🗞️In this edition

• •xAI rolls out Grok video generator

• •Workflow Wednesday #30 ‘Best-Of-Edition’

• •OpenAI updates ChatGPT for mental health

• • In other AI news –

  • •ChatGPT nears 700M weekly users

  • •Cloudflare accuses Perplexity of stealth crawling

  • •Character.AI adds social feed for co-creating with bots

  • •US eyes location tracking on AI chips for export control

• • 4 must-try AI tools

Elon Musk’s xAI debuts text-to-video tool imagine with explicit content options

♨️News – xAI has officially launched Grok Imagine, its new image and video generator, for SuperGrok and Premium+ subscribers on the X iOS app. The tool includes a “spicy mode” that allows users to create NSFW content, raising fresh questions about content moderation and AI boundaries.

👨‍💻Fast facts –

• Grok Imagine can turn text or image prompts into 15-second videos with sound.

• “Spicy mode” enables sexually explicit content, including partial nudity.

• Many NSFW prompts are still blurred out and flagged as moderated.

• Celebrity content is restricted, with attempts to generate deepfakes mostly blocked.

• Visual quality is still mixed, with some results appearing waxy or cartoonish.

• The UI is smooth, and the model autogenerates images as users scroll.

🤓OpenTools POV –  Grok Imagine reflects xAI’s willingness to test limits in public. But as tools like this go mainstream, the pressure to balance openness with responsibility is only going to grow.

This Week in Workflow Wednesday #30: AI Best-Of-Edition

Meeting Follow-Ups Made Easy with Otter.ai
It’s one of our most revisited workflows—and for good reason. If meetings leave you drowning in scattered notes and forgotten tasks, Otter.ai is the lifesaver you didn’t know you needed. It transcribes, highlights, and organizes your calls so you can send crisp, actionable follow-ups in minutes.

Step 1: Record and Transcribe Instantly
Head to Otter.ai and sign up for free.
Use any email: business or personal works fine.
Join your Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams call, and hit record with Otter running in the background.
Use the highlight tool during your meeting to flag key points as they come up.

Step 2: Turn Notes into a Clean Follow-Up
After the meeting, review your transcript.
Copy highlights, decisions, and next steps directly from Otter.
Drop them into…...We break it down fully in this week’s issue, along with 2 other reader-favorite AI workflows

OpenAI adds safety checks to make ChatGPT more emotionally aware

☕News –  OpenAI is rolling out new safety updates to ChatGPT as it prepares to launch GPT-5. The changes aim to make the chatbot more aware of emotional or mental distress and offer support through evidence-based resources when needed. It’s part of a broader push to promote healthier use of AI, especially for vulnerable users.

👨‍💻Fast facts –

• OpenAI is working with mental health experts and advisors on the updates.

• GPT-4o struggled to recognize signs of delusion and emotional dependency.

• An earlier update that made the bot too agreeable was pulled in April.

• ChatGPT will now suggest breaks during long sessions with a gentle prompt.

• In sensitive situations, the bot will avoid giving direct advice and instead help users think through their choices.

🤓OpenTools POV – As AI tools become more personal and conversational, setting boundaries is no longer optional. These updates are a step toward making AI feel less like a mirror and more like a mindful companion.

🙆🏻‍♀️What else is happening?

• OpenAI says ChatGPT is on track to reach 700M weekly users // ChatGPT’s impressive growth as a consumer app continues as the chatbot is on track to hit 700 million weekly active users this week, the company says

• Cloudflare says Perplexity’s AI bots are ‘stealth crawling’ blocked sites // Perplexity disguised its AI crawlers and rotated its IPs to get around restrictions, according to Cloudflare

• Character .AI launches AI native social feed , invites users to co-create with bots // The feed allows users to post snippets of chats, promote their AI characters, and generate short videos 

• US Explores Better Location Trackers for AI Chips, Official Says // The US is exploring ways to equip chips with better location - tracking capabilities a senior official said, underscoring Washington‘s effort to curtail The flow of semiconductors made by the likes of Nvidia to China  

👩🏼‍🚒Discover mind-blowing AI tools

1. Mixus.ai – Automate tasks via AI agents with required human approval for perfect accuracy.**

2. Learn How to Use AI - Starting January 8, 2025, we’re launching Workflow Wednesday, a series where we teach you how to use AI effectively. Lock in early bird pricing now and secure your spot. Check it out here

3.  Supademo - An interactive demo platform that helps companies create engaging demos and guides (Free, $27/month) 

4. Adori Labs - A platform that helps bloggers convert their written content into engaging videos using AI (9.99/month)