Technology

Here are some hints and the answer for Wordle No. 1,322 for Jan. 31.

Cuts to diversity programs and other policy changes have frustrated some of Meta’s workers. One former employee calls it “a slow, painful death.”

Eligible Apple Watch owners have until April 10 to apply for a payout.

I've been reviewing treadmills to find the best models to add to your home gym equipment.

Yet another hit Xbox franchise crosses the console divide. The racing game will soon be available on PlayStation.

The last time Amazon increased the price of these plans was in 2023.

New guidance from the US Copyright Office says AI images and the prompts used to create them are not copyrightable.

• Lazarus was seen poisoning open source software with infostealers
• The campaign is dubbed Phantom Circuit, and targets mostly European software devs
• Multiple repositories were found poisoned with malware

The notorious North Korean hackers Lazarus have been targeting software developers, particularly those in the Web3 industry, with infostealing malware, grabbing their credentials, authentication tokens, and other valuable data, experts have warned.

Cybersecurity researchers SecurityScorecard released a report detailing the campaign, which included a software supply-chain attack and open-source poisoning.

Lazarus Group, an infamous hacking collective on North Korea’s payroll, was spotted grabbing different open source tools, poisoning them with malicious code, and then returning them to code repositories and platforms such as Gitlab.

Targeting Web3 devs

Developers would then pick up these tools by mistake, and would unknowingly get infected with malware.

The researchers named the operation Phantom Circuit, and apparently ended up compromising more than 1,500 victims. Most of them are based in Europe, with notable additions from India and Brazil.

The modified repositories apparently included Codementor, CoinProperty, Web3 E-Store, a Python-based password manager, and “other cryptocurrency-related apps, authentication packages, and web3 technologies”, citing Ryan Sherstobitoff, senior VP of research and threat intelligence at SecurityScorecard.

The researchers did not say if Lazarus used any known infostealer in this campaign, or created new code from scratch. The group is known for using a wide variety of tools in their attacks.

Lazarus often targets cryptocurrency companies. Some researchers are saying the country is engaging in crypto theft to fund its state apparatus, as well as its weapons program. The group is famous for its fake job campaign, called Operation DreamJob, in which it targets Web3 software developers with fake, lucrative job offers.

During the interview stages, the attackers would trick the candidate into downloading and running infostealers, grabbing their tokens, and those of their employers. In one such instance, Lazarus managed to steal roughly $600 million.

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This week on Uncanny Valley, the hosts discuss Silicon Valley's unofficial grandfather, Marc Andreessen.

• Following $500 billion Project Stargate launch, Meta is also dolling out the dollars
• Meta's $65 billion is lower than Microsoft's $80 billion commitment
• AWS is set to spend more than $75 billion while Google has yet to say how much it will spend

If you have a few hundred billion dollars burning a hole in your pocket, you’re probably considering spending it on an AI data center or two. US President Donald Trump recently announced OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle would launch a new AI infrastructure venture called Project Stargate, investing $500 billion over four years across the US. OpenAI noted that $100 billion would be made available “immediately.”

Elon Musk, no stranger to building AI data centers and perhaps a bit miffed about being left out, claimed that Project Stargate doesn’t actually have the money, stating, “SoftBank has well under $10 billion secured.”

While that was unfolding, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made an announcement on Facebook, revealing the company is “building a 2GW+ data center so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan,” while also outlining other AI plans.

A defining year for AI

Zuckerberg's full post reads: “This will be a defining year for AI. In 2025, I expect Meta AI will be the leading assistant, serving more than 1 billion people. Llama 4 will become the leading state-of-the-art model, and we’ll build an AI engineer that will start contributing increasing amounts of code to our R&D efforts. To power this, Meta is building a 2GW+ data center so large it would cover a significant part of Manhattan. We’ll bring online ~1GW of compute in '25 and end the year with more than 1.3 million GPUs. We’re planning to invest $60-65 billion in capex this year while also growing our AI teams significantly, and we have the capital to continue investing in the years ahead. This is a massive effort, and over the coming years, it will drive our core products and business, unlock historic innovation, and extend American technology leadership. Let’s go build!”

$65 billion on capital expenses certainly isn’t nothing, but it pales in comparison to the $80 billion Microsoft plans to invest in fiscal 2025 or the $75 billion-plus AWS intends to spend this year. We don't know how much Google will be pumping into AI infrastructure, but it's going to be a similar figure.

That said, Meta's investment is higher than most would have expected. Reuters points out: “The $60 billion to $65 billion capital spending outlined for 2025 would mark a significant jump from the company's estimated expenditure of $38 billion to $40 billion last year. It is also above analysts' estimates of $50.25 billion for 2025, according to LSEG data.”

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Kendrick Lamar and SZA will take the stage at the year's biggest football game -- but there's some controversy.

Looking to freshen up your game collection but low on cash? Check out all the free games on the Epic Games Store.

All PS Plus subscribers can play these games from Feb. 4 to March 3.

• Vodafone has just passed a major landmark for satellite video calls
• It's demoed a "space video call" using a standard smartphone
• The service will roll out later this year, though there's no pricing yet

Vodafone has announced that it's hit a new milestone in the race to end frustrating cellular 'dead zones' – with what it's calling the "world's first space video call" using a standard mobile phone from "an area of no coverage."

Those qualifiers are important because Starlink and T-Mobile demoed a video call made through X (formerly Twitter) using unmodified phones last year. So Vodafone's claim is specific to making video calls from areas like the remote part of Wales where its demo took place.

Still, it's certainly a significant moment and a big step on Vodafone's path towards adding satellite connectivity to its network by the end of this year in the UK and across Europe "from later in 2025 and 2026."

Rather than replacing existing networks, direct-to-mobile satellite connectivity aims to be a helpful extension that could eliminate "not spots" (or dead zones) in rural areas and also, according to Vodafone, "vast stretches of surrounding sea."

Vodafone claims that its satellite experience "mirrors the experience of existing 4G and 5G mobile networks", although the demo phone call (which you can watch in the video below) certainly showed evidence of lag and low-res footage. We may have to wait for the full roll-out to get a better idea of quality.

The service is provided by BlueBird satellites from Vodafone's partner (and SpaceX rival) AST SpaceMobile. The system is based on five satellites and Vodafone calls it "the first and only mobile broadband network in space" that works directly with standard smartphones.

Rivals systems, like T-Mobile and Starlink's, are currently limited to text messages, although video calls and mobile data are on the roadmap. With AT&T and Verizon also working with AST SpaceMobile to provide a similar service in the US, satellite calling looks ready to take off globally in 2025.

How much will it cost?

The big unknown of Vodafone's satellite connectivity and rival systems is how much they'll cost. Vodafone hasn't yet commented on pricing, only stating that it'll start rolling out the service "following further tests this Spring" (so between March and June).

The need for satellite coverage, particularly video calls, depends greatly on where you live. In the UK, Ofcom has estimated that 9% of the country "lacks good quality 4G coverage from any operator". But those who live in urban areas will also be familiar with phone network "dead zones" caused by interruptions between cell towers.

Apple's iPhones and now Android phones like the Google Pixel 9 series have received free Emergency SOS Satellite features, which can be potential lifesavers. iOS 18 also introduced the ability to text anyone via a satellite connection, plus the option of getting roadside assistance.

It's possible that those services will eventually need a subscription, but Apple hasn't started charging yet. So, the question for mobile networks like Vodafone is how many people will need full mobile broadband via satellite compared to the emergency features that are currently available for free from Apple.

Still, we're not complaining about getting more connectivity options, and competition will hopefully drive the prices of satellite-based services down in the long term.

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The first Samsung Galaxy Unpacked of 2025 has been and gone, and now that we've had time with the new Samsung Galaxy S25 series, we've been chewing over the nuances of these flagship phones.

Though we’re getting a decently refreshed Galaxy S25 Ultra and an entirely new model in the S25 Edge, our hands-on Samsung Galaxy S25 review found that the baseline S25 has received a comparatively smaller update this year than either of its larger siblings.

However, as important as it is to celebrate innovation, I also think it’s worth taking a step back before casting judgment over the new vanilla Galaxy S25, and appreciating that the S25 offers a lot of value for its $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 price tag, even if it is broadly similar to last year’s Samsung Galaxy S24. Indeed, when it comes to one specific camera feature, the S25 is still the only phone of its kind.

The Galaxy S25 is still the only globally available current-gen flagship of its price to come with an optical telephoto zoom lens, and, personally, I think that’s worth raving about. Optical zoom gives users so much more capability and versatility when it comes to taking snaps and videos, offering more consistent quality and enabling the accompanying digital zoom to reach out further.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 has three rear cameras (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

An optical zoom camera is one of those tech features that you don’t know you need until you have it, like a 120Hz display or an under-display fingerprint scanner. While those other two features have found their way to dozens of models at all kinds of price points, telephoto cameras are still typically relegated to only the most premium units.

The S25 has three cameras, but its two main rivals – the iPhone 16 and Google Pixel 9 – both opt for a two-camera system comprising a main and ultra-wide camera. Apple and Google fans need to step up to the pricier iPhone 16 Pro ($999 / £999 / AU$1,799) or Google Pixel 9 Pro ($999 / £999 / AU$1,699) to get their hands on a telephoto zoom.

I’ve been using telephoto-equipped phones for close to six years now, and would go so far as to call optical zoom an essential feature (depending, of course, on your budget). The extended reach is great for concerts and wildlife photography, while the narrower field of view and longer focal distance of telephoto cameras makes them ideal for portraits.

In the examples below, I effectively took the same photo with the S25’s 3x telephoto camera and the iPhone 15 at 3x digital zoom. Feel free to draw your own conclusions and let me know in the comments section, but if you ask me, the S25 wins thanks to its richer detail and bolder lighting.

iPhone 15 camera samples: 3x digital zoom Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future) Samsung Galaxy S25 camera samples: 3x optical zoom Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Jamie Richards / Future)

I previously voiced my distaste for ultra-wide cameras, but my appreciation of the S25’s camera system is more than just the flip side of this long-standing annoyance.

As well as giving users more options for photography, the continued inclusion of the 3x camera symbolizes what I see as Samsung’s genuine commitment to equipping users with higher-quality hardware. In fact, the Galaxy S25 overall is probably the most technically advanced phone in its price bracket, sporting a chunky 12GB of RAM and the class-leading Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, as well as its well-furnished camera system.

So, can we hope to see Apple and Google catch up any time soon? I’m not so sure. The baseline iPhone generally inherits features from the Pro models one, two, or three years after they debut, but telephoto cameras have remained the preserve of the very best iPhones since the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. It's the same story for Google's Pixel phones, with telephoto cameras still exclusive to the XL, Pro, and Pro XL models. It seems like Samsung’s lead is pretty safe, then.

It's worth mentioning here that there are cheaper telephoto-equipped phones available from phone makers like Xiaomi, Oppo, and even Samsung itself (see the Galaxy S24 FE), but these aren't globally available and don't match the S25 in hardware power.

Additionally, you can currently pick up last year's telephoto-sporting OnePlus 12 for $799 / £799, though with the OnePlus 13 now out in the wild, this isn't part of the same generation as the S25.

Samsung's baseline flagship, then, remains one-of-a-kind.

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Wix, one of the best website builders, wants to help you start your next business, and to that end has released Business Launcher, a new tool powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Business Launcher is now available in English, with free access and optional premium upgrades for additional features.

In a press release shared with TechRadar Pro earlier this week, Wix said that Business Launcher is designed to help entrepreneurs create new business initiatives, from concept to execution. It will guide the user through various steps of building a business, and offer personalized ideas, actionable plans, and key tools needed to make the idea a reality.

Since everything is AI-powered, the process starts with the user answering a few questions about their background. Alternatively, they can simply upload their resume, and thus create a comprehensive profile based on experience, skills, and interests.

"Personal business assistant"

After that, the tool will ask about business goals (side hustle, new career path, new business venture, etc.). Once all the information is provided, Business Launcher will present a full breakdown of different ideas, how they align with the skills, an overall analysis of the market size, monetization avenues, SEO analysis, and more.

If a user selects any of the suggested business ideas, they will get a comprehensive launch kit consisting of a custom business name, a personalized website, a logo, a domain name suggestion, and various marketing tools. Wix will also suggest its AI Website Builder, to help the user generate a website easier.

Finally, they will be provided with a site dashboard where they can manage the tools necessary to execute the new business endeavor.

“We designed the Business Launcher to function like a personal business assistant, guiding users from the initial spark of an idea all the way to full business execution,” said Yaya Aaronsohn, Head of Brand Maker and Business Launcher at Wix. “By combining users’ work experience and interests with Wix’s extensive market research, the Business Launcher offers personalized ideas supported by detailed market analysis, SEO strategies, and revenue planning. It equips users with everything they need, from a custom website to marketing tools, ensuring they can confidently launch their business.”

Comment from the expert

I love seeing website builders such as Wix find new ways to support entrepreneurs and businesses. Learning about this latest update really excited me, so I logged into my Wix account and took it for a spin as soon as I could.

The Wix AI interface is easy to navigate and it keeps its questions short and to the point. I asked it to help me with a side hustle idea, something to do with my hobby (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)). After answering a few questions, it offered 3 ideas all surrounding teaching BJJ.

From there it made further suggestions such as a brand name and automatically created a website outline. All of these were a good starting point, but like with all AI website builders, it didn't exactly hit the mark in terms of content. In fact, it provided images of people using nunchucks and practicing high kicks - neither of which are legal in BJJ (unfortunately).

I suspect at least a few hours of editing will be needed to get the site up to scratch. My manager can breathe a sigh of relief - I won't be handing in my notice today.

Overall, I was impressed with Wix's latest tool. It appears to be a great launch pad for entrepreneurial individuals who need a nudge in the right direction. But if you think you'll answer a few questions and have everything you need to launch a business in a couple of minutes, you'll probably be disappointed.

In many ways, this new tool is similar in terms of outcomes to GoDaddy's Airo tool that launched just under a year ago. But where GoDaddy starts with a business idea, I really like how Wix brings this back a step earlier, using your experience and skills to help find the perfect business concept.

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• An annoyed Samsung user has started a petition to restore Bluetooth to the S Pen
• Samsung removed connectivity with the S25 Ultra, disabling remote camera control and gestures
• The petition has over 3,000 signatures so far

An annoyed Samsung specialist has started a petition on Change.org to “demand Samsung Mobile to reintroduce [the] Bluetooth S Pen for Galaxy S26 Ultra”, after Samsung removed Bluetooth capabilities from the new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s stylus.

Jeff Springer, who owns and runs the specialist Samsung news site SammyGuru, has launched a Change.org petition in response to Samsung’s decision to remove Bluetooth from the S25 Ultra’s S Pen, which previously enabled remote control of the UI and camera.

The petition has already gained some traction, with more than 3,200 signatures at the time of writing.

In the petition’s description, Springer writes of his annoyance at Samsung’s decision: “For me, and for numerous others, this feature was not just a novelty – it was a functional, important tool that differentiated the Samsung Galaxy from other smartphones on the market [...] We implore Samsung Mobile to listen to their user base and incorporate beneficial feedback into their product development process.”

As we previously reported, it did seem that Samsung would be changing course on the S Pen decision. A footnote in an official Samsung blog suggested the company would be selling Bluetooth-enabled S Pens separately, but this turned out to be a mistake.

Change.org petitions have no legal or official impact in any territory, but can be useful tools in putting pressure on organizations and companies to change course.

Bluetooth S Pens – a cause worth fighting for?

The S25 retains the iconic S Pen, but only as a writing and drawing tool (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)

A central reason that Bluetooth was cut from the S25 Ultra’s S Pen is, according to Samsung, a lack of popularity with the user base, which suggests most users won’t miss the feature.

However, it's undeniably disappointing to see Samsung’s highest-tier phone losing features – as our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review finds, this is otherwise the absolute apex of Samsung’s smartphone production powers, so any perceived dent in that image can feel like a real blow. From that perspective, I can genuinely sympathize with Springer and the petition’s other signatories.

However, if the Bluetooth capabilities of the S Pen really were unpopular, then it may have been worthwhile to cut this lesser-used capability in order to reallocate resources to the new 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera and class-leading Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which the wider user base will get far more use out of.

In any case, while the lack of S Pen connectivity may keep the S25 Ultra out of the hands of these 3,200 petitioners, it’s unlikely to stop Samsung’s latest premium flagship from taking a spot on our list of the best Samsung phones, best camera phones, and best phones overall.

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• Max is debuting a new multiview feature for the first time
• The experience will be limited to NASCAR but puts you in the driver seat
• It will be available for all major races this season

Max subscribers, start your engines. Just a few days after moving the main navigation menu from the top to the left side panel of its homepage, the streaming service is making another move – its first-ever multiview experience. Meaning that for one program, you’ll have four separate views.

Max's first multiview experience is being dubbed NASCAR Driver Cam, and it should be a significant win for racing fans. It’ll debut with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray on February 2, 2025, so just in a few short days, and will let you get the view from every driver in the race.

The idea is that your stream will be split into four different views, allowing you to see from inside four different driver's cars, along with core stats like speed, gear, RPM, and the position and location of the course. Considering there will be up to 40 drivers to choose from, Max will help you with any indecision by offering two multiview presets, but you can also pick a single driver, and watch that view in full, individually.

(Image credit: Max)

You’ll also get individual controls for each driver cam, allowing you to pause, rewind, snap back to live, and hear the individual team audio. Max notes the view will be 1080p for the driver cams with a custom audio mix pairing car noise with team radios.

It’s certainly a unique view, and it was previously unavailable unless the TV production decided to cut to it. Max, TNT Sports, and NASCAR are putting more of the control in your hands, and if you’re a racing fan, this is pretty darn exciting.

Further, it’s not just for the Cook Out Clash. Max will offer NASCAR Driver Cam for the 38 race weeks as part of the Sprint Cup Series, meaning you can use this view for the playoffs, tournaments, and the Daytona 500. For each of these, there will be preset views as well as fan-selected ones – pretty neat.

It’s a pretty impressive tech feat that Max is pulling off. While they are not the first streamer to offer multi-view, there is a lot of customization here. Considering that Max is spinning this up for NASCAR and that there are other sports courtesy of TNT Sports on the platform, we could see this rollout replicated in the future.

(Image credit: Max)

I hope that Max will, at minimum, allow you to create your own multiview setup and pick the four views you want rather than preset or fan-selected ones based on the most popular driver cams.

Could it be a potential play for TV shows or movies? That’s a bit harder to tell, for instance, viewing four different episodes of a show like Curb Your Enthusiasm or House of the Dragon might be jarring, but what if there are more immersive views, or you can decide the cut or what you’re looking at? It’s an interesting thought, kind of like choosing your own adventure, but Max hasn’t committed to anything like this.

For now, Max is ushering in multiview for NASCAR, and from the shared images, it looks like a pretty compelling experience that will put fans closer to the racers they want to win and, ultimately, closer to the action.

Further, it doesn’t come with a price increase … as of yet, I just hope they don’t copy Netflix in the future. Check out our list of the best shows and movies to watch on Max here.

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• BioWare is being downsized as it focuses its attention on Mass Effect 5
• General manager Gary McKay says "We don’t require support from the full studio"
• Many long-time Dragon Age developers have been laid off

EA has announced it is restructuring BioWare as it shifts its full attention to Mass Effect 5.

In a blog post published on January 29, Bioware general manager Gary McKay explained that it will be downsizing the studio and moving an unspecified number of developers to other teams within EA, while others will be focused entirely on the next Mass Effect game.

"Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been released, a core team at BioWare is developing the next Mass Effect game under the leadership of veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others," McKay said.

"In keeping with our fierce commitment to innovating during the development and delivery of Mass Effect, we have challenged ourselves to think deeply about delivering the best experience to our fans. We are taking this opportunity between full development cycles to reimagine how we work at BioWare."

McKay continued, saying, "Given this stage of development, we don’t require support from the full studio. We have incredible talent here at BioWare, and so we have worked diligently over the past few months to match many of our colleagues with other teams at EA that had open roles that were a strong fit."

Amid the downsizing, it also appears that several, long-time BioWare veterans have also been laid off, with IGN reporting that "a smaller number" of Dragon Age team members had seen their roles terminated, and been given time to apply for new positions within the company if they choose.

Over on BlueSky, narrative designer Trick Weekes shared that they are now looking for a new position after working 20 years at BioWare. Weekes served as a writer on Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, then later as a senior writer for Mass Effect 3 and many of the series' downloadable content (DLC).

They also wrote for Dragon Age: Inquisition and, most recently, worked as the lead writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

"I'm now looking for a new writing/narrative position," Weekes said. "It's been a privilege to work with so many amazing devs over my 20 years at BioWare, and I will cherish the memories of the wonderful folks in the community I've met along the way. Thank you all."

Editor, Karin West-Weekes, also announced that she is looking for work, as well as narrative designer Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and more.

"Today’s news will see BioWare become a more agile, focused studio that produces unforgettable RPGs. We appreciate your support as we build a new future for BioWare," McKay added.

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• Microsoft has announced that DeepSeek R1 is coming to Copilot+ machines
• It'll run on-device, so will be less powerful than other versions of the model
• DeepSeek R1 will have three Copilot+ versions that will roll out over time

DeepSeek has seriously shaken up the AI world with an LLM that is seemingly cheaper to train, more power-efficient, and yet equally intelligent compared to its rivals. While Meta, Google, Open AI and others scramble to decipher how DeepSeek’s R1 model got so impressive out of nowhere – with OpenAI even claiming it copied ChatGPT to get there – Microsoft is taking the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ approach instead.

Microsoft has announced that, following the arrival of DeepSeek R1 on Azure AI Foundry, you'll soon be able to run an NPU-optimized version of DeepSeek’s AI on your Copilot+ PC. This feature will roll out first to Qualcomm Snapdragon X machines, followed by Intel Core Ultra 200V laptops, and AMD AI chipsets.

It’ll start by making the DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-1.5B available on Microsoft AI Tookit for developers, before later unlocking the more powerful 7B and 14B versions. While these aren’t as impressive as the 32B and 70B variants also at its disposal, the 14B and lower versions of DeepSeek can run on-device.

This mitigates one of the main concerns with DeepSeek – that data shared with the AI could end up on unsecured foreign servers – with Microsoft adding that “DeepSeek R1 has undergone rigorous red teaming and safety evaluations” to further reduce possible security risks.

How to get DeepSeek R1 on Copilot+

(Image credit: Microsoft)

To start using DeepSeek’s on-device Copilot+ build once its available, you’ll need an Azure account – you can sign up on Microsoft's official website if you don't already have one. Your next step will be to boot up Azure AI Foundry and search for DeepSeek R1. Then hit 'Check out model' on the Introducing DeepSeek R1 card, before clicking on 'Deploy' then 'Deploy' again in the window that pops up.

After a few moments the Chat Playground option should open up, and you can start chatting away with DeepSeek on-device.

If you haven’t yet used DeepSeek, two big advantages you’ll find when you install it are that it’s currently free (at least for now), and that it shows you its ‘thinking’ as it develops its responses. Other AI, like ChatGPT, go through the same thought process but they don’t show it to you, meaning you have to refine your prompts through a process of trial and error until you get what you want. Because you can see its process, and where it might have gone off on the wrong track, you can more easily and precisely tweak your DeepSeek prompts to achieve your goals.

As 7B and 14B variants unlock, you should see DeepSeek R1’s Azure model improve, though if you want to test it out you might want to do so sooner rather than later. Given Microsoft’s serious partnership with OpenAI, we expect it won’t treat this emerging rival well if it turns out that DeepSeek was indeed copied from ChatGPT – potentially removing it from Azure, which it may not have a choice about if the AI faces a ban in the US, Italy and other regions.

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