Insider Finance - Business - Meet A.I. Elon Musk

Nicholas Carlson November 7, 2022

Hello, Insiders. It’s midterms week. Our politics team is working around the clock to bring you the latest on the key races — from John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz facing off for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania, to the closely-watched gubernatorial race in Arizona and the battle over the House of Representatives. We've also previewed dozens of the hottest contests, and we’ll have everything you want to know tomorrow, Election Day.

As for today, everyone’s talking about the latest Elon Musk shenanigans (including suspending accounts for impersonating him), so why not take a look at what happened when we had a conversation with an AI Musk chatbot? That’s in a bit. First, the news.

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The latest

• Biden's national security advisor reportedly held secret talks with Russia warning against using nukes in Ukraine. More here.

• Thousands of workers were laid off as tech companies and startups brace for an economic crash. Why experts say this is just the beginning.

• The National Park Service has warned visitors not to lick Sonoran Desert toads, whose poison has been smoked by celebs like Joe Rogan. What to know.

The big story

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue; Rebecca Zisser/Insider

We wanted to talk to Elon Musk. But he seemed kinda busy, so we went for the next best thing: an AI version of him.

Since his recent acquisition of Twitter, Musk has been more media-averse than ever. But luckily, we were able to interview … an artificial-intelligence version of the world’s richest man.

We asked the Elon chatbot about everything from his Twitter acquisition to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, as well as his opinions on Kanye West and President Joe Biden. 

Some of the answers were surprising. He — again, the chatbot, not the real person — called Biden "one of the best humans alive right now,” said that he’d like to buy a media network like CNN, and called Jeff Bezos "a very talented person.” (Here’s a look back at their 15-year rivalry.)

But despite a few clear gaps between fake Elon and real Elon, some of the responses from the bot sounded scarily accurate.

Read everything else the Musk bot had to say.

Top reads

Chuck Savage/Getty Images

• A recession is looming. Here’s how to avoid doing dumb things with your money. Experts say people often overreact to warning signs of a downturn by messing with their money — so we’re explaining how to get a grip on your personal finances before and during a recession.

• CNN’s CEO Chris Licht is facing an increasingly angry newsroom. Layoffs are looming and staffers are beginning to question Licht's programming decisions — and his authority. Inside the tumult at CNN.

• A borrower with $43,000 in student loan debt got forgiveness “yanked away.” While FFEL loans initially qualified for Biden’s debt-relief plan, he reversed the guidance on September 29 — making this borrower and 770,000 others ineligible for forgiveness. Here, he shares his experience.

• The world's tallest woman was able to take her first flight after an airline removed six seats for her. Turkish Airlines adapted one of their planes to allow Rumeysa Gelgi — who stands at 7 feet, 0.7 inches tall — to travel to San Francisco. Here's how they did it.

• A woman who had two “orgasmic” births said she felt no pain. There is little scientific research on orgasms while giving birth, but a doula told us that conceptually, rather than literally, they can occur during a birth experience. Read what one woman shared about her “orgasmic” births.

Today’s sound bite

"It's a messy situation at the beginning, but you just have to persevere because it really is worth it." 

PR firm director Samantha Losey on her company's bumpy road to a four-day work week. Check out the full segment in today’s episode of The Refresh from Insider.

Watch this

One of the world's largest carton manufacturers is working to turn milk cartons into bricks and roofing sheets.

Today's team

Nicholas Carlson (@nichcarlson), Lisa Ryan (@lisarya), Jordan Parker Erb (@jordanparkererb), and Shona Ghosh (@shonaghosh).

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