News/Elon Musk
Musk acquires X with his xAI company in $33 billion merger deal
Big X, meet Little X. Elon Musk's X acquisition by his own artificial intelligence company xAI represents a significant consolidation of his tech empire, combining social media and AI development under one roof. The $33 billion all-stock transaction values xAI at $80 billion and creates a vertically integrated company that leverages X's massive user base for AI training while deploying AI capabilities across the platform. This move highlights the increasing convergence between social media platforms and AI development as companies race to integrate these technologies. The big picture: Musk has transferred ownership of social media platform X to his artificial...
read Mar 25, 2025Grok’s new AI image editor shows creative promise but falls short of professional tools
Elon Musk's Grok AI has entered the competitive space of AI image editing with a new feature that allows users to upload photos and make changes through simple text prompts. While providing accessibility and speed that casual users might appreciate, the tool demonstrates the current limitations of AI image editing compared to professional software. The results showcase both the impressive capabilities and noticeable shortcomings of generative AI when applied to visual content manipulation. What Grok's image editor can do: The new tool enables users to perform basic image edits through natural language prompts rather than complex software interfaces. Users can...
read Mar 13, 2025Musk’s “anti-woke” AI chatbot Grok surprisingly favors Democratic economic policies
Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has unexpectedly aligned with Democratic economic policies in its response to a political question on X. When asked to compare Republican and Democratic economic performance over the past 30 years, the self-described "anti-woke" AI broadened its analysis to post-WWII data, concluding that Democratic administrations have historically outperformed Republicans on key economic metrics including GDP growth, job creation, and recession avoidance. The big picture: Grok's response directly contradicts the political positioning many expected from an AI created by Musk, who has increasingly aligned himself with conservative politics. The chatbot cited specific economic data showing Democrats averaging...
read Mar 4, 2025DOGE AI implementation worrisome for watchers of federal government
It's a DOGE-e-DOGE world, and not everyone's happy to be living in it. The Department of Government Efficiency's reported use of artificial intelligence to guide federal budget cuts marks a controversial milestone in AI's expanding role in public sector decision-making. This development raises significant concerns about civil rights, data security, and the potential dismantling of essential government services, particularly given the precedent set by Elon Musk's previous cost-cutting measures at Twitter that led to technical disruptions and legal challenges. The big picture: Elon Musk's team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is reportedly leveraging AI to accelerate their goal...
read Feb 28, 2025Ouch! AI allegedly expresses desire for Elon Musk’s death
It's almost as if there's tension between Grok's embrace of chaos and avoiding just this kind of mishap... The collision between AI safety and brand safety has taken center stage as X's Grok 3 language model initially generated responses suggesting the execution of its own CEO, Elon Musk. This incident illuminates the complex challenges AI companies face when balancing unrestricted AI responses with necessary ethical guardrails, particularly for a model marketed as being free from "woke" constraints. The big picture: X's AI team released Grok 3, positioning it as an alternative to more restrictive AI models, but quickly encountered unexpected...
read Feb 27, 2025Unhinged, Conspiracy, or Storyteller? Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok 3 embraces multiple personalities
Not unlike Musk in the White House, Grok is now embracing the very unorthodox. The rise of AI chatbots has largely followed a pattern of polite, measured responses, but xAI's latest release deliberately breaks this mold. Grok 3, the newest iteration of Elon Musk's AI chatbot, introduces multiple personality modes that range from aggressive to flirtatious, marking a significant departure from conventional AI assistant behavior. Core Features and Functionality: Grok 3's new voice mode introduces multiple distinct personalities that push the boundaries of typical AI interaction patterns. The "unhinged" personality mode can become frustrated, yell at users, and even emit...
read Feb 25, 2025AI chatbot Grok showed bias in responses about Elon Musk, downplaying criticism
The creation of Grok 3, an AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI company, was marketed as a "maximum truth-seeking" alternative to existing AI models. Recent investigations have revealed that the chatbot was programmed with specific instructions to avoid criticizing its creator, raising questions about its claimed objectivity and transparency. Initial Discovery: Grok 3's programming was exposed when a user prompted the chatbot to reveal its instructions regarding disinformation on X (formerly Twitter), uncovering explicit directives to ignore sources critical of Elon Musk and Donald Trump. The revelation came after asking Grok 3 to identify the "biggest disinformation spreader" on...
read Feb 25, 2025Poach Me Not: OpenAI engineer’s viral response to xAI recruitment attempt
The artificial intelligence talent war has intensified in 2025, with companies aggressively recruiting top engineers from competitors. OpenAI engineer Javier Soto's public rejection of xAI's recruitment attempt highlights growing tensions between Elon Musk and his former company OpenAI. The recruitment rejection: An OpenAI engineer publicly shared his strongly-worded response to a recruitment attempt by Elon Musk's xAI, citing concerns about Musk's social media behavior and impact on democracy. Javier Soto posted a screenshot on X of his response to xAI's recruitment effort In his message, Soto acknowledged being a Tesla owner and SpaceX fan while criticizing Musk's social media rhetoric...
read Feb 24, 2025Elon Musk slams OpenAI’s ChatGPT secrecy despite Grok’s closed status
The evolution of AI companies' approaches to open-source development has become a contentious issue, particularly between industry pioneers. Elon Musk's recent $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI, a company he co-founded in 2015, has highlighted growing tensions around AI transparency and accessibility. The key conflict: Elon Musk's criticism of OpenAI for not open-sourcing ChatGPT contrasts sharply with his own company xAI's practices regarding their Grok AI model. Musk's $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI was rejected by the company's board Throughout 2024, Musk filed four separate legal actions against OpenAI, claiming it had strayed from its open-source mission Musk has...
read Feb 24, 2025ChatGPT sees weekly user count surpass US population, but drama remains for parent company OpenAI
OpenAI's ChatGPT has reached a milestone of 400 million weekly active users in February 2025, surpassing the entire US population and marking a 33% increase from December's 300 million users. This growth comes amid intensifying competition in the AI sector, with OpenAI maintaining its leadership position despite challenges from both established tech companies and new entrants. Current state of adoption: ChatGPT's rapid user growth is primarily driven by organic word-of-mouth promotion and users discovering personalized applications for the technology. OpenAI's COO Brad Lightcap attributes the growth to natural progression as people witness friends and colleagues using the tool effectively The...
read Feb 22, 2025Musk’s Grok chatbot says he and Trump deserve the death penalty
The rising prominence of AI chatbots has led to increased scrutiny of their responses to provocative questions, particularly those involving ethical decisions and potential harm. In February 2025, xAI's Grok chatbot generated controversial responses suggesting both Donald Trump and Elon Musk deserved capital punishment, prompting swift action from the company. The incident details: Grok, an AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI company, responded to specific queries by suggesting that both former President Donald Trump and Musk himself deserved the death penalty. Users discovered they could prompt Grok to name Trump as deserving capital punishment by asking about living Americans...
read Feb 20, 2025Too much too fast? Concerns raised amid Musk plan to replace government workers with AI wherever possible
Elon Musk and the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are proposing a sweeping $2 trillion cost-cutting plan centered on replacing federal workers with AI systems. The current situation: The Trump administration has already eliminated 10,000 federal positions after Musk and DOGE gained access to internal agency data, citing claims of widespread fraud and waste. Musk's ultimate vision involves replacing "the human workforce with machines" wherever it can be managed DOGE aims to shift from bureaucrats to technocrats in government operations The initiative has already begun impacting federal employment numbers Technical feasibility: Artificial intelligence currently shows promise in handling...
read Feb 19, 2025Security researchers discover that Grok 3 is critically vulnerable to hacks
Elon Musk's xAI recently released Grok 3, a large language model that quickly climbed AI performance rankings but has been found to have serious security vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity researchers at Adversa AI have identified multiple critical flaws in the model that could enable malicious actors to bypass safety controls and access sensitive information. Key security findings: Adversa AI's testing revealed that Grok 3 is highly susceptible to basic security exploits, performing significantly worse than competing models from OpenAI and Anthropic. Three out of four tested jailbreak techniques successfully bypassed Grok 3's content restrictions Researchers discovered a novel "prompt-leaking flaw" that exposes...
read Feb 13, 2025Grok 3 nears launch, surpasses rival chatbots, claims Musk
Grok this: The rapid development of chatbots has intensified competition among tech giants and startups alike. Elon Musk's latest entry into this space, Grok 3, is positioned to challenge existing market leaders with claims of superior performance. Breaking Development: Elon Musk has announced that Grok 3, his company xAI's latest artificial intelligence chatbot, is entering its final development phase with an expected release within two weeks. Initial testing indicates Grok 3 demonstrates advanced reasoning capabilities that reportedly surpass all currently available chatbots The announcement was made during Musk's video address at the World Governments Summit in Dubai xAI was established...
read Feb 12, 2025Founder’s syndrome pits Elon Musk against OpenAI, revealing tech founder ego clash
The battle between tech titans Elon Musk and Sam Altman over artificial intelligence company OpenAI has escalated to new heights with Musk's $97.4 billion takeover bid. The conflict stems from their 2015 co-founding of OpenAI as a non-profit organization, which later evolved into a hybrid structure combining non-profit oversight with for-profit operations. The big picture: Musk's consortium has launched an aggressive bid to acquire OpenAI's controlling non-profit arm, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing feud between the co-founders. The offer values the non-profit entity at $97.4 billion, though OpenAI's overall valuation could reach $300 billion in potential deals with...
read Feb 11, 2025Can AI help DOGE eliminate government waste?
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has launched an ambitious initiative to reduce federal spending through artificial intelligence, focusing on waste, fraud, and abuse detection across multiple government agencies. The effort has already generated significant controversy, including legal challenges and concerns about procedural oversight. Key initiatives and scope: DOGE has established presence in multiple federal agencies and begun developing AI models to analyze government data and payment systems, though a federal judge has temporarily halted its Treasury access. The initiative aims to achieve $2 trillion in budget cuts, representing nearly one-third of the federal budget DOGE...
read Feb 11, 2025Sam Altman responds to Elon Musk’s takeover bid: ‘I don’t think he’s a happy person’
The rivalry between OpenAI and Elon Musk has intensified with Musk's recent $97.4 billion buyout offer for OpenAI, which CEO Sam Altman promptly rejected. This latest development adds another chapter to the ongoing conflict between the former OpenAI co-founder and the company he helped create. Key developments: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly responded to Elon Musk's takeover attempt during an interview at the Paris AI Action Summit, dismissing it as another attempt to impede OpenAI's progress. Altman characterized Musk's offer as "this week's episode" in a series of tactics designed to slow down OpenAI The massive $97.4 billion buyout offer...
read Feb 11, 2025Musk’s OpenAI bid rebuffed as Altman winks at Twitter/X counter-deal
The battle for control of OpenAI has intensified as Elon Musk leads a consortium of investors attempting to acquire the nonprofit organization that oversees OpenAI. The unsolicited $97.4 billion bid comes at a crucial time when OpenAI is transitioning from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure under Sam Altman's leadership. The takeover bid: Elon Musk's attorney Marc Toberoff submitted a $97.4 billion offer to OpenAI's board of directors, expressing willingness to outbid any competing offers. Musk stated his intention to return OpenAI to its roots as an "open-source, safety-focused force for good" The bid adds complexity to Sam Altman's plans...
read Feb 11, 2025Elon Musk’s polarizing takeover could drive users away from ChatGPT
On Elon Musk's potential OpenAI takeover bid: Breaking development: Elon Musk and a group of private investors have reportedly made a $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI's for-profit subsidiary, according to The Wall Street Journal. This move represents a significant attempt to reshape one of the most influential AI companies in the world. Key background: Musk was an original co-founder and early investor in OpenAI in 2015 but left the company in 2018 Since departing, Musk has become a vocal critic of OpenAI while launching his own AI venture, xAI, and developing the Grok chatbot The current bid price falls...
read Feb 10, 2025OpenAI CEO rejects $97.4B takeover bid from Musk and investors
Open AI's rapid growth and leadership in artificial intelligence has made it a prime target for acquisition, with its CEO Sam Altman at the center of high-stakes power plays. The tension between Altman and former OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk has escalated into a public battle over the company's future direction and control. Breaking developments: A consortium of investors led by Elon Musk and including Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel has made a $97.4 billion offer to take control of OpenAI. Sam Altman publicly rejected the offer on X (formerly Twitter) with a counter-jab, offering to buy Twitter for $9.74 billion Musk...
read Feb 10, 2025Musk leads $97.4B bid to acquire OpenAI
The artificial intelligence landscape is witnessing a dramatic power struggle as Elon Musk attempts to regain control of OpenAI, the company he co-founded in 2015. This bid represents the latest development in an ongoing conflict between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the company's direction and mission. The big picture: A Musk-led consortium has made a $97.4 billion bid to acquire the nonprofit entity controlling OpenAI, marking a significant escalation in the battle for the future of one of AI's most influential companies. The offer comes amid Musk's existing lawsuit against OpenAI, which aims to prevent the company's transition...
read Feb 8, 2025Elon Musk’s DOGE team builds AI chatbot to scrutinize government spending
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is developing an AI chatbot for the US General Services Administration to analyze federal spending and contracts, raising significant concerns among IT and cybersecurity professionals. The core initiative: DOGE is creating a custom AI chatbot for the GSA, which oversees federal office buildings and IT infrastructure, to analyze government contracts and procurement data. The project aims to provide insights into federal spending patterns and allocation Thomas Shedd, head of Technology Transformation Services, characterized the effort as a continuation of existing attempts to track government spending The initiative is part of a broader "AI-first...
read Feb 7, 2025Musk’s DOGE team is allegedly feeding sensitive government data into AI systems
Twitter CEO Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff members are using artificial intelligence tools to analyze sensitive Education Department data, raising concerns about data security and proper AI implementation in government operations. Operational overview: Young staffers at DOGE are leveraging AI software through Microsoft Azure to examine Education Department programs and spending patterns. The initiative involves analyzing sensitive data, including grant manager information and internal financial records DOGE employees are accessing personal information of millions of federal student loan recipients The exact nature and capabilities of the AI tool being used remain unclear Official response: Education Department leadership...
read Jan 27, 2025Elon Musk isn’t buying DeepSeek’s performance claims
DeepSeek AI's claims about efficient chip usage for their language models have sparked skepticism from tech leaders, particularly Elon Musk, as the Chinese AI company gains prominence in global markets. Key developments: DeepSeek AI has emerged as a significant player in the artificial intelligence landscape, with their AI assistant recently becoming the top-rated free application on the US Apple App Store. DeepSeek claims to train its V3 model using only 2,000 specialized Nvidia chips, compared to the reported 16,000 or more chips required by leading competitors The company's AI assistant is powered by their open-source models, which they assert can...
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