News
Elon Musk details Neuralink’s August 28 event, hints toward future developments
Neuralink’s Elon Musk hinted toward some of the possible developments of the company’s August 28th event, which will give updates on the progress engineers have made toward developing State-of-the-Art neurological technologies.
Of these updates, Musk stated that the August 28th event would show a real-time demonstration of neurons in the human brain firing. One of the core developments in Neuralink’s plans is to begin working toward the idea that human movement can be recovered by using some of the company’s technology.
Will show neurons firing in real-time on August 28th. The matrix in the matrix.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2020
To restore some human functionalities, neurons in a damaged brain must be recovered and given the ability to move and function normally again. Neurons are nerve cells that are responsible for communicating with other cells through synapses.
To work correctly, neurons must fire at different times, depending on the activity that is being performed. However, those with handicaps or neurological diseases lose functionality of these neurons. Neuralink’s technology aims to restore the use and integrity of neurons through an implantable chip in the human skull.
During an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Musk talked about Neuralink in detail. The Silicon Valley entrepreneur stated that with Neuralink technology, the human brain could overcome issues such as Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, and other illnesses. Additionally, lost limb function, problems with eyesight and hearing, and lost human movement could all be solved by installing a Neuralink chip in the skull.
Neuralink has tested this technology in the past. In July 2019, the company held a live-streamed event in California where a series of “flexible threads” were inserted into the brain and transferred high volumes of data with over 3,000 available electrodes. The tests have been performed on animals with an 87% success rate thus far.
Additionally, Musk indicated that Neuralink could eventually dive into spinal cord injuries by developing technology that would be responsible for fixing some of the harshest injuries that a human can endure.
Musk said that it should be possible to create a neural shunt from the motor cortex of the brain that controls the planning and control of voluntary movements to microcontrollers that are located within human muscle groups. The development of this technology could ultimately resolve paraplegic and quadriplegic patients who have lost motor skills within their limbs.
Yes, should be possible to create a neural shunt from motor cortex to microcontrollers in muscle groups & restore movement even if someone has a fully severed spinal cord. First part has already been demonstrated with Utah array, but not as an outpatient device.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2020
Ultimately, Neuralink’s possible uses are possibly endless. Musk believes that the implementation of a chip could help with hearing disabilities and deaf patients who are hard of hearing. Neuralink technology could help “extend the range of hearing beyond normal frequencies and amplitudes” as well.
It may be some time until we see Neuralink used on human beings because the company still has to go through ordinary Food and Drug Administration hoops. Until then, Neuralink engineers will continue to develop the technology. The August 28th event could prove to be a significant step forward in the case of neurological disorder treatment.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin makes a statement of solidarity amid IG Metall conflict
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
Tesla Giga Berlin is sending a strong message of solidarity amid its ongoing legal dispute with German union IG Metall.
In a post on social media platform X, Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig shared an image of the facility’s lobby covered with a large banner that reads: “Progress. Innovation. Success.” He added that the slogan reflects what the facility has stood for since Day One.
“Our lobby at Giga Berlin covered in a huge banner these days. Progress. Innovation. Success – this is what we stand for since we started production in 2022 and how we will go into our future!” Thierig wrote in his post on X.
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
The dispute began after Tesla accused a union representative of secretly recording a works council meeting at Giga Berlin. Tesla stated that it filed a criminal complaint after the alleged incident. Police later confirmed they had seized a computer belonging to an IG Metall member as part of their investigation.
“What has happened today at Giga Berlin is truly beyond words! An external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting. For unknown reasons he recorded the internal meeting and was caught in action! We obviously called police and filed a criminal complaint!” Thierig wrote on X at the time.
IG Metall denied the accusation and characterized Tesla’s move as an election tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections. The union subsequently filed a defamation complaint against Thierig. Authorities later confirmed that an investigation had been opened in connection with the matter.
Giga Berlin began production in 2022 and has since become one of Tesla’s key European manufacturing hubs, producing the Model Y, the company’s best-selling vehicle. The facility has expanded capacity over the past years despite environmental protests, labor disputes, and regulatory scrutiny.
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
