CHEEKY ELON MUSK revealed his latest projects IN CHINESE TEXT and some people are furious.
The tech entrepreneur revealed he is about to launch a sci-fi style humanoid robot which is the size and weight of an adult human being. The Tesla Optimus will eventually be able to cook and clean and do other jobs around the house, he revealed in an essay in a Chinese government publication.
He also revealed that his scientists are working on brain implants that will attempt to solve very widespread, very human problems – including obesity, sleeplessness, and depression. These problems may eventually be fixed by “brain chips the size of a coin.” Musk revealed his plans in text printed in Chinese characters in China Cyberspace magazine.
BACKLASH
Some western reporters reacted negatively to Musk’s decision to write for a Chinese audience in a magazine printed by the digital arm of the country’s government. Newsweek wrote an article about a backlash and reprinted numerous anonymous attacks from Twitter. “What a giant hypocrite. Free speech for me, not thee,” said a typical one.
“Musk’s appearance in a publication run by the Cyberspace Administration of China conflicts with his outspoken advocacy for free speech,” thundered The Verge magazine.
Bloomberg predicted – without seeing the irony of it – that Musk may be in trouble for freely and directly communicating with people in China.
“If Musk isn’t sitting in front of a congressional committee within a year being grilled on his relationship with China, I’ll be flabbergasted,” said China-watcher Kendra Schaefer, interviewed by Bloomberg News.
Many people in the west are unaware that criticism of Chinese officials appears on a daily basis in the media and social media of China, although of course not to the unfettered extremes of media in the west.
SCI-FI STYLE ROBOT
Musk’s Chinese essay said that Tesla Bots will start by simply replacing humans doing repetitive, boring, and dangerous tasks. “But the vision is for them to serve millions of households, such as cooking, mowing lawns, and caring for the elderly,” Musk said. The new humanoid device, expected to be called Tesla Optimus, will be launched on September 30, according to tech industry insiders.
“We plan to launch the first prototype of a humanoid robot this year and focus on improving the intelligence of that robot and solving the problem of large-scale production,” he added in the article. “Thereafter, humanoid robots’ usefulness will increase yearly as production scales up and costs fall.”
Musk’s article was quickly translated into English by Yang Liu and both versions, in Chinese and English, are available on his recommended substack page, Beijing Channel.
BAD BOOKS
Musk, a colorful entrepreneur, is in the bad books of some people in the western media after he joined a World Internet Conference organized by Chinese leader Xi Jinping last year. In a speech, Musk openly extolled the virtues of international co-operation, echoing Xi’s own wishes.
This was a far cry from the “democracy vs autocracy” divided world scenario being pushed by US leader Joe Biden at the time.
Musk was again criticized in January this year for making electric cars available in Xinjiang, where most of the world’s solar panels are made.
Meanwhile, the employees at the Tesla factory in Shanghai this week celebrated the production of their one millionth electric vehicle.
The Chinese make more electric cars than all other countries in the world put together.
Image at the top taken from a photograph by Yang Liu