Today, Volvo has an EV that your pocketbook might like, Sam Altman has more to say about GPT-5 and Amazon and Affirm get cozier. We also have additional Apple news to share from WWDC. This is your Daily Crunch for Wednesday.

Sleek and simplistic: Volvo’s new electric vehicle creation is not only small, but also easy on the budget. Go inside the EX30 electric SUV.

“A lot of work to do”: That’s what Sam Altman is saying about OpenAI still not training GPT-5 months after a bunch of academics and industry experts raised concerns over how fast the technology was evolving. Find out why. Speaking of GPT, get the scoop on why Charlie Brooker hated an episode of “Black Mirror” that ChatGPT wrote.

Always learning: Educators continuously look for ways to engage students, and edtech giant Byju has three new transformer models, backed by AI technology, to help students understand concepts and find out where their skills are lacking. Find out more.

In case you’re looking for an assistant: Automattic has an AI writing one now for WordPress. Get the scoop.

In venture firm news: Miles Grimshaw answers some questions about Benchmark’s view on the AI race. And over in Latin America, Positive Ventures’ new impact fund is triple its flagship fund. Meanwhile, in Europe, Antler gets into later stage investing with a $285 million fund.

Google is on an AI journey: If you’ve been missing some Google news among all of the Apple news we’ve had this week, we’ve got you covered. First, Google Cloud and Salesforce team up to bolster AI offerings. Then, if you’ve been waiting for Vertex AI to become available, you’re in luck. And finally, Google expands its Google Cloud Consulting offering to help enterprises better embrace AI.

Flirty and fancy free: Blush’s AI dating sim, from the same people that brought you Replika, wants to do more than take you to dinner. Get the scoop.

Piece by piece: Mosaic grabbed $26 million to help companies make financial decisions. Find out how.

Ride the payment rails: Payrails banks $14.4 million to build complex payments flows. Read more.

Figure out your financing: Not every business is right for venture capital. That’s why Bonside, which just brought in $4.35 million, has the backs of brick-and-mortar businesses, mainly offering services, with a growth capital offering. Learn more.

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Today, we held our TC City Spotlight on Atlanta, where we learned from city mayor Andre Dickens, investors and equality advocates why the city is so popular with tech companies.

Shop until you drop: Meanwhile, merchants using Amazon Pay can now offer their customers the option to “buy now, pay later” using Affirm’s technology. Affirm is the first BNPL player to be added to Amazon Pay. The best part? No integrations. Learn more.

In space, someone can hear you start a company: NASA is flexing its investment muscle by providing $150,000 in grants to some seed-stage aerospace companies. Get the scoop.

More Meta: In Meta news, the company will let users refuse its cross-site tracking following a German antitrust intervention. Read more. Also, Meta Verified arrives in India.

May the Force be with you, always: Mark your calendars for the premiere of “Ahsoka,” a new series based on the Star Wars franchise. Read more.

Game on: DeepMind is putting AI to work in new ways, including to optimize code and infrastructure. Find out more.

Lockdown: TikTok’s “Series” paywall is now available to creators in 94 countries. Learn more.

Time is on your side: Twitter increases its window to edit tweets to one hour for Blue subscribers. Read more.

More trickled in from Apple WWDC 2023:

Need to charge your EV? Apple Maps will show open spots near you

Businesses will be able to accept IDs in Apple Wallet with iOS 17, among other changes

Apple’s new toolkit makes it easier for developers to bring Windows games to Mac

Apple updates its App Store rules to crack down on clones

Apple is making developer betas free and accessible to everyone

Sorry, but Apple’s Vision Pro isn’t for you

Apple acquires Mira, a startup building lightweight AR hardware

Apple reveals its 2023 Apple Design Award winners

Apple’s new TipKit will help developers teach people how to use their apps

Apple Fitness+ is getting a new Custom Plans feature that creates personalized workout schedules

Ask Sophie: Why is there no movement in the June Visa Bulletin for India EB-3?

Dear Sophie,

Why is there no movement in the June 2023 Visa Bulletin for India EB-3?

Can’t the Department of State/USCIS track the interfiled applications between EB-2 and EB-3 and move the dates accordingly?

— Curious in Chennai

Three more from the TC+ team:

Cava’s sensible IPO ambitions could spur more companies to go public

Real estate is facing a climate crisis, but there might be a way through

Apple’s AR headset is a game-changer for startups

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