Hello, friends! Much like yourself, the TechCrunch+ crew has been working to get ahead on all things generative AI. With the rapid evolution of AI models, it’s hard to keep up.

But don’t worry. TechCrunch+ has your back.

Building off TechCrunch’s regular drumbeat of AI coverage, including sheafs of news from Google and Microsoft in recent weeks, we’re going deeper into the weeds concerning how startups can take advantage of the new technologies. Here’s a smattering of what we’ve published lately on this critical topic:

• The investor angle: Given the endless news around the boom in AI tech and the myriad roles it is now playing inside software products big and small, you’d expect venture capitalists to be pouring capital into AI startups. And yet, recent data indicates that venture totals in this space are far more modest than many anticipated. Is the slow venture climate too strong a force for even AI-focused startups to buck? We spoke to a few investors about the trend, and it appears that there is some caution about getting in too deep, too quickly.
• How founders are getting ahead: Founders are putting AI into all sorts of products and services. Heck, one startup is even using AI to help folks learn how to be more socially intelligent. New artificial intelligence tools are being used in internal software as well as companies work to improve developer operations. Startups building to support AI-related work are also making noise, such as SkyFlow’s privacy tech to support companies that want to keep key data out of large language models. And there’s so much more going on: We’ve looked at retail data + AI, what chance startups will have against majors in the AI race, how AI is the least of edtech’s worries, and the battle between open and closed source AI models that founders might have to choose between.
• Big Tech’s big bets: Major tech companies are hard at work competing with startups for the crown of ‘who can be the busiest bee in AI.’ From rewriting the rules of search, to Nvidia reaching a $1 trillion market cap and even Salesforce getting in on the fun, there’s no limit to the sheer quantity of work being done at large tech firms to get ahead and stay ahead.

We’re also spreading our wings a bit, looking at the consumer angle when it comes to AI services (which is not all good news!) and exploring what companies need to do to stay secure in the AI era. It’s busy out there! Stay up to date with us!

You can also keep up with TechCrunch+ on Twitter, and check out all our recent coverage here.