Apple dares to Dream, Elon Musk thinks AI could bring world war, China says 'no' to ICOs. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for September 4, 2017.

1. Tim Cook says Apple stands behind its Dreamers

Apple CEO Tim Cook says that his company's 250 DACA-covered employees are deserving of "respect as equals," in response to news that Donald Trump's White House might seek to repeal the so-called "Dreamers" program put into place under Obama in 2012.

Tech continues to turn against Trump and his policies, and the news that he might kill DACA is the latest to strike the largest tech companies as an unwise move.

2. Elon Musk warns AI arms race could spark WW3

Elon Musk thinks that nuclear war isn't nearly as dangerous an existential threat as AI – especially as it pertains to a coming arms race between world superpowers to build the best AI. Such a race could end in a global war, which may or may not be initiated by the AIs themselves, says Musk.

3. China bans ICOs

ICOs, or initial coin offerings, were bound to run into a regulatory brick wall sooner or later, and the end is nigh in China, which has banned the nascent financial instrument. It'll be curious to see what the SEC ultimately does in the U.S.

4. Alibaba and KFC debut 'smile to pay'

Smile for your chicken – literally, in China, where Alibaba now offers a facial-recognition based payment system in trial launch with KFC.

5. Xiaomi hopes to steal some Apple thunder with bezel-free phone

Xiaomi is hoping to take some of the hype for the coming new iPhone and redirect it to its bezel-free smartphone, the second generation of the Mi Mix it debuted last year. The launch date is set for just one day prior to Apple's global iPhone reveal.

6. Daimler invests in shuttle carpooling startup Via

Via is sort of like Chariot, the company Ford acquired last year. Daimler put money into the startup as part of a $250 million round for the carpooling service, which could signal a similar interest in the new area for mobility services.

7. Lily's tiny selfie drone is back

Lily never really launched but it's back now, and it's tiny. This is basically a cheap drone with licensing playing off the success of the original's crowdfunding campaign.