Daily Briefing: Upping America's AI competition

Daily Briefing: Upping America’s AI competition

Posted by author January 28, 2025 Tech

A competitive artificial intelligence model from a Chinese startup showed high-powered AI can be done much cheaper than U.S. models perform. The prices of eggs are estimated to rise, despite promises from the White House otherwise. USA soccer player Naomi Girma has set a record for women in the sport.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Is it a good idea to start the car before driving on a frigid morning?

China’s DeepSeek AI sows doubts about US tech edge

Disruption among global tech stocks continued Tuesday morning after a small Chinese artificial intelligence startup said it can compete with the likes of ChatGPT and other U.S.-based AI models at a fraction of the cost.

More detail: Chinese startup DeepSeek released this month a cost-efficient AI model to compete with OpenAI using a fraction of computing power, or the type of technology sold by Nvidia and other companies. DeepSeek said it cost less than $6 million to train its powerful tools.

Rain provides only a brief break in Los Angeles wildfires

As a weather system finally brought substantial rain to Southern California, battle-scarred residents may be wondering how long they’re safe from the kind of wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles County neighborhoods this month. That doesn’t mean such devastating infernos will return in early February, only that the weekend’s precipitation wasn’t strong enough to fully soak the drought-stricken region and eliminate fire danger. Read more

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Donald Trump to House GOP:

“We’re going to have a lot of people bidding on it. And we can save all that voice and all the jobs, and China won’t be involved. We’ll see what happens.”

~ President Donald Trump on Monday at a retreat with Republican lawmakers at Trump Doral Miami addressed the future of TikTok. Trump issued an executive order last week that extends the ban on the Chinese-owned app, which briefly went dark in the U.S. But the legal logistics of the order remain uncertain, as has much regarding TikTok’s future.

‘Wanna just split the omelette?’

You might be hearing this question at brunch more often. Ordering or purchasing eggs might become more challenging as the popular breakfast item is expected to become pricier throughout the year, despite Vice President JD Vance recently saying otherwise. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) outlook, egg prices are predicted to increase about 20% in 2025, compared to about 2.2% for overall food prices. The USDA attributed the rise in egg costs to the highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, outbreak, which has caused a strain in supply. Read more

Today’s talkers

Girma out-earns the competition

U.S. Women’s National Team star Naomi Girma has become the first million-dollar female soccer player after English club Chelsea paid a record transfer fee and signed the American defender to a long-term contract. British media reported the club agreed to pay $1.12 million to acquire Girma, who was under contract with the NWSL’s San Diego Wave until 2026. Girma is considered to be one of the world’s best defenders, playing every minute of the 2024 Paris Olympic tournament where the Americans won gold with a 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final.

Photo of the Day: Pamela in Paris

Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week is back to tickle our fashion fancy with refined glamour, and the stars are here for it. The French capital and cultural mecca is hosting a series of runway shows featuring avant-garde collections from Chanel on Tuesday morning.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.