Author: Advanced AI Editor

DeepSeek says its R1 model did not learn by copying examples generated by other LLMs.Credit: David Talukdar/ZUMA via AlamyThe success of DeepSeek’s powerful artificial intelligence (AI) model R1 — that made the US stock market plummet when it was released in January — did not hinge on being trained on the output of its rivals, researchers at the Chinese firm have said. The statement came in documents released alongside a peer-reviewed version of the R1 model, published today in Nature1.How China created AI model DeepSeek and shocked the worldR1 is designed to excel at ‘reasoning’ tasks such as mathematics and…

Zoe KleinmanTechnology editor andFaisal IslamEconomics editorWatch: UK is not giving up its digital sovereignty, Microsoft boss tells BBCMajor US tech firms have pledged tens of billions of pounds worth of investment in the UK, with Nvidia Jensen Huang, predicting the country will become an “AI superpower”.The biggest single investment comes from Microsoft, which has announced a $30bn (£22bn) spending package – its largest ever outside the US.It is part of a £31bn agreement, dubbed the “Tech Prosperity Deal”, between the UK government and several US tech giants as part of President Donald Trump’s second state visit to the UK. “This…

Deeply troubled parents spoke to senators Tuesday, sounding alarms about chatbot harms after kids became addicted to companion bots that encouraged self-harm, suicide, and violence. While the hearing was focused on documenting the most urgent child-safety concerns with chatbots, parents’ testimony serves as perhaps the most thorough guidance yet on warning signs for other families, as many popular companion bots targeted in lawsuits, including ChatGPT, remain accessible to kids. Mom details warning signs of chatbot manipulations At the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing, one mom, identified as “Jane Doe,” shared her son’s story for the first…

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is being called “the biggest meme stock we’ve ever seen” by Yale School of Management Senior Associate Dean Jeff Sonnenfeld, who made the comments in a recent interview with CNBC. Sonnenfeld’s comments echo those of many of the company’s skeptics, who argue that its price-to-earnings ratio is far too high when compared to other companies also in the tech industry. Tesla is often compared to companies like Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft when these types of discussions come up. Fundamentally, yes, Tesla does trade at a P/E level that is significantly above that of any comparable company. However, it…

In 2024, Google DeepMind’s co-founder Mustafa Suleyman joined Microsoft. He left the company in 2022, leaving it at the helm of Nobel laureate cofounder Demis Hassabis. The AI talent war intensified with more of the firm’s employees poached by Microsoft in July. Around 24 techies from Alphabet left for the Satya Nadella-led company, including Amar Subramanya, a former VP of engineering at Google who worked on the Gemini AI assistant. In June a senior director from DeepMind, Adam Sadovsky, left for Microsoft to become a corporate VP at the company. A couple others including Sonal Gupta and Jonas Rothfuss, joined…

VidSoulThe world of AI-generated video is evolving at breakneck speed. Standing at the forefront is Google Veo 3, the much-discussed text-to-video solution from Google DeepMind, which can conjure cinematic, high-definition video from a simple text promptl or even a single image. But for many creators, marketers, and storytellers, getting access to Veo 3 (still limited, complex, and scattered across siloed platforms) has become a challenge-until now.Vidsoul [https://www.vidsoul.ai/], a newly launched all-in-one AI video & image creation ecosystem, is redefining what’s possible by offering the most hassle-free, unified way to use Google Veo 3 and twelve other top-tier AI models-no multiple…

The Chicago History Museum has reduced hours at its Abakanowicz Research Center by roughly 50 percent following staff reductions tied to a labor dispute, according to a recent report in the Chicago Sun-Times. The library, which supports academic and public research, is now open only three days a week and during limited hours, paring down access for students and researchers. The cutbacks came after employees voted in February to unionize under the Chicago History Museum Workers United. Several staff members involved in the organizing effort were later dismissed, and in July museum officials informed remaining staff that their hours would be…

Figure AI, a startup based in San Jose, California, has drawn attention in recent months for its sleek, humanlike black-and-gray robots doing basic tasks like folding laundry and putting away groceries.Now, the company has also drawn a fresh round of funding that values the company higher than other corporate titans, including Delta Air Lines and Adidas. Figure said Tuesday that it had raised over $1 billion from investors at a valuation of $39 billion. The announcement comes amid a blistering year of investment in companies developing humanlike robots. It reflects “a shared belief in a future where this technology becomes…

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it’s introducing an always-on AI agent that will help sellers on its platform run their businesses. The company is updating Seller Assistant, its AI tool for third-party sellers, to help handle tasks on the seller’s behalf. “Our agentic AI capabilities are designed to work seamlessly throughout the entire selling experience, which means sellers can go from handling every task themselves to collaborating with an intelligent assistant that works proactively on their behalf around the clock, while always keeping sellers in control,” Amazon wrote in a press release. “Seller Assistant will be able to handle everything…

A new report highlights the challenges that both employees and HR leaders face before, during, and after layoffs—including a perceived lack of empathy from senior leadership. Commissioned by INTOO, a provider of HR and talent solutions, the “Culture in the Balance: Leading Through Layoffs Without Losing Trust Report” offers a summary of findings from a new global survey that explores how companies can mitigate the negative impact of layoffs to preserve their culture and brand integrity.Key findings include:Employees are bracing for layoffs but aren’t prepared to weather them:53% of employees are worried about getting laid off in the next 12…