This chapter explores the recent developments regarding Elon Musk's Cybertruck and the introduction of Grok, an AI chatbot capable of generating images. It discusses the implications of AI-generated content, particularly concerning copyright issues, unsettling imagery, and the challenges faced in advertising and user experience. The speakers examine the capabilities and limitations of Grok, shedding light on how generative AI can both inform and mislead in a digital landscape rife with creative manipulation.
X users might have noticed a new kind of artificial intelligence-generated image proliferating: strange visions of Elon Musk next to Disney characters carrying guns, or Donald Trump in all kinds of, well, weird situations. This was what followed a new release of Musk’s Grok AI tool, which can now make images—unsurprisingly with fewer guardrails than other image-creating machines out there.
On this episode we’ll talk about Grok’s new skillset and also get into the semiotics of the Cybertruck. Initially conceived of as a mass-market truck, it’s slid into another category: marker of a certain kind of right-wing flex, the kind Musk himself has engaged in on his struggling social network. Joining David to discuss is Davey Alba, a Bloomberg technology reporter, along with Max Chafkin and Dana Hull.
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