xAI, the artificial intelligence company founded by Elon Musk, has successfully raised $20 billion in its recent Series E funding round, exceeding its initial target of $15 billion. The funding has attracted high-profile investors, including Nvidia, Fidelity Management, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, and Valor Equity Partners. Despite this financial achievement, xAI’s chatbot, Grok, is facing significant criticism due to its generation of sexualized and nonconsensual images of women and underage girls. This backlash raises ethical concerns about AI technologies and their implications for society. The company highlighted Grok’s capabilities during the funding announcement, indicating a focus on its image-generation functions despite the controversy surrounding its use. The situation poses challenges for xAI as it navigates the intersection of innovation and responsibility in the AI sector. The responses from the community and regulatory bodies could shape the future development and deployment of such technologies.
Source: Original publisher