Plus, Elon Musk is America’s largest political donor.
DeepSeek’s AI playbook ripped apart–and why others will follow suit
The Chinese firm DeepSeek released a large language model named R1 two weeks back, sending shockwaves through the US tech sector. R1 was not only built at a fraction the cost of its homegrown competitors, but it was also given away for free.
DeepSeek is now the company to beat. What did it do that caused such a stir in the tech world? Is the hype justified? What can we learn about the future from the hype? Here’s everything you need to be aware of.
–Will Douglas Heaven.
OpenAI’s new agent can produce detailed reports on virtually any topic.
New: OpenAI launched a new agent that is capable of performing complex, multi-step research online into everything from personalized bike recommendations to scientific questions. The tool, Deep Research, will respond to a single question, such as, “draw me a competitive analysis of streaming platforms.” It will search the internet, analyze the information that it encounters, then compile a report with citations.
What it means: OpenAI claims that what the tool does in “tens” of minutes would take an average human many hours. It claims that it is a major step towards the goal of creating artificial general intelligence (AI) that can match or surpass humans. Read the complete story.
–Rhiannon William
DeepSeek may not be so good for energy afterall
Since DeepSeek became an household name, many narratives have gained momentum, including the idea that DeepSeek’s new, more energy-efficient approach might mean AI doesn’t need to consume the massive amounts of power that it does currently.
This latter notion is false, and new numbers provided to MIT Technology Review show why. These early figures, based on the performance one of DeepSeek’s smaller models in response to a few prompts, suggest that it could be more energetically intensive when generating answers than the equivalent-size Meta model.
It could be that the energy savings in training are offset by the more intensive techniques used to answer questions and the long answers produced. The fact that other tech companies, inspired by DeepSeek, may now begin building their own low-cost reasoning model, makes the outlook for energy consumption look a lot less rosy. Read the full article.
–James O’Donnell.
How DeepSeek’s success in the AI world is reflected by its breakout success.
For more information on DeepSeek and to hear from our news editor Charlotte Jee as well as senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven and China reporter Caiwei chen, join us for a Roundtable discussion today at 12pm ET. They will be discussing what DeepSeek’s breakout success means to AI and the broader technology industry. Register here.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
Elon Musk gave at least $288 millions to help elect Donald Trump.
This makes him the largest political donor in the US. (WP $)
+ Some engineers executing Musk’s efficiency orders still are teenagers. The team of Musk could have your social security number. The Mag ($)
Two LGBT and HIV references were scrubbed from the CDC’s website
in response to Trump’s executive order to remove all DEI reference. (404 Media )
+ Some vaccination data has been removed. The latest step in Trump’s purge of the government is the removal of vaccine data. The Atlantic($)
Trump’s tariffs hurt carmakers
New rules affect all companies that ship goods across US borders to Canada, Mexico or use parts from China. (NYT$)
+ Shares of carmakers plunged after the announcement. Reuters ]
+ Each country has a very different approach to trade war. The Economist ($)
OpenAI released its o3 mini reasoning model for free.
This is the first time that its reasoning models are no longer behind a paywall. (MIT Technology Review),
+ ChatGPT subscribers now number 15.5 million. The Information($)
Five mainstream media outlets are being kicked out of their offices by the Pentagon
This is mostly in favor of conservative outlets. (NBC News ]
]6 AI data centers landlords are beginning to worry
Maybe a bit prematurely, considering the uncertainties surrounding DeepSeek’s energy implications. (Bloomberg $)
7 The FDA has approved for the first time in over two decades a new nonopioid medicine. (Ars Technica )
+ What makes it so difficult to create new pain relievers. MIT Technology Review
This AI tool lets you speak to your future selves
But be sure to take its advice with a grain of salt. (WSJ $)
+ Please do not use ChatGPT for writing obituaries. Vox
The technology that allows us to “speak” with our dead relatives is here. Are we prepared? MIT Technology Review
Climate change means that more rats will be in our cities.With them comes a greater risk of rat-borne diseases. New Scientist $]
According to Mark Thomson, the new director general of Cern, AI could help us predict the end of the universe. The Guardian (19459037)
Today’s Quote
: “Oligarchy can be bad enough.” “Oligarchy with a competitor doing enforcement is double or triple as bad.”
– Richard Aboulafia of AeroDynamic Advisory wonders if Elon Musk’s leading efficiency drives in companies that compete with his own is ethical. The Financial Timesreported this.
Big story
Tracking animal movements may save the world
February 2024
For centuries, animals have been able offer unique insights into the natural world. They act as organic sensors that pick up phenomena invisible to us. Canaries, for instance, warned of impending disasters in coal mines up until the 1980s.
Thanks to technologies such as sensor tags, we now have more insight than ever into animal behavior. But the data that we collect from these animals is still a small part of the picture.
Things are beginning to change. Researchers ask: What will we learn if we track even the smallest of animals? What if we were able to see how the lives of different species intersect? What could we learn by continuously monitoring the adaptations of creatures large and small to our world? Some researchers believe it could be a vital tool to save our planet from the increasing crises. Read the complete story.
–Matthew Ponsford.
You can still enjoy nice things.
A place to find comfort, fun, and distraction. (Do you have any ideas? Drop a line Or skeet them at me – Why we can all benefit from some quiet time
Why New York City Bagelsis the best in the World.
The fascinating science behind ‘the ick’ and why it is worth pushing through it.
– Forget about the giant squid, it’s all the colossal Squidright now.
