Welcome back to Lately, The Globe’s weekly tech newsletter. If you have feedback or just want to say hello to a real-life human, send me an e-mail.
In this week’s issue:
🇨🇳 Chinese AI startup DeepSeek upstages Silicon Valley giants
💆🏻 New year, new you, new Instagram algorithm
💥 Influencers in the White House
📸 A retro-meets-new tech camera for vacation photos
ARITIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
DeepSeek poses deep threat to American AI
DeepSeek is threatening the U.S. dominance in AI.Andy Wong/The Associated Press
Last week, a little-known Chinese startup called DeepSeek released R1, an AI model that can handle more complex questions and problems than your average chatbots. However, what’s most remarkable – and what sent shockwaves through the stock market – is how the company was able to build its advanced model with far less money than the American AI giants.
DeepSeek said it spent just US$5.6-million to train one of its models and only a fraction of the computer chips that Anthropic, OpenAI and other American companies rely on. The R1 model is also open source, which means the underlying code is available for free. Meta’s Llama is also open source, but OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude models are not.
The U.S. has tried to dominate the AI industry, going as far as restricting the export of advanced chips to China in recent yeast to thwart the country’s progress. The emergence of DeepSeek has sparked concerns that the U.S. may be losing its grip. DeepSeek is “AI’s Sputnik moment,” said tech venture capitalist Marc Andreessen on X.
For users who were able to try out R1, before signups were temporarily blocked following a cyberattack, they may have seen China’s censorship laws first-hand. When asked about topics historically censored, such as Tiananmen Square or the Umbrella Revolution, the model replied: “Sorry, that’s beyond my current scope.”
ALGORITHMS
New year, new algorithm?
Last November, Instagram announced it was going to allow users to reset their Instagram algorithms, a feature that would allow users to start fresh by clearing out the recommended content on Reels, across their regular feed, and the Explore page. This week, the feature was finally launched, and I’m planning to reset my own algorithm today. Instagram says recommendations will start to personalize again over time, and will show new photos, videos and reels based on the content and accounts you interact with.
I’m curious if I’ll get a major reset as I so deeply crave, or if in a few days, my feed reverts back to its original form: Wicked press tour photos from months ago, borderline triggering before and after weight-loss shots, and Luigi Mangione thirst traps. My feed is truly ready for a reset.
LAW
Meta to pay $25-million to settle Trump lawsuit
Meta agreed to pay US$25-million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against the company after it suspended his accounts following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021. Of the settlement, US$22-million will go the non-profit that will become Trump’s future presidential library and the remaining US$3-million will cover legal fees and other litigants.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has spent the past few months ingratiating himself within the new Trump administration, donating US$1-million to Trump’s inauguration and dropping fact-checking on Facebook, a long-time priority for Trump and his allies. To dig deeper into the ways tech CEOs are getting unprecedented access to the White House, listen to this week’s episode of Lately featuring an interview with internet culture reporter Taylor Lorenz.
What else we’re reading this week:
Elon Musk rose to the top of video game charts. Now he has confessed to cheating (The Washington Post)
Movie stars, matchmakers, and aunties: How WhatsApp became an unstoppable cultural force (Rest of World)
Beware the weepy influencers (The Atlantic)
Soundbite
“Trump recognizes that online influence is the most powerful form of modern currency. If you’re able to amass online influence, ultimately you control the media environment, you control the access to information and you’re able to get your message out there.” – Taylor Lorenz, author of Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet on this week’s episode of the Lately podcast.
Adult Money
PHOTOGRAPHY
My vacation photos will finally make it off the iPhone.Fujifilm
Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo, $250
Looking back at vacation photos on my iPhone is an overwhelming and unsatisfying experience. Hundreds of images, many in clusters that appear nearly identical. I’ve always meant to get the best photos printed, but I never end up doing it. My solution to this problem? Get an instant camera. I’m eyeing the Fujifilm Instax Mini Evo, which has a three-inch LCD screen that allows you to preview and select the photos you want to print. I know part of the charm of classic Polaroid cameras is the surprise of how a photo will turn out – but film is expensive now! I want to be sure each photo will be a keeper.
Culture radar
Michelle Obama in the spirit tunnel from The Jennifer Hudson ShowSupplied
If you have 48 seconds, watch this charming video
This week I want to highlight Globe contributor Hannah Sung’s column, Free Time, in which she recommends what to watch, read and listen to online, organized by how much time you have available. If you have 48 free seconds, Sung suggests The Jennifer Hudson Show spirit tunnels:
“I need more charming content in my life. These spirit tunnel videos from The Jennifer Hudson Show hit the high note every time. When staffers line the backstage hall to chant bespoke songs for each guest, the celebrities are sometimes caught off-guard, sometimes revealing real delight and swagger. Occasionally, it swings the other way, with awkwardness, which I would argue can be adorable, too (and at the very least, it feels real). Recent highlights include a Korean-language chant for Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae (he was clearly delighted) while my all-time fave is Michelle Obama, effortlessly chic and iconic.”