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Alibaba launches DeepSeek rival, boosting its stock 📈
Alibaba just dropped its latest AI model, QwQ-32B, which claims to match DeepSeek and ChatGPT while running cheaper. Investors loved it, sending Alibaba’s stock up 8.4 percent—because nothing excites Wall Street like an AI model with a weird name and a billion-dollar budget. China and Russia may use AI to influence Canadian voters 🗳️ A new report suggests China and Russia are trying to meddle in Canada’s elections using AI-generated disinformation. So if your uncle starts forwarding oddly polished political memes in perfect English, you might have AI propaganda to thank. Trump makes a big bet on AI development 🇺🇸 Trump is going all-in on AI infrastructure, signaling that he sees the tech as key to America’s future. Whether this leads to groundbreaking advancements or just a new AI-powered Truth Social bot remains to be seen. Meta targets millions of businesses with agentic AI 🤖 Meta is rolling out AI assistants for businesses, promising to revolutionize customer interactions. Soon, every online store could have a chatbot so advanced, you might forget you are arguing with a robot over a refund. Microsoft invests $300M more in South Africa’s AI infrastructure 🌍 Microsoft is throwing another $300 million at South Africa’s AI scene, proving that Africa is a rising force in tech. With this level of investment, expect AI-powered innovations—or at the very least, a version of Clippy fluent in Zulu.

Is AI leading us to a bold new future, or just giving governments and corporations new ways to mess with us? Let’s get into it...

In today’s AI digest:

• Alibaba launches DeepSeek rival, boosting its stock 📈

• China and Russia may use AI to influence Canadian voters 🗳️

• Trump makes a big bet on the future of AI development 🇺🇸

• Meta targets millions of businesses with agentic AI 🤖

• Microsoft invests $300M more in South Africa’s AI infrastructure 🌍

Read time: 6 minutes

WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY

Alibaba

Alibaba launches DeepSeek rival, boosting its stock 📈

(source: CNN)

The Digest: Alibaba just dropped QwQ-32B (yes, that’s the actual name), an AI reasoning model they claim can go toe-to-toe with OpenAI and DeepSeek—while using way fewer resources. The result? Alibaba’s stock shot up 8.4% in Hong Kong and 1.4% in New York, proving that if you slap “AI” on anything, investors will throw money at it like it's a limited-edition Supreme drop.

Key Details:

• David vs. AI Goliaths? – QwQ-32B has "only" 32 billion parameters (compared to DeepSeek’s 671 billion), yet Alibaba claims it performs just as well. If true, that’s like showing up to a heavyweight fight weighing half as much but still knocking people out.

• Open Source = Open Season – Alibaba isn’t keeping this model locked away—it’s open-sourcing QwQ-32B, meaning developers worldwide can now tinker with it without forking over Big Tech money. Somewhere, Sam Altman just felt a disturbance in the force.

• Investors Smell the AI Gold Rush – Alibaba’s stock immediately jumped, along with several Chinese tech stocks, because nothing gets Wall Street excited like the words "AI" and "outperforms OpenAI."

Why It Matters: This isn’t just about Alibaba—it’s about China’s AI ambitions. With more AI breakthroughs coming from China, this could reshape global AI competition, especially with the West tightening restrictions on advanced chips. For now, keep an eye on Alibaba and maybe consider an AI that helps name these things better. QwQ-32B isn’t exactly ChatGPT levels of catchy.

AI influence

China and Russia may use AI to influence Canadian voters 🗳️

(source: CBC)

The Digest: Canadian officials are raising alarms that foreign actors, especially China and Russia, are using AI-driven disinformation to sway public opinion ahead of elections. That means deepfakes, AI-generated propaganda, and enough cyber shenanigans to make even the most polite Canadians say, "Eh, that’s not cool." If you thought fake news was bad before, imagine a world where political attack ads are written by ChatGPT on a caffeine binge.

Key Details:

• AI Disinformation = New Election Strategy? Canada’s cyber agency warns that AI-generated deepfakes and fake news are getting dangerously realistic, meaning voters might have to fact-check harder than a high schooler with ChatGPT-written homework.

• China & Russia = Election Mischief? Intelligence reports suggest state-backed actors are spreading false narratives online—probably while sipping tea and pretending they’re not involved.

• Meta’s Fake News Cleanup Crew – Facebook’s parent company Meta has already shut down about 20 covert influence operations this year, which is both impressive and terrifying when you think about how much fake content still slips through.

Why It Matters: With AI making fake news look more real than ever, distinguishing truth from fiction is becoming a full-time job. As elections get more digital, voters need to stay sharp, double-check sources, and—if an ad says a candidate was spotted riding a moose into parliament—it’s probably fake. For now, let’s just hope Canada’s best hackers are countering the cyberattacks with politeness and Tim Hortons gift cards.

AI development

Trump makes a big bet on the future of AI development 🇺🇸

(source: Bloomberg)

The Digest: Former President Donald Trump has teamed up with OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and MGX to launch Stargate LLC—a half-trillion-dollar AI infrastructure initiative aimed at making America the AI kingpin. That’s right, $500 billion for AI, which is basically the tech industry’s version of putting all your chips on red at a Vegas roulette table.

Key Details:

• AI-Powered ‘Greatness’ Incoming? The project kicks off with $100 billion, with plans to build 10 massive data centers in Texas and create 100,000+ jobs—because nothing says "America First" like more AI-generated tweets.

• The Tech Avengers Assemble – Masayoshi Son (SoftBank), Sam Altman (OpenAI), and Larry Ellison (Oracle) are leading the charge, proving that even billionaires need a buddy system when dealing with AI.

• Beating China to the AI Punch – This move isn’t just about big business—it’s a direct response to China’s AI acceleration. If Stargate succeeds, the U.S. might just keep its lead in the AI arms race. If not, well…at least we’ll have really, really fast ChatGPT servers.

Why It Matters: This is one of the biggest private AI investments ever, and it proves that AI isn’t just hype—it’s a full-blown economic battleground. Whether this turns into a game-changing innovation hub or just a really expensive lesson in market speculation, one thing’s for sure—Trump’s AI bet is as bold as his tweets used to be. For now, let’s hope the AI models don’t start talking in Trump’s voice. (“Let me tell you, folks, this is the best, the smartest AI. Everybody’s saying it.”)

Meta

Meta targets millions of businesses with agentic AI 🤖

(source: CNBC)

The Digest: Meta is rolling out agentic AI tools designed to handle business tasks on autopilot—think customer service, HR, IT support, and marketing, all managed by a digital assistant that never needs coffee breaks. These AI agents aren’t just responding to emails; they’re handling entire workflows like an overachieving intern who never sleeps. The big question? Will this make businesses more efficient, or are we just one step closer to AI deciding it should run the company itself?

Key Details:

• AI That Works Harder Than You? Meta’s AI agents automate tasks without human oversight, meaning your boss might start trusting a chatbot more than you. ("The AI finished this report in 0.2 seconds—why did it take you three days?")

• Standalone AI App Incoming – Meta is planning a brand-new AI app to compete with OpenAI and Google, because clearly, the world needed yet another AI chatbot.

• AI-Powered Workplaces Are Here – Meta says these tools are meant to "work alongside employees"—which sounds nice until you realize that "working alongside" might mean "replacing your entire department."

Why It Matters: AI is creeping into every corner of business, and Meta’s agentic AI push could redefine how companies operate. Will this lead to hyper-efficient workplaces, or will managers start scheduling one-on-ones with AI instead of their actual employees? For now, let’s hope these AI agents know better than to schedule meetings at 4:59 PM on a Friday.

Microsoft

Microsoft invests $300M more in South Africa’s AI infrastructure 🌍

(source: Reuters)

The Digest: Microsoft is pumping 5.4 billion rand (~$296 million) into South Africa to expand its AI and cloud infrastructure—because apparently, AI needs more space than a teenager with a gaming PC. But this isn’t just about bigger data centers—they’re also training 50,000 people in AI, data science, and cybersecurity, which means someone’s uncle is about to go from Facebook conspiracy theorist to certified AI expert.

Key Details:

• AI Needs a Bigger Playground – This investment expands Microsoft’s cloud and AI infrastructure in South Africa, ensuring that Azure has enough computing power to keep churning out ChatGPT responses faster than you can Google the same question.

• Tech Training for 50,000 People – Microsoft is footing the bill for thousands of AI-related certification exams, so if you’ve been procrastinating on your “learn AI” New Year’s resolution—this is your sign.

• Big Picture AI Play – This move is part of Microsoft’s $80 billion global AI expansion plan, because why stop at dominating laptops when you can dominate the entire cloud?

Why It Matters: South Africa is becoming a serious AI player, and Microsoft isn’t just bringing the tech—it’s bringing the jobs, too. This could set a new standard for AI investments in emerging markets, and let’s be honest—if AI is taking over everything, we might as well make sure everyone gets a piece of the action. For now, let’s hope this investment helps train AI models that don’t just “hallucinate” when you ask them tough questions.

THE NOODLE LAB

AI Hacks & How-Tos

Automate Data Analysis with AI Tools 📊

The Digest: KNIME is a powerful open-source AI tool that allows users to automate data analysis, from data cleaning to visualization, without extensive coding knowledge.

How-to:

1. Download and Install KNIME:

   • Visit KNIME’s official website and download the latest version.

   • Follow the installation guide to set up your workspace.

2. Import Your Data:

   • Open KNIME and create a new workflow.

   • Drag and drop a File Reader node to import CSV, Excel, or database files.

3. Clean and Process Data:

   • Use nodes like Row Filter and Missing Value to filter and clean your dataset.

   • Apply Column Renamer to organize headers properly.

4. Analyze with AI & Machine Learning:

   • Drag and drop AI-powered nodes like Decision Tree, K-Means Clustering, or Linear Regression to gain insights.

   • Connect these nodes to your data for automated analysis.

5. Visualize Results:

   • Use the Bar Chart, Scatter Plot, or Table View nodes to create insightful visual reports.

6. Automate the Workflow:

   • Save and schedule your workflow to run at regular intervals, automating repetitive analysis tasks.

Explore More: Use Follow-up Mode to dive deeper into a specific industry and fine-tune your niche selection. We just covered AI-powered niche discovery in a workshop—access it at the top of this email! 🚀

Trending AI Tools

• FinChat: An AI-driven platform that allows investors to generate documents, charts, and presentations using a chat interface, streamlining the creation of investment materials. ​

• AutogenAI: Specializes in assisting companies with the UK's procurement processes by leveraging advanced language models to quickly write and win bids, enhancing efficiency in proposal creation.

• Featurespace: Utilizes adaptive behavioral analytics to combat fraud in financial services, providing real-time transaction monitoring and anomaly detection to safeguard against fraudulent activities.

• Quantexa: Connects data from multiple sources to offer comprehensive views on individuals and entities, aiding in anti-fraud efforts and enhancing decision-making processes for major online businesses.

• Beamery: Employs AI in recruitment to reduce biases and match candidates to roles more fairly, streamlining the hiring process and promoting diversity within organizations.