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The Diplomat
6 days ago
- Business
- The Diplomat
China Now Dominates Open Source AI. How Much Does That Matter?
U.S. AI models still control over 70 percent of the market, but a collaborative, open source approach has enabled Chinese labs to punch far above their weight. U.S. AI models still control over 70 percent of the market, but a collaborative, open source approach has enabled Chinese labs to punch far above their weight. For the second time in six months, a small Chinese artificial intelligence lab has made major waves across the global landscape. Moonshot AI, with just a few hundred employees, recently released its K2 model to remarkable acclaim. On OpenRouter, a platform that tracks which AI models developers actually pay to use, K2 quickly surpassed offerings from well-funded U.S. competitors including xAI and Meta. This achievement mirrors the success of DeepSeek, another Chinese AI model that made headlines earlier this year. Both share a crucial characteristic: they are open source, meaning their underlying code and architecture are freely available for anyone to examine, modify, and build upon. Among big labs in the United States, only Meta has followed suit. But with the social media giant's latest model widely considered a flop, China is now the undisputed leader in open source AI development. To understand why this matters requires clarifying what 'open source' means in the context of AI. Open source AI models are free to download but, unlike most open source software, they come with significant operational expenses. When DeepSeek offered free access to consumers, many confused this promotional strategy with the inherent nature of open source models. In reality, all base models require significant computing power, whether it's paid for by the hosting company – as in the case of consumer products or APIs – or the user. For everyday consumers, the distinction between open-source and closed is invisible. Google's Gemini and OpenAI's ChatGPT offer free basic access. Despite the enthusiasm around DeepSeek's launch, ChatGPT still commands six times as many users globally. The same ranking that showed Moonshot surpassing xAI and Meta has Anthropic and Google alone with majority market share. Nonetheless, K2 is remarkably efficient. The rates for programmatic access to the best version of the model are comparable to the rates for Google and OpenAI's cheapest models. That is not because K2 is open source, but is in large part thanks to efficiency gains made possible by China's open source AI culture. Moonshot drew heavily from DeepSeek's architecture, to the point that one engineer described K2 as 'fulfilling a prophecy that the DeepSeek team had already made.' This collaborative approach echoes the early days of U.S. AI development, when Google's publication of transformer architecture and release of tools like TensorFlow catalyzed the entire field. U.S. AI labs have since focused on proprietary models instead. Chinese offerings may become the default choice for researchers looking for models they can modify and customize, which could subtly shape how AI systems understand and interact with the world. Some research suggests Western models reflect Western worldviews, and Chinese models may well do the same. While enthusiasts quickly release 'uncensored' versions, like Perplexity's DeepSeek 1776, which speak freely on topics forbidden in China, more fundamental assumptions about society, relationships, and values may remain deeply embedded in the training. A growing community of programmers worldwide is now working to adapt and improve these Chinese models for specific uses, potentially accelerating their development. In the words of another Moonshot engineer, 'open-sourcing allows us to leverage the power of the developer community to improve the technical ecosystem. Within 24 hours of our release, the community had already implemented K2 in MLX, with 4-bit quantization [allowing a compressed version of the model to run on Apple devices] and more – things we truly don't have the manpower to accomplish ourselves at this stage.' But for now, open source models serve primarily specialized purposes: handling sensitive information that can't be sent to commercial services (which is unlikely to be entrusted to Chinese models anytime soon), or running AI on devices disconnected from the internet. Industry watchers expect Moonshot to soon release a 'reasoning' model designed to match the previous generation of U.S. AI systems. When that happens, we can expect another wave of concern about China's AI progress. Much of this anxiety will be overblown – U.S. models still control over 70 percent of the market on platforms like OpenRouter, and U.S. firms continue to push the boundaries of what's possible while Chinese labs focus on optimization and efficiency. Nevertheless, K2 represents a significant achievement, particularly given the constraints under which Chinese AI researchers operate. The collaborative, open source approach has enabled Chinese labs to punch far above their weight, just as the United States' strongest open source advocate, Meta, stumbles. Much is yet to be written: Meta has gone on a multibillion dollar spending spree to right their ship and OpenAI will release their own open source model in the coming weeks. But as more developers worldwide turn to Chinese models as their starting point, the long-term implications for global AI development – and the values embedded within these systems – deserve serious consideration.
The Star
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
The Chicago Sky are trying to protect their players on social media. Here's what that means
(l-r) Paige Bueckers #5 of the Dallas Wings, Nneka Ogwumike #30 of the Seattle Storm, and Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky celebrate after defeating Team Clark during the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. — AFP INDIANAPOLIS: Chicago Sky co-owner Nadia Rawlinson knew security concerns were serious. The Sky have physical security nearly 24 hours a day – around hotels, outside gyms, by buses and planes – but one of the final frontiers of player safety was the internet. Earlier this month, the Sky teamed up with Moonshot to protect their players from threats and hate on social media, the first relationship of its kind in the WNBA. "People think as athletes, we should take what comes our way,' Sky guard Ariel Atkins said. "We are human and some comments that people make are inhumane. It's phenomenal of our organization to take care of us.' Moonshot's technology was created for use in counterterrorism; it's used by the US government. "It's a great thing to implement right now,' said Sky All-Star Angel Reese, who has one of the most popular social media platforms among WNBA players. "It's really important to be able to have that (protection), especially as a woman." What does this technology do for the Sky players? Moonshot monitors more than 25 social media and internet platforms, including those on which players do not have personal accounts. The technology shrinks the millions of posts it looks at every day into thousands of posts that contain direct threats to the athletes. From there, Moonshot's team of human threat assessors, from clinical psychologists to social workers, takes over. They look through the flagged posts and report them, if necessary – whether that's to the social media platforms themselves for removal or, in more serious and imminent cases, directly to law enforcement. They target actionable threats to the athletes, like the release of their personal information or possible stalkers. It's that human involvement that Moonshot co-founder and CEO Vidhya Ramalingam said is necessary to its success. "This is not a problem that can just be solved by technology alone,' she said. "It's fundamentally a human problem, and this is a human partnership.' How the partnership came to be Rawlinson, who said her own experiences as a woman of color have informed her understanding of the issue, knew it was something she wanted to focus on. "With the rise in women's sports, the rise in attention, the greater fandom, the greater investment, all of it is historic,' Rawlinson said. "But there's a dark side to that. At some point, you just want to play the game, so the goal is to remove some of the noise that happens off the court.' After reading about Moonshot in a tech publication a few weeks ago, Rawlinson reached out to Ramalingam about a partnership. It was a quick connection. "It was really clear there was a values alignment,' Ramalingam said. "Some of that stems from some of our shared experiences as women of color in spaces where so often our voices are underrepresented, and the desire to actually do something about it and not just sit there. "For far too long, I saw women like me, people of color, be overrepresented as targets and underrepresented in the solution,' she said. – AP
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WNBA's Chicago Sky tries to protect their players on social media. Here's what that means
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Chicago Sky co-owner Nadia Rawlinson knew security concerns were serious. The Sky have physical security nearly 24 hours a day — around hotels, outside gyms, by buses and planes — but one of the final frontiers of player safety was the internet. Earlier this month, the Sky teamed up with Moonshot to protect their players from threats and hate on social media, the first relationship of its kind in the WNBA. 'People think as athletes, we should take what comes our way,' Sky guard Ariel Atkins said. 'We are human and some comments that people make are inhumane. It's phenomenal of our organization to take care of us.' Moonshot's technology was created for use in counterterrorism; it's used by the U.S. government. 'It's a great thing to implement right now,' said Sky all-star Angel Reese, who has one of the most popular social media platforms among WNBA players. 'It's really important to be able to have that (protection), especially as a woman." What does this technology do for the Sky players? Moonshot monitors more than 25 social media and internet platforms, including those on which players do not have personal accounts. The technology shrinks the millions of posts it looks at every day into thousands of posts that contain direct threats to the athletes. From there, Moonshot's team of human threat assessors, from clinical psychologists to social workers, takes over. They look through the flagged posts and report them, if necessary — whether that's to the social media platforms themselves for removal or, in more serious and imminent cases, directly to law enforcement. They target actionable threats to the athletes, like the release of their personal information or possible stalkers. It's that human involvement that Moonshot co-founder and CEO Vidhya Ramalingam said is necessary to its success. 'This is not a problem that can just be solved by technology alone,' she said. 'It's fundamentally a human problem, and this is a human partnership.' How the partnership came to be Rawlinson, who said her own experiences as a woman of colour have informed her understanding of the issue, knew it was something she wanted to focus on. 'With the rise in women's sports, the rise in attention, the greater fandom, the greater investment, all of it is historic,' Rawlinson said. 'But there's a dark side to that. At some point, you just want to play the game, so the goal is to remove some of the noise that happens off the court.' After reading about Moonshot in a tech publication a few weeks ago, Rawlinson reached out to Ramalingam about a partnership. It was a quick connection. 'It was really clear there was a values alignment,' Ramalingam said. 'Some of that stems from some of our shared experiences as women of colour in spaces where so often our voices are under-represented, and the desire to actually do something about it and not just sit there. 'For far too long, I saw women like me, people of colour, be overrepresented as targets and under-represented in the solution,' she said. ___ This story has been corrected to show that the name of the company the Chicago Sky have partnered with is Moonshot, not Moonshot Technologies. ___ AP WNBA: Alyce Brown, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Deccan Herald
15-07-2025
- Business
- Deccan Herald
Moonshot AI goes open-source to regain market position
Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI released a new open-source AI model on Friday, joining a wave of similar releases from local rivals, as it seeks to reclaim its position in the competitive domestic market. The model, called Kimi K2, features enhanced coding capabilities and excels at general agent tasks and tool integration, allowing it to break down complex tasks more effectively, the company said in a statement. Moonshot claimed the model outperforms mainstream open-source models in some areas, including DeepSeek's V3, and rival capabilities of leading U.S. models such as those from Anthropic in certain functions such as coding. The release follows a trend among Chinese companies toward open-sourcing AI models, contrasting with many U.S. tech giants like OpenAI and Google that keep their most advanced AI models proprietary. Some American firms, including Meta Platforms , have also released open-source models. Open-sourcing allows developers to showcase their technological capabilities and expand developer communities as well as their global influence, a strategy likely to help China counter U.S. efforts to limit Beijing's tech progress.
Geeky Gadgets
15-07-2025
- Business
- Geeky Gadgets
Kimi K2 One Trillion Parameter Open Source AI Model Tested
What if the future of artificial intelligence wasn't locked behind corporate walls but instead placed directly in the hands of developers, researchers, and innovators worldwide? Enter Kimi K2, a new open source AI model from Moonshot that's shaking up the status quo. With its one trillion parameter mixture of experts architecture, Kimi K2 doesn't just rival proprietary systems—it redefines what's possible for accessible AI. Imagine a model that can autonomously reason, execute multi-step tasks, and seamlessly integrate external tools, all while maintaining computational efficiency. This isn't just another AI release; it's a bold statement about the future of provide widespread access tod technology. In this exploration, World of AI uncover how Kimi K2's innovative design and state-of-the-art performance are setting new benchmarks in the AI landscape. From its ability to outperform competitors in STEM challenges to its versatility across industries like healthcare, education, and gaming, Kimi K2 is more than just a model—it's a movement. Whether you're a developer seeking fine-tuned control or a user looking for an out-of-the-box solution, Kimi K2's dual versions promise something for everyone. But what does this mean for the dominance of closed-source AI systems? Let's unpack the implications of this innovative release and what it signals for the future of artificial intelligence. Kimi K2 Open source AI Innovative Model Architecture Kimi K2's architecture is built on a mixture of experts system, a design that activates only the most relevant parameters for each task. This selective activation ensures computational efficiency while maintaining high performance. The model is specifically optimized for agentic reasoning, allowing it to autonomously make decisions and execute multi-step workflows. Its ability to integrate external tools further enhances its adaptability, making it suitable for addressing complex, resource-intensive tasks across various domains. This architecture not only reduces computational overhead but also allows Kimi K2 to scale effectively for diverse applications. By focusing on task-specific parameter activation, the model achieves a balance between efficiency and accuracy, setting it apart from traditional AI systems. Exceptional Benchmark Performance Kimi K2 delivers state-of-the-art results across several industry-standard benchmarks, including Swaybench, GSM8K, and AceBench Math. These evaluations underscore its strengths in reasoning, problem-solving, and computational tasks. For example: In STEM-related challenges, Kimi K2 demonstrates advanced proficiency in mathematics and scientific reasoning, solving complex equations and modeling intricate systems. In competitive coding, it rivals proprietary models like Claude 4 and Gemini 2.5, showcasing its ability to handle programming tasks with precision and speed. These results position Kimi K2 as a credible and capable alternative to closed-source AI systems, offering comparable or superior performance in key areas. Kimi K2 Open Source AI Model Tested Watch this video on YouTube. Dive deeper into open source AI with other articles and guides we have written below. Two Versions Tailored to User Needs To meet the diverse requirements of its users, Kimi K2 is available in two distinct versions, each designed for specific use cases: Kimi K2 Base: This foundational model is tailored for researchers and developers who require flexibility for fine-tuning and customization. It is ideal for specialized applications where precise control over the model's behavior is essential. This foundational model is tailored for researchers and developers who require flexibility for fine-tuning and customization. It is ideal for specialized applications where precise control over the model's behavior is essential. Kimi K2 Instruct: Optimized for general-purpose use, this chat-ready version excels in agentic reasoning and everyday tasks. It is perfect for users seeking an out-of-the-box solution that delivers reliable performance without additional configuration. These options ensure that both advanced developers and general users can use Kimi K2's capabilities effectively, whether for research, development, or practical applications. Versatile Applications Kimi K2's adaptability makes it suitable for a wide range of applications across industries. For web developers, it can generate high-quality front-end designs and functional layouts, streamlining the design process. Its ability to create SVG representations and analyze visual data provides actionable insights through graphical outputs, enhancing decision-making and design workflows. In more advanced scenarios, Kimi K2 has been employed to develop intricate 3D simulations, such as a Minecraft-like environment. This demonstrates its capacity to handle complex and creative tasks, making it a valuable tool for developers exploring virtual environments, gaming, and simulation-based applications. Beyond development, Kimi K2's capabilities extend to fields such as education, where it can assist in creating interactive learning tools, and healthcare, where it can analyze large datasets to identify trends and insights. Its versatility ensures that it can adapt to the unique demands of various industries. Accessibility and Cost Efficiency One of Kimi K2's most compelling features is its accessibility. As an open source model, users can download and deploy its weights locally, granting them full control over its implementation. This approach enables developers and organizations to customize the model to suit their specific needs without relying on external infrastructure. For those who prefer cloud-based solutions, Kimi K2 offers an API with competitive pricing for input and output tokens. To further reduce barriers to entry, Moonshot provides free API credits for initial usage, allowing users to explore the model's potential without incurring upfront costs. This combination of flexibility and affordability makes Kimi K2 an attractive option for businesses and individuals alike. Redefining the AI Landscape Kimi K2 represents a significant milestone in the evolution of artificial intelligence. By offering a high-performance, open source alternative to proprietary models, it provide widespread access tos access to innovative AI technologies. Its combination of cost-effectiveness, versatility, and robust performance positions it as a valuable resource for businesses, researchers, and developers. Whether your goal is to optimize workflows, create innovative applications, or explore the frontiers of AI, Kimi K2 provides a powerful and accessible solution. Its release not only challenges the status quo but also paves the way for a more inclusive and collaborative AI ecosystem, where advanced technology is within reach for all. Media Credit: WorldofAI Filed Under: AI, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
