Welcome back to Week in Review. This week we\u2019re looking at DeepSeek\u2019s major boost in the U.S.; Elon Musk admitting he was wrong about FSD; teens losing trust in Big Tech; and more! Let\u2019s do it.<\/p>\n
DeepSeek went viral this week<\/strong> after its AI models led Wall Street analysts<\/a> and technologists to question whether the U.S. can maintain its lead in the AI race<\/a> \u2014 and whether the demand for AI chips will sustain. DeepSeek even claims that its R1 \u201creasoning\u201d model performs as well as OpenAI\u2019s o1 model<\/a> on key benchmarks. There\u2019s a lot of moving parts surrounding DeepSeek, so we\u2019ve put together everything you need to know right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Perplexity has been sued in federal court<\/strong> for allegedly violating another company\u2019s trademark.<\/a> Attorneys representing a company called Perplexity Solved Solutions accuse Perplexity of infringing on its trademark rights by using the brand \u201cPerplexity.\u201d The Texas company alleges that AI startup Perplexity began infringing on its trademark \u201cin or around\u201d August 2022 to promote its AI-powered search engine.\u00a0<\/p>\n Google is issuing a \u201cvoluntary exit program\u201d<\/strong> for Android, Chrome, and Pixel employees this week, according to an internal memo sent by Google SVP Rick Osterloh.<\/a> The voluntary severance program arrives less than a year after Google merged the separate teams into a single \u201cPlatform and Devices\u201d division, overseen by Osterloh.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is TechCrunch\u2019s Week in Review, where we recap the week\u2019s biggest news. Want this delivered as a newsletter to your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Waymo goes Hollywood:<\/strong> Waymo\u2019s driverless robotaxis are heading to the Los Angeles freeway system. The company will begin testing on Interstates 10, 110, 405, and 90 without a human safety operator behind the wheel. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Facebook returns to the past: <\/strong>Mark Zuckerberg teased a \u201creturn to OG Facebook\u201d as part of his key goals for 2025 in Meta\u2019s Q4 earnings call. While the company didn\u2019t say what changes were in store, it\u2019s clear that Meta needs younger Facebook users in order to sustain itself for the next generation. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n A non-Amazon way to buy e-books: <\/strong>Bookshop.org now has its own e-book platform \u2014 making it easier for readers to avoid padding Jeff Bezos\u2019 pockets. The new capabilities allow readers to buy e-books and support their favorite independent bookstore (shoutout to my new local bookstore, Restoried<\/a>). Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Perplexity submits another bid for TikTok: <\/strong>Perplexity AI submitted a revised proposal to merge with TikTok in a deal that would give the U.S. government up to 50% ownership of the new entity. Perplexity previously proposed creating a new company by combining it with TikTok U.S. and equity investors. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Elon Musk admits he was wrong: <\/strong>After years of promising that Tesla vehicles had the hardware needed to support a self-driving car, Elon Musk admitted that many do not. Musk revealed that some Tesla cars will need an upgrade before they can support the unsupervised self-driving software the automaker is still developing. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Meta AI wants to get personal: <\/strong>Meta is rolling out improvements to Meta AI, its cross-platform chatbot. The bot can now use your Instagram and Facebook data to \u201cremember\u201d details from conversations \u2014 like if you love to travel or you\u2019re vegan \u2014 to better tailor future responses to you. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Axing Cruise could save GM $1 billion a year: <\/strong>General Motors expects to save up to $1 billion annually by ending its Cruise robotaxi development program, CEO and chair Mary Barra said during the company\u2019s earnings call. The automaker said in December that it would no longer fund its self-driving subsidiary. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Google Maps renames the Gulf of Mexico: <\/strong>Google will rename the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska\u2019s Denali mountain in Google Maps to comply with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump that changed the names of several American landmarks. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n How to turn off Apple Intelligence:<\/strong> iOS 18.3 automatically opts users into Apple Intelligence, at least for newer devices. But not everyone wants generative AI features enabled by default on their devices, so here\u2019s an easy way to switch it off. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Teens don\u2019t trust Big Tech:<\/strong> American teens have lost their faith in Big Tech, according to a new report from Common Sense Media. The organization surveyed over 1,000 teens on whether companies like Google, Apple, Meta, TikTok, and Microsoft cared about their well-being and safety, made ethical decisions, protected their private data, and more. In all cases, a majority of teens reported low levels of trust in these tech companies \u2014 and nearly half of teens said they had little or no trust that the companies would make responsible decisions about how they use AI. Read more<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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