The ugly economics of consumer AI
There’s a reason frontier labs have gotten gun-shy about consumer AI — and it’s not because the tech isn’t good enough.
There’s a reason frontier labs have gotten gun-shy about consumer AI — and it’s not because the tech isn’t good enough.
When AI leaders at OpenAI and Anthropic started talking about “pacing the frontier,” maybe someone should have asked: what pace? Now it’s turned into model drop week for both companies as Anthropic rolled out Opus 5.5, followed by OpenAI’s GPT-6 model updates just 90 minutes later. But the company that stole the spotlight was Meta, whose personal AI agent Muse is reportedly outpacing ChatGPT’s early numbers and is headed for smart glasses and […]
Pool’s new app automatically sorts screenshots into personalized collections, tracks down the original links behind saved content, and helps you rediscover products, recipes, travel ideas, and other things you meant to revisit.
Poke brings AI agents to everyday users via text message by handling tasks and automations without complex setup, apps, or technical know-how.
Vanessa Larco, partner at Premise and former partner at NEA, thinks 2026 will finally be the year of consumer AI. Larco, who’s been investing in consumer and prosumer for years, thinks we’re about to see a shift in how consumers spend time online, with AI powering “concierge-like” services. The question is, will legacy consumer products […]
Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni are redefining how Gen Z shops with AI. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, they’ll share how they’re scaling one of the year’s hottest startups into a lasting consumer brand. Register to join.