Each week, we bring you 5 stories that resonated the most in our internal Slack channel #AI-news. We write the newsletter using various AI tools because we're an AI company and our marketing wants to move with the times too. 😎
Today you're reading the 56th issue in a row.
#1
OpenAI launches o3-mini 🚀: A new rival for DeepSeek R1 🇨🇳!
OpenAI has introduced o3-mini 🚀, a smaller and smarter AI model aiming to compete with DeepSeek R1, a new open-source model from China 🇨🇳 that has caused quite a stir. OpenAI is making o3-mini available to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers 💳, while free users will have only limited access ⛔.
This announcement comes at a time when DeepSeek R1 is challenging major players like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic by offering a powerful model for free 💡. OpenAI claims that o3-mini is fine-tuned for math, science, and programming 💻 and can tackle complex logical reasoning tasks by breaking them down into smaller parts 🧩.
Additionally, OpenAI is actively recruiting PhD candidates 🎓 to help train its models, focusing on creating scientific programming tasks to test AI’s problem-solving abilities. The company also plans to introduce new features ⚡, such as web search integration and function calling 📞, enhancing its models’ ability to work with external data and user-provided code 👨💻.
#2
Qwen 2.5-Max 🤖: Alibaba’s answer to DeepSeek 🧐?
Alibaba has introduced Qwen 2.5-Max, an open-source AI model, during the Lunar New Year celebrations, signaling that it takes AI seriously while competitors take a break 😴. This move follows the recent arrival of the DeepSeek model 🚀, which disrupted the market and contributed to Nvidia’s massive $593 billion valuation drop 💰.
Qwen 2.5-Max leverages a “mix of experts” architecture 🧠, making it faster and more scalable 📊. It has been trained on over 20 trillion tokens and improved through human feedback 🗣️. The model is available via Alibaba Cloud, allowing developers and businesses to easily integrate it into their applications 💻.
As interest in open-source AI models grows, this release strengthens Alibaba’s position in AI research while also raising concerns about security 🔒 and potential misuse ⚠️. More similar models are expected to be released soon ⏳. What about you? Have you tried these new Chinese models yet 🇨🇳?
#3
EU AI Act is coming 📜: Which AI systems will be banned ❌?
On February 2, 2025, the EU AI Act 📜 will take effect, banning AI systems with “unacceptable risks” ❌, such as social scoring, emotion recognition in workplaces and schools, and manipulative techniques. Companies that violate these rules face hefty fines 💰 of up to 7% of their annual revenue.
However, the AI Office 🏛 has yet to clarify which AI systems specifically fall under these bans, despite promising guidelines before the deadline ⏳. Companies fear compliance chaos, while civil society groups criticize the rushed adoption of regulations ⚠️.
Another hot topic is the enforcement of transparency and risk management rules for general-purpose AI models, such as ChatGPT-4 📊. These rules will come into force in August 2025, but the AI Office is still finalizing its Code of Conduct, struggling to meet deadlines while addressing stakeholders' unresolved concerns.
With a small team and growing pressure, the AI Office needs to speed things up 🚀. Without clear rules, the credibility of the AI Act and the EU's leadership in AI regulation 🔍 could be at risk. What’s your take on this 🧐?
#4
IBM cuts costs 💰: Plans to save $3.5 billion 💵!
IBM plans to save $3.5 billion in 2025 📉, primarily through layoffs ❌ and spending cuts across various areas. The company is shifting its focus to AI and digital transformation 🤖 as demand for these technologies soars 🚀.
Even as profits decline, IBM is thriving in AI. The company announced that its AI business generated $5 billion 💵, as customers increasingly favor AI solutions over traditional IT services. While software revenues grew, consulting revenues declined, signaling a shift in client preferences 🔄.
Investors reacted positively, sending IBM’s stock price up 9% 📈. However, employees should brace for more layoffs 😟, following similar trends in previous years. IBM is working to secure its position as a leader in AI solutions 🏆 while keeping costs under control 🔍.
#5
"Human Authored" 📖: A new certification for AI-free books ✅!
The Authors Guild of America has introduced the "Human Authored" certification ✅ to help readers identify books written without AI assistance. As AI-generated books flood online platforms 🌐, this initiative ensures that readers can clearly distinguish human-created content 📖.
Certified books will be listed in a public database 🔍 for easy discovery. Currently, only Guild members who have written books entirely on their own ✍️ can apply, but eligibility will gradually expand.
The use of minor AI tools, such as spell-checking, is allowed, but the core text must be 100% human-written. The goal isn’t to reject AI 🤖 but to bring clarity to a publishing world increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence 🔢. What’s your take on this?
