Future Beat: Not so fast

Just when it looked like Nvidia was racing off into the distance as the envy of the technology world, there was a clap of thunder that came in the form of a new AI platform that put the company's leadership position in brief doubt.

We'll touch more on that later in this newsletter, but Nvidia's world that was briefly rocked as a result of DeepSeek, in hindsight, is a good reminder of how apparently impeccable companies can quickly look like they're built on rocky foundations.

It's far too early to say that Nvidia's future is in jeopardy, but it's not as bulletproof as we once thought.

- Cody Sigel Combs , Future Editor

The Big Story

Hide and DeepSeek

In brief | DeepSeek, the AI platform made in China, rocketed to the top of the app store rankings early this week, but it was the technical details behind the platform that sent US companies including Nvidia tumbling in value.

In a nutshell, DeepSeek says it does more and costs less. That puts it toe to toe with OpenAI's ChatGPT, the entrenched leader, and could give it an advantage because, hypothetically, it doesn't require as many graphics processing units (GPUs).

From a geopolitical perspective, it also could put China on a path to AI dominance, dethroning the US, despite intense chip export regulations.

It's also worth noting that OpenAI has returned volley, accusing DeepSeek of potentially stealing its data and technology. In some ways, that accusation somewhat validates just how much intrigue DeepSeek has provoked.

Why it matters | We all thought, and to some extent were told, that the race to AI prosperity would be won by the countries or entities that controlled central processing units and graphics processing units.

While it's still unknown if DeepSeek's AI platform does everything it claims at a fraction of the cost and with significantly less energy resources, even if there's a kernel of truth to it, the current notion of who wins the AI race has completely been turned on its head.

That's why the market reacted like it did, even if only for a brief period.

Quoted | "DeepSeek’s apparent market success shows how fragile anyone’s lead in Generative AI is – after all, as an insider at Google pointed out in 2023, there is no ‘moat’. The open-source movement in GenAI seems to be roughly six months behind proprietary platforms, and DeepSeek demonstrates that even GenAI leaders might not have the lead they thought they had"

– Dr Andrew Rogoyski, director of innovation and partnerships at the Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI, University of Surrey

Future in focus

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From dream to reality | Etihad Rail announces 30-minute high-speed passenger service between Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Drawing parallels | Why AI chips are akin to the nuclear arms race

TikTok, Meta and the Middle East | What social media shifts in the US mean for the region

Predicting the future: Signal or noise?

Cloud-seeding is a crucial tool in securing new supplies of fresh water that "100 per cent works" and can help to bolster water security, a leading US expert has told The National. That expert, however, also warned that more research was needed, while misinformation about such seeding is running rampant and needs to be tackled.

This is a signal: Nuance can be difficult to come by these days, but it's definitely needed when we're talking about cloud seeding. There's a tremendous amount of justified excitement, coupled with uncertainty when it comes to rain enhancement, but the recent International Rain Enhancement Forum held in Abu Dhabi proves just how far the science has come. Events like these will help to blunt misinformation about cloud seeding, while also providing much-needed methodical updates.

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