NEWS: Microsoft, Google, and Elon Musk's xAI have agreed to provide the U.S. government with early access to new AI models for national security testing, following growing concerns over the hacking capabilities of advanced systems like Anthropic's Mythos. The agreement allows the Department of Commerce's Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) to evaluate models for security risks and unexpected behaviors before they are widely deployed to the public. This move expands on previous agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic to establish a framework for vetting frontier AI models for national security implications. CAISI Director Chris Fall stated that independent, rigorous measurement science is essential to understanding the implications of frontier AI. The center has already completed over 40 evaluations, including testing on state-of-the-art models that have not yet been released to the public.

NEWS: xAI has launched a "Custom Voices" feature that allows users to clone a voice from a 120-second audio sample, enabling the creation of usable voice clones for use across the company's text-to-speech and voice agent APIs. The feature includes several key capabilities: Voice Cloning: Users can create a custom voice from a single reference clip up to 120 seconds long. Security: A two-step verification process uses a passphrase and voice characteristic comparison to prevent unauthorized cloning. Integration: Cloned voices can be used across all voice APIs, including the "Grok Voice Think Fast 1.0" model used for Starlink support. Voice Library: The xAI console includes over 80 preinstalled voices across 28 languages. The feature is currently available in the United States, with the exception of Illinois.

NEWS: SpaceX has issued a new Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) for the Starbase area in Texas, running from May 4th to May 18th to accommodate the second static fire campaign for the Super Heavy booster.