This Week in AI

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OpenAI Rejects Musk’s $97.4B Takeover Bid

Elon Musk made a bold statement to take over OpenAI with a $97.4 billion bid, but Sam Altman shut it down.?

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI before splitting from the company, offered $97.4 billion to acquire it – far below OpenAI’s latest valuation of up to $300 billion.

Speaking at the AI Action Summit in Paris, Altman dismissed the offer, stating that OpenAI is “not for sale.” He later took a jab at Musk on X, joking that OpenAI would buy Twitter for $9.74 billion instead.

Musk claims he wants to return OpenAI to its non-profit roots, but critics, including Altman, see the move as an attempt to control the company after failing to compete with it. Musk’s own AI company, xAI, has struggled to gain market share against OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Meanwhile, OpenAI is moving forward with expansion plans. It has joined forces with Oracle and other investors on a massive $500 billion AI infrastructure project in the US, signaling its focus on growth rather than a sale.

UK Demands Apple Create Backdoor to Access User Data

The UK government has ordered Apple to create a backdoor that would grant authorities access to global user data, sparking a major privacy battle.

The directive, issued under the Investigatory Powers Act, requires Apple to bypass its encryption for iCloud services. This move targets Apple's Advanced Data Protection feature, which encrypts users’ messages, device backups, and more.

Apple has always resisted similar demands, arguing that weakening encryption would expose everyday users to security risks. Privacy advocates warn this order could set a global precedent, pressuring tech companies to compromise security at the request of governments.

The UK government justifies the mandate as a national security measure, arguing that encrypted data hampers criminal investigations. Apple has yet to publicly respond, but a public showdown over digital privacy seems inevitable.

Tinder is Using AI to Help You Find Love?

Tinder is turning to AI to help users find love… After years of defining online dating with its swipe-based system, the app is rolling out AI-powered matchmaking based on user behaviour and preferences.?

While swiping isn’t going away anytime soon, the company sees AI as a way to make the experience feel less like work and more like spontaneous dating.

The move comes as Tinder struggles to retain users, with monthly active users dropping by 8-10% in recent months. To stay competitive, it’s also expanding AI-powered Photo Finder, which helps users select their best profile pictures.

The company’s CEO, Spencer Rascoff, believes AI could be incredibly useful for online dating – just like the mobile was more than a decade ago.?

Meta Teaches Robots To Do Housework

Meta has introduced PARTNR, a research program aimed at studying how AI-powered robots can assist with everyday tasks like cleaning, cooking, and fetching deliveries.

While robot vacuums have gained mainstream adoption, most home robots struggle with high costs, limited capabilities, and reliability issues. Meta hopes PARTNR will bridge this gap by training AI to work alongside humans rather than independently.?

The program includes 100,000 household task simulations and a dataset of human demonstrations to train embodied AI models. Early tests have already integrated the system into Boston Dynamics' Spot robot, showing potential for real-world applications.

If home robots are ever going to move beyond vacuuming, they’ll need to learn to work alongside people – understanding human spaces, habits, and expectations.

AI Sensors to Prevent Road Accidents in UK

The UK is deploying AI to detect danger and prevent road accidents. Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has installed AI-powered sensors at 40 locations to track near misses, identify dangerous spots, and improve safety measures.

Early data has already flagged high-risk areas, such as Grange Road in Coventry, where changes like wider pavements and pedestrian stopping points will be introduced. The sensors record incidents where vehicles pass within inches of pedestrians and cyclists, helping authorities act before accidents occur.

With 50 road deaths in the West Midlands last year, 43% involving pedestrians, TfWM aims to reach zero crashes by 2040. The ￡100,000 AI initiative is a step toward making that vision a reality.

Until next time! The future awaits.

Ayesha ??