Issue 82

Highlights

How an unknown Chinese startup wiped $593bn from the value of an AI giant

The US had a huge head start on artificial intelligence – but now a low-cost rival from Hangzhou has turned the industry on its head and appears to match what OpenAI and the other US giants can do at a much lower cost, and without the same hunger for computing power that has made the chip manufacturer Nvidia the most valuable company in the world.

Meta AI can now use your Facebook and Instagram data to personalize its responses

Meta says that it is rolling out improvements to Meta AI, its cross-platform chatbot, including the ability to have the bot “remember” details from conversations. In a post on Meta’s official blog, the company said that users can now tell Meta AI to remember certain things about them, like that they love to travel and learn new languages.

China AI & Semiconductors Rise: US Sanctions Have Failed

As we approach the 1-year anniversary of the October 7th China sanctions, it is clear that the export controls are failing. It was stated that the aim was to limit Chinese firms’ ability to manufacture the highest-end chips including those in AI and other technologies that could be used for nefarious purposes by the Chinese Communist Party. Read more in this article.

Research

Introducing Operator research preview

A research preview of an agent that can use its own browser to perform tasks for you. Available to Pro users in the U.S.

Video

Military Ops: Cloud-AI Integration Boosts Strategic Edge with Sushil Prabhakaran

The integration of cloud computing and artificial intelligence is revolutionizing military operations, boosting decision-making speed by 67%, operational efficiency by 43%, and real-time situational awareness by 2.5x. This analysis highlights real-world implementations achieving 3.2x overall effectiveness, 38% cost reductions, and a 4.1x ROI, alongside advancements in data security, ethical AI, and training readiness.

Marlene Mhangami - Silicon Minds, Human Hearts

We're thrilled to have Marlene Mhangami, a developer advocate at Microsoft, join us. In this engaging conversation, Marlene shares her journey, her role in promoting Python and AI on Azure, and her fascinating projects. From her work with the Python Software Foundation to leveraging AI in her daily life, Marlene offers a unique perspective on the evolving world of technology and AI.

Articles

Building a Regression Model: Delivery Duration Prediction

In this article, you are walked through the process of building a regression model — from dataset cleaning & preparation, to model training & evaluation. The specific regression task we will model is predicting the expected delivery time for a food delivery service.

Open-R1: an open reproduction of DeepSeek-R1

DeepSeek-R1, a groundbreaking reasoning model, seems to outperform OpenAI’s o1 using pure reinforcement learning without human supervision. The Open-R1 project aims to replicate its methods, explore unanswered questions, and advance open reasoning models. Learn more about the innovations and how to contribute in this blog.

Understanding Automated Intelligence vs. Artificial Intelligence

The terms automated intelligence and artificial intelligence are often used interchangeably, but they represent fundamentally different concepts in the realm of technology. Understanding these differences is crucial for businesses that aim to leverage these technologies for operational efficiency and innovation.

Upcoming events

Global AI Bootcamp 2025

The Global AI Bootcamp is an annual event that occurs worldwide, where developers and AI enthusiasts can learn about AI through workshops, sessions, and discussions.

Podcast

Bug hunting with Shan Lu, a Microsoft Ideas podcast

Struggles with programming languages helped research manager Shan Lu find her calling as a bug hunter. She discusses one bug that haunted her, the thousands she’s identified since, and how she’s turning to LLMs to help make software more reliable.