Elon Musk’s xAI, now owned by SpaceX, sued Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to challenge a law that would ban so-called nudify apps in the state.
In their complaint, filed in a federal court in Minnesota on Monday, attorneys for xAI wrote that the statute “imposes an overbroad, content-based ban on free speech and the tools of visual expression in a clumsy attempt to prohibit ‘nudification.’”
The Minnesota law, which goes into effect on Saturday, targets apps and websites that give people the ability to generate non-consensual sexualized imagery, levying $500,000 fines each time a user creates explicit deepfakes.
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Pray They Don’t Alter It Any Further
Last year, Elon Musk promised that xAI would donate a large sum to the Memphis-Shelby County school system to help rehabilitate four schools near its data centers. Laura Testino reported on the commitment at the time:
In its proposal to the district, xAI offered support for four different schools in areas of Whitehaven and Westwood near its data centers:
- John P. Freeman Optional School
- Fairley High School
- Mitchell High School
- Westwood High School
At each school, the company has proposed upgrades to the HVAC units that heat and cool the schools, plus improvements to plumbing, lighting and windows. XAI has also offered to paint at the schools.
A Cautionary Tale⇢
This CNBC video provides a look at what happens when a massive AI data center is built in your neighborhood.
Impeccable Timing
OpenAI, in an unsigned announcement:
Health in ChatGPT is launching to U.S. users. You can choose to securely connect Apple Health and supported medical records so ChatGPT can help you understand your information in context, keep track of what has changed, and have more informed, personalized conversations. The experience builds on feedback from early testers and gives you control over what you connect and when ChatGPT can use it.
Every week, more than 300 million people turn to ChatGPT with health-related questions—from understanding a lab result and preparing for an appointment to making sense of what a doctor said and building a healthier routine. But the context behind those questions is often scattered across patient portals, medical records, apps, and wearables, making it difficult to see and act on the complete picture.
Garmin Launches Screen-Free Fitness Tracker⇢
Garmin has joined the likes of Fitbit and Whoop, and is now offering a screen-free fitness tracker, named the Cirqa.
Andrew Liszewski at The Verge:
The smart band can track more than 80 different activities such as running or yoga that are selectable through the accompanying Garmin Connect app or using its single side button as a shortcut to your favorite. Through the app, you can monitor your training progress including the effectiveness of a workout and whether your body is ready for your next training session or would benefit more from a rest day.
I’m Rubber; You’re Glue⇢
If you use Grok to make CSAM,
xAI will sue you.
(There are no good guys in this story.)
Connected 612: MacBook Air (2)⇢
Myke has a new laptop, Federico has thoughts on Siri AI, and Stephen has been graded. Also: Apple vs. OpenAI and a big day for Mario fans with feet.
Google Announces Support for Nation’s Largest Solar Farm, Located in Arkansas
Google is building an AI data center in West Memphis, Arkansas, across the Mississippi River from Memphis. (I know, it’s a very original city name.) Google joins SpaceXAI and others in the Mid-South for cheap land and abundant water, but it faces the same core challenges — mainly, how to feed its huge collection of power-hungry hardware.
When the project was announced, details about power generation were sparse. Today, we know a bit more. Will Conkling and Christopher Scott at Google:
Gas Turbine Company For Powering Data Centers Purchased by Elon Musk
Alexandria Mansfield, writing for the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union, via Yahoo Finance:
Elon Musk has acquired Jacksonville-based APR Energy, according to a Federal Trade Commission filing that surfaced the deal weeks after it closed with no public statement from either side.
The FTC’s early termination notice, transaction number 20261350 and dated May 14, lists Elon Musk as the acquiring party and CF APR Super Holdings LLC as the acquired party, with New APR Energy, LLC listed as the acquired entity.
OpenAI Rumored to be Making a Smart Speaker⇢
Mark Gurman, writing at Bloomberg:
OpenAI’s much-anticipated push into consumer devices is slated to begin with a mobile, screen-free smart speaker designed to be a new type of home computer for the AI era, according to people familiar with the matter.
The product — still under development — is meant to serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project hasn’t been announced. It will help control smart-home appliances, play media, answer questions, respond to messages and tap into the range of capabilities offered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, they said.
It’s Public Beta Time
macOS Golden Gate and iOS/iPadOS/watchOS 27 are out in Public Beta. Jason Snell and Dan Moren have more over on Six Colors. At MacStories, Jonathan Reed wrote up watchOS, and Devon Dundee took on visionOS.
Connected 611: My Skin is Not Good for That; His Skin Seems to Want It⇢
This week on the podcast:
Federico is at the beach, Myke questions his iPhone’s future, and Stephen wears watches. Then: a whole stack of Q&A items.