Elon Musk expressed support for a potential merger between SpaceX and Tesla, indicating that both companies are exploring the possibility through committees of independent directors. Musk made the comments during a recent financial call for SpaceX, stating, “Do I think that this is a good idea? Yes.” He clarified that he would not take part in discussions regarding the merger as an interested party.
The collaboration between SpaceX and Tesla is already established; Tesla has supplied SpaceX with batteries and vehicles, invested in xAI, and plans to jointly produce AI chips. Should the merger proceed, it would require approval from majority shareholders of Tesla, and could potentially create a corporation valued at approximately $3.5 trillion.
Technology Innovations
In the realm of artificial intelligence, OpenAI has begun to implement a new feature for ChatGPT, allowing users to create PIN-protected chats. These chats remain hidden from general browsing history and will be stored in a section titled “Locked chats,” accessible only with the user’s PIN. OpenAI noted that using this feature does not provide end-to-end encryption and users should be aware that forgetting the PIN will result in the irrevocable deletion of all locked chats.
In a separate initiative, Anthropic is negotiating with law firms to enhance its AI agents, named Claude, to conduct legal negotiations autonomously. While these agents operate under human supervision, they can make independent decisions, such as participating in transactions and advocating for users. Anthropic recognizes the lack of regulatory and legal frameworks for AI to finalize deals but anticipates future developments in this area.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Sechenov University and the NMIC of Therapy and Preventive Medicine have introduced a personal AI health assistant named “Losing Weight Healthily,” which relies on the neural network model “GigaChat.” The assistant is designed to promote healthier lifestyles and is based on validated medical practices across various fields, including dietetics and cardiology.
On the music front, Spotify has removed approximately 50 million tracks generated by AI, marking their second major cleanup after eliminating 75 million similar tracks in the past year. The deletion was based on user feedback regarding unwanted content, and Spotify has since altered its recommendation system to prioritize real artists over spam content.
In hardware news, Tesla has commenced the serial production of its humanoid robot, Optimus, at its Fremont, California, facility. The company aims to reach a production target of 20,000 robots per week, although Elon Musk indicated it may take longer than initially anticipated to resolve existing challenges. Additionally, the company is constructing a second production facility in Texas.
Finally, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Band 4 smartwatch in China, priced at approximately $25. The device features a 1.47-inch display, a 300 mAh battery, and various health-monitoring functions, including heart rate tracking and sleep analysis.
