Grok 4 Girlfriend and the DOD & Open AI

• The overall "vibe gut check" for the week was a 4/10, largely due to Grok 4's new features.

• Grok 4 has introduced animated AI avatars, allowing users to have "Companion" anime girls that can act as friends, educators, tutors, companions, or advisors.

• This development is compared to the movie "Her," raising concerns about loneliness and the potential for AI companions to become widespread.

• Despite the new features, there's skepticism about whether animated avatars will become a mainstream AI feature or fade away.

• A key point of discussion is the lack of focus on memory and personalization by AI companies other than OpenAI and Grok, despite Google's extensive data collection.

• Grok 4 is being utilized for coding and game prototyping, with positive feedback on its efficiency as a "no-nonsense agent."

• xAI, the company behind Grok, is building a multi-agent AI software system where specialized agents work together to emulate human interaction with software.

• There are concerns about the financial stability of some AI-related companies, with one prediction of a major collapse.

• The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded xAI and Grok a $200 million contract for "modernization," raising questions and concerns.

• Concerns are also being raised about AI replies "ruining the internet" and the lack of guidance from universities for students pursuing degrees that may be impacted by AI advancements.

@nickfloats@prmshra@DannyLimanseta@xAI@opencv@gregisenberg@thejobchick