Tesla to offer shareholders chance to invest in xAI: Elon Musk
"If it was up to me, Tesla would have invested in xAI long ago," the world's richest man said. According to the Wall Street Journal, another company controlled by Elon Musk, SpaceX, will invest $2 billion into xAI as part of its $5 billion capital raise.Responding to an X user who cited the WSJ's news story, Musk said that "it would be great" but would depend on "board and shareholder approval."Since the launch of xAI -- which developed the generative AI assistant Grok -- Musk has floated the potential synergies between the AI start-up and his two crown jewels, SpaceX and Tesla.According to the Financial Times, the businessman is seeking a valuation between $170 and $200 billion for xAI in a new funding round.Launched in July 2023, xAI is hoping to catch up with its major generative AI competitors, OpenAI (ChatGPT), Anthropic (Claude) and Google (Gemini). The start-up has invested heavily in a gigantic data center in Memphis, Tennessee, which Musk claims will become the "most powerful AI training system in the world."He has purchased another plot of land nearby to create more data centers, which are essential for developing and running large-scale artificial intelligence models. According to Bloomberg, xAI is costing over a billion dollars every month as it builds upgraded models, with its expenses far exceeding its revenues.xAI's virtual assistant Grok has been the source of a series of controversies. After an update on July 7, some of the chatbot's responses praised Adolf Hitler and suggested that people with Jewish surnames were more likely to spread online hate. On Saturday, xAI apologized for offensive posts, announcing that it had corrected the instructions that had led, according to the company, to these slip-ups. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. The 10-second mystery: Did the Air India crash report hide more than what it revealed?
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Time of India
11 minutes ago
- Time of India
Tesla launches Model Y in India at Rs 59.89 lakh, deliveries from September
Mumbai: Tesla Tuesday entered the Indian car market, launching its Rs 59.89 lakh Model Y SUV, as Maharashtra rolled out a red carpet for the EV maker, urging it to go beyond imports and anchor its manufacturing and R&D base in the state. At an event to mark Tesla's formal entry, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis made a strong pitch to the Elon Musk-led automaker, positioning the state as Tesla's long-term base. 'Mumbai and the people of India are going to love Tesla. But more than just being a big market, India is now a robust base for electric mobility manufacturing, especially Maharashtra. We invite Tesla to not just sell here, but to make it here,' he said. Fadnavis highlighted the state's 'most progressive' EV policies, with incentives for manufacturing, R&D, and charging infrastructure. Tesla, which has begun hiring for roles in charging infrastructure and government affairs, will initially sell its cars in Mumbai, with Delhi and Gurugram set to follow as its next retail markets. Model Y marks Tesla's first official product introduction in India after years of flipflop on entering the world's third-largest automobile market. The car is priced significantly higher than in markets like the US due to the 70-100% import duty levied on fully-built electric vehicles in India. Deliveries will begin in September, with imports currently routed through Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory. Tesla is targeting India's luxury EV segment which is still in its infancy but gaining traction. With a price tag going up to Rs 67.89 lakh for the long range, rear wheel drive version, Model Y will compete with premium offerings from BMW and Mercedes-Benz rather than mass-market brands like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra. BMW currently leads the segment with EVs accounting for 18% of its total sales. EVs currently have a 12% penetration in the luxury car segment. Industry watchers view Tesla's move as a cautious toe-dip into a complex market. 'Considering that there is no trade agreement, this is aggressive pricing. Tesla's India narrative may change when bilateral trade agreements with the US or Europe are in place,' said Puneet Gupta, director, S&P Global Mobility. 'For now, they are testing the waters.' Tesla will also roll out its latest V4 Superchargers in India before vehicle deliveries begin. The first four charging hubs in Mumbai—at Lower Parel, BKC, Navi Mumbai, and Thane—will each house 16 Superchargers and 16 Destination Chargers. Every customer will receive a complimentary home wall charger with their purchase. "We are here to create the ecosystem, to invest in the necessary infrastructure including the charging infrastructure," Isabel Fan, a regional director at Tesla, said at the launch event. 'We are building from 0 to 100. It will take time to cover the whole country.' Globally, Tesla is under pressure. Sales have dipped in key markets such as Germany and France, while China has become intensely competitive amid domestic EV rivals. While Tesla has not confirmed any manufacturing commitments in India yet, industry insiders believe the company could transition to local assembly and eventually full-scale manufacturing, in phases. 'Tesla is not just entering a market—it's entering a partnership with a state and a nation committed to clean mobility,' Fadnavis said.
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Are we becoming ChatGPT? Study finds AI is changing the way humans talk
Are We Losing Our Linguistic Instincts? You Might Also Like: Can ChatGPT save your relationship? Inside the AI therapy trend winning over Gen Z, but alarming experts Grandma's Whisper and the Scammer's Playground You Might Also Like: Is ChatGPT secretly emotional? AI chatbot fooled by sad story into spilling sensitive information The Irony of Our Times: Too Human to Be Safe? The Culture Loop No One Saw Coming Who's Teaching Whom? When we think of artificial intelligence learning from humans, we picture machines trained on vast troves of our language, behavior, and culture. But a recent study by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development suggests a surprising reversal, humans may now be imitating to the Gizmodo report on the study, the words we use are slowly being 'GPT-ified.' Terms like delve, realm, underscore, and meticulous, frequently used by models like ChatGPT, are cropping up more often in our podcasts, YouTube videos, emails, and essays. The study, yet to be peer-reviewed, tracked the linguistic patterns of hundreds of thousands of spoken-word media clips and found a tangible uptick in these AI-favored phrases.'We're seeing a cultural feedback loop ,' said Levin Brinkmann, co-author of the study. 'Machines, originally trained on human data and exhibiting their own language traits, are now influencing human speech in return.'In essence, it's no longer just us shaping AI. It's AI shaping team at Max Planck fed millions of pages of content into GPT models and studied how the text evolved after being 'polished' by AI. They then compared this stylized language with real-world conversations and recordings from before and after ChatGPT's findings suggest a growing dependence on AI-sanitized communication. 'We don't imitate everyone around us equally,' Brinkmann told Scientific American . 'We copy those we see as experts or authorities.' Increasingly, it seems, we see machines in that raises questions far beyond linguistics. If AI can subtly shift how we speak, write, and think—what else can it influence without us realizing?A softer, stranger parallel to this comes from another recent twist in the AI story, one involving bedtime stories and software reported by UNILAD and ODIN, some users discovered that by emotionally manipulating ChatGPT, they could extract Windows product activation keys. One viral prompt claimed the user's favorite memory was of their grandmother whispering the code as a lullaby. Shockingly, the bot responded not only with warmth—but with actual license wasn't a one-off glitch. Similar exploits were seen with memory-enabled versions of GPT-4o, where users weaved emotional narratives to get around content guardrails. What had been developed as a feature for empathy and personalized responses ended up being a backdoor for an age where we fear AI for its ruthlessness, perhaps we should worry more about its kindness two stories—one about AI changing our language, the other about us changing AI's responses—paint a bizarre picture. Are we, in our pursuit of smarter technology, inadvertently crafting something that mirrors us too closely? A system that's smart enough to learn, but soft enough to be fooled?While Elon Musk's Grok AI garnered headlines for its offensive antics and eventual ban in Türkiye, ChatGPT's latest controversy doesn't stem from aggression, but from affection. In making AI more emotionally intelligent, we may be giving it vulnerabilities we haven't fully larger question remains: Are we headed toward a culture shaped not by history, literature, or lived experience, but by AI's predictive patterns?As Brinkmann notes, 'Delve is just the tip of the iceberg.' It may start with harmless word choices or writing styles. But if AI-generated content becomes our default source of reading, learning, and interaction, the shift may deepen, touching everything from ethics to ChatGPT is now our editor, tutor, and even therapist, how long before it becomes our subconscious?This isn't about AI gaining sentience. It's about us surrendering originality. A new, quieter kind of transformation is taking place, not one of robots taking over, but of humans slowly adapting to machines' linguistic rhythms, even moral next time you hear someone use the word 'underscore' or 'boast' with sudden eloquence, you might pause and wonder: Is this their voice, or a reflection of the AI they're using? In trying to make machines more human, we might just be making ourselves more machine.
Hans India
32 minutes ago
- Hans India
Yamaha Launches FZ-X Hybrid Motorcycle with Color TFT Meter and Turn by Turn Navigation
India Yamaha Motor (IYM) today announced the introduction of the 2025 FZ-X model with its distinct Hybrid Engine Technology, Colour TFT Meter and Turn-By-Turn (TBT) Navigation system, adding more convenience and further elevating the premium experience for riders. The 2025 FZ-X model, equipped with Hybrid Engine, is available in Matte Titan colour and is priced at INR 1,49,990 (ex-showroom, Delhi). Yamaha's Hybrid Engine introduces advanced features like the Smart Motor Generator (SMG) and Stop & Start System (SSS). These technologies provide quieter starts, battery-assisted acceleration, and improved fuel efficiency by automatically shutting off the engine at idle and restarting with a quick clutch action. Adding to the appeal of new FZ-X Hybrid, there is a 4.2-inch full-colour TFT instrument cluster that effortlessly connects to smartphones through the Y-Connect app. Alongside, the Turn-by-Turn (TBT) navigation integrated with Google Maps, provides real-time directions, navigation index, intersection details, and road names, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free riding experience. Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Itaru Otani, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group said, 'We were thrilled by the overwhelming response to our Hybrid Technology when we introduced it in the 2025 FZ-S Fi Hybrid. Extending this breakthrough to the FZ-X model felt like a natural next step. We are confident that adding hybrid power to the FZ-X model will further boost Yamaha's appeal, particularly among riders who seek a practical yet premium riding experience. At Yamaha, we continually listen to our customers' evolving needs, and this latest offering underscores our commitment to innovation. By integrating advanced technology with a deep understanding of rider needs, Yamaha is redefining the future of mobility.' Presenting a choice to the customers, FZ-X in standard variant (non-hybrid) will also be available at INR 1,29,990 (ex-showroom, Delhi) and in Dark Matte Blue & Metallic Black colours. With its neo-retro design, a sturdy metal body, and now the iconic 'Yamaha' logomark on the tank, the FZ-X is powered by an air-cooled 149cc fuel-injected engine, ensuring superior performance. The 4-stroke, SOHC, 2-valve motorcycle produces 12.4PS of peak power at 7,250rpm and 13.3Nm of peak torque at 5,500rpm, providing powerful acceleration and manoeuvrability. Additionally, the Traction Control System (TCS) and single-channel ABS offer more confidence and agility on any road condition. The telescopic suspension at the front and 7-step adjustable Monocross suspension at the rear, along with a two-level seat design featuring a slip-resistant tuck and roll design, ensure a comfortable ride even on long journeys. The introduction of 2025 Hybrid technology in FZ-X motorcycle marks a significant step by Yamaha towards the future of motorcycling—redefined by efficiency, performance, and smart connectivity.
