Elon Musk’s strong clarification on reports that SpaceX showcased AI device to investors

Elon Musk has responded to a media reports which claimed that SpaceX is secretly developing a physical artificial intelligence (AI) device, and that his aerospace company recently demonstrated an early prototype of this handheld AI device to a select group of high-profile investors ahead of a massive initial public offering (IPO). A report published by The Wall Street Journal also claimed that the device would run on a custom, proprietary operating system and rely on advanced AI from Musk’s AI startup, xAI.Musk, however, wasted no time in ‘killing’ the rumor mill, issuing a blunt, two-word clarification on X (formerly Twitter) to dismiss the allegations: “Utterly False”.What the report claimedAccording to the report, the alleged concept device was described as an incredibly thin handset – even slimmer than Apple’s current iPhone. The report further said that the hardware is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and has been designed to reshape how humans interact with AI, serving as a physical gateway for Musk's xAI chatbot. Citing sources, the report noted that SpaceX pitched the project to investors as an early-stage concept that would help Musk bypass the strict app-store distribution rules controlled by Apple and Google.This is not the first time Musk has rejected the making of a phone-like AI hardware device. Speculation around “Starlink Phone” or “Tesla Pi Phone” have circulated for years. Musk has repeatedly made his feelings clear about entering the smartphone manufacturing market.“The idea of making a phone makes me want to die. But if we have to make a phone, we will," Musk said during an interview last October. Earlier this year, Musk pushed back against a Reuters report suggesting SpaceX was developing a handset to link directly with Starlink satellites, posting a firm, “We are not developing a phone” on social media.Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.