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Meta President for Global Affairs Nick Clegg explains why former President Trump has had access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts reinstated after a two-year ban on ‘Special Report.’

Facebook parent company Meta has announced a new set of artificial intelligence-based tools for its advertisers.

The company, owned by billionaire entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg, announced the "AI Sandbox" during a Thursday event in New York City.

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From left to right, Mark Zuckerberg, Julia Milner and Yuri Milner attend the Ninth Breakthrough Prize Ceremony at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (Araya Doheny/Getty Images for Breakthrough Prize / Getty Images)

Meta Vice President of Monetization John Hegeman told attendees that the social media company has so far spent "tens of billions of dollars" on artificial intelligence in a bid to create more complex and reliable results. Ticker Security Last Change Change % META META PLATFORMS INC. 235.79 +2.71 +1.16%

"The aim here, again, is really to quickly test and learn and figure out which parts of these new capabilities are turning out to be most helpful for businesses to achieve their goals," said Hegeman.

GOOGLE SCRAMBLES FOR NEW SEARCH ENGINE AS AI CREEPS IN: REPORT

The app icons of Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus VR are displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo illustration by Onur Dogman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Advertisers will be able to use AI Sandbox to generate images from text to use in marketing campaigns.

The AI system is also expected to allow advertisers to automatically curate and edit messages to fit different viewing audiences.

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Mark Zuckerberg, via video, speaks at the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festivals at Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. (Samantha Burkardt/Getty Images for SXSW / Getty Images)

Additionally, Meta promises AI Sandbox will simplify the process of formatting advertisements for different platforms, automatically cropping or extending an image to fit different spaces.

"Overall, the generative AI space is developing incredibly quickly right now, and it’s a very exciting time," said Hegeman. "Our unique opportunity is to integrate these features over time into our products."

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The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the ChatGPT home screen. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File / AP Newsroom)

OpenAI's release of ChatGPT in November 2022 proved to be a game changer for artificial intelligence, with other tech firms pushing to speed up their own artificial intelligence systems. 

ChatGPT is able to simulate human-like conversations with users based on prompts it is given, and it has the fastest growing user base with 100 million monthly active users in January.

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Tesla investors want Elon Musk to answer questions about ‘salute,’ role in Trump White House

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Tesla investors want Elon Musk to answer questions about 'salute,' role in Trump White House

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump greets Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk during a rally the day before Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated for a second term, in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2025. 

Brian Snyder | Reuters

Tesla’s fourth-quarter earnings report lands just over a week after President Donald Trump began his second term in the White House, with Elon Musk right by his side.

Now that the Tesla CEO is firmly planted in Washington, D.C., in a high-profile advisory role, shareholders in the electric vehicle maker have some questions.

On the forum Tesla uses to solicit investor inquiries in advance of its earnings calls, more than 100 poured in from shareholders about Musk’s politics, including his official role at Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his endorsement of far-right candidates.

“How much time does Elon Musk devote to growing Tesla, solving product issues, and driving shareholder value vs. his public engagements with Trump, DOGE, and political activities?” one retail investor asked, adding, “Do you believe he’s providing Tesla the focus it needs?”

In addition to contributing $270 million to help Trump and other Republican candidates and causes, Musk spent weeks on the campaign trail during the fourth quarter working to propel Trump back into the White House. After Trump’s election victory, Musk then spent considerable time far away from Tesla’s factory floor at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

One of the top-voted questions about Musk asked how much time he intends to spend “at the White House and on government activities vs time and effort dedicated to Tesla.”

Musk and Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Elon Musk's America PAC sees mixed election results

Musk has also involved himself in German politics, giving a full-throated endorsement of the country’s far-right, anti-immigrant party AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) in December ahead of the February election.

According to research and consulting firm Brand Finance, the value of Tesla’s brand fell by 26% last year, with factors including Musk’s “antagonism,” Tesla’s aging lineup of EVs and more. The researchers found that fewer consumers would recommend or consider buying a Tesla now than in previous years.

During public remarks following last week’s inauguration, Musk repeatedly used a gesture that was viewed by many historians and politicians as a Nazi salute. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, whose scholarship has focused on fascism, described it as “a Nazi salute and a very belligerent one,” while neo-Nazis praised Musk for his antics.

A shareholder on Say asked, “Will you apologize for the misunderstanding that occurred when you made the hand gesture thanking folks for their support. It would go a long way with your investors and the American public at large. Thanking you in advance Elon!”

In response to the criticism, Musk said anyone calling the salute a hateful gesture was pushing a “hoax.” But after that, he engaged in Nazi-themed word play on X, prompting the Anti-Defamation League to rebuke him, writing it is “inappropriate and offensive to make light” of the “singularly evil” Holocaust. And Musk later appeared via video at a rally for the AfD in Halle, Germany.

Some investors asked whether Tesla had “sales lost due to political activities of Elon,” how the company plans “to respond to Musk’s now infamous Nazi salute,” and how Tesla “is addressing the negative impacts of Elon’s public views and activities.”

But Tesla is under no obligation to bring any of these topics up on the earnings call. Ahead of the third-quarter call in October, investors had a lot of questions and concerns about similar issues regarding Musk’s involvement in politics, though that was before Trump’s election victory.

Trump was never mentioned on that call.

WATCH: Here’s why Bank of America downgraded Tesla

Tesla: Here's why Bank of America downgraded the stock to neutral

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Elon can’t get it up (past 325 kW), BP can, and GM hopes to keep it up in 2025

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Elon can't get it up (past 325 kW), BP can, and GM hopes to keep it up in 2025

Despite mocking 350 kW as “a child’s toy” in 2016, the company is just rolling out 325 kW V4 chargers in 2025. Meanwhile companies like BP are celebrating 400 kW installations along major highways – and they’re making money doing it. All this and more on today’s thrilling January 47th episode of Quick Charge!

We’ve also got a blast from the past in the form of one of my first Electrek article from way back in 2022, GM’s performance making TSLA look like a meme stock, and a massive lithium project in the Heartland.

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

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Many feared dead after stampede at Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in northern India

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Many feared dead after stampede at Maha Kumbh Hindu festival in northern India

Many people are feared dead and dozens have been injured in a stampede at a Hindu festival in northern India.

Images from the scene in the city of Prayagraj, in Uttar Pradesh state, show bodies being stretchered away and rescuers helping those who were hurt.

Millions of people were attempting to take a holy bath in the river at the massive Maha Kumbh festival when there was an initial stampede at 1am local time (1930 UK time).

still from APTN direct showing rescue teams after a stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India Credit APTN
Image:
Ambulance crews have been taking the injured to hospital. Pic: APTN

Authorities said people trying to escape it were then caught in a second – and more serious – stampede at an exit.

Devotees had congregated to bathe at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

still from APTN direct showing rescue teams after a stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India Credit APTN
Image:
A Rapid Action Force unit, a special team deployed during crisis situations, has been sent to the scene. Pic: APTN

A Rapid Action Force unit, a special team deployed during crisis situations, has been sent to the scene.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to the chief minister for Uttar Pradesh state, Yogi Adityanath, calling for “immediate support measures”, according to the ANI news agency.

map showing location of stampede at massive Maha Kumbh festival in India

Authorities had expected a record 100 million people to visit Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbh – “festival of the Sacred Pitcher” – on Wednesday for the holy dip.

It is regarded as a significant day for Hindus, due to a rare alignment of celestial bodies after 144 years.

Before stampede - devotees gather early in the morning during the "Maha Kumbh Mela", or the Great Pitcher Festival, in Prayagraj, India, January 28, 2025. REUTERS/Sharafat Ali
Image:
Huge crowds gathered on Tuesday at the Hindu festival, the world’s largest religious gathering. Pic: Reuters


The Maha Kumbh festival, which is held every 12 years, started on 13 January and is the world’s largest religious gathering.

Organisers had forecast that more than 400 million people would attend the pilgrimage site over the next six weeks.

Indian Hindu devotees arrive for a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, on the eve of the 'Mauni Amavasya' or new moon day during the Maha Kumbh festival, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Image:
Hindu devotees arriving for a holy dip on Tuesday. Pic: AP

Authorities have built a sprawling tent city on the riverbanks, equipped with 3,000 kitchens and 150,000 toilets and 11 hospitals.

Stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds can gather in small areas.

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