Tesla invested $2 billion in Elon Musk's AI firm xAI, while Microsoft's demand backlog doubled to $625 billion due to OpenAI, according to recent reports. These developments highlight the increasing significance of artificial intelligence in various sectors, from automotive to software.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk initiated the new year with several announcements, including the investment in xAI and the discontinuation of the Model S and Model X car models, Fortune reported. Musk stated that Tesla would utilize the freed factory space to build Optimus robots, experimental humanoid robots intended for tasks ranging from household chores to surgery.
Microsoft's earnings report revealed a significant milestone, with the company's cloud business surpassing $50 billion in quarterly revenue. The company's demand backlog more than doubled to $625 billion, boosted by OpenAI, Fortune noted. However, Microsoft's stock experienced a decline of nearly 5% in after-hours trading following the earnings release, which indicated a slowdown in Azure revenue growth and capacity constraints expected to persist until at least the end of its fiscal year in June. During the earnings call, Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood addressed investor concerns regarding the revenue growth slowdown for the Azure platform amid rising capital expenditure.
The ability of AI to remember user preferences is becoming a key feature for chatbots and agents. Google recently announced Personal Intelligence, a new feature for its Gemini chatbot that uses data from Gmail, photos, search, and YouTube histories to personalize the AI's responses, according to MIT Technology Review. Similar efforts have been made by OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta to incorporate personal details into their AI products. MIT Technology Review noted that while these features offer potential benefits, it is crucial to address the new risks they introduce.
In other news, research indicates that critical posts on social media platform X can serve as early indicators of problematic scientific articles, according to Nature News. Two studies found that post-publication commentary can help identify errors or fraudulent results. Er-Te Zheng, a PhD student at the University of Sheffield, UK, stated that social media platforms like X could be used to identify integrity issues in scientific research. Previous research has shown that articles that are later retracted often receive significant attention on social media beforehand.
ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott is attempting to shift investor perception of his company away from being viewed as a standard SaaS business, Fortune reported. Despite consistently strong results, ServiceNow's stock has declined 40% over the past year due to concerns about its high valuation. The company reported fourth-quarter earnings that exceeded Wall Street's growth forecasts for the ninth consecutive quarter.
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