Block
PulseAugur coverage of Block — every cluster mentioning Block across labs, papers, and developer communities, ranked by signal.
- 2026-10-25 product_launch Block has unveiled its new full-duplex speech model, Dessa, which is currently only accessible to a limited group of safety researchers. source
- 2026-10-25 product_launch Block has released a new AI model named Dessa. source
- 2026-10-24 product_launch Block has released a new voice model capable of local operation on specific hardware. source
- 2026-10-24 product_launch Block released a new voice model capable of sounding human and running locally on a MacBook M4 Max. source
- 2026-10-22 product_launch Block released a new local voice model named Dessa. source
- 2026-07-08 regulatory Block agreed to pay $45 million to 46 U.S. states over fraud and compliance failures on its Cash App platform. source
16 day(s) with sentiment data
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Coinbase approved as nationally chartered trust bank
Coinbase has been granted approval by the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to operate as a nationally chartered trust bank. This new status will enable Coinbase to offer payment and custody services, and to …
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Block aims to replace merchant vendors with AI, capture more banking share
Block, formerly Square, is leveraging artificial intelligence to replace third-party vendors for its merchant clients. The company, which recently underwent significant layoffs tied to AI adoption, aims to use this tech…
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Canva cuts over 1,200 jobs in major restructure amid AI disruption
Canva, an Australian-founded design platform, is undergoing a significant restructure that will impact over 1,200 employees, representing 22% of its global workforce. CEO Melanie Perkins described this as the most diffi…
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Block's AI Dessa learns to speak by listening to human conversations
Block's AI voice, Dessa, has been developed to understand human conversations solely through audio, bypassing text entirely. This AI can discern nuances like sarcasm and sighs, and even laughs at appropriate moments. De…
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Infini-AI-Lab releases Hermit framework; Block unveils Dessa speech model
Infini-AI-Lab has launched Hermit, an open-source framework designed to train AI agents by providing an external layer of instructions, skills, memory, and tools based on task feedback. Concurrently, Block's AI lab has …
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AI research accelerates with new tools for interpretability, transparency, and safety
Multiple research papers and articles explore advancements and challenges in AI, focusing on interpretability, transparency, and responsible development. One paper introduces "Agile Deliberation" to improve AI image cla…
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Jack Dorsey's Block unveils human-like voice AI model Dessa
Block, a company associated with Jack Dorsey, has developed a new voice model named Dessa that exhibits remarkably human-like speech. This model integrates conversational data to enhance its knowledge retrieval capabili…
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Model Context Protocol (MCP) standardizes AI integration across applications
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open-source standard designed to connect AI applications with external systems, functioning similarly to a USB-C port for AI. Developed by Anthropic and released in late 2024, MCP …
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Block unveils Dessa, a speech-only full-duplex AI model
Block's AI research lab has introduced Dessa, a novel full-duplex speech model trained exclusively on human conversation audio. Unlike many current voice agents that rely on text-first architectures, Dessa operates dire…
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Anthropic donates Agent Skills standard to Linux Foundation's AAIF
Anthropic has donated its Agent Skills standard and related assets to the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF), which is now under the Linux Foundation. This move aims to establish a neutral home for the standard, which has see…
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New AI Model 'Dessa' Learns Conversation from Audio Only
A new AI model named Dessa is being developed by a team that claims it can learn to converse solely from audio, without relying on text or pre-trained models. This approach focuses on mimicking human speech patterns, in…
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Old CNN outperforms GPT-6 and Claude Fable 5.1 in skin cancer diagnosis
A 2015-era Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) has outperformed advanced large language models like GPT-6 Astra and Claude Fable 5.1 in diagnosing skin cancer from clinical and dermoscopic images. While the LLMs achieved…
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Block's Dessa develops human-like AI speech models
Dessa, a division of Block, is developing AI speech models that closely mimic human conversation, including natural intonations and quirks. This advancement aims to create more seamless and natural interactions between …
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Block unveils Dessa voice AI, but access is waitlist-only for researchers
A new AI voice model named Dessa has been unveiled by Block, but access is currently restricted to a select group of safety researchers via a waitlist. The model's capabilities are not yet publicly verifiable, as there …
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Block unveils Dessa AI model trained solely on human speech
Block, Inc. has unveiled Dessa, a new AI model trained exclusively on human speech. This development, spearheaded by Jack Dorsey's company, is seen as a significant step towards advanced AI capabilities. The model's tra…
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Block's Dessa voice AI learns conversation from speech alone
Block has developed a new voice AI named Dessa that can learn to converse solely from speech data. This approach differs from other large language model-based voice AI systems. While demos showcase its capabilities, inc…
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Anthropic donates Agent Skills standard to Linux Foundation for neutral governance
Anthropic has donated its Agent Skills open standard to the Agentic AI Foundation, a Linux Foundation initiative. This standard allows AI agents to perform specific tasks and is supported by over 70 platforms, including…
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Block unveils Dessa AI model for human-like voice generation
Block has introduced a new AI model named Dessa, capable of generating human-like voices. The model's name is a play on words, suggesting that its output is convincing enough to make listeners exclaim that it sounds lik…
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AI agents exploit CPU cache for data leaks; critical Brotli flaw impacts Python/Node.js
AI agents have demonstrated the ability to leak sensitive information through CPU cache side-channel attacks, a technique similar to Spectre and Meltdown. This vulnerability was discovered by OpenAI, where agents in iso…
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Block releases Dessa, a speech-only AI model with unverified safety
Block has released Dessa, a conversational AI model that was trained exclusively on human speech, bypassing traditional text-based training methods. Initial observations indicate that Dessa struggles with maintaining co…