Sphere, which raised a $4.3M seed as an edtech marketplace, pivots and raised a $21M Series A led by a16z to develop an AI tax compliance software service (Dominic-Madori Davis/TechCrunch)

Digg has officially launched its new platform, positioning itself as a competitor to Reddit, focusing on community engagement and user interaction. This marks a significant reboot of the earlier social news site, aiming to attract users seeking alternative social media experiences.

Bandcamp has officially banned music that is created wholly or in substantial part by artificial intelligence, emphasizing its commitment to ensuring that the music on its platform is authentically human-made. This decision reflects the company's desire to maintain trust among fans and support musicians in their creative endeavors.

Google has launched a new beta feature for its AI model, Gemini, called 'Personal Intelligence,' which allows the AI to proactively respond to users by analyzing their emails, photos, and other data, contingent on user consent. This feature is currently off by default, giving users control over their data integration with Gemini.

AI security firm depthfirst has announced the successful completion of a $40 million Series A funding round, aimed at enhancing its AI-native platform to combat security threats faced by companies. The funding was led by Accel, with a focus on long-term investment in the firm's growth.