Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has unveiled a new method to improve LLM reasoning skills, claiming it offers more accurate and faster responses than current technologies. The approach, developed with researchers from Tsinghua University, combines generative reward modeling (GRM) with a self-principled critique tuning technique.
The method aims to refine how AI LLMs respond to general queries by better aligning their outputs with human preferences. According to a paper published on the arXiv scientific repository, the resulting DeepSeek-GRM models showed stronger performance than existing methods and proved competitive against widely accepted public reward models.
DeepSeek has announced intentions to release these models as open source, though no release date has been set. The move follows increased global interest in the company, which had earlier gained attention for its V3 foundation model and R1 reasoning model.
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Morocco has set ambitious goals to boost its economy through investment in emerging technologies, aiming for a 10% increase in GDP by 2030. As part of its Digital Morocco 2030 strategy, the government is committing over 11 billion dirhams ($1.1 billion) by 2026 to drive digital transformation, create more than 240,000 jobs, and train 100,000 young people annually in digital skills.
The roadmap prioritises digitising government services through a Unified Administrative Services Portal, with the long-term goal of placing Morocco among the world’s top 50 tech nations. Blockchain plays a central role in this vision, being adopted to improve transparency and efficiency in public services, and already undergoing trials in private sectors like healthcare and finance.
Despite an ongoing official ban, digital asset ownership has surged, more than six million Moroccans now hold such assets, representing over 15% of the population. In parallel, the country is rapidly expanding its use of AI. Notably, Morocco has introduced AI into its judiciary, launched an AI-powered university learning system, and trained over 1,000 small- and medium-sized businesses in AI adoption through partnerships with LinkedIn and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
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French shipping heavyweight CMA CGM has announced a major partnership with tech firm Mistral AI, committing €100 million over five years to develop custom AI solutions across its logistics, shipping, and media divisions.
A dedicated team of Mistral AI experts will be stationed at CMA CGM’s Marseille headquarters and Grand Central, the base for its media arm.
The collaboration will focus on automating customer services, improving e-commerce tools, and creating smarter document systems to streamline operations.
CMA CGM’s CEO, Rodolphe Saadé, described the deal as a key step in reinventing the group’s core businesses with artificial intelligence, while aligning with the company’s values and goals for responsible innovation.
CMA CGM has already committed €500 million to advancing AI, with prior partnerships including Google and Perplexity, and investments in firms like PoolSide and Dataiku.
The group also launched Kyutai, a nonprofit AI research lab, in 2023. The latest collaboration with Mistral AI reinforces CMA CGM’s ambition to lead digital transformation in maritime logistics through generative AI.
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A seemingly light-hearted social media post by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has stirred a wave of curiosity and scepticism in India. Altman shared an AI-generated anime image of himself as a cricket player dressed in an Indian jersey, which quickly went viral among Indian users.
While some saw it as a fun gesture, others questioned the timing and motives, speculating whether it was part of a broader strategy to woo Indian audiences. This isn’t the first time Altman has publicly praised India.
In recent weeks, he lauded the country’s rapid adoption of AI technology, calling it ‘amazing to watch’ and even said it was outpacing the rest of the world. His comments marked a shift from a more dismissive stance during a 2023 visit when he doubted India’s potential to compete with OpenAI’s large-scale models.
However, during his return visit in February 2025, he expressed interest in collaborating with Indian authorities on affordable AI solutions. The timing of Altman’s praise coincides with a surge in Indian users on OpenAI’s platforms, now the company’s second-largest market.
Meanwhile, OpenAI faces a legal tussle with several Indian media outlets over their alleged content misuse. Despite this, the potential of India’s booming AI market—projected to hit $8 billion by 2025—makes the country a critical frontier for global tech firms.
Experts argue that Altman’s overtures are more about business than sentiment. With increasing competition from rival AI models like DeepSeek and Gemini, maintaining and growing OpenAI’s Indian user base has become vital. As technology analyst Nikhil Pahwa said, ‘There’s no real love; it’s just business.’
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Israel’s high-tech sector surged into 2025 with remarkable momentum, instead of continuing the two-year slump in funding.
According to new figures from Startup Nation Central, private Israeli tech firms raised $3.2 billion through 185 deals in the first quarter, rather than declining as in previous periods. This marked a 12% rise from the previous quarter and a 14% increase year on year.
The most striking figure came from mergers and acquisitions, which reached a record-breaking $35.9 billion across 38 deals.
Even excluding the Wiz acquisition, the M&A volume still hit $3.9 billion—its highest since the third quarter of 2023. Instead of reflecting a single outlier, the strong figures suggest a broader resurgence in investor confidence and corporate activity.
It signals that global interest in Israel’s innovation sector is gaining strength again, instead of continuing to wane as seen over the past two years.
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Spotify has announced a suite of new advertising tools and features, including generative AI capabilities, at its recent Spotify Advance event in New York.
Designed to simplify ad creation and targeting, the initiative, branded as Spotify GenAI Ads, aims to help advertisers generate scripts and voiceovers at no extra cost.
Advertisers can also collaborate with Spotify’s in-house creative agencies to develop campaigns, while upgraded tools on the Spotify Ad Exchange (SAX) offer access to logged-in users through real-time auctions.
Integration with platforms such as Google Display & Video 360, The Trade Desk, Magnite, and Yahoo DSP further enhances reach and targeting options.
A new Spotify Ads Manager tool is also being rolled out in the US and Canada, providing advanced audience segmentation and performance tracking for tailored campaigns. These innovations reflect Spotify’s growing focus on personalisation and automation in digital advertising.
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Two leading AI systems, OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 and Meta’s Llama-3.1, have passed a key milestone by outperforming humans in a modern version of the Turing Test.
The experiment, conducted by researchers at the University of California San Diego, found that GPT-4.5 was mistaken for a human 73% of the time, surpassing the human identification rate. Meta’s Llama-3.1 followed closely, with a 56% success rate.
The study used a three-party test where participants held simultaneous five-minute conversations with both a human and an AI, and then tried to determine which was which.
These trials were conducted across two independent groups: university undergraduates and prolific online workers. The results provide the first substantial evidence that AI can convincingly mimic human responses in spontaneous conversations.
Earlier language models such as ELIZA and GPT-4o were correctly identified as non-human in over 75% of cases.
The success of newer models in passing this benchmark points to how rapidly conversational AI is evolving, raising fresh questions about the ethical and societal implications of indistinguishable AI interactions.
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Air India has launched a new partnership with Apple to enhance baggage tracking by integrating Apple’s AirTag technology into its existing systems.
The collaboration connects AirTag’s location-sharing capabilities with Air India’s mobile app and website, allowing passengers to track misplaced luggage more efficiently.
Travellers using Apple devices can generate a location link for their AirTag through the Find My app and submit it to Air India along with a lost baggage report.
Once shared, airline staff can view an interactive map of the item’s location, updated in real time, until the luggage is recovered or the tracking expires after seven days.
This move makes Air India the first Indian airline to adopt Apple’s ‘Share Item Location’ feature, joining a global group that includes British Airways, Lufthansa, and Virgin Atlantic.
The new system is compatible with iPhones, iPads, and Macs running the latest software versions, offering Indian users a smarter way to stay connected with their belongings throughout their journey.
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Taiwan, a major supplier of advanced electronics, has strongly condemned the move, calling it unfair and harmful to economic ties. Nearly a quarter of Taiwan’s exports go directly to the United States, with electronic components and consumer devices making up a significant share.
President Donald Trump has previously criticised Taiwan’s dominance in the semiconductor industry and threatened tariffs on the sector. While chips remain untouched for now, industry experts warn that tariffs could still be introduced in the future.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) recently pledged a $100 billion investment in the US to expand its Arizona operations, a move praised by Trump. Other chipmakers, including South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix, are also being urged to increase their investments in American facilities.
Government officials and businesses in Taiwan are now working to mitigate the impact of the tariffs. President Lai Ching-te has signalled interest in expanding trade ties with the US, including potential purchases of natural gas.
The Taiwanese government has lodged a formal protest with Washington, arguing that the tariffs undermine economic cooperation. Analysts suggest that Taiwan may have underestimated Trump’s hard-line trade policies, expecting more favourable treatment after recent investment commitments.
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Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of BitMEX, believes that the tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump could benefit Bitcoin to benefit. Bitcoin sees this impact occurring in the medium term.
He argues that while the tariffs may disrupt the global economy, the resulting financial imbalances would ultimately be corrected. The correction would come with printed money, which bodes well for Bitcoin’s price.
Hayes made his comments following the announcement of a 10% tariff on all countries, with certain nations like China facing even higher rates.
According to Hayes, these tariffs will weaken the US Dollar Index (DXY), as foreign investors sell off US stocks and repatriate their funds. The situation could push investors towards Bitcoin and other safe-haven assets like gold.
Hayes also predicts that tariffs on China could lead to a devaluation of the yuan. Furthermore, Hayes suggests that the Federal Reserve may need to implement easing measures. It could include rate cuts in response to the economic impacts of the tariffs.
Hayes’ stance aligns with Jeff Park of Bitwise Invest. He also believes that Trump’s tariffs could ultimately send Bitcoin’s price soaring.
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