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🚀 Big moves, bold claims, and AI power plays! Today, we’re diving into Elon Musk’s $97.4 billion bid to take over OpenAI, a showdown between OpenAI and DeepSeek, and the EU’s latest push for streamlined AI regulations. Plus, Google is expanding NotebookLM Plus — but is it worth the upgrade?
In today’s edition:
🚀 Musk’s $97.4B Bid to Take Over OpenAI
🤔 OpenAI vs. DeepSeek: A Case of Double Standards
🤖 EU's AI Champions Push for Simpler Rules
📝 Google Expands NotebookLM Plus
- Naseema Perveen
WHAT CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION MOST
🚀 Musk’s $97.4B Bid to Take Over OpenAI — Will It Happen?
Elon Musk is making another bold move in the AI space. A team of investors, led by Musk, has submitted a $97.4 billion bid to acquire OpenAI, a company he co-founded in 2015 but later parted ways with. The bid, confirmed by Musk’s lawyer, comes amid his ongoing legal battle against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman.
Musk has been vocal about his discontent with OpenAI’s shift away from its original nonprofit, open-source mission. According to Musk, this bid is an attempt to bring the company back to its roots.
A Battle Over Open-Source AI: Musk argues that OpenAI has strayed from its founding principles by moving toward a closed, profit-driven model. His bid is positioned as a way to restore OpenAI’s original mission of transparency and open-source AI development.
Legal Tensions Escalate: This move is the latest in a series of legal disputes between Musk and OpenAI. Earlier in 2024, Musk sued OpenAI, claiming the company had abandoned its commitment to open-source AI in favor of a profit-driven approach backed by Microsoft.
xAI’s Role in the Deal: Musk’s own AI company, xAI, is part of the bid, raising speculation that a successful acquisition could result in a merger between OpenAI and xAI. Musk has emphasized that xAI follows the principles he originally envisioned for OpenAI—highlighting that his chatbot, Grok, has already been made open-source.
Altman’s Quick-Witted Response: OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, didn’t take long to respond. He posted on X (formerly Twitter) with a playful jab at Musk, saying:
"No thank you, but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want."
Given that Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022, the response adds a layer of humor to the ongoing rivalry.
🤖 What’s Next?
Musk’s bid raises big questions about OpenAI’s future. Will Altman and OpenAI’s board seriously consider the offer, or is this just another chapter in Musk’s AI feud? If accepted, this deal could reshape the AI industry, potentially creating a new AI powerhouse with xAI and OpenAI under one roof.
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KEEP YOUR EYE ON IT
🤔 OpenAI vs. DeepSeek: A Case of Double Standards?
OpenAI has confirmed that it has spoken with government officials about its ongoing investigation into DeepSeek. The company alleges that DeepSeek trained its AI models using data improperly obtained from OpenAI’s API—sparking debates over intellectual property and AI ethics.
Government involvement – OpenAI’s global affairs chief, Chris Lehane, revealed in a Bloomberg TV interview that officials have been briefed on the probe, signaling potential regulatory interest.
Accusations of hypocrisy – Critics argue that OpenAI is suing others for practices it has been accused of itself. The company is currently facing lawsuits from The New York Times and other publishers for allegedly using copyrighted material to train its AI models.
OpenAI’s defense – Lehane claims there’s a key difference: OpenAI’s methods are like reading a library book to learn, while DeepSeek’s approach is akin to repackaging that book and selling it as its own.
A potential legal precedent? – If OpenAI moves forward with legal action against DeepSeek, it could set a new precedent for AI model training ethics, potentially influencing ongoing copyright lawsuits in the industry.
Regulatory implications – Governments worldwide are increasingly scrutinizing AI training practices. OpenAI’s move could spark further discussions on whether AI companies should be held to the same standards they demand of others.
🔮 The Bigger Picture: What’s at Stake?
This dispute isn’t just about OpenAI and DeepSeek—it’s part of a larger battle over AI ownership and ethics. As AI models become more powerful, the question of who controls data, how it's used, and what constitutes fair use is becoming more urgent.
If OpenAI successfully challenges DeepSeek, it could strengthen corporate control over AI development, potentially limiting access to open-source innovation. On the other hand, if OpenAI faces regulatory pushback or legal challenges of its own, it could force a broader re-evaluation of AI training practices across the industry.
🤖 EU's AI Champions Push for Simpler Rules—Will It Work?
At the AI Summit in Paris, 60 European tech giants and AI startups launched the EU AI Champions Initiative, urging the European Union to simplify AI regulations to drive innovation. Despite Europe’s ambition to lead in AI, many argue that complex regulations are holding it back.
Regulatory bottlenecks – The initiative aims to streamline overlapping AI laws, including the AI Act, the Data Governance Act, and industry-specific regulations in finance and telecom. Tech leaders warn these conflicts slow AI adoption and put Europe at a disadvantage.
Big names onboard – Major players, including Mistral AI, ASML, and Black Forest Labs, back the initiative. They argue it’s time to move beyond debates and pilot programs to fully embrace AI’s potential.
Government response – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen supports cutting red tape on AI development and plans to introduce a European Innovation Act with funding and ecosystem support. However, some question whether policymakers will go far enough.
Investment implications – General Catalyst, the U.S. VC firm leading the push, claims that Europe’s AI productivity could rise by 3% annually by 2030 if regulation becomes more startup-friendly.
🔮 The Big Picture: Will Europe Step Up?
This initiative highlights a growing divide between AI regulators and the companies driving innovation. While Europe aims to lead in AI, overregulation could push startups and investments elsewhere.
📝 Google Expands NotebookLM Plus — Is It Worth the Upgrade?
Google has rolled out NotebookLM Plus to individual users subscribed to the Google One AI Premium plan, following its initial launch for enterprises. The premium AI-powered note-taking tool offers higher limits and new features, but is it a game-changer?
What’s new? – NotebookLM Plus gives users 5x more usage than the free version, allowing 500 notebooks, 300 sources per notebook, 500 chat queries, and 20 audio generations per day.
Pricing & discounts – The Google One AI Premium plan costs $20/month, but students (18+) in the U.S. get 50% off, bringing the price down to $9.99/month.
Expanding features – Google is working on multilingual support for Audio Overviews, a dedicated mobile app, and integrating reasoning models to enhance AI-powered research.
📌 The Big Picture
NotebookLM Plus is Google’s latest push into AI-assisted productivity, competing with tools like Notion AI and ChatGPT's memory features. With AI research assistants becoming more common, the real question is: Will Google’s premium offering stand out enough to justify the cost?
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ICYMI
$$$ MONEY MATTERS
Intel and Biden Administration finalize $7.86B CHIPS Act grant for domestic manufacturing.
AWS pledges to spend $5B in Mexico, launches new Mexico server region.
OpenAI is the most funded AI firm, with a total of US$14 billion raised.
AI-search platform Glean raised $260 million in a Series E.
Reid Hoffman’s Manas AI raises $24.6M.
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