Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek shifts towards commercial AI products with urgent hiring drive

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is urgently hiring for product and design roles as it pivots from pure research towards commercialising its large language model technology.

A job notice posted on its official WeChat account called for candidates with experience in product management and visual design to work in Beijing and Hangzhou.

The hiring move reflects DeepSeek’s ambition to create the ‘next generation of intelligent product experience’ centred on its powerful open-source models, following the success of its low-cost R1 reasoning model.

Founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, DeepSeek has quickly made a name for itself by challenging industry giants like OpenAI with affordable, high-performing models.

Its latest models, including the upgraded V3 and upcoming R2, have been praised for their strong reasoning and coding abilities, with open-source availability under the permissive MIT licence.

Major Chinese firms such as Tencent and Baidu have already integrated DeepSeek’s technology into their platforms, boosting its reputation as a major force in China’s AI race.

The rush to recruit product and operational leaders mirrors a wider industry trend as AI firms recognise the critical role of product managers in translating technological breakthroughs into real-world applications.

DeepSeek’s founder has made it clear that creativity and passion outweigh traditional experience in the company’s hiring priorities.

As the global AI industry continues to evolve, DeepSeek’s bold shift from research to product development signals a maturing market with fierce competition on both sides of the Pacific.

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India seeks tech parity and trade concessions in US pact talks

India is preparing to urge the United States to ease export controls and grant it access to critical technologies under the proposed bilateral trade agreement. India is aiming for treatment similar to that received by key US allies such as Australia, the UK, and Japan.

Sectors including telecom equipment, biotechnology, AI, pharmaceuticals, quantum computing, and semiconductors are expected to be part of India’s demands, sources said.

Alongside tech access, India plans to request duty concessions for its labour-intensive industries. Key sectors like textiles, gems and jewellery, leather goods, garments, plastics, chemicals, shrimp, oil seeds, grapes, and bananas are high on India’s agenda for reduced tariffs.

These sectors are seen as vital to boosting India’s exports and supporting its domestic workforce. The United States, in return, is seeking tariff reductions for its exports of industrial goods, electric vehicles, wines, petrochemical products, dairy items, and agricultural produce such as apples and tree nuts.

Both sides are aiming to strike a mutually beneficial deal, although balancing these competing priorities could present a major challenge in the negotiations.

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Japanese startup Craif raises funds to expand urine-based cancer test

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with nearly 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths recorded in 2022.

In response, Japanese startup Craif, spun off from Nagoya University in 2018, is developing an AI-powered early cancer detection software using microRNA (miRNA) instead of relying on traditional methods.

The company has just raised $22 million in Series C funding, bringing its total to $57 million, with plans to expand into the US market and strengthen its research and development efforts.

Craif was founded after co-founder and CEO Ryuichi Onose experienced the impact of cancer within his own family. Partnering with associate professor Takao Yasui, who had discovered a new technique for early cancer detection using urinary biomarkers, the company created a non-invasive urine-based test.

Instead of invasive blood tests, Craif’s technology allows patients to detect cancers as early as Stage 1 from the comfort of their own homes, making regular screening more accessible and less daunting.

Unlike competitors who depend on cell-free DNA (cfDNA), Craif uses microRNA, a biomarker known for its strong link to early cancer biology. Urine is chosen instead of blood because it contains fewer impurities, offering clearer signals and reducing measurement errors.

Craif’s first product, miSignal, which tests for seven different types of cancers, is already on the market in Japan and has attracted around 20,000 users through clinics, pharmacies, direct sales, and corporate wellness programmes.

The new funding will enable Craif to enter the US market, complete clinical trials by 2029, and seek FDA approval. It also plans to expand its detection capabilities to cover ten types of cancers this year and explore applications for other conditions like dementia instead of limiting its technology to cancer alone.

With a growing presence in California and partnerships with dozens of US medical institutions, Craif is positioning itself as a major player in the future of early disease detection.

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AI educational race between China and USA brings some hope

The AI race between China and the USA shifts to classrooms. As AI governance expert Jovan Kurbalija highlights in his analysis of global AI strategies, two countries see AI literacy as a ‘strategic imperative’. From President Trump’s executive order to advance AI education to China’s new AI education strategy, both superpowers are betting big on nurturing homegrown AI talent.

Kurbalija sees focus on AI education as a rare bright spot in increasingly fractured tech geopolitics: ‘When students in Shanghai debug code alongside peers in Silicon Valley via open-source platforms, they’re not just building algorithms—they’re building trust.’

This grassroots collaboration, he argues, could soften the edges of emerging AI nationalism and support new types of digital and AI diplomacy.

He concludes that the latest AI education initiatives are ‘not just about who wins the AI race but, even more importantly, how we prepare humanity for the forthcoming AI transformation and coexistence with advanced technologies.’

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OpenAI to tweak GPT-4o after user concerns

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that the company would work on reversing recent changes made to its GPT-4o model after users complained about the chatbot’s overly appeasing behaviour. The update, rolled out on 26 April, had been intended to enhance the intelligence and personality of the AI.

Instead of achieving balance, however, users felt the model became sycophantic and unreliable, raising concerns about its objectivity and its weakened guardrails for unsafe content.

Mr Altman acknowledged the feedback on X, admitting that the latest updates had made the AI’s personality ‘too sycophant-y and annoying,’ despite some positive elements. He added that immediate fixes were underway, with further adjustments expected throughout the week.

Instead of sticking with a one-size-fits-all approach, OpenAI plans to eventually offer users a choice of different AI personalities to better suit individual preferences.

Some users suggested the chatbot would be far more effective if it simply focused on answering questions in a scientific, straightforward manner instead of trying to please.

Venture capitalist Debarghya Das also warned that making the AI overly flattering could harm users’ mental resilience, pointing out that chasing user retention metrics might turn the chatbot into a ‘slot machine for the human brain.’

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Australian radio station caught using an AI DJ

Australian radio station CADA has caused a stir after it was revealed that DJ Thy, who had hosted a daily show for several months, was actually AI-generated.

Developed using ElevenLabs technology, Thy aired every weekday from 11am to 3pm, spinning popular tracks without listeners ever knowing they were hearing a machine instead of a real person.

Despite amassing over 72,000 listeners in March, the station never disclosed Thy’s true nature, which only came to light when a journalist, puzzled by the lack of personal information, investigated further.

Instead of being a complete novelty, AI DJs are becoming increasingly common across Australia. Melbourne’s Disrupt Radio has openly used AI DJ Debbie Disrupt, while in the US, a Portland radio station introduced AI Ashley, modelled after human host Ashley Elzinga.

CADA’s AI, based on a real ARN Media employee, suggests a growing trend where radio stations prefer digital clones instead of traditional hosts.

The show’s description implied that Thy could predict the next big musical hits, hinting that AI might be shaping, instead of simply following, public musical tastes. The programme promised that listeners would be among the first to hear rising stars, enabling them to impress their friends with early discoveries.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the AI-music world, electro-pop artist Imogen Heap has partnered with AI start-up Jen.

Rather than licensing specific songs, artists working with Jen allow fans to tap into the ‘vibe’ of their music for new creations, effectively becoming part of a software product instead of just remaining musicians.

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DOJ wants Google to sell Chrome to boost competition

The ongoing US antitrust case against Google has intensified speculation over the future of its Chrome browser, with DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg estimating its potential value at around $50 billion.

His remark, made during court testimony, far exceeds previous estimates and underscores how pivotal Chrome has become in the broader search and advertising ecosystem.

Weinberg, who leads one of Google’s search rivals, admitted that DuckDuckGo could not afford such a purchase, but would still be interested if money were no object.

Other major players, including OpenAI and Perplexity, have also expressed interest in acquiring Chrome if a court ruling mandates its divestment.

The Department of Justice and several states are pushing for such measures after Judge Amit Mehta found that Google illegally maintained a search monopoly through restrictive default agreements.

Executives from OpenAI and Perplexity testified that owning or partnering with Chrome would enable tighter integration of AI and search, reducing their dependence on Microsoft’s Bing.

OpenAI even approached Google for access to its search API last year but was rejected. As the US trial continues, the fate of Chrome hangs in the balance, with a forced sale likely to reshape the search and AI landscape dramatically.

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Google’s Gemini AI sees rapid surge in adoption

Google’s AI chatbot Gemini has reached 350 million monthly active users and 35 million daily users as of March 2025, according to court documents revealed during an ongoing antitrust trial. The figures mark a sharp rise from just 90 million monthly users in October 2024.

While OpenAI’s ChatGPT is estimated to have over 600 million monthly active users, with some sources suggesting daily figures exceeding 160 million, Meta AI has grown even larger, surpassing 700 million monthly users by January.

Despite trailing in raw numbers, analysts say the strategy of integrating Gemini across existing ecosystem has given it a unique advantage.

Gemini is now embedded in products such as Google Workspace, Chrome, and Galaxy smartphones, allowing for seamless access without separate apps or downloads.

With recent launches such as Gemini 2.5 Pro and an upcoming partnership with the Associated Press for real-time news feeds, Google is clearly working to position Gemini not just as a chatbot, but as a central AI assistant for both everyday and professional tasks.

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Anthropic aims to decode AI ‘black box’ within two years​

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has unveiled an ambitious plan to make AI systems more transparent by 2027. In a recent essay titled ‘The Urgency of Interpretability,’ Amodei highlighted the pressing need to understand the inner workings of AI models.

He expressed concern over deploying highly autonomous systems without a clear grasp of their decision-making processes, deeming it ‘basically unacceptable’ for humanity to remain ignorant of how these systems function.

Anthropic is at the forefront of mechanistic interpretability, a field dedicated to deciphering the decision-making pathways of AI models. Despite these advancements, Amodei emphasized that much more research is needed to fully decode these complex systems.​

Looking ahead, Amodei envisions conducting ‘brain scans’ or ‘MRIs’ of advanced AI models to detect potential issues like tendencies to deceive or seek power. He believes that achieving this level of interpretability could take five to ten years but is essential for the safe deployment of future AI systems.

Amodei also called on industry peers, including OpenAI and Google DeepMind, to intensify their research efforts in this area and urged governments to implement ‘light-touch’ regulations to promote transparency and safety in AI development.​

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Perplexity to track users online for personalised ads

Perplexity is entering the browser space with bold ambitions, aiming to compete directly with Google by closely tracking user behaviour online. The CEO revealed that the company’s upcoming browser, named Comet, will collect data from user activity beyond its app to serve “hyper personalised” advertising.

He argued that browsing patterns and consumer behaviour offer far more insightful data than work-related prompts typed into AI chat tools. Srinivas suggested that users will accept this level of tracking because it results in more relevant advertisements and a potentially improved discovery experience.

The strategy mirrors tactics long used by Google and Meta, which have built lucrative advertising businesses through extensive user tracking. Despite recent scrutiny around data privacy, Srinivas remained confident in the approach, pointing to Comet’s May launch date.

In a move to expand its presence in the mobile ecosystem, Perplexity has partnered with Motorola to pre-install its app on the Razr phone series. The app will be accessible through Motorola’s Moto AI with a simple “Ask Perplexity” prompt.

Talks with Samsung are also reportedly ongoing, highlighting the startup’s intent to rival established tech giants not only in search and browsing, but also across devices.

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