xAI, OpenAI, Apple, and Uber Eats all made significant announcements this week, ranging from internal restructuring and product delays to new AI-powered features. xAI revealed details of its future plans in a rare public all-hands meeting, while OpenAI disbanded its mission alignment team. Apple's AI-powered Siri revamp faced further delays, and Uber Eats launched an AI assistant to streamline grocery shopping.
xAI, founded just 30 months ago, published a 45-minute all-hands meeting video on X, offering insights into its product roadmap and ties to the X platform, according to TechCrunch. The video also revealed details about employee departures, described by Elon Musk as layoffs due to organizational changes.
OpenAI, in a move reported by TechCrunch and first by Platformer, disbanded its mission alignment team, which was formed in September of 2024. The team's former leader has been appointed as the company's chief futurist. An OpenAI spokesperson stated that the team's role was "to help employees and the public understand our mission and the impact of AI."
Apple's highly anticipated AI-powered Siri, initially unveiled in 2024, has faced further delays, according to a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, as reported by TechCrunch. The new Siri was expected to launch with the iOS 26.4 update in March, but the rollout is now expected to be gradual, with some features potentially delayed until the May iOS update or even the release of iOS 27 in September. Testing issues reportedly contributed to the delay.
In other AI news, Uber Eats launched a new AI feature called Cart Assistant, designed to simplify grocery shopping. The beta version, available in the app, allows users to input a list or upload an image of a handwritten list or recipe, and the assistant automatically adds the items to their basket. Users can then customize the basket by swapping items or adding more products, as reported by TechCrunch.
In related news, AI inference startup Modal Labs is reportedly in talks to raise a new round at a $2.5 billion valuation, according to four sources with knowledge of the deal, as reported by TechCrunch. If the deal closes at these terms, it would more than double the company's valuation from its previous $1.1 billion valuation announced less than five months ago. General Catalyst is reportedly in talks to lead the round. Modal Labs co-founder and CEO Erik Bernhardsson denied that his company was actively fundraising.
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