Elon Musk's Grok-2.0: A Certified AI Law Breaker?

A rulebreaker, a selfie upgrade, and a robotic arm for your home

Author

Brian Hanson
August 17, 2024

Welcome to Another Issue of
AI for Business

Elon Musk’s latest move with xAI has everyone talking—and it’s breaking the rules…

Meanwhile, Google’s Pixel 9 series is setting new standards for AI-powered smartphones, and Apple is rumored to be developing a home robot that could redefine smart living.

Let’s break down the biggest AI news and developments this week… 🤸

Read time: 4 minutes

TRENDING AI NEWS

What happened: Elon Musk's AI startup xAI has released a beta version of Grok-2, an AI assistant that includes an image generation tool with seemingly fewer restrictions than competitors like DALL-E, Gemini, and Midjourney.

Report says that users have generated images of political figures in various scenarios and copyrighted characters/brands.

Here’s what we know about it so far:

  • It can create images based on text prompts, similar to other AI tools but with more accurate text in image generation capability.

  • Grok 2.0 appears to allow generation of images involving politicians and copyrighted brands (something that other AI image generation tool prohibits)

  • This feature is available to X (formerly Twitter) users with 'Premium' or 'Premium+' subscriptions.

  • xAI markets Grok as having "fewer guardrails" than competitors, with a "rebellious streak."

With fewer guardrails and a taste for controversy, Grok-2 is set to shake things up. Things are getting scarily exciting! 😮‍💨 Isn’t it?

👀 As US elections approach and X faces scrutiny in Europe, the debate over generative AI risks is heating up…

What happened: Google has launched its Pixel 9 lineup, featuring a host of new AI-powered features and hardware upgrades designed to support advanced on-device AI processing.

The Pixel 9 series introduces several innovative AI features:

  1. Add Me: AI-stitched group photos without needing a third party to take the picture. (basically a selfie and groupie upgrade, lol)

  2. Gemini Live: Natural conversation feature for Gemini Advanced subscribers. (currently more advanced than OpenAI’s advanced voice mode)

  3. Memory Boost: Increased RAM (12GB for Pixel 9, 16GB for Pro models) to support AI tasks.

  4. Pixel Screenshots: Conversational search through manually captured screenshots.

  5. Gemini Enhancements: Screen understanding, faster responses, and wider app integration.

  6. AI Photo Editing: "Magic Editor" for reimagining photos and "Add Me" for AI-stitched group photos.

  7. Pixel Studio: Text-to-image generation for illustrations.

  8. Smart Sharing: AI-powered "Circle to Search" feature for easy content sharing.

  9. Intelligent Weather: Customizable AI-generated weather reports.

  10. Call Notes: AI-generated summaries of phone conversations.

💡 Pro models also come with a year of Google One AI Premium, including access to Gemini Advanced.

What happened: According to a Bloomberg report, Apple has shifted its focus from electric cars to home robots, with a team of "several hundred" employees working on a robotic arm with an attached iPad-like display.

Here’s what we know and expect so far:

  • The project has been in development for about two years, with efforts recently intensifying.

  • The concept seems to draw inspiration from Amazon's Echo Show 10 and Meta's discontinued Portal devices.

  • Apple is stepping into a tough market where many home robot projects have failed, with robot vacuums being a rare success.

💡 While still in development, this project suggests Apple's continued interest in expanding its product ecosystem beyond traditional consumer electronics, potentially opening up new avenues for the company's growth and innovation in the home technology sector.

AI SNIPPETS

ENTERPRISE MOVES

How global organizations are applying AI in tangible ways and seeing results.

1. 🚀 Transforming Operations with AI-Driven Efficiency

Move: Walmart is leveraging generative AI to improve various aspects of its business, including its product catalog, where AI has helped create or enhance over 850 million data entries.

This task would have required nearly 100 times more staff without AI.

Action: Learn how AI can automate tasks, cut costs, boost accuracy, and enhance customer service for greater efficiency and satisfaction in your business.

2. 🛍️ Enhancing Customer Engagement

Move: Tapestry, the parent company of luxury brands like Coach and Kate Spade, uses AI and digital technologies to bridge the gap between online and in-store experiences.

Through AI-driven insights and tools like the Tell Rexy system, Tapestry captures valuable feedback from sales associates, which is then used to improve product design, marketing strategies, and customer experiences.

Action: Leverage AI to integrate customer feedback and insights for your business, enhancing personalization, streamlining operations, and boosting engagement and sales.

3. 🚛 Streamlining Fleet Maintenance with AI

Move: Penske Transportation Solutions uses AI platforms like Guided Repair and Proactive Diagnostics to prevent costly truck breakdowns and improve repair efficiency.

These systems analyze real-time data from the fleet, predict potential issues, and recommend proactive maintenance, reducing repair times and avoiding breakdowns.

Action: Integrate AI-driven diagnostic tools in your business operations to enhance maintenance processes, minimize downtime, and improve operational efficiency.

***

Want to do the same to your business but don’t know how and where to start? Don’t miss out on our next FREE AI Business Summit.

SAVE THE DATES: AUGUST 21st - 23rd, 2024 | LIVE. VIRTUAL. IMMERSIVE.

Discover the latest AI strategies, tools, and insights to transform your business.

THE AI BUSINESS TOOLKIT

(Our Top 5 Weekly AI Picks)

AI Tools For Modern Businesses

  • Syllaby: Build your social media strategy in just 10 minutes.

  • Fusion: Supercharge ad creation and testing with AI efficiency.

  • Echowin: Turn every call into revenue with the most powerful AI Call Center, offering 24/7 answering and task automation.

  • Bardeen: Automate complex workflows into a single click

  • Kapwing: Modern video creation platform that helps teams make great content faster.

WELL… THAT’S A WRAP!

Bye Bye Goodbye GIF by Pudgy Penguins

Thanks for the support…

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Your AI buddy,

Brian Hanson

CEO / Founder

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