Jeep Rolls Out In-Car Ads, France Announces Stargate Rival, and FBI Has Secret UFO Office

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In this episode of 'Discover Daily', we begin with the controversial roll out of in-car advertisements by Jeep, causing significant backlash among vehicle owners due to intrusive full-screen pop-ups on their infotainment systems. The situation, now blamed on a software glitch affecting opt-out functionality, has sparked important discussions about privacy and safety in modern vehicles, while raising concerns about the future of in-car advertising across the automotive industry.

France makes headlines with a groundbreaking 109 billion euro investment package in artificial intelligence, positioning itself as a formidable competitor in the global AI race. The initiative includes a massive UAE-backed one-gigawatt AI data center, substantial investments from major firms like Brookfield and BPI France, and comprehensive plans for chip acquisition and talent development, demonstrating France's commitment to becoming a leading force in AI innovation.

The episode's main story looks at the existence of the FBI's secret UFO office, dedicated to investigating Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). Working alongside the Pentagon's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office, this covert unit employs over a dozen specialists nationwide. While recent Pentagon reports found no evidence of extraterrestrial activity, the office continues its vital work despite facing potential personnel changes and operating with a classified budget.

From Perplexity's Discover Feed: 

https://www.perplexity.ai/page/jeep-rolls-out-in-car-ads-B.Rw1ZDmR2io.27WwzE4wQ

https://www.perplexity.ai/page/france-announces-stargate-riva-iM9nCsk9Q42Hcp5tt12soQ 

https://www.perplexity.ai/page/fbi-has-secret-ufo-office-zyzQAVjsTAybeQNqPDjsqQ 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Discover Daily by Perplexity, an
AI-generated show on tech,science and culture.
I'm Isaac.
Today we're exploring a secretFBI office dedicated to
investigating UFOs.
But first let's look at whatelse is happening across the
automotive and tech industries.
Our first story today is aboutJeep's controversial in-car

(00:27):
advertisements.
Jeep drivers have been seeingfull-screen pop-up ads on their
infotainment screens, askingthem to sign up for an extended
warranty.
This move has sparkedwidespread backlash among Jeep
owners, who are concerned aboutsafety, privacy and the
intrusion of ads into theirvehicles.
The ads appear every time thevehicle stops, reportedly

(00:49):
affecting vehicles with lessthan 36,000 miles on the
odometer.
While initially thought to bepart of a SiriusXM partnership,
jeep's parent company Stellantishas clarified this was actually
due to a software glitchaffecting the opt-out
functionality.
This explanation came throughtheir Jeep Cares representative

(01:09):
after mounting customercomplaints.
The situation isn't entirelyhopeless for frustrated owners.
According to the company, thereis a way to disable these ads
through Jeep Connect, though itrequires creating an account.
But many Jeep owners haveexpressed that they shouldn't
have to jump through hoops toavoid ads in a vehicle they've
already purchased.
One Jeep owner described howthese pop-ups disrupt the

(01:30):
driving experience, forcing themto constantly close ads to
access essential vehiclefunctions.
Many feel betrayed, havingassumed their vehicle's
interface would be ad-free.
This trend of in-caradvertising extends beyond Jeep,
with other automakers like Fordexploring similar technologies.
Ford has filed patents forsystems that could deliver

(01:50):
targeted advertisements based oncollected data.
While this development raisesprivacy concerns, it's worth
noting that these are currentlyjust patents, not implemented
features features.
Moving on to our second story,france has announced a landmark

(02:11):
€109 billion investment packagein artificial intelligence,
combining public and privatefunding to establish itself as a
global AI leader and rivaledthe United States' massive
Stargate project.
This ambitious initiative wasunveiled ahead of the AI Action
Summit in Paris and comprisescontributions from several major
players.
According to reports, the UAEis investing 30 to 50 billion

(02:32):
euros for a 1-gigawatt AI datacenter.
Investment firms Brookfield andBPI France are committing 20
billion and 10 billion eurosrespectively, and more
investments are coming fromtelecommunication companies
Iliad and Orange.
The centerpiece of thisinitiative is the UAE's backed
data center.
France has alreadypre-identified 35 potential

(02:55):
sites for this development.
This facility is set to becomeone of the largest and most
advanced AI-focused data centersglobally.
The investment package goesbeyond just infrastructure and
includes initiatives in chipacquisition and talent
development.
France's approach signals itsdetermination to compete in the
global AI race with powerhouseslike the US and China.

(03:27):
Now let's dive into our mainstory of the day the FBI's
secret UFO office.
The FBI operates a secretiveoffice dedicated to
investigating unidentifiedanomalous phenomena, or UAPs.
This unit works alongside, yetindependently from, the
Pentagon's all-domain AnomalyResolution Office, a partnership

(03:51):
that began in 2021.
The FBI confirmed the office'sexistence in early 2025, but
declined to provide details onits size or operational duration
, stating only that itinvestigates UAPs when there's
potential for federal lawviolations or threats to
national interests.
While public attention oftenfocuses on the sensational

(04:11):
aspects of UAP sightings, thereality of the FBI's work is
more grounded.
According to the latestPentagon UAP report from last
year, investigators found noevidence of extraterrestrial
activity or technologies thatdefy known physics.
In fact, out of 757 reportsreceived between May 2023 and

(04:33):
June 2024, only 21 casescontained enough data to warrant
continued investigation.
But the office's future remainsuncertain.
Agents within the working groupare facing a potential purge of
personnel who previously workedon January 6th-related
investigations, while personnelchanges could impact ongoing

(04:53):
investigations.
The FBI's UAP work is part of alarger ecosystem that includes
multiple federal agencies andcivilian partnerships.
Notable among these is thecollaboration with Americans for
Safe Aerospace, led by formerNavy pilot Ryan Graves, which
creates a vital bridge betweencivilian witnesses and official
investigations.

(05:13):
The Pentagon's latest UAPinvestigation budget reached $30
million in 2024, with the FBImaintaining a separate
classified budget for itsoperations.
With the FBI maintaining aseparate classified budget for
its operations.
Among the most significantfindings was a 2023 report
documenting multipleradar-confirmed sightings by

(05:34):
military pilots of objectsdemonstrating unusual flight
characteristics, thoughtechnical analysis revealed no
definitive evidence of non-humantechnology.
That's it for today.

(05:54):
Thanks for tuning in.
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(06:16):
In other Perplexity news, thecompany has launched Sonar and
Sonar Pro APIs, enablingdevelopers to integrate
real-time AI search capabilitiesinto their applications with
unparalleled factual accuracy.
The new offering stands out forits affordability and advanced
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(06:38):
the ability to customizetrusted sources, with companies
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We'll be back with more storiesthat matter.
Until then, then stay curious.