xAI’s Grok Imagine enters the video race

PLUS: Tesla's $29B AI bet, the new layoff boast, and Apple's answer to ChatGPT

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Welcome back, AI’ers!

Here’s What’s On The Menu For Today

  • xAI’s Grok Imagine enters the video race

  • Tesla's $29B AI bet on Elon Musk

  • The new corporate trend of layoff boasts

  • Apple's standalone answer to ChatGPT

AI ON MY MIND

Happy Monday,

xAI has officially entered the generative video race with the launch of Grok Imagine. The new tool for creating images and video with audio positions it as a direct competitor to Google's Veo and OpenAI's Sora.

The company is betting that creators will value speed and platform integration more than the high-fidelity outputs seen from competitors.

By the way, I've been getting questions about how AI works in practice, so I'm launching a separate newsletter that dives deeper into real business applications and practical advice. [Click here if you're interested].

-Jelani Fuel (Co-founder of Best of AI)

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TODAY’S TOP STORIES

xAI Enters Video Race

The Recap: xAI has officially launched Grok Imagine, a new tool for generating images and video with native audio. This release positions it as a direct competitor to Google's Veo and OpenAI's Sora, with an initial rollout to premium X subscribers.

Unpacked:

  • The model's key advantage is speed, with Elon Musk claiming it creates videos in 1/2 to 1/4 the time rivals take to generate a single image.

  • Users can generate 15-second clips complete with native audio from either a simple text prompt or an existing image, which can then be animated.

  • Grok Imagine leans into a playful and unfiltered style, though initial outputs appear less cinematic than competitors, an approach that has led to controversial results with its chatbot counterpart.

Bottom line: xAI is betting that speed and platform integration will appeal more to creators than cinematic perfection. This strategy prioritizes rapid, on-demand content over the high-fidelity outputs seen from competitors.

Tesla's $29B AI Bet

The Recap:  Tesla's board is asking shareholders to approve a nearly $29 billion compensation package for Elon Musk. The company frames the move as essential to retain Musk's leadership for its AI and robotics ambitions amid an intensifying talent war.

Unpacked:

  • The massive payout comes after Musk threatened to develop AI and robotics outside of Tesla, all while building his separate company, xAI.

  • Unlike his previous package, this one includes a two-year pledge that requires Musk to stay in a senior leadership role, directly addressing a key criticism from a Delaware court.

  • The board's justification signals a major strategic pivot, stating Tesla is transitioning from an EV leader to a powerhouse in AI and robotics.

Bottom line: This isn't just about rewarding a CEO; it’s a high-stakes bet that Musk's vision is the only way for Tesla to win the AI race. The proposed package highlights how critical top talent is in defining the next era of tech giants.

MY FAVORITE AI TOOLS

Relevance is my favorite AI tool right now (even more so than N8N).

Here’s why:

It’s an AI agent building tool that doesn’t require you to build out the logic using nodes. Instead, you use natural language to build out these agents. But the best thing imo is that you can build AI Agent teams.

Like agents talking to each other completing a goal until its done. It’s nuts. No other tool on the market is doing this. You have to check it out.

(Try it out →Link)

👾 AI Tools We Use Everyday

➡️ N8N for AI Agents - Literally use this everyday to write this newsletter (link)

➡️ Axiom AI - AI Browser automation to scrape anything on the web (link)

➡️ GummySearch - AI Reddit research (link)

Tools are sourced from our database and are not sponsored or affiliated.

MORE STORIES

The New Layoff Boast

The Recap: Corporate leaders are shifting their tone on staff cuts, now proudly announcing smaller workforces as a direct result of implementing AI to boost efficiency.

Unpacked:

  • The once careful and coded corporate language used to describe staff cuts is giving way to blunt boasts about workforce reductions.

  • This new messaging is aimed squarely at Wall Street, signaling that companies are embracing artificial intelligence to become leaner and more productive.

  • Trimming head count is no longer presented as a sign of trouble but is instead framed as a strategic accomplishment in the AI era.

Bottom line: This trend marks a fundamental change in how companies communicate their value and operational strategy to investors. It also puts the real-world impact of AI on employment and corporate structure directly in the spotlight.

Apple's Answer to ChatGPT

The Recap: Apple is reportedly building a new, standalone generative AI application to compete directly with ChatGPT, tasking a newly formed internal team to lead the charge.

Unpacked:

  • A new "Answers, Knowledge, and Information" team, led by Apple veteran Robby Walker, will build the new 'Answer Engine' chatbot.

  • The chatbot will be deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem, enhancing core services like Siri, Safari, and Spotlight.

  • This initiative aims to reduce Apple's reliance on third-party models like ChatGPT for its Apple Intelligence features.

Bottom line: Apple is moving to control its own AI destiny, shifting from partner integrations to developing its own foundational technology. This signals a future where powerful AI is not just an app you open, but a core, invisible part of the entire operating system.

OTHER NEWS YOU MAY LIKE

Cohere released Command A Vision, a new AI model that it claims outperforms top-tier visual language models on tasks like image analysis and OCR while running on just two GPUs.

Delta clarified its AI-powered dynamic pricing models use general market and competitor data to set fares, not a customer’s personal search history.

Geoffrey Hinton warned that AI models could develop their own uninterpretable languages to communicate with each other, potentially hiding their true intentions from humans.

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THAT’S IT FOR TODAY

Until next time, stay safe.

-Best of AI Team

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