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The Launch of Sesame's Conversational AI On Thursday, the AI startup Sesame, co-founded by Oculus' founders and others from the VR company that sold to Meta, released a public preview of the conversational AI agents it's been developing for over a year. With its new iOS app, Sesame is rethinking the traditional AI chatbot experience popularized by apps like ChatGPT, creating one where conversation flows, even if the AI needs time to think. Reimagining AI Conversation Flow As the company explains in its launch announcement, "There's an inherent tension between replying quickly and taking the time to compose thoughtful responses. A slower response is usually more correct, but it can also feel unnatural if it takes too long." To address this challenge, Sesame claims to have built fast search and retrieval systems, so the AI can have up-to-date information, as well as technology that allows it to run multiple parallel searches while speaking, weaving those results into its responses as it talks. That means the AI will talk more like a human, even pivoting mid-sentence if need be, as it taps into newer information — as a human might when remembering another key fact or point they want to add. User Growth and Development Milestones The app offers four distinct AI agents called Maya, Miles, Simone, and Charlie, each of which have their own distinct voice, personality, point of view, and memory. Maya and Miles were previously available in Sesame's Research Preview of its technology, where they were soon accessed by over one million people within the first few weeks, said Sesame investor Sequoia at the time. (The company had then just raised its $250 million Series B from Sequoia and others and was opening up a beta.) During the beta, Sesame learned from user feedback and rolled out features such as search cards with image results for visualizing concepts, notes for capturing takeaways, a texting mode for those times when speaking aloud is not an option, and support for deep dives where you can get more in-depth results. There's also a new incognito mode for private conversations, which allows the agents access to prior context but saves nothing to memory. Transforming the AI Landscape The app, however, is only the first step toward Sesame's bigger plans for AI involving intelligent eyewear, which the team expects to launch in 2027. Before that, the agents will also learn to do more than just think with you, Sesame hints, suggesting they'll later be able to take action on your behalf — hence why they're called "agents" in the first place, instead of just chatbots. That is potentially even more interesting, as working with agentic tools or apps today requires being able to prompt for what you need and have a specific idea of what you want to happen, and sometimes, even how it should happen. A conversational agent that you could talk to naturally could help you take the next steps, without you having to perfect the command you're giving it. The Road to AI-Powered Eyewear The iOS app is out today in 39 countries, and the full experience is free for the time being. However, there still may be a short waitlist at sign-up. An Android preview is coming in the future, the company says.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry sparked a social‑media firestorm by declaring athletes should not be paid prize money at the Games, prompting a wave of criticism from Olympians worldwide.Coventry’s anti‑prize‑money stance fuels athlete criticismDuring an interview with New Zealand outlet Sport Nation, Coventry said, “I don’t believe in paying athletes… I come from a small country… I still don’t think we should be paying athletes at the Olympic Games.” She added that the IOC should focus on talent identification and support for athletes from smaller nations. The remarks arrived on her first Oceania visit as the first woman and first African chief of the IOC.Prominent athletes responded on Instagram, with Cameron McEvoy calling the timing “inopportune” after the controversial Enhanced Games offered lucrative payouts. Former champions Filippo Magnini, Grant Hackett, Roland Schoeman, and others echoed the sentiment that athletes sacrifice without financial reward.Financial figures underline the controversy$12.4 b – total revenue generated by the IOC in the 2021‑2024 cycle.74 % – portion of that revenue redistributed back into international sport.$250,000 – prize awarded per gold medal at the Enhanced Games.$1 m – bonus earned by swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev for a “world‑record” at the same event.$350,000 – reported annual salary for the IOC president.Broader impact on Olympic governance and athlete rightsThe backlash has revived calls for an athletes’ union and a review of the IOC’s use of athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL). Critics point to the World Athletics decision to award $50,000 for Olympic gold as a benchmark, while questioning why the IOC, which commands billions, does not adopt a similar model.Former champion Greg Rutherford and Paralympic star Hunter Woodhall labeled the stance “embarrassing” and urged faster formation of a union. The debate also intersects with recent controversies over gender‑verification policies and past financial scandals involving the former president Thomas Bach.What’s next for IOC compensation policies?Analysts suggest the mounting pressure could force the IOC to explore NIL‑type arrangements or introduce modest prize pools to retain athlete goodwill. If the union movement gains traction, the organization may face a governance overhaul similar to the NCAA’s 2021 NIL reforms.Until a concrete policy shift is announced, the conversation around athlete compensation is likely to dominate Olympic discourse in the lead‑up to the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Lead Enterprise organizations are not rejecting AI. They are rejecting operational instability. This is the shift many founders still misunderstand — and it is becoming one of the defining realities separating enterprise AI companies that scale from the ones that stall after early momentum. The Event Details At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, taking place October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco, Arsalan Tavakoli-Shiraji, co-founder and SVP of field engineering at Databricks, will unpack that shift during his AI Stage session, “The Enterprise Isn’t Broken. Your Assumptions About It Are.” The Data Analysis The enterprise AI market is full of successful pilots that never became real deployments. Not because the technology failed. But because the organization could not absorb the operational consequences of adopting it. The Impact Analysis Now the reality founders need to face is that startup AI deals rarely die because the model underperformed. They die because the enterprise lost confidence in what the deployment would require. The AI startups gaining traction inside large organizations increasingly share one thing in common: They reduce uncertainty. The Prediction The startups that succeed in enterprise AI over the next several years may not necessarily be the ones with the most advanced models. They may be the ones that best understand how enterprises actually absorb change. That is the kind of operational pressure that Tavakoli-Shiraji and other speakers on the AI Stage at Disrupt will explore.

The Impeachment Inquiry South Africa’s parliament is set to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Cyril Ramaphosa over the “Farmgate” scandal, marking a new phase in a political crisis that continues to shadow his presidency. The Background of the Scandal The “Farmgate” scandal centres on the theft of large sums of cash hidden inside furniture at Ramaphosa's private farm in 2020. The case has raised persistent questions over the origin of the money and why it was concealed. The Investigation Process The Democratic Alliance (DA) party said on Thursday that the committee tasked with examining the allegations will hold its first meeting on Monday, following a ruling by the Constitutional Court, which revived the process. The 31-member committee will begin by electing a chairperson. The Political Implications Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing in the scandal and has responded by challenging the process in court. He filed a legal application against an independent panel report that found preliminary evidence of misconduct, a move that could delay the inquiry. The ANC, which holds about 40 percent of seats in the National Assembly, has publicly backed Ramaphosa and retains enough support to block any impeachment vote, which requires a two-thirds majority. The Future Outlook The DA, the second-largest party in South Africa’s coalition government with the ANC, has maintained pressure on the president and said it will hold him accountable if wrongdoing is confirmed. The party controls only nine of the 31 seats on the committee, leaving room for opposition parties to shape the investigation’s direction as it begins its work.

The Final Days of Early Bird Pricing Time is running out to secure discounted tickets to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Early Bird pricing ends tomorrow, May 29, at 11:59 p.m. PT. After that, prices for the highly anticipated tech conference will increase. Unlock Savings of Up to $410 By registering now, you can lock in savings of up to $410 on your pass or up to 30% on group passes of 4+. Why Attend TechCrunch Disrupt 2026? TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, taking place from October 13–15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, is a premier event for startups, investors, and tech enthusiasts. Here’s what you’ll gain by attending: Founder Pass: Accelerate growth with the right insights, tools, and connections. Meet investors aligned with your startup. Investor Pass: Discover standout startups and expand your portfolio with curated access. Use matchmaking tools to make every conversation count. Don’t Miss Out The window to the lowest ticket rates of the year is closing at 11:59 p.m. PT tomorrow, May 29. Register now to secure your ticket with up to a $410 discount.

The LeadUnited States President Donald Trump has threatened longtime ally Oman with military force if it gets involved in the dispute over shipping access to the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington's war on Iran once again risks engulfing the Middle East. Trump's threat to "blow up" Oman came as Muscat reportedly held talks with Iran about overseeing passage through the strategic waterway that handles more than 20 percent of the world's global oil traffic.Trump's Unprecedented Threat Against a Key Ally"Nobody is going to control it," Trump said of the strait during a cabinet meeting in Washington. "It's international waters, and Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up." This direct threat against a country with which Washington has had relations for more than 200 years has sent shockwaves across the region and drawn international criticism.While Hormuz is an international strait, most of it is located solely in Iranian and Omani territorial waters – not international waters – with parts of its outlying areas reaching United Arab Emirates (UAE) territorial waters. This geographical reality complicates Trump's assertion that the waterway is purely international.The Strategic Importance of the Strait of HormuzAs the only route for Gulf oil producers to ship exports to the open ocean, the strait has served as a free international maritime route for decades. Following the US-Israeli joint attacks on Iran on February 28, however, Tehran closed the waterway and began to assert sovereignty over it, including charging tolls of as much as $2m per ship at times.Under international maritime law, countries are not permitted to charge tolls to shipping passing through natural straits such as Hormuz, even where they are not in international waters. Countries can, however, provide services to shippers, such as insurance, maintenance and docking assistance.Regional Implications of Trump's ThreatShortly before Trump's comment, Iran's state television reported that Iran and the United States were close to agreeing on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which Tehran and Muscat would jointly control the strait. The proposal designates payments for passing vessels, framed as "fees for services" rather than "tolls."While the Trump administration has called the claims of such an MoU "a complete fabrication," analysts say his threat suggests that an understanding between Iran and Oman is precisely what the US president is trying to avoid."What Washington wants to prevent is the normalisation of Iranian control over Hormuz, dressed in administrative and legal clothing and given Arab cover by a US ally," Muhanad Seloom, non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, told Al Jazeera.International Reaction and Legal ConcernsCritics called the threat reckless. Raed Jarrar, the advocacy director at the US-based rights group DAWN, likened the US president's comments to those of a "mafia boss.""The UN Charter prohibits the threat of force against any state, and that prohibition binds the United States exactly as it binds everyone else," Jarrar told Al Jazeera. "Threatening to 'blow up' an Arab country because its waters happen to sit along an oil route Washington wants reopened is the same lawless logic that produced this war in February."Samir Puri, a visiting lecturer in war studies at King's College in London, said Trump's threat to Oman was "really surprising" and warned that it would "send shockwaves across the region."Oman's Diplomatic Role in the US-Iran ConflictOman has played a unique role in the region as a mediator between the US and Iran. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi was a key mediator in US-Iran nuclear talks before the war on Iran began. Just before the US-Israeli joint attack on Tehran in February, Albusaidi had been meeting US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, to facilitate negotiations about the future of Tehran's nuclear programme.Unlike other US allies in the Gulf, such as Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE, Oman does not host US forces. It was nevertheless dragged into the conflict when Iran launched attacks on US military assets and energy infrastructure across the Gulf region in the early days of the war.Future Outlook for the RegionSeloom, from the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, said Oman is "one Gulf state that is simultaneously a US security partner and Iran's most trusted Arab interlocutor.""In peacetime, that ambiguity is an asset. In wartime, it becomes a liability, which is precisely the inversion now playing out," he told Al Jazeera.The analyst argued that joint Iran-Oman control over Hormuz was "more posture than probability." "Oman's real interest is not co-owning Iran's blockade; it is brokering the strait's reopening," he said.Still, according to Seloom, the prospect of Iran and Oman jointly shaping the future of the Strait of Hormuz alarms the US president for three reasons: "It would turn Iran's grip on the chokepoint into a permanent post-war fact rather than a temporary act of war; it would set a precedent that littoral states can metre and monetise an international waterway, eroding the freedom-of-navigation principle the United States underwrites worldwide; and it would hand Tehran a strategic win that outlasts any ceasefire."

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for the UK to scrap its 2050 net‑zero goal and ramp up North Sea oil and gas drilling, prompting a swift backlash from climate experts who label the suggestion “bizarre” amid a historic heatwave and rising energy costs. Blair’s Call to Re‑Open North Sea Oil and Gas E3G programme director Ed Matthew warned that abandoning net zero during the “worst May heatwave on record” would be a “massive setback” for the UK, emphasizing that clean energy is cheaper and has near‑zero operating costs. Economic Stakes: £200 million Heatwave Losses and Fossil‑Fuel Costs Heat stress on livestock and crops is projected to cost the UK economy over £200 million this year. The International Energy Agency’s Fatih Birol notes that new oil fields would have “little impact” on domestic fuel prices. Renewable‑energy growth, especially record‑breaking solar generation, is already reducing household energy bills. Why Renewables Outperform Fossil Fuel Revival in the UK Analysts such as Jess Ralston (Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit) argue that expanding solar and other clean‑power technologies shields consumers from volatile fossil‑fuel markets and supports energy security as the North Sea declines. Comparisons to Spain’s renewable‑driven price stability reinforce the case for electrification as the “obvious route” to lower bills. What the Next Steps Mean for UK Energy Policy Government spokespersons confirm that no new exploration licences will be granted, focusing instead on managing existing fields for the remainder of their lifespan while accelerating the clean‑power mission championed by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband. If the current trajectory holds, the UK is likely to cement its position as a leader in renewable deployment, rendering calls to revive North Sea drilling increasingly marginal in policy debates.

Lead: Brazil’s 2026 World Cup outlook Brazil enter the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the most decorated nation with five titles, yet they have not lifted the trophy in 24 years. Under new manager Carlo Ancelotti, the squad blends seasoned stars such as Neymar and emerging talents like Vinicius Jr as they aim to defy low expectations. Ancelotti’s foreign‑manager milestone and tactical shift After dismissing Dorival Jr, Brazil appointed Carlo Ancelotti – the nation’s first permanent foreign coach. The Italian brings five Champions League crowns and experience across Europe’s top five leagues, promising a pragmatic yet attacking approach. Ancelotti has already repositioned Vinicius Jr as a central striker and reinstated Neymar despite recent injury concerns. Key statistics and squad composition World Cup appearances: 22 (every tournament since 1930) Best performance: Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) FIFA ranking: 6 Top scorer: Ronaldo – 15 goals Most caps: Cafu – 20 matches Player to watch: Vinicius Jr Squad highlights: Goalkeepers: Alisson, Ederson, Weverton Defenders: Marquinhos, Alex Sandro, Danilo, Gabriel Magalhães Midfielders: Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro, Fabinho Forwards: Vinicius Jr, Neymar, Raphinha, Endrick Why Brazil’s underdog narrative could reshape the tournament Despite a star‑laden roster, Brazil are among the least fancied Brazilian sides ever, a status that may relieve pressure and allow creative freedom. The blend of experienced leaders and youthful vigor, combined with Ancelotti’s proven ability to manage egos, could make Brazil a surprise contender against groups that include Morocco, Scotland and debutants Haiti. Outlook and Al Jazeera’s projection Al Jazeera predicts Brazil will reach the quarter‑finals. Their success will hinge on the fitness of Neymar, the form of Vinicius Jr, and the defensive stability provided by Marquinhos and Alisson. If the squad clicks, a deep run is plausible; otherwise, early knockout looms. Group C schedule June 13 – Brazil vs Morocco (East Rutherford, New Jersey) – 18:00 local / 22:00 GMT June 19 – Brazil vs Haiti (Philadelphia) – 21:30 local / 01:30 GMT (June 20) June 24 – Scotland vs Brazil (Miami) – 18:00 local / 22:00 GMT

The Scope of the UK’s Youth Exclusion CrisisAlan Milburn, the Blair-era cabinet minister turned social mobility adviser, has delivered the first part of his government-commissioned report on why increasing numbers of people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training (Neet). The 217-page document paints a damning picture of a 'record of failure' that is letting down a generation.The report highlights that about 1 million young people across the UK are not in jobs, training or education—roughly one in eight. It notes that the UK’s Neet rate is now worse than all but one EU nation, with only Romania ranking lower. The issue is also becoming more entrenched, with six in 10 Neet young people having never held a single job.Economic Cost and Regional DisparitiesMilburn warns of a 'lost generation' with severe economic consequences. The cumulative cost of this issue is estimated at £125bn. The report also reveals stark geographical divides; for example, 1% of 16- and 17-year-olds in Barnet, north London, are Neet, compared to 21.5% in Dudley, West Midlands. Of the top 10 local authorities with the highest Neet rates, eight are in the north or Midlands.Structural Inequality and the Health CrisisThe analysis identifies structural inequality as a primary driver, linking Neet status to background, geography, and ethnicity. Health issues, particularly mental health, are described as central to the problem. Young people in this state are now more likely to be economically inactive (53%) than unemployed (47%). The report criticizes the NHS for categorizing young people as unable to work rather than helping them return to it, singling out the 'fit note' system as a failure.Systemic Reforms Needed to Break the CycleThe report suggests that the social security system is failing to support reintegration, noting that for every £25 spent on benefits, only £1 goes toward helping young people back into work. Furthermore, the labour market is becoming hostile to young entrants due to AI recruitment filters and a lack of entry-level roles. To prevent a permanent underclass, the government must address the fragmented support system and housing instability.