Elon Musk’s Grok AI is now part of U.S. military ops, somehow
Plus: Mattel's first autistic Barbie doll ruffles feathers.
Greetings!
Here are the latest trending internet culture stories today:
Pete Hegseth gave the go-ahead to integrate Elon Musk’s scandal-ridden Grok AI into the Pentagon.
Trump seems to have forgotten a promise he made about sending Americans $2K checks because of promised tariff profits.
Mattel has released its first autistic Barbie doll to both praise and concern.
See you in the next one!
— W.J.
⚡️ Today in Internet Culture
“Department of War AI will not be woke”: Pentagon moves forward with Grok military integration despite global backlash
The U.S. military is moving ahead with plans to integrate Grok, the controversial chatbot created by Elon Musk’s xAI, into Pentagon networks.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday that Grok will be included on the Department of Defense’s new internal AI platform, GenAI.mil, alongside tools like Google’s Gemini, despite the chatbot facing international bans, regulatory scrutiny, and repeated controversies over racism, antisemitism, and nonconsensual image generation.
“When did I do that?”: Trump denies promising $2K tariff revenue checks to Americans
President Donald Trump appeared to walk back a familiar promise after reporters pressed him about $2K checks tied to tariff revenue. The moment came during a wide-ranging interview with White House correspondents Katie Rogers and Tyler Pager. When Rogers brought up the topic, Trump seemed unsure if he had ever made such a pledge.
“Talk about sensory overload”: Mattel’s autistic Barbie is here, and the community has complicated feelings
Mattel’s launch of its first autistic Barbie this week has been met with both celebration and criticism from the autism community. Created in partnership with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), the doll features accessories and design choices meant to reflect common autistic experiences, from stimming to alternative communication tools.
Not everyone feels that it’s the best representation, though many are happy to see any kind of autistic doll.
And now a word from our sponsor…
Buy one window, get one 40% off (plus an extra $200)
New windows can help seal out drafts, lower heating costs, and make every room feel cozier. For a limited time, Renewal by Andersen is running a buy one window, get one 40% off deal, on top of an extra $200 off your total order. There’s never been a better chance to save some money and spruce up your home at the same time.
🕸️ Crawling the Web
🦮 Jennifer Lawrence is under fire for rehoming her dog, saying she wants to “obliterate” them all after one bit her son
🚨 Experts warn against giving bots your medical records after OpenAI revealed “ChatGPT Health”
💁♀️ Olympian Ilona Maher bodies another body-shaming troll shocked that she has a stomach
🎮 Debunking the “Franklin will eventually show up” brainrot meme from Grand Theft Auto
🎵 Joe Keery’s song “End of Beginning” spikes on charts after the end of Stranger Things
✒️ 16 brave adults reveal what’s questionable about their resumes
🔥 Hot on the Dot
This was the most-read story on the Daily Dot yesterday: