses on early-stage deep tech enterprises in Europe and Israel. Similarly, Amadeus Capital Partners, headquartered in Cambridge, invests in startups across Europe and Latin America that have the potential to disrupt billion-dollar markets. As their CEO puts it, “We are attracted by companies that can disrupt existing billion-dollar markets, by either cost or performance, and we are supportive over a number of years as the technology is commercialized.”

Challenges in Deep Tech Investments

The difficulty for venture capitalists does not end with understanding deep tech. One of the biggest hurdles is aligning financial returns with the longer development cycles of deep tech startups. Unlike SaaS or MedTech businesses that follow conventional revenue patterns, deep tech startups operate on uncertain timelines and unpredictable market adoption rates.

As Rajat Khare, founder of Boundary Holding, puts it, “The possibility of particular new deep tech businesses succeeding, the best investments to make, or the speed at which their potential will be reached are all unknown at this time. But now, the sector is developing more swiftly than many experts anticipated.”

This sentiment is reflected in a recent survey where 70% of European investors admitted struggling to apply traditional investment metrics—such as annual recurring revenue or customer acquisition costs—to deep tech startups.

A Strategic Shift Toward Long-Term Investment

Despite these challenges, leading investment firms are actively working to adapt their strategies to fit deep tech’s unique growth trajectory. For instance, Boundary Holding, based in Luxembourg, has been consistently backing deep tech startups, recognizing that long-term research and innovation are crucial for future technological breakthroughs.

To succeed in this evolving landscape, VC firms must adopt a problem-solving mindset, similar to how the Internet transformed the IT industry in the 1980s. As more venture capitalists take the time to understand deep tech, refine investment strategies, and adjust financial expectations, Europe is poised to become a powerhouse for deep tech innovation.

The increasing interest in deep tech by European venture capitalists signals a shift toward sustainable, high-impact investments, ensuring that the region remains at the forefront of the next technological revolution.

[bloggerpaula]

Europe denies dropping AI liability rules under pressure from Trump

The European Union has denied that recent moves to row back on some planned tech regulation — principally by ditching the AI Liability Directive, a 2022 draft law which had been aimed at making it easier for consumers to sue over harms caused by AI-enabled products and services — were made in response to pressure from the Trump administration to deregulate around AI.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Friday, Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s digital chief, claimed the AI liability proposal was being scrapped because the bloc wanted to focus on boosting competitiveness by cutting bureaucracy and red tape.

An upcoming code of practice on AI — attached to the EU’s AI Act — would also limit reporting requirements to what’s included in existing AI rules, she said.

On Tuesday, U.S. vice president JD Vance warned European legislators to think again when it comes to technology rule-making — urging the bloc to join it in leaning into the “AI opportunity,” via a speech at the Paris AI Action Summit.

The Commission published its 2025 work program the day after Vance’s speech — touting a “bolder, simpler, faster” Union. The document confirmed the demise of the AI liability proposal, while simultaneously setting out plans aimed at stoking regional AI development and adoption.