Here is the top trending news from the world of technology. News that every tech enthusiast should keep a tab on.
1)
Musk open sources Grok as AI war heats up
Keeping up his promise, Elon Musk has officially open sourced its AI chatbot Grok. However, his AI company xAI has only open-sourced the base model and its architecture. This means the core building blocks are accessible, but not the specific training code that fine-tunes Grok for tasks like conversation. Nonetheless, this move could still prove to be a game changer. The open-source approach could accelerate advancements in AI chatbot technology. Developers worldwide can now tinker with Grok’s code, potentially leading to improvements or entirely new applications. Musk has taken this big move after publicly accusing OpenAI of straying from their original open-source and public benefit goals.
2)
LinkedIn is jumping on the gamification
LinkedIn, the popular professional network owned by Microsoft, is venturing into the world of gaming. However, it isn’t aiming for full-fledged video games. Instead, LinkedIn is developing in-app puzzle games similar to the popular word game Wordle. The primary goal seems to be increasing user engagement on the platform. These quick and potentially social games could make spending time on LinkedIn more enjoyable. It’s still early days. LinkedIn hasn’t announced a release date yet, and details are currently limited. While some might find games on a professional platform surprising, it seems to be a strategic move by LinkedIn to keep its users engaged on the platform.
3)
Apple may partner with Google’s Gemini for powering iPhones
Apple and Google, the two big tech rivals may soon forge a rare partnership. According to unconfirmed reports, Apple has contacted Google for leveraging its Gemini AI model, which would help in incorporating generative AI features into its upcoming iOS 18 update. This might mainly include generative AI features like image creation and writing assistance. If Google and Apple do come together then this could signal a new era of cooperation between two of the biggest tech rivals. However, it must be noted that this is still in the exploration stage. There’s no confirmation from either Apple or Google about a formal partnership
4)
SpaceX begs huge contract for building spy satellites for US government
Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX has reportedly bagged a multi-billion-dollar contract for building spy satellites for the US government. The exact value of the contract is said to be nearly $1.8 billion. This contract will give SpaceX the contractual right to build a network of hundreds of satellites with Earth-imaging capabilities. This could potentially improve US intelligence gathering and enable the US to quickly identify potential targets anywhere on the globe. However, this project has also raised concerns about the militarization of space. Some experts even believe it could lead to a space arms race. Overall, SpaceX’s involvement in building spy satellites is a significant development with far-reaching implications.
5)
The PS5 Pro is reportedly arriving this holiday season
Highly placed sources are claiming that PlayStation 5 Pro is likely to arrive in the holiday season of 2024. The PS5 Pro is expected to boast improved features like a more powerful graphics processing unit (GPU), potentially enabling features like enhanced ray tracing and support for 8K resolution gaming. Some leaks mention the codename “Trinity” associated with the PS5 Pro [1]. However, such codenames should be taken with a grain of salt until official confirmation. Overall, it’s best to wait for official news from Sony. While a PS5 Pro in 2024 isn’t entirely out of the question, there are reasons to be skeptical.