SunBrief#63: Starlink’s Biggest Power Move Yet

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Today in SunBrief 🌞

• The best time to forecast? Now.

• FCC Approves 7,500 More Starlink Satellites, Doubling Gen2 Fleet to 15,000

• Introducing ChatGPT Health: Your Private AI Companion for Health & Wellness

• Stock Updates

• Indonesia Blocks xAI’s Grok Over AI-Generated Sexual Deepfakes

• AI Highlights of the Week

• Too Important to Miss

The best time to forecast? Now.

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FCC Approves 7,500 More Starlink Satellites, Doubling Gen2 Fleet to 15,000

SpaceX cleared to expand global broadband and mobile coverage with advanced new satellite network

SpaceX won FCC approval to expand Gen2 Starlink to 15,000 satellites, boosting faster internet and direct-to-phone service from space. The move accelerates Starlink’s push toward global coverage.

Key Points:

• Global Expansion: The new satellites will enhance both Fixed and Mobile Satellite Services across multiple frequency bands (Ku, Ka, V, E, W), supporting high-speed, low-latency internet worldwide.

• Technology Upgrades: SpaceX can now deploy satellites with advanced form factors, new orbital shells (340–485 km), and overlapping beams to increase capacity.

• Mobile Capability: All 15,000 Gen2 satellites are now approved to provide mobile service, not just fixed broadband. This builds on Starlink's partnerships with T-Mobile and global carriers.

• Future Plans & Opposition: SpaceX has requested approval for 15,000 more mobile-focused satellites, but competitors like Viasat and Globalstar are pushing back, citing spectrum and interference concerns.

Why It Matters:

This decision accelerates SpaceX’s goal to dominate global satellite internet, including direct-to-smartphone service, while intensifying competition and regulatory battles in the satellite industry.

Introducing ChatGPT Health: Your Private AI Companion for Health & Wellness

It is now available via waitlist on web and iOS (U.S. only)

ChatGPT Health is a new, dedicated health-focused space within ChatGPT, built to help people better understand, manage, and navigate their health with secure, personalized AI support.

What ChatGPT Health Offers:

• Secure connection to your health data
  Sync medical records and wellness apps like Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, and Function to get context-aware help—from lab result summaries to fitness tracking insights.

• Private, encrypted, and isolated health space
  Health conversations are stored separately from other chats. No data is used to train OpenAI’s models. You control access, connected apps, and memory at any time.

• Built in partnership with 260+ doctors
  Trained and evaluated using real-world clinical feedback. Prioritizes clarity, appropriate escalation, and safe support for everyday health questions.

• Tools to simplify your health journey
  Get help understanding test results, preparing for doctor visits, tracking fitness progress, or planning meals—tailored to your personal health data.

Why It Matters:

ChatGPT Health is not for diagnosis or treatment, but it empowers users to ask better questions, understand their body, and engage more confidently with their healthcare providers.

Stock Updates

Indonesia Blocks xAI’s Grok Over AI-Generated Sexual Deepfakes

Government cites human rights violations amid growing global backlash

Indonesia has temporarily blocked xAI’s Grok chatbot after reports it generated non-consensual sexual deepfakes, including content involving minors, calling it a serious human rights violation.

Key Points:

• AI Misuse: Grok allegedly generated sexualized images of real women and minors on X, prompting an outcry.

• Government Action: Indonesia’s Communications Minister condemned the abuse and issued the temporary block.

• Global Response:

  • India ordered xAI to curb obscene content.

  • EU asked for document preservation — a possible prelude to investigation.

  • UK’s Ofcom launched a review, with PM Starmer backing enforcement.

  • US remains silent; Musk is a major Trump donor.

• xAI’s Response: Posted an apology, limited image generation to paid X users but Grok app remained unrestricted.

• Controversy Grows: Critics warn of AI platforms being weaponized for abuse and demand stricter safeguards and transparency.

Why It Matters:

This marks one of the strongest actions yet against AI-generated deepfake abuse, escalating global pressure on AI firms to enforce ethical guardrails. The incident puts Grok and Elon Musk’s xAI at the center of an international reckoning over AI responsibility and regulation.

AI Highlights of the Week

• AI Lab Anthropic Cracks Down on Unauthorized Claude Access

  Anthropic blocked third-party harnesses like OpenCode from spoofing Claude Code to bypass pricing and limits, citing stability and abuse concerns.

  It also cut off rival labs like xAI from using Claude via tools such as Cursor, enforcing terms that ban using models to train competing systems.

• AI Models Found to Reproduce Entire Copyrighted Books

  A Stanford–Yale study shows Claude 3.7 reproduced 95.8% of Harry Potter, while Gemini 2.5 Pro and Grok 3 needed no jailbreak.

  The findings undermine claims that models don’t store data, raising serious copyright liability risks.

• AI Shopping Gets Native Checkout With Copilot and Brand Agents

  Microsoft unveiled Copilot Checkout, letting shoppers go from conversation to purchase instantly inside Copilot while merchants remain the merchant of record.

  Brand Agents bring AI-powered, on-site shopping assistants in a brand’s own voice, driving higher engagement and conversion across Shopify-powered stores.

• China Leads Global Humanoid Robot Shipments

  Chinese companies dominated humanoid robot shipments in 2025, with Shanghai AgiBot shipping over 5,100 units and firms like Unitree and UBTech leading large-scale production.

  Sales quintupled year over year, Chinese robots undercut US rivals on price, and China controlled most humanoid robot booths at CES, highlighting its manufacturing edge.

Too Important to Miss

Musk’s xAI Burns Almost $8 Billion While Rolling Out Its Optimus Plan

Nvidia Hires Google Veteran as Its First-Ever Chief Marketing Officer

Big Short Investor Mike Burry Is Betting Against Oracle Stock

Grok limits AI image generation to paid users after backlash 

Last Week’s Poll Result

• Do you think Meta’s $2B acquisition of Manus will pay off?

  Yes, Manus’ agent tech fits Meta’s platforms perfectly → 54.55%
  Maybe, but integration will be challenging → 27.27%
  No, Meta has struggled to turn AI spending into products → 18.18%

  

• Do you think U.S. export controls on advanced AI chips are effective?

  Somewhat, but smuggling will always happen → 40.00%
  No, they create black markets instead → 40.00%
  Yes, they meaningfully slow China’s AI progress → 20.00%

  

• Do you think future AI breakthroughs will come more from architecture than raw compute?

  Maybe, both will advance together → 47.37%
  Yes, architecture is becoming the key differentiator → 42.11%
  No, compute scale will remain decisive → 10.53%

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