XAI bought X, Manus almost at par with ChatGPT & Paralyzed man walks again

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Welcome Back, AI Geeks!

It’s time to stay updated with What’s Up in AI.

Okay, so this news issue is special because we have handpicked the best way to make the Ghibli portrait of yourself, so you better scroll down and have a look at it. Also, Manus is upgraded to another level, xAI bought X and a paralyzed patient did the impossible with the help of AI.

In today’s issue:

🚀 xAI just bought X for $45B
💻️ Manus is better than OpenAI?
🧪 AI’s Medical breakthrough
⚡ 5-4-3-2-1 hits you just can't miss
😂 Your AI-Powered Laugh

Read time: 5 mins

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TODAY IN AI

1. xAI Just Bought X for $45B: Elon Musk’s AI startup, xAI, has officially acquired his social media platform, X, in a massive deal that values the combined company at $113 billion. The plan? To bring together all their best assets—data, AI models, computing power, distribution, and top talent—under one roof. This means xAI’s Colossus supercomputer, supposedly the biggest in the world, will now be paired with X’s huge network of around 650 million users. Safe to say, this could be a game-changer.

2. Manus Just Leveled Up: Chinese startup Butterfly Effect shook things up earlier this month with its AI agent, Manus—some even say it’s better than OpenAI’s Operator. Now, it’s gotten even stronger with an upgrade to Claude 3.7. On top of that, they’ve rolled out a mobile app, longer context windows, and premium subscriptions. Plenty of users are still stuck on the waitlist, trying (and failing) to get in after weeks of waiting.

3. Paralyzed Patient Walks Again With AI-Powered Tech: A paralyzed patient has walked again thanks to a brain-spine interface (BSI) developed in China. This AI-powered system reads neural signals and translates thoughts into movement. Within days, the patient regained voluntary motion, and in weeks, they walked over five meters with little support—offering new hope for millions with paralysis. Watch the video of this breakthrough here.

BRAIN BOOST 🧠 

TODAY IN THE ROBO WORLD 🧠 

Scientists at UC San Diego 3D-printed a six-legged robot that works without electronics. Instead, it runs on air pressure, walking on its own with a gas cartridge. No wires, no circuits—just straight off the printer and ready to go. This breakthrough could revolutionize disaster response, underwater exploration, and even space missions.

QUICK HITS 💥 

It’s time for some quick hits that you’ll love. Let’s go in…..5-4-3-2-1 👇️ 

5-PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

• Otter: released a new agent to answer questions during meetings 

• Promptimize: Craft perfect prompts in real time for all platforms 

• Picsman: Remove and replace image backgrounds with AI-powered precision

• Extruct AI: Find companies with AI-powered search for market research and VC scouting 

• Collation: Summarize, search, and chat with PDFs offline—no sign-ups and full privacy

Looking for a specific AI tool and can’t find it? Post a request 🔍

4-AI JOB OPPORTUNITIES

1. Mistral AI - AI Solution Architect, Deployment

2. Databricks - Executive Assistant

3. OpenAI - ML Infrastructure Engineer

4. Meta - Social Media Manager, Technology

Want us to search for tech related jobs in your country/city ? Post a request 🔍

3-THINGS IN TREND

1. A mysterious X account called New Systems claims to have released the "world's most intelligent model"—but graphs look suspicious 

2. Psychologist Gena Gorlin documents what happened when her 5-year-old daughter tried ChatGPT 

3. Chindogu is a Japanese concept where inventors create brilliantly useless gadgets that solve problems you never knew you had.

2-USEFUL LINKS

1. 24 of Google’s favorites tips and tricks

2. The Hottest AI Models and How To Use Them

1-PROMPT OF THE DAY

Today let’s tell you the BEST way to keep up with the Ghibli trend. Follow the exact steps to get the best result.

1. Go to Leonardo.Ai and log in.

2. Click on “AI Image Generation” and select the Image-to-Image option.

3. Upload your picture.

In the prompt box, enter this:

Transform this image into a hand-drawn Studio Ghibli-style illustration. Use soft, painterly textures, warm and vibrant colors, dreamy lighting, and intricate details. The final image should have a cozy, whimsical atmosphere with a touch of magical realism.

Few more tips:
Set Image Strength to 50-70% (higher keeps more of the original image, lower makes it more AI-stylized) - Choose DreamShaper or Leonardo Diffusion as the model - Turn on High Detail for the best results.

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED IN AI 📰 

📊 Microsoft’s AI Boost for Work: Microsoft 365 Copilot is getting new AI tools—Researcher for deep research and Analyst for smarter data analysis.

🏥 Apple’s major health tech leap: Apple’s “Project Mulberry” introduces an AI health coach trained by real doctors, debuting as early as iOS 19.4.

🎨 AI Art, Upgraded: Reve AI launched Reve Image 1.0, a new text-to-image model with ultra-precise prompts, strong text rendering, and easy edits—free to preview at preview.reve.art.

⚛️ Quantum Leap Incoming? Google Quantum AI’s Julian Kelly predicts quantum computers will hit a major breakthrough within five years.

🌎 Alibaba’s AI Does It All: The new open-source Qwen2.5-Omni model can generate text, images, audio, and video—running in real time with structured reasoning.

🚫 AI Trade War Heats Up: The Trump administration blacklisted more Chinese AI firms, but one top founder says China is only three months behind the U.S. now.

Funding 💰️ 

• Apple reportedly plans to spend $1 billion on NVIDIA servers for AI

• Google's AI drug business secures $600M funding

GET AN AI-POWERED LAUGH 😁 

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And that’s a wrap!

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Team What’s Up in AI