HhElon Musk’s AI company, xAI, has unveiled Grok 4, a new artificial intelligence model that outperforms rivals from OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, setting a new global benchmark. xAI announced the release of Grok 4 on the social platform X, marking a major breakthrough in AI technology. According to independent tests by Artificial Analysis, Grok 4 scored 73 on the Intelligence Index, surpassing OpenAI’s o3 and Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro, both at 70, and Anthropic’s Claude 4 Opus at 64. This score reflects Grok 4’s superior reasoning and practical capabilities, including debugging entire source code files more effectively than existing tools like Cursor. Elon Musk stated Grok 4’s potential to accelerate technological and scientific discoveries, predicting new technologies within a year and breakthroughs in physics within two. The model is now accessible on multiple platforms, sparking excitement about its future applications in healthcare, robotics, and research. However, xAI has faced challenges recently, including controversies over past AI-generated antisemitic content, which the company attributes to training data issues and unauthorized changes. xAI is actively working to remove inappropriate posts and improve hate speech controls, emphasizing a focus on “truth-seeking” in Grok 4’s development. This launch positions xAI at the forefront of the AI race for the first time, reflecting rapid progress in a highly competitive field dominated by tech giants. Experts see Grok 4 as a potential game-changer, but its long-term impact will depend on ethical management and consistent performance.
UAE unveils new Visas for AI, events, gaming, and cruise tourists, starting August
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will launch four new visa categories from August 10, 2025, aiming to attract tech experts, event visitors, gaming professionals, and cruise tourists. The new visas are part of the UAE’s push to bring in global talent, support fast-growing industries, and boost its tourism sector. The multiple-entry visa is for artificial intelligence experts. It allows stays of 60 or 90 days, with possible extensions up to 180 days. The goal is to attract researchers, developers, and consultants who can help drive innovation in the UAE. The event Visa designed for people attending economic, cultural, religious, educational, or sports events. It’s a single-entry visa valid for 30 or 60 days, with the option to extend up to 180 days. The UAE wants to make it easier for visitors to attend major events like expos and conferences. Commercial gaming visa targets professionals in the gaming industry, including developers, operators, and investors. It allows a 30-day stay and can be renewed once. The UAE is looking to tap into the growing global gaming market, though details on qualifying activities are still to come. Cruise tourist and leisure boat visafor those arriving by cruise ship or leisure boat, this tourist visa allows multiple entries for 30 days, with an extra 30-day extension available. It’s part of an effort to boost maritime tourism. These new visas follow earlier UAE reforms like the Golden Visa and Green Visa, which were meant to make the country a global hub for business and innovation. The UAE has also introduced multi-entry visit visas for family and friends and has become a major investor in Africa, showing its commitment to international partnerships. While expanding other visa options, the UAE has temporarily stopped new freelance visa applications. Existing freelance visa holders can still renew, but the freeze raises questions about the future for remote workers and freelancers looking to move to the UAE.
Meta breaks records, offers $200 million package to lure Apple’s top AI engineer
Meta Platforms has shaken up Silicon Valley by offering over $200 million in total pay to Ruoming Pang, a leading AI engineer who recently left Apple. Pang led Apple’s AI models team and is now joining Meta’s new “superintelligence” division, which aims to build AI systems that can think and work like humans. According to reports, Meta’s offer includes a mix of base salary, stock incentives, and large signing bonuses. Most of the money will be paid out over several years and depends on performance. The deal is so big that it rivals what top global bank CEOs earn. Meta’s new AI team, called the Meta Superintelligence Lab (MSL), has already attracted big names. These include former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, AI entrepreneur Daniel Gross, and Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang. Wang joined Meta after a $14.3 billion deal that gave Meta a 49% stake in his company. The company is using high pay and stock grants to keep its new hires for the long term. Some stock deals go beyond the usual four-year window, making sure top talent stays and grows with Meta. OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, said Meta has offered signing bonuses as high as $100 million to tempt his staff. While some chose to stay, Meta has already hired more than 10 researchers from OpenAI and others from Google DeepMind, including Jack Rae. The next big moment could come this week, when Altman and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg meet at the Allen & Co. conference in Sun Valley.
UK moves to digital eVisas for Nigerian students and workers from July 15
The United Kingdom will start issuing digital eVisas to most Nigerians applying for study or work visas from July 15, 2025. The British High Commission in Abuja announced the new system on Wednesday. Instead of getting a physical visa sticker in their passport, successful applicants will now receive a secure online eVisa. This is part of the UK’s plan to create a modern and safer immigration process. The digital eVisa will be available to most Nigerians seeking to study or work in the UK. However, dependents such as spouses or children, and those applying for visitor visas, will still get the old visa sticker for now. Anyone who applied before July 15 will continue with the current process. They will still need to submit their passport at the Visa Application Centre and receive a physical sticker. Applicants must still visit the Visa Application Centre to provide their fingerprints and photo. But if they do not need a visa sticker, their passport will be returned the same day. Once a visa is approved, applicants will get an email from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). They must then create a UKVI account, where they can access their eVisa and check their immigration status. According to Gill Lever, the UK’s Chargé d’Affaires, “We’re making it easier and faster for Nigerians to travel to the UK. From 15 July 2025, most people applying for study or work visas will get a digital eVisa instead of a visa sticker in their passport. This is a big step towards a fully digital UK immigration system, making the process more secure, more efficient, and more convenient for students, professionals, and families.” For now, dependents and visitors will still receive physical visa stickers. People with a UKVI account can use the “View and Prove” service online to share their immigration status with employers or landlords in England.
Linda Yaccarino quits as X CEO after Musk’s AI takeover shakes platform
Linda Yaccarino has stepped down as CEO of X, the company formerly known as Twitter, just months after Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, xAI, took full control of the social media giant. Yaccarino announced her resignation on Wednesday, ending a two-year run marked by big changes, advertiser exits, and a tough rebrand. Her departure comes less than three months after X was officially absorbed by xAI, Musk’s ambitious AI startup. In a farewell post, Yaccarino said, “After two incredible years, I’ve decided to step down as CEO of X. I’ll be cheering you all on as you continue to change the world.” She described her time at X as “the opportunity of a lifetime,” thanking Musk for trusting her to lead the company through a major transformation. Yaccarino, who joined X in May 2023 after a top role at NBCUniversal, was brought in to help win back advertisers and steady the company. She faced the challenge of repairing relationships after Musk’s sweeping job cuts and unpredictable approach to content moderation pushed many brands away. During her time as CEO, Yaccarino tried to rebuild trust with advertisers and improve user safety. She claimed progress on both fronts, but X continued to face criticism for rising hate speech, violent content, and misinformation. Things got even tougher after xAI took over in March 2025, valuing X at $33 billion. The deal put the platform under Musk’s AI umbrella and sparked new controversies. This week, Grok, the AI chatbot built by xAI and added to X, was criticised for posting antisemitic and offensive content. The Turkish government threatened to ban X, while Poland called for an EU investigation into the chatbot’s remarks about its politicians. The European Commission is now considering the first-ever fine against X under the EU’s Digital Services Act, with a decision expected before August. Yaccarino’s exit leaves X at a crossroads. The platform is caught between its legacy as a social media leader and Musk’s vision of turning it into an AI-powered “everything app.”
Google launches ‘Manage Subscriptions’ to help Gmail users clean up their inboxes
Google has introduced a new “Manage Subscriptions” feature on Gmail, making it easier for users worldwide, including in Nigeria, to control and unsubscribe from unwanted emails. On Tuesday, Google announced the rollout of “Manage Subscriptions,” a tool designed to help people keep track of all their promotional emails and newsletters in one place. The feature is now available on the web version of Gmail, with Android and iOS users set to receive it from July 14 and July 21, respectively. According to Google, everyone should have access within 15 days of the rollout. With this update, Gmail users can, see all their active email subscriptions in one dashboard, sorted by the senders who email most often, check how many emails each sender has sent recently, view all emails from a particular sender with a single click, unsubscribe from unwanted emails directly, as Gmail will send the request automatically, no need to dig through old messages or visit external websites. Chris Doan, Gmail’s Director of Product, explained the reason for the update in a blog post. “Daily deal alerts that are basically spam, weekly newsletters from blogs you no longer read, promotional emails from retailers you haven’t shopped in years can quickly pile up,” he wrote. To use the new tool, users just need to open the navigation bar at the top-left of their Gmail inbox and select “Manage subscriptions.” This builds on Gmail’s earlier one-click unsubscribe feature, but now gives much broader control. The new dashboard is available to all Gmail users, including those with Google Workspace, Workspace Individual, and personal accounts. In a separate update, Google recently raised the price of its Google One cloud storage service in Nigeria. From March 28, 2025, the monthly fee will increase to N1,900, up from N1,200. Users can cancel anytime through Google Play. With “Manage Subscriptions,” Google is making it easier for everyone to keep their inbox tidy and focus on what matters.