The DeepSeek logo is seen at the offices of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek in Hangzhou, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province on February 5, 2025. — AFP

US lawmakers introduce bill to ban DeepSeek from govt devices

US lawmakers on Thursday brought forth a bill to ban Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) program DeepSeek from being used on government devices over concerns about user data security. Representative Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, introduced the bill along with Darin LaHood, an Illinois Republican, citing an “alarming threat to US national security” and warning of “direct ties” between […]

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Following a sudden reactivation, Saudi Arabia's WhatsApp users can now make voice and video calls once again

WhatsApp voice, video calls returns to Saudi Arabia after six-year break

WhatsApp users in Saudi Arabia were able to make voice and video calls again after a six-year hiatus. The reactivation of these features followed years of being blocked in the country due to regulatory reasons, raising questions about whether this change would be permanent or temporary. The lifting of restrictions on voice and video calls […]

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DeepSeek's AI chatbot faces scrutiny with 83% fail rate in NewsGuard news accuracy test

US probes DeepSeek’s use of banned chips after chatbot scores just 17% accuracy

The US Commerce Department is investigating whether the Chinese AI company DeepSeek has been using advanced US chips that are prohibited for export to China, sources familiar with the matter confirmed. DeepSeek, which recently launched a free AI assistant, has gained massive popularity, becoming the most downloaded app on Apple’s App Store within days. This […]

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Move follows R1's rise to prominence for its ability to be trained at a fraction of the cost of AI models like OpenAI.

Microsoft integrates DeepSeek’s R1 AI model into Azure, GitHub

Microsoft has integrated DeepSeek’s R1 AI model into its Azure AI Foundry platform and GitHub, making it easier for developers to incorporate the cost-effective model into their AI applications. This move follows R1’s rise to prominence for its ability to be trained at a fraction of the cost of leading AI models like those from […]

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The Alibaba Group sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai in this file photo from July 2023. — Reuters

Alibaba releases AI model it claims surpasses DeepSeek-V3

Chinese tech company Alibaba on Wednesday released a new version of its Qwen 2.5 artificial intelligence (AI) model that it claimed surpassed the highly acclaimed DeepSeek-V3. The unusual timing of the Qwen 2.5-Max’s release, on the first day of the Lunar New Year when most Chinese people are off work and with their families, points to […]

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AI startup Perplexity AI makes a proposal to merge with TikTok.

Microsoft in talks to acquire TikTok, says Trump

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok and that he would like to see a bidding war over the app. TikTok, which has about 170 million American users, was briefly taken offline just before a law requiring its Chinese owner ByteDance to either sell it […]

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