Chinese AI DeepSeek overtakes ChatGPT, Blu-Ray format on its way out
Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek has overtaken ChatGPT and other rivals to become the top-rated free application on Apple’s App Store in the US, UK and China. Its surge in popularity has sparked a selloff of shares in AI-related companies based in the US. Nvidia, Microsoft and Meta were down on Monday morning and the development knocked European share prices. The app has surged in popularity since its launch, challenging the widely-held belief that the US is the unassailable leader in AI and prompting questions about the scale of investments US firms are planning. BBC
Ministers have shut down or dropped at least half a dozen artificial intelligence prototypes intended for the welfare system, the Guardian has learned, in a sign of the headwinds facing Keir Starmer’s effort to increase government efficiency. Pilots of AI technology to enhance staff training, improve the service in jobcentres, speed up disability benefit payments and modernise communication systems are not being taken forward, freedom of information (FoI) requests reveal. The Guardian
Tesla investors will look for more details on the automaker’s lower-priced model when it reports quarterly results on Wednesday as some expect the cheaper car to help the company hit its goal to increase deliveries by up to 30% this year. The world’s most valuable automaker has seen its stock market valuation soar more than 60% to $1.3 trillion since President Donald Trump won November’s election with the financial backing of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Investors are betting the new administration will ease regulation on self-driving vehicle systems that Tesla is developing. Reuters
Blu-ray is on its way out, and Sony just hammered another nail in the format’s coffin. Sony of Japan published a terse and simple statement this week, saying plainly that it would no longer manufacture recordable Blu-ray discs starting in February. MiniDV cassette tapes, recordable MiniDiscs, and MD-Data discs will also be officially terminated next month. Keep in mind that Sony will no longer produce recordable Blu-ray discs. Standard Blu-ray discs used by retailers to sell movies, games, and other media will still be produced. Notebook Check
Renault will preserve the new 5 supermini’s retro design for as long as possible but keep the car competitive throughout its life cycle with upgrades to its drivetrain and technology. Company CEO Fabrice Cambolive outlined his plans for the Renault 5 on the sidelines of the 2025 What Car? Awards, where the supermini was named Car of the Year – just days after also being named the European Car of the Year. He attributed the 5’s early acclaim to its striking, 1970s-inspired design, technological capability and distinctive handling characteristics. Autocar
Microsoft says it’s shutting down its UK “experience center” in London next month, nearly six years after it first opened as a 21,000-square-foot Microsoft store. “To better align with its focus on digital growth, Microsoft has decided to exit the lease at the Microsoft Experience Centre in London early,” says an unnamed Microsoft spokesperson in a statement to Windows Central. The store originally opened in July 2019, just months before the pandemic lockdowns began. Microsoft then quickly transitioned it to an “experience center” alongside closing its stores in the US in 2020. The Verge
