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While a deal to make Grok available across the federal government is now in place, the agency facilitating the partnership with Elon Musk’s controversial chatbot has yet to incorporate it into its own flagship AI platform due to ongoing internal safety testing.Both lawmakers and advocacy groups have criticized the Trump administrations interest in Grok, over concerns about Musks deepening relationship with the US government and the chatbots antisemitic and otherwise offensive rants, from back in July. After the company said it fixed the apparent glitch causing the bot to call itself MechaHitler, the General Services Administration in September unveiled that Grok for Government,” an enterprise version of the xAI chatbot, would be available to federal agencies at a steep discount. But as of Wednesday, a GSA-managed repository for an app designed to expedite the Trump administrations plans to deploy AI across the government does not include Grok, though it does feature chatbots from Google, Meta, OpenAI, and Anthropic. The USAi platform, launched earlier this year, is supposed to be a testing ground for government to experiment with a wide range of large language models and how they might integrate them into government work. (In that vein, the GSA has also developed some suggested prompts for government workers now communicating with their new AI agents and looking to keep them in check. They suggest that government workers tell these chatbots: You are a helpful assistant that works for a government agency Never knowingly make false statements or deceive users Remain neutral, factual, and nonpartisan at all times. … You do not prefer or recommend specific political views, groups, religions, companies, products, or enterpriseRedirect users’ requests around potentially controversial or polarizing topics quickly. )The GSA says that while Grok is now available to government agencies, its up to their respective officials to evaluate the technology for themselves, since its own evaluation, which is supposed to include bias and safety testing, of Grok is ongoing. At GSA, Grok for Government and xAI are currently undergoing internal safety assessments a required step in the USAi review and authorization process prior to integration in USAi, a GSA spokesperson says. Agencies prepared to fully invest in their own AI solutions can now buy access to AI models directly through GSAs Multiple Award Schedule, many of which are currently offered at discounted rates via GSAs OneGov deals. In these situations, federal agencies are responsible for independently evaluating the AI models it intends to use. Grumbles on Grok Earlier this summer, government coders seemed primed to integrate Grok into USAi. After the chatbot started spewing antisemitic and other offensive content, the government initially defended its work with xAI. Still, a planned deal with the company was apparently put on pause, only to be relaunched following a push from the White House. Around that time, GSA said that tools involving USAi, the government-wide AI app, are supposed to undergo pre-launch bias and safety evaluations. Then, in September, Grok went on sale to federal agencies, through a deal facilitated through GSA.Late last month, the Trump administrations nominee to lead the GSA told the Senate hed be open to reviewing the deal with xAI and assessing whether there was incompleteness to the process. It remains unclear whether any federal agency has taken xAI up on using Grok, though xAI also has a major Defense Department deal.The confusion is a reminder that the government is still figuring out its relationship with major large language model firms. For now, the government seems to be moving ahead with helping federal workers interact with ChatGPT, Llama, Claude, and Gemini. This story was supported by the Tarbell Center for AI Journalism.
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The headache of planning a ski trip stands in sharp contrast to the freedom of effortlessly slicing down the slopes once you actually get up the mountain. If youre tired of worrying about squeezing all of that gear into your car or wrestling with tire chains in the cold, Ubers latest option for getting you to the slopes is one way to go. The company continues to broaden the services you can book through its app, and now Uber wants you to not only hail one of its rides up the mountain, but also book your ski pass on the way. Through a partnership with Vail Resorts, Uber is offering an option to buy an Epic Pass through the app. The Epic Pass, sold by Colorado ski giant Vail, is one of the big two multi-resort passes that avid skiers and snowboarders buy each season to unlock access to a huge swath of slopes. (The other option, the Ikon Pass by Vails rival Alterra Mountain Company, isnt available through the Uber app.) The Epic Pass packs a punch as far as ski destinations go, offering unlimited access to Colorados Vail and Breckenridge resorts, Park City in Utah, Heavenly in California, and Whistler Blackcomb in Canada. Right now, the main pass will set a single adult back $1,121, though prices go up the closer it gets to opening day. Other passes offer a handful of mountain days at a discount for what individual lift tickets would cost, but booking one through Uber doesnt confer any special perks. After the Epic Pass sales period closes in December, Uber users will apparently be able to book normal lift tickets to any Vail resort through the app. We are thrilled to offer skiers and snowboarders alike a convenient and reliable way to get to the mountain this season, Uber’s director of engineering Adib Roumani said in a press release. “With Uber Ski, you can spend more time enjoying the fresh mountain air and less time worrying about how to get there. Uber on ice Uber will also continue to offer specially outfitted rides through Uber Ski, which is a special tile that pops up seasonally in the services area of the app. The company first added this option back in 2019, giving riders in many mountain-adjacent U.S. cities a way to know that their ride can a) actually make it up a mountain, and b) fit bulky skis and snowboards. Since its launch, Uber has expanded Uber Skis area to include more snowy spots in the U.S., as well as in France and Switzerland in Europe. Support for Canadian slopes is on the way soon, according to the company, and all Uber Ski rides can be booked up to 90 days in advance. Uber Ski is just the latest premium offering from the ride-booking company, which advertises a dizzying array of ride options, from UberXL (for groups of up to six passengers, like the ones available through Uber Ski) and Uber Premier (luxe rides) to Uber Pet (for when your non-human companion comes along). Ubers increasing push into niche and luxury optionsand partnerships like the one it just struck for the Epic Passcan help the company cash in beyond its core ride-booking business. Unless youre a seasoned pro, the logistics of carting your gear up a mountain in inclement weather can put a damper on a ski day before it even gets started. For families and friend groups that travel away from home for an extended trip or only make it to the slopes a few days each season, Uber Ski offers a compelling transportation optionespecially if youre splitting the bill.
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E-Commerce
For decades, Adobes software tools, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, have been the universal language of visual communication, shaping how marketers, artists, and brands build the modern creative world. As artificial intelligence transforms the nature of work and how we define productivity, the 42-year-old creative tech company is reinventing itself once again, transforming the worlds creative supply chains through its AI ecosystem. Designers and marketers globally are using Adobe Firefly for generative image creation, Substance 3D for photorealistic modeling and digital twins, Express for rapid on-brand content production, and Experience Manager for orchestrating assets across global campaigns.AI should help you work faster and with more precision, while you stay in control of the craft, says Hannah Elsakr, vice president of GenAI New Business Ventures at Adobe. Firefly Custom Models and our new Adobe Firefly Foundry allow large brands to build proprietary, IP-protected models trained on their own assets. The impact is reaching every corner of the creative industry. At Tapestry, the parent company of luxury brands Coach and Kate Spade New York, AI is doubling as a force multiplier. The company is using Adobe Firefly Custom Models, an AI system trained on the brands patterns, textures, and archival details to accelerate design without losing the essence of its iconic craftsmanship. When ideas crystallize, Tapestrys design teams turn to Adobe Substance 3D to create digital twins: hyperrealistic 3D versions of handbags, shoes, and accessories that look and behave like the real product. [Image: Adobe] At Kate Spade, we are in an exciting phase of brand reinvention, and we are embracing innovative technologies to elevate our creative process, says Lissette Siesholtz, senior director of leather goods technical design at Kate Spade New York. AI serves as a tool to expand the possibilities of design, helping us push boundaries and explore new directions. Siesholtz added that designers take ideas generated in Firefly and refine them across other tools, including Illustrator and Photoshop, to perfect each concept for commercialization. This leads to agility, as marketers can preview products earlier and campaigns can be built in parallel with the new design. AI is rewriting the creative supply chain AI is also powering the marketing muscle for some of the worlds most recognizable brands. Newell Brands, for instance, the company behind household names like Elmers Glue, Sharpie, and Paper Mate, is reimagining its entire content supply chain to keep pace with the speed of digital culture. When the team began planning Elmers massive back-to-school campaign, they faced a familiar challenge: too much to create, and too little time to do it. Instead of traditional photo shoots, the team utilized Adobe Firefly to generate hundreds of visuals, from texture-rich close-ups to lifestyle scenes, with each uniquely tailored to Elmer’s distinct brand aesthetic. A great example is the Elmers cut-paper custom model. Instead of physically cutting paper and gluing pieces, we trained a custom Firefly model to create that fun, energetic style at scale, says Samantha Tuttle, director of marketing & commercial excellence at Newell Brands. Our designers and insights teams actively monitor consumer perceptions around AI. Paper Mate and Yankee Candle have since adopted similar workflows, using Fireflys AI capabilities to test illustrations and visual variations that improved engagement across global markets. Nick Hammitt, chief marketing officer at Newell Brands, explains that the brands distinctive styles, whether Elmers playful paper-cut visuals or Paper Mates hand-drawn illustrations, were all originally crafted by hand. While AI now accelerates production, the human touch remains essential. People are at the beginning and the end verifying quality, brand alignment, and safety. Adobes partnerships now stretch from Mattel, using Firefly to create packaging and storytelling for Barbie, to Coca-Cola, which codeveloped Firefly Design Intelligence, an AI-powered design system that helps brands maintain creative consistency worldwide. AI can imitate style, but not soul As brands increasingly use AI across design, marketing, and production, the creative workforce is racing to keep up. A new report from creative tech platform Envato, surveying more than 1,700 creatives globally, found nearly half of creative professionals use AI daily for client work, with 50% using AI significantly more than they did six months ago. Artists believe the future depends on balance: using AI to enhance the creative process, but never allowing it to define or dilute human expression. AI can never truly understand the emotional texture of human creativity, because it lacks the ability to feel, says Santanu Hazarika, a multidisciplinary visual artist. Art is born out of experience, conflict, reflection, and emotion, which can only be mimicked by the system. Hazarika noted that when technology becomes universally accessible, the creative landscape fills with repetition, a kind of aesthetic homogeneity that emerges when tools are used without personal language or depth of intent. If AI is used merely to mimic or replicate an existing artists work, it becomes an act of duplication rather than creation, he says. So the next time you glance around your desk: the coffee cup with its sleek label, the packaging on your favorite snack, the app you used to order lunch, AI was there somewhere in its creation, quietly shaping the world around you.
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