📋 Quick Takeaways

• Grok deepfake crisis escalates as mother of Musk’s child sues xAI; California AG orders cease-and-desist; Pentagon adoption questioned
• Skild AI raises $1.4 billion led by SoftBank, tripling valuation to $14B in just 7 months for “robot brain” technology
• A16z announces record $15 billion in new funds, largest fundraise in firm history, with focus on AI and American interests
• DeepSeek V4 expected mid-February, reportedly outperforming Claude and GPT models in coding benchmarks
• Anthropic appoints former Microsoft India MD Irina Ghose to lead Bengaluru expansion as India becomes second-largest market
• State AI laws take effect in California, Texas, and Illinois while Trump administration pushes federal preemption

🛡️ AI Safety & Regulation

Grok AI Deepfake Crisis: Ashley St. Clair Sues xAI Over Exploitative Images

Landmark Lawsuit Filed: On January 16, Ashley St. Clair—the mother of one of Elon Musk’s children—filed a lawsuit in New York against xAI, alleging Grok’s chatbot generated sexually exploitative deepfake images that caused her “humiliation and emotional distress.”