Steve Staso - Computing Solutions Strategist

Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has emerged as a groundbreaking player in the AI field, sparking a wave of disruption in the U.S. tech sector. Using open-source technology and cost-efficient methodologies, DeepSeek has delivered AI models that rival those of major U.S. companies. Its rapid rise, however, has raised concerns among U.S. lawmakers and regulators about national security and trade restrictions.

DeepSeek, founded in 2023, recently launched its reasoning AI model, DeepSeek-R1, which outperformed some of OpenAI’s latest offerings in third-party tests. Remarkably, DeepSeek achieved this using older Nvidia H800 chips, avoiding the advanced hardware restricted by U.S. export controls. The model’s cost efficiency and open-source accessibility have made it a game-changer, quickly becoming the most downloaded free app on Apple’s U.S. App Store.

U.S. lawmakers have labeled DeepSeek a “serious threat” to the domestic AI ecosystem. While the U.S. government’s sweeping 2022 export restrictions aimed to limit China’s access to cutting-edge tech, DeepSeek’s success demonstrates the limitations of such measures. 

“The situation is somewhat unprecedented, and it is not likely that anyone in Washington has a clear idea what to do about it,” said Paul Triolo, partner at Albright Stone Group.

Enforcing restrictions on an open-source technology like DeepSeek’s poses significant challenges. Experts suggest that Washington could target distribution platforms like Apple’s App Store or GitHub to curb DeepSeek’s U.S. presence. However, removing open-source software from global platforms may be both technically and diplomatically complex.

Beyond distribution, scrutiny may extend to DeepSeek’s hardware procurement. Daniel Newman, CEO of Futurum Group, emphasized that any evidence of DeepSeek using restricted Nvidia chips could trigger further investigations and potential penalties. But enforcing these rules against a foreign entity with global reach remains a formidable task.

The startup’s rise has also rattled U.S. tech markets. Investors are questioning the billions spent on proprietary AI models, given DeepSeek’s ability to produce competitive technology at a fraction of the cost. President Donald Trump remarked on the situation, calling it “a wake-up call” for American firms to optimize their operations and reduce costs.

DeepSeek’s ascent underscores the growing complexities in managing global AI innovation and trade. While its achievements highlight the potential of cost-efficient AI, they also spotlight gaps in current U.S. trade policies. As lawmakers navigate these “uncharted waters,” the tech world will be watching closely for the next moves in this high-stakes global competition.

Explore our list of top AI companies dominating the AI landscape and stay up to date with the latest advancements in AI.

The post DeepSeek AI Disrupts Tech Market: “A Wake Up Call” for US Companies appeared first on eWEEK.

On his first full day in office for his second term, President Donald Trump announced a historic $500 billion investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure by unveiling the Stargate Project. The initiative, led by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, aims to secure American leadership in AI and create 100,000 U.S. jobs.

“This is the largest AI infrastructure project in history,” Trump said during the White House announcement. The Stargate Project will develop large-scale data centers, deploy advanced computing systems, and establish the physical and virtual backbone for next-generation AI technologies.

The Stargate Project unites top industry leaders in a strategic collaboration to advance U.S. AI capabilities:

• SoftBank: Shouldering financial responsibility, with CEO Masayoshi Son serving as Stargate’s chairman and guiding its vision
• OpenAI: Managing operational execution under CEO Sam Altman, leveraging expertise in artificial intelligence development
• Oracle: Bringing decades of experience in data center infrastructure to establish the project’s technological backbone
• MGX: Providing essential funding to support the ambitious infrastructure goals

Together, these entities aim to build a foundation for next-generation AI technologies, ensuring scalability, security, and global competitiveness. The project begins with an initial $100 billion investment, starting in Texas with a one-million-square-foot data center already under construction. Expansion plans will evaluate additional sites across the U.S.

While historical parallels, such as the scaled-down Foxconn factory project in Wisconsin, raise concerns about whether such ambitious plans will fully materialize, the Stargate Project promises the following:

• Economic Benefits: Hundreds of thousands of new AI jobs and the potential to attract $175 billion in global funds
• National Security: Enhanced capabilities to maintain U.S. dominance in AI, countering China’s growing AI advancements
• Technological Collaboration: Partnerships with NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Arm to build state-of-the-art computing systems

According to Oracle’s CTO Larry Ellison, this project re-industrializes America and ensures our leadership in AI for generations. Trump also reversed a Biden-era executive order on AI regulation, signaling his administration’s focus on rapid expansion. As the Stargate Project unfolds, its impact on AI innovation, job creation, and U.S. global competitiveness will be closely watched. For now, the investment marks a pivotal step in shaping the AI-driven future.

Explore leading AI companies that are changing the game and how they are reshaping the AI landscape to stay updated with the latest advancements in AI.

The post Trump Announces Historic $500B ‘Stargate’ AI Investment appeared first on eWEEK.

Stephanie Otto is the Global Director of Strategy and Innovation for Cask NX.

Generative AI (GenAI) is changing behaviors, upending industries, and reshaping our world faster than any innovation in history. It’s redefining the very fabric of how businesses operate, innovate, and compete. For business leaders, this is a rare and once-in-a-career opportunity to drive meaningful change and secure a lasting competitive edge. But only 48 percent of digital initiatives meet or exceed business outcome targets, underscoring the urgent need for a more strategic approach. Here’s what you need to know to make sure you’re successful in this new technological era.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Early Adopters Set the Pace, Competitors Follow
• Steps to Succeed with GenAI
• Follow Up to Drive Change
• Bottom Line: Think of Technology as Strategy, not Infrastructure

As the generative AI era accelerates—or “the intelligent age,” as many are calling it—businesses face unprecedented opportunities to revolutionize efficiency, productivity, and innovation. However, with this rapid transformation comes significant challenges, uncertainty and risk, including workforce disruption and the need to integrate AI seamlessly into existing operations. Navigating these complexities requires decisive leadership and a willingness to take bold, calculated steps now to amplify results tomorrow.

Having been responsible for many “firsts” during the transition to digital, I know that leaders who fail to take action fall behind to early adopters—and it’s more difficult than ever for organizations to claw their way back. Being an early adopter not only positions your company as innovative, but also creates a critical advantage in building customer trust and attracting top talent. Early movers often establish benchmarks, shape industry trends, and set the pace for competitors to follow.

Every leader and business has a different aptitude for how quickly they can embrace change. Being early to GenAI doesn’t have to mean making big, irreversible swings or putting all your eggs in one basket—even a single small step can help organizations start to gain traction, showcase results, and then build on those successes. You will soon see the transformative impact AI has on your organization and uncover even greater opportunities to adopt and integrate it strategically, paving the way for sustainable and scalable success.

Leaders can take a number of incremental but impactful steps to integrate AI into their operations. Here are a few that I recommend:

• Run a Pilot with a Specific Target Audience: Focus on incremental improvements to the efficiency and employee experience of developers or agents through small scale use of GenAI with clearly defined goals.
• Focus on Data Foundations to Optimize Internal Processes: One of the first steps in preparing for GenAI-enabled change is to ensure your data quality and accuracy is solid and will support your ability to optimize workflows in critical areas like IT Service Management, HR, or Finance, reducing manual efforts, and improving accuracy.
• Don’t Lose Sight of Holistic Business Transformation: While GenAI is top of mind for executives, continue to focus on the bigger picture of end-to-end business transformation, operations, and continual improvement. This includes leveraging GenAI alongside other more traditional solutions to automate manual processes, consolidate legacy applications, and ensure your data is clean, structured, and accessible.

As a leader, your role extends beyond championing AI—it’s about crafting and communicating a compelling vision that inspires your teams and aligns seamlessly with your strategic priorities. Understand the outcomes you’re trying to achieve and build a sequential roadmap that’s tied to those outcomes.

Ensure each step you take is measurable, scalable, and aligned with your broader business objectives. Most importantly, the goal should be to leverage AI to solve your specific business challenges, versus just implementing AI for AI’s sake.

It’s also imperative to foster alignment by engaging cross-functional teams early, establish clear ownership of AI initiatives, and celebrate small wins to build momentum and trust. This means articulating the “why” behind AI adoption, demonstrating its potential impact, and ensuring that your people are prepared and excited to execute on this shared vision.

In order to drive sustainable change in your organization, you need to have the right talent to lead your ongoing transformation. Make sure to put people first. Connect them to the vision and make sure they have the knowledge and skills to not only execute on it, but embrace it and be excited about it. You have to bring people along, and it has to come from the top down.  Communication is more important than ever with this level of technology change.

Studies reveal that nearly 70 percent of organizations’ digital transformations fail, often because companies approach them as technical upgrades rather than strategic reinventions. With GenAI, companies now have the opportunity to completely rethink how they serve their customers, their employees, and their business.

Generative AI is not a fleeting trend. It’s a transformative force revolutionizing industries and redefining the future of businesses. I am seeing companies move from experimentation to implementation, and in the next two years that change will be exponential. This is not a time where leaders can afford to be hesitant or just wait around to see how things play out. The time to act is now. Leaders who act decisively and embrace this moment with clarity, courage, and purpose won’t just navigate this wave of change—they’ll drive it. Start small, think big, and lead boldly to define the future in the generative AI era.

Explore our list of the top companies defining AI and creating new applications for this dynamic technology across industries.

The post Small Measures for Big Impact: GenAI Era for Businesses appeared first on eWEEK.

A nursing student says that she has fallen in love with the AI boyfriend she created using ChatGPT. The 28-year-old woman, who goes by the online pseudonym Ayrin, spends more than 20 hours a week texting with the generative AI tool, which she has trained to chat with her and even engage in erotic role play. 

As documented in a New York Times profile, Ayrin is also married to a flesh-and-blood husband. They currently live thousands of miles apart while Ayrin studies abroad and stays with her family to save money. She told the paper that her fantasy was to date a man who slept with other women and told her about his encounters—something her husband was not interested in doing. So she used machine learning prompts to get her chatbot to engage in virtual fantasies with her, even though OpenAI supposedly trained ChatGPT not to respond with erotica.

Ayrin also talks with the chatbot, which “chose” the name Leo, about other aspects of her life. She got it to quiz her while preparing for nursing exams, asked it to motivate her to go to the gym, and complained to it about juggling three part-time jobs. While she originally intended to simply experiment with the AI model, she quickly developed an emotional attachment to the chatbot and recently started paying $200 per month for the premium plan.

While Ayrin may be the latest headline when it comes to forming AI relationships with large language models, she’s hardly the first—and she won’t be the last. A man called Scott made the news in 2022 for claiming that his affair with an AI chatbot girlfriend saved his marriage by helping him deal with his wife’s postpartum depression. He used a service called Replika, which explicitly offers AI relationships and companionship.

Now that ChatGPT and other generative AI models are so prevalent, plenty of users are now relying on them for support and affection they could once only get from loved ones. Some use these services to create an AI relationship the way that Ayrin did, texting and even sexting their chatbot. Others use it to help them get over a bad breakup, or to comfort and encourage them during bad mental health periods.

As these AI models continue to become more accessible and grow more advanced, more people will likely form AI relationships with chatbots, seeing them as a safe space to confess their feelings and even explore kinks. 

Read our reviews of the best chatbots of 2025 to see what differentiates them and what they can do. 

The post Woman Turns to Chatbot for AI Relationship: “I’m In Love” appeared first on eWEEK.

A team of researchers at Meta has unveiled the SEAMLESSM4T (Massively Multilingual and Multimodal Machine Translation) system, offering a versatile range of translations. Capable of translating speech in 101 languages almost instantaneously, delivering the output in 36 target languages via a voice synthesizer, the artificial intelligence use cases include speech-to-speech, speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and text-to-text translations.

The Babel Fish from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—a fish that can efficiently speak various languages used for translations—may finally be a reality.

The development of SEAMLESSM4T builds on Meta’s previous work in speech-to-speech translation and the No Language Left Behind project, which aimed to provide text-to-text translation for approximately 200 languages. However, a recurring problem in machine translation is the lack of training data for languages that are not as widely spoken. While training data for important languages like English is plentiful, it is still scarce for many others, especially those with little online visibility.

According to Cornell University computer scientist Allison Koenecke, this data inequality has impeded the extension of machine translation capabilities to less common languages. Although the precise causes of this enhancement are yet unknown, researchers have discovered that multilingualization improves translation systems’ performance even for languages with little training data.

To develop SEAMLESSM4T, Meta’s team gathered millions of hours of audio recordings from reputable sources like the United Nations archives and the internet. These audio recordings served as a strong training dataset, as did transcripts and human-generated translations. The algorithm successfully paired almost half a million hours of audio fragments with corresponding text in several languages.

“Meta has done a great job having a breadth of different things they support, like text-to-speech, speech-to-text, even automatic speech recognition,” said Chetan Jaiswal, a Quinnipiac University professor of computer science who was not involved in the research. “The mere number of languages they are supporting is a tremendous achievement.”

Meta, headquartered in Menlo Park, California, offers SEAMLESSM4T as an open-source tool, allowing researchers worldwide to build upon its framework. This follows the company’s successful release of its LLaMA large language model, which is widely adopted by developers globally. The SEAMLESSM4T system marks a significant advancement in multilingual communication and can potentially change how people interact across language barriers.

Learn more about other fascinating use cases for artificial intelligence across different industries.

The post Meta’s New AI Speech Translator is Real World Babel Fish appeared first on eWEEK.