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      Elon Musk’s xAI releases Grok source and weights, taunting OpenAI

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Monday, 18 March - 16:55 · 1 minute

    An AI-generated image released by xAI during the launch of Grok

    Enlarge / An AI-generated image released by xAI during the open-weights launch of Grok-1. (credit: xAI )

    On Sunday, Elon Musk's AI firm xAI released the base model weights and network architecture of Grok-1 , a large language model designed to compete with the models that power OpenAI's ChatGPT. The open-weights release through GitHub and BitTorrent comes as Musk continues to criticize (and sue ) rival OpenAI for not releasing its AI models in an open way.

    Announced in November, Grok is an AI assistant similar to ChatGPT that is available to X Premium+ subscribers who pay $16 a month to the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. At its heart is a mixture-of-experts LLM called "Grok-1," clocking in at 314 billion parameters. As a reference, GPT-3 included 175 billion parameters. Parameter count is a rough measure of an AI model's complexity, reflecting its potential for generating more useful responses.

    xAI is releasing the base model of Grok-1, which is not fine-tuned for a specific task, so it is likely not the same model that X uses to power its Grok AI assistant. "This is the raw base model checkpoint from the Grok-1 pre-training phase, which concluded in October 2023," writes xAI on its release page. "This means that the model is not fine-tuned for any specific application, such as dialogue," meaning it's not necessarily shipping as a chatbot.

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      X apparently added 5-second delay for links to sites Musk doesn’t like

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Wednesday, 16 August, 2023 - 17:40

    A smartphone displays Elon Musk's profile on X, the app formerly known as Twitter.

    Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Dan Kitwood )

    In the latest controversial change at Elon Musk's social network, the service formerly named Twitter reportedly added a five-second delay when users load links to certain news sites and rival social networks. The New York Times and Reuters were affected by the delay with the t.co link-shortening service used by X, according to several news reports published yesterday.

    X eliminated the delay in links to news sites yesterday afternoon, according to Reuters and The Washington Post . "When contacted for comment, X confirmed the delay was removed but did not elaborate," Reuters wrote.

    Links from X to the NYT and Reuters loaded almost instantly for us today. But we still found delays of three to five seconds in links to Substack, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads today in our tests.

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      The bad blood between Musk and Zuckerberg began with a bang

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Thursday, 22 June, 2023 - 14:49

    Musk versus Zuckerberg in a cage match? Probably not.

    Enlarge / Musk versus Zuckerberg in a cage match? Probably not. (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images ( David Paul Morris | Nathan Laine))

    The Internet is aflame this morning with the prospect of a cage match between two of the tech industry's most prominent and controversial leaders. Ready to rumble in the red corner is Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk. And in the blue corner, we have the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.

    As the BBC and multiple other outlets have confirmed , Zuckerberg was entirely serious when he accepted Musk's offer of a cage match by saying "send me location." On Wednesday evening, Musk then replied with "Vegas Octagon." This was a reference to the fenced-in area used for Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts in Las Vegas.

    Given the humorous nature of Musk's other responses to the proposed fight, such as "I have this great move that I call 'The Walrus', where I just lie on top of my opponent & do nothing," it seems probable that he is not overly serious. While Musk has the definite advantage in size, he is 12 years older than Zuckerberg, and the Facebook founder frequently trains in mixed-martial arts.

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      Tourbillon de controverses autour du retrait des vérifications Twitter

      news.movim.eu / Korben · Tuesday, 25 April, 2023 - 13:28 · 2 minutes

    Vous savez quoi ?

    Une nouvelle polémique a éclaté dans le petit monde merveilleux de l’internet, et cette fois-ci c’est à propos d’un sujet que vous n’aurez jamais imaginé : les fameuses vérifications de comptes sur Twitter! Je m’apprête donc à vous raconter une histoire très intéressante qui pourrait bien être scénario pour un futur épisode des « Feux de l’amour ».

    Cela a commencé lorsque notre cher Elon Musk – ça faisait longtemps qu’on ne parlait plus de lui ici -, en bon samaritain multimilliardaire qu’il est, décide d’offrir généreusement des abonnements gratuits au service payant Twitter Blue aux célébrités critiquant la politique actuelle du réseau social concernant ses fameuses vérification.

    Mais voilà ! En réaction, certains utilisateurs ont lancé leur propre campagne anti-badge bleu en bloquant tous les comptes avec ce statut. Qu’à cela ne tienne! Pour calmer cet ouragan virtuel imprévu, Elon décida alors d’offrir également ses précieuses petites pastilles gratuites non seulement aux trolls mais aussi à tout autre utilisateur souhaitant flatter son ego numérique… y compris certaines autres stars !

    L’affaire prend vite une ampleur incroyable: On commence à discuter de la légalité de cette offre soudaine et, en filigrane, des obligations légales liées aux protections des consommateurs. Peut-on parler ici d’une véritable violation des règles ou simplement d’un énième buzz orchestré par notre Elon international ?

    Certifié FTW !!

    Personnellement, j’adore ce genre d’affaire car cela prouve une fois encore que les plus grands trouducs aussi peuvent créer leurs propres embrouilles.

    Toujours est-il que pendant qu’on en débat joyeusement sur tous ces aspects plus fortement juridiques – n’est-ce pas là le reflet désespéré du monde réel transposé dans le cyberespace? -, certains se posent la question cruciale : Et si Twitter revenait tout simplement…à l’ancien système ?

    Rappelez-vous! Avant toute cette histoire rocambolesque et kafkaïenne où chacun y met son grain de #SelPoivre , on pouvait arborer fièrement (ou non) un badge bleu attaché au doux nom qui trônait alors au sommet de nos profils. Désormais cependant ce signe distinctif témoignerait surtout du fait que l’utilisateur a juste pris quelques minutes pour confirmer son identité… Rien à voir avec sa qualité intrinsèquement divine, évidemment !

    Pourtant je me demande si nous ne sommes pas déjà trop loin dans l’intrigue: La Federal Trade Commission ( FTC ) ayant déjà condamné plusieurs acteurs majeurs dont Twitter pour manquements divers concernant notamment les sacrosaintes questions de confidentialité et de sécurité.

    Un retour en force aux fondamentaux où la belle époque du badge bleu serait au centre d’un sursaut républicain numérique? Ou bien plutôt une exploration plus avant des frontières étendues entre droits virtuels et réalités légales ?

    Source

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      Musk feuds with another public broadcaster, labels CBC “69% Government-funded”

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Tuesday, 18 April, 2023 - 18:05

    Screenshot of the CBC's Twitter account with the label

    Enlarge / The CBC's Twitter profile.

    The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Twitter profile has a new label that Elon Musk wrote specifically for Canada's public broadcaster: "69% Government-funded Media." While Musk appears to be enjoying his feud with media outlets, his insistence on using "state-affiliated" and "government-funded" labels for public broadcasters has driven several news organizations to quit the social network that he bought for $44 billion.

    "Canadian Broadcasting Corp said they're 'less than 70% government-funded,' so we corrected the label," Musk wrote in a tweet last night. The tweet included a screenshot of CBC's Twitter profile with the new "69% Government-funded Media" label.

    The "69% Government-funded" label, while obviously a joke , appears to be inaccurate. The CBC may not have told Musk the exact percentage, but the organization's publicly available 2022 financial report says it received $1.24 billion in government funding and another $651.4 million in revenue from advertising, subscriber fees, and investments. That would mean government allocations accounted for about 66 percent of the CBC's 2022 funding and revenue.

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      Musk says Twitter value is down to $20 billion, calls firm an “inverse startup”

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Monday, 27 March, 2023 - 19:15

    Elon Musk's Twitter profile displayed on a phone screen in front of a Twitter logo and a fake stock graph with an arrow pointing down.

    Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto )

    Elon Musk told Twitter employees that the company is now worth about $20 billion, less than half the amount he paid for it. The New York Times reported that Musk provided the $20 billion figure in an email sent to staff on Friday to announce a new stock compensation program.

    "According to Mr. Musk's email about the new stock compensation program, Twitter employees will receive stock in X Corporation, the holding company he used to buy the company. Those awards will be granted under the $20 billion valuation. Mr. Musk also said in the email that he believed Twitter could someday be worth $250 billion," the NYT article said.

    Musk "warned workers that Twitter remained in a precarious financial position and, at one point, had been four months away from running out of money," the article said. Musk's email reportedly said bankruptcy was averted because of the "radical changes" he implemented—like staff cuts that reduced the company headcount from about 7,500 to under 2,000 .

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      Musk’s bid to start Neuralink human trials denied by FDA in 2022, report says

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Thursday, 2 March, 2023 - 17:02

    Musk’s bid to start Neuralink human trials denied by FDA in 2022, report says

    Enlarge (credit: Getty | Jakub Porzycki )

    The Food and Drug Administration denied a human-trials application from Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, in early 2022, citing dozens of concerns about the company's device that employees are still working to address, according to a report by Reuters . The report is based on interviews with seven current and former Neuralink employees.

    The revelation of the FDA rejection tracks with the thin public progress reports from the company, which place Neuralink behind rivals as well as Musk's ambitious timelines. Musk, who co-founded Neuralink in 2016, said in 2019 that the company aimed to start human trials by the end of 2020 and held lofty goals of curing spinal cord injuries and dementia. In a November 2022 presentation, which showed little technological progress , Musk said the company was still about six months away from human trials.

    According to a company document from last fall, Neuralink expected to get FDA authorization for trials by March 7—next week. But employees who spoke with Reuters said they are not confident they'll get it, with one calling it a "gamble."

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      Neuralink transported brain implants covered in pathogens, group alleges

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Friday, 10 February, 2023 - 19:19 · 1 minute

    Pager, a nine-year-old Macaque, plays MindPong with his Neuralink.

    Enlarge / Pager, a 9-year-old Macaque, plays MindPong with his Neuralink. (credit: YouTube/NeuraLink )

    The Department of Transportation is investigating allegations that Elon Musk's brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, violated federal transportation regulations when it shipped contaminated implants removed from the brains of deceased research monkeys infected with multiple types of dangerous pathogens. The alleged violations could have put humans at risk of exposure to hazardous germs, including drug-resistant bacteria and a potentially life-threatening herpes virus.

    Reuters was the first to report the department's investigation , which was sparked by allegations brought Thursday by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a medical group that advocates for animal welfare in medical research. The Department of Transportation confirmed to Ars on Friday that it has opened a standard investigation of Neuralink in response to PCRM's allegations.

    In a letter addressed to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and William Schoonover, associate administrator of the department's Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration, the PCRM laid out its evidence for possible violations of hazardous material transportation regulations based on a trove of documents and emails obtained through public record requests. The advocacy group says the evidence shows Neuralink's contaminated hardware was not properly packaged to prevent exposure to humans and that Neuralink employees who transported the material had failed to undergo legally required training on how to safely transport such material.

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      Musk’s Twitter abandons COVID misinfo policy, shirking “huge responsibility”

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Tuesday, 29 November, 2022 - 20:03

    Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk presents a vaccine production device during a meeting September 2, 2020, in Berlin, Germany. Musk met with vaccine-maker CureVac, with which Tesla has a cooperation to build devices for producing RNA vaccines.

    Enlarge / Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk presents a vaccine production device during a meeting September 2, 2020, in Berlin, Germany. Musk met with vaccine-maker CureVac, with which Tesla has a cooperation to build devices for producing RNA vaccines. (credit: Getty | Filip Singer )

    Under the leadership of billionaire Elon Musk, social media platform Twitter has abandoned its efforts to prevent the spread of dangerous COVID-19 misinformation on its platform, dismaying experts who say false and misleading health information can harm individuals and put lives at risk.

    "Effective November 23, 2022, Twitter is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy," the company noted in various places on its website.

    From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health responses have been severely stymied by a plague of misinformation, often in digital spaces.

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