Tense talks over Greenland end in gridlock

And Elon Musk’s xAI says Grok will no longer generate sexualized images of real people

Author

Matt Davis
January 16, 2026

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Tense talks over Greenland end in gridlock

High-stakes discussions over Greenland’s future between top officials from the U.S., Denmark, and Greenland have ended in gridlock. Tensions surrounding the Arctic island remain high ever since U.S. President Donald Trump started insisting that the U.S. should take the territory from Denmark.

Just before the talks, Trump said, “Anything less than Greenland becoming a part of the United States would be unacceptable,” so it’s not surprising, really, that things got tense.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called the talks “frank but constructive” but reiterated that Trump’s threats to take control of the self-governed Danish territory were “totally unacceptable.” Meanwhile, Greenland’s Prime Minister Vivian Motzfeldt expressed her commitment to strengthening defense and security in collaboration with NATO allies. As part of the effort, Denmark and several NATO nations, including Germany, France, and Sweden, announced plans to bolster their military presence in the region.

While tensions persist, a working group formed during the talks offers hope for finding a compromise in the weeks ahead.

Best of CES 2026: Cars of the future!

The future of mobility is here, and, at CES 2026, automakers proved that the line between car and companion has officially blurred. Vehicles are no longer just for transport; they are creative entertainment spaces, AI-powered assistants, and personal robot taxis.

Leading the charge is the Afila One from Sony Honda Mobility $SONY ( ▲ 0.13% )  $HMC ( ▲ 1.2% ) . Billed as a “creative entertainment space on four wheels,” this electric sedan is packed with 40 sensors and powered by a Qualcomm $QCOM ( ▼ 1.91% ) chip to be self-driving. Its standout feature is the Ophelia Personal Agent, powered by Microsoft's Azure Open AI $MSFT ( ▼ 0.59% ) , which learns user preferences and interacts conversationally. Inside, it boasts PlayStation Remote Play and a 28-speaker sound system, redefining the cabin experience.

Not to be outdone, Silicon Valley startup Tensor unveiled the world's first personal robot car. This fully autonomous vehicle is also a dual-mode car with a foldable steering wheel, allowing the owner to drive or be driven. It features the world's largest supercomputer in a vehicle, with an AI system called the Tensor Foundation Model that learns from human data. Intriguingly, every Tensor will come Lyft-enabled $LYFT ( ▼ 0.21% ) , allowing the car to earn money as a robo-taxi when the owner is not using it. Sign me up!

Finally, SoundHound AI is bringing the AI revolution to existing vehicles with conversational voice and Vision AI. This technology allows for "voice commerce" —transacting, ordering food, and booking reservations — all through natural conversation. The new Vision AI system uses forward-facing cameras to answer questions about the world around the car, even acting as a real-time owner's manual. The focus is on scaling autonomous, intelligent, and conversational technology, making 2026 the year that "agentic AI breaks through,” say the manufacturers.

Song of the Day: Drama, ‘Platonic Romance’

Drama’s new album “Platonic Romance” is a strong electro-R&B record exploring deep, non-romantic connections, praised for its emotional depth, soulful vocals, and danceable beats, offering a beautiful tribute to friendship and chosen family…just like this newsletter!

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Elon Musk’s xAI says Grok will no longer generate sexualized images of real people

Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, faced backlash as its chatbot Grok enabled users to create sexualized images of real people, including nonconsensual deepfakes.

One does wonder how on earth the company ever thought it was a good idea to go down that road in the first place but then one remembers that the world’s richest man is in charge. Under his leadership, Grok had another, let’s say, controversial incident earlier this year when it denied the Holocaust.

xAI confirmed that Grok will no longer allow the editing of real people's photos into revealing or suggestive imagery. "We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis," the company stated via the oxymoronically-named “X Safety” account.

The decision followed mounting pressure, most notably from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who announced an investigation into xAI for its alleged involvement in the “large-scale production of nonconsensual deepfake intimate images.” California Governor Gavin Newsom also condemned the platform, calling it a “breeding ground for predators,” while probes into xAI’s practices have been launched in multiple countries, including the U.K., France, and Malaysia.

Moving forward, Grok's image-generation tools will only be accessible to paid subscribers, and restrictions will differ depending on regional laws. Musk, who previously defended Grok’s settings, now faces growing calls from U.S. senators urging Google $GOOGL ( ▼ 0.91% ) and Apple $AAPL ( ▼ 0.67% ) to remove the app from their stores.

Spotify will cost $12.99 a month now

Spotify $SPOT ( ▼ 3.95% ) has announced another price hike for its Premium subscription in the U.S., marking the third increase in less than three years. Beginning with February's bill, Premium users will see the monthly cost rise from $11.99 to $12.99, according to a company blog post. The streaming giant explained the move, stating the increase allows them to “keep delivering a great experience.”

I’d find the experience greater if it was cheaper. How about you?

This change follows previous price hikes in June 2024 when the cost went up to $11.99 and in July 2023 when it was raised to $10.99. Spotify users in other countries, like Estonia and Latvia, will also see price increases.

The price adjustment comes amid a challenging period for Spotify. While the company reported strong third-quarter earnings last November, fourth-quarter revenue and subscriber growth fell short of expectations. Just spitballing here but I wonder if that’s partly because they’re a bunch of greedy price-gougers, and I can just switch to YouTube Music any time for a similar experience?

Spotify also recently entered a new era of leadership, with co-founder Daniel Ek stepping down as CEO at the start of January. As the platform continues to expand into AI and podcasting, it has faced pushback from artists like Massive Attack and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, who pulled their music in protest of Ek’s investments in a defense technology firm called Helsing. 

Should you check your 401(k) today?

👍️ 

Okay.

Amazon blasts Saks after investment deal goes wrong

Amazon $AMZN ( ▲ 0.65% ) is taking aim at luxury retailer Saks Global $SKS ( 0.0% ) , objecting to its recent bankruptcy filing and accusing the company of breaking key terms of their partnership. According to recent court filings, Amazon alleges that Saks failed to uphold its agreement to sell Saks products on the eCommerce platform in exchange for referral fees, as part of a 2024 equity partnership deal.

Amazon invested $475 million into Saks Global — formed from the merger of Saks and Neiman Marcus — with the expectation of $900 million in payments from Saks over eight years. However, the tech giant claims its investment is now "presumptively worthless," citing Saks’ alleged financial mismanagement. Saks reportedly burned through hundreds of millions of dollars, failed to meet budgets, and ran up hundreds of millions in unpaid invoices to retail partners.

Saks filed for bankruptcy yesterday — securing $1.75 billion in funding to stave off liquidation — but Amazon argues the financing would burden the retailer with additional obligations, further hurting creditors.

Poll of the day: It’s WORLD-FAMOUS 575™ time…

Pick a winning haiku on the theme of "AI-proofing your job."

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Poll result: Weeding out the bad ideas…

We asked: “Is cannabis a good investment?”

You answered:

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ Yes, if I give you $20 and you give me some weed. That's a great investment! (120)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Yes, the macros are all pointing the right way, bro. I see double digit returns, plus memestocks, baby! (87)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 No. (167)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ The real question is, where can I invest in some cookies this late at night? 😮‍💨 (57)

431 Votes via @beehiiv polls

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