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Midjourney Adds 2 Requested Features

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Future Tech Academy

Join My NEW Community

👉 https://www.skool.com/fta

Midjourney Version 6.1 Cheat Sheet PDF (free)

👉 https://ftp.live/MJCheatSheet

Download Your Free SREF Catalogue

👉 https://ftp.live/sref

––– Social –––

––– My Trusted Tech –––

(I fully support these services but I will also earn a commission if you make a purchase from one of these Amazon affiliate links)

Color Grading Software

👉 https://ftp.live/colorio

POD Graphics

👉 https://ftp.live/creativefabrica

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 Intro
  • 0:24 Describe on the Website
  • 1:58 Describe on Explore Page
  • 3:07 Describe from Desktop
  • 4:46 Combining Multiple Mood Boards
  • 7:33 Mood Boards + SREF Codes

Conclusion:

In this article, we have discussed various topics related to Midjourney, including the Midjourney Version 6.1 Cheat Sheet PDF, SREF Catalogue, and My Trusted Tech. We have also provided links to various products and services that we recommend.

FAQs:

Q: What is Midjourney?
A: Midjourney is an AI-powered art tool that allows users to create stunning artwork.

Q: What is SREF Catalogue?
A: SREF Catalogue is a free resource that provides information on various art-related topics.

Q: What is My Trusted Tech?
A: My Trusted Tech is a list of products and services that we recommend and use.

Q: How do I get started with Midjourney?
A: You can start by downloading the Midjourney Version 6.1 Cheat Sheet PDF and exploring the website.

The King of Graphics Cards for Creatives

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 FE Review: A Revolutionary Graphics Card for Professionals

Key Specifications

4070 Ti Super 4080 4090 5090 FE
Release Date January 2024 November 2022 October 2022 January 2025
Approx. Price $859 $1,299 $1,499 $1,939
CUDA Cores 8448 9728 16384 21760
Tensor (AI) 706 780 1321 3352
Base Clock (MHz) 2340 2210 2230 2010
Bus Width 256 256 384 512
Effective Mem Speed 21 GB/s 22.4 GB/s 21 GB/s 28 GB/s
Wattage Draw 285W 320W 450W 575W

Performance

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 FE is a game-changer in the world of graphics processing. With its revolutionary Blackwell architecture, it can render tasks much faster than its predecessors. I experienced a 9.8x increase in speed while rendering a complex 3D model.

AI-Enhanced Performance

In Photoshop, the 5090 FE outperformed its predecessors by a significant margin. It also excelled in Flux, generating images faster than any other card I’ve seen. In Geekbench 6 OpenCL testing, it scored an astonishing 376,919 points, a 70% increase over my 4070 Ti Super.

3D Processing

The 5090 FE is also a powerhouse for 3D processing, thanks to its innovative features. While some software may not be compatible with the card yet, I expect most to be by the end of the year.

Gaming Performance

I was impressed with the card’s gaming performance, achieving over 200 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K resolution with DLSS 4 enabled.

Conclusion

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 FE is a top-of-the-line graphics card designed for professionals who require the best in AI-accelerated graphics performance. With its revolutionary Blackwell architecture, it is ideal for 3D modellers, game developers, graphic designers, and video editors.

Who is it for?

  • Serious users with serious requirements for their work (and play)
  • 3D modellers, game developers, and graphic designers
  • Video editors, especially those using 4-2-2 cameras

Buy it if:

  • You are a professional game developer or 3D modeller
  • You need the absolute best in AI-accelerated graphics performance
  • You want cinema-level graphics in your gaming sessions

Don’t buy it if:

  • Your needs don’t justify forking out $2k for a graphics card

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the release date of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 FE?
A: January 2025

Q: How much does the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 FE cost?
A: Approximately $1,939

Q: What is the bus width of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 FE?
A: 512

Q: What is the effective memory speed of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 FE?
A: 28 GB/s

Q: What is the wattage draw of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 FE?
A: 575W

Stock Markets Drop as Investors Worry About DeepSeek and China’s A.I. Advances

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A Jolt of Panic Hits Big Technology Stocks

A.I. Competition from Chinese Startups Sends Shares Plummeting

A jolt of panic hit big technology stocks on Monday, with investors rattled by fears that advances in artificial intelligence by Chinese startups could threaten the moneymaking power of tech giants in the United States, Europe and beyond.

Nvidia Leads the Decline

The chipmaker Nvidia was one of the hardest hit, falling about 13 percent in early trading, a move that erased hundreds of billions of dollars in market value.

Chinese A.I. Company DeepSeek Makes Waves

The Chinese A.I. company DeepSeek has made waves by matching the abilities of cutting-edge chatbots while using a fraction of the specialized computer chips that leading A.I. companies rely on. This has prompted investors to rethink the large returns they are expecting on the heady valuations of companies like Nvidia, whose equipment powers the most advanced A.I. systems.

Market Reaction

U.S. markets tumbled at the open, with the S&P 500 slumping more than 2 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropping 3.5 percent. Tech stocks also dented markets in Europe and Japan.

Concentration of Pain

The pain was concentrated at companies at the forefront of the A.I. boom, including the multitrillion-dollar behemoths that drove the largest back-to-back annual gains for U.S. markets since the 1990s. Investors have fretted about whether the rally has gone too far, leaving little room for error at the small group of tech firms that now dominates the market.

Analysts Weigh In

For those waiting for something to shake the faith in tech valuations, DeepSeek could be the start of a new phase in how investors think about A.I., said Steve Sosnick, chief strategist at Interactive Brokers. He called the latest reports of increased competition in the industry a “big slap in the face” for investors that could reset the way they calculate risk.

Impact on Other Companies

In addition to Nvidia, other chipmakers like Arm, Broadcom and Micron, and semiconductor equipment specialists like ASML recorded substantial declines in value. Meta, which last week announced a big jump in its spending plans for data centers, the huge warehouses of computers that power artificial intelligence, fell about 1 percent. Google’s parent Alphabet and Microsoft, which have also bet heavily on A.I., fell 3 percent. Oracle, which is a partner in a joint venture with OpenAI and SoftBank unveiled at an event with President Trump last week, fell 8 percent. SoftBank’s stock also shed more than 8 percent of its value in Tokyo.

Conclusion

The turmoil has cast a cloud over the tech giants as Meta, Microsoft, and others prepare to present their latest quarterly earnings this week. Looking past their bumper profits in the past, analysts could aim pointed questions at executives about financial prospects in the future under stiffer global competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the cause of the panic in technology stocks?
A: The panic is caused by the emergence of a Chinese A.I. company called DeepSeek, which has developed a system that matches the abilities of cutting-edge chatbots using a fraction of the specialized computer chips that leading A.I. companies rely on.

Q: Which companies were affected by the decline?
A: Companies such as Nvidia, Arm, Broadcom, Micron, ASML, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and SoftBank were affected by the decline.

Q: What is the significance of the event?
A: The event highlights the growing competition in the A.I. industry and the potential for new entrants to disrupt the market, leading to a reevaluation of the valuations of companies in the space.

How to Remove Copilot from Your Microsoft 365 Plan

How to Get Rid of Microsoft 365 Copilot

Those of you with plain old Microsoft 365 subscriptions may have noticed that Copilot now pops up in Word and other applications in the suite. How did it get there when you didn’t buy or request Copilot and don’t necessarily want it? Blame it on Microsoft’s usual sleight of hand.

How to Disable Copilot in Word

For your first option, you can disable Copilot from Microsoft Word so it doesn’t show up at all. You can’t yet do that for the other applications in the suite, though Microsoft has promised a disable option for Excel, PowerPoint, and the rest sometime in February.

To disable Copilot in Word, go to File in Word, Excel, or another program, select Account, click the Update Options button, and then select Update Now. Even then, you may need to refresh or close and reopen Microsoft 365 a couple of times before the option appears.

To disable Copilot in Word for Windows, click File, select Options, and then select Copilot from the Word Options window. Simply uncheck the box for "Enable Copilot" and click OK. When you return to Word, the Copilot icons and message will be gone.

To disable Copilot in the Mac version of Word, click the Word menu and select Preferences. Open the Copilot icon in the Preferences window and uncheck the box for "Enable Copilot." Close the Preferences window and return to Word to see that Copilot is now gone.

How to Remove Copilot from Your Microsoft 365 Subscription

For your second option, you may want to manage your Microsoft 365 plan to remove Copilot. The change won’t take effect right away. Instead, Copilot waits until your next renewal period to vanish.

You can change your Microsoft 365 subscription to revert to the classic and less expensive non-Copilot plan. The change won’t actually take effect until your next renewal date. But at least switching your plan now will ensure that you’re not automatically renewed at the higher price.

Go to the Microsoft 365 section under Subscriptions on your Microsoft account page if you’re not already there. Click the dropdown box for Manage Subscription and click the link for Cancel Subscription.

Is Copilot Free to Use in Microsoft 365?

Is Microsoft freely bestowing Copilot on customers out of the goodness of its corporate heart? Not quite. There’s a price hike waiting in the wings for you.

For the privilege of using Copilot, US subscribers to Microsoft 365 Personal will end up paying $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month, up from $69.99 per year or $6.99 per month. Subscribers to Microsoft 365 Family would eventually have to cough up $129.99 per year or $12.99 per month, up from $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month.

Can Anyone Try Copilot in Microsoft 365?

Microsoft’s hocus-pocus doesn’t end here. The Copilot built into Microsoft 365 isn’t available to everyone, nor is it unlimited. A Microsoft 365 Family plan normally allows up to six people to take advantage of the different features. But here, only the owner of the plan gets access to Copilot.

Plus, Microsoft doles out the use of Copilot in Microsoft 365 on a credit basis, granting the owner of the plan up to 60 credits per month. Each use of the AI chews up one credit. Try to use more than 60 in a month, and you’ll be stopped and prompted to upgrade to the unlimited and more expensive Copilot Pro plan.

How to View Your Current Microsoft 365 Subscription

To view your current Microsoft 365 subscription, sign into your Microsoft account website. Click the link at the top for "Manage Microsoft 365 Family" or "Manage Microsoft 365 Personal." The resulting page shows you your renewal date, the price you’d pay at that point, and the number of credits you’ve used so far.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s push to add AI to Office with Copilot has been met with frustration and confusion. While Copilot may have its uses, the way it was rolled out has left many users feeling annoyed and unwantedly upgraded. If you’re among those who want to get rid of Copilot, the methods outlined above can help you disable it or change your subscription plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I disable Copilot in Word?
A: You can disable Copilot in Word by going to File, selecting Options, and then selecting Copilot from the Word Options window. Simply uncheck the box for "Enable Copilot" and click OK.

Q: How do I remove Copilot from my Microsoft 365 subscription?
A: You can change your Microsoft 365 subscription to revert to the classic and less expensive non-Copilot plan. The change won’t actually take effect until your next renewal date.

Q: Is Copilot free to use in Microsoft 365?
A: No, Copilot is not free to use in Microsoft 365. There is a price hike waiting in the wings for those who want to use Copilot.

Q: Can anyone try Copilot in Microsoft 365?
A: No, the Copilot built into Microsoft 365 isn’t available to everyone, nor is it unlimited. A Microsoft 365 Family plan normally allows up to six people to take advantage of the different features. But here, only the owner of the plan gets access to Copilot.

Boring Style Guides Put to Shame

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A New Era of Design: Dropbox’s Interactive Brand Guidelines

A Breath of Fresh Air in the World of Style Guides

It’s no secret that style guides can be a little dry sometimes, but file hosting service Dropbox has bucked the trend, unveiling a new brand guideline microsite with a slick interactive twist. With its dynamic UI design and immersive storytelling, the site expertly showcases the creative prowess of Dropbox’s identity, putting a much-needed creative spin on the corporate brand rulebook.

A Treasure Trove of Interactive Experiences

To create a style guide that informs and engages is no mean feat, yet Dropbox’s microsite is a shining example of the future of design, creating a fluid and captivating experience that uplifts its content. From iconography to motion, each curated detail demonstrates Dropbox’s design evolution, ushering in a new era of innovation.

Highlights of the Site

The site’s highlights include the Variable Type Explorer tool, which allows users to explore the flexibility of Dropbox’s custom typeface by adjusting its variations at the click of a button. An interactive Icon Slot Machine brings an element of play to the guide, showcasing the diverse range of iconography and how they combine to form a harmonious design aesthetic.

A Shining Example of the Future of Design

Dropbox’s ambitious new brand guideline site demonstrates that there are creative opportunities to be found in even the most traditionally dry places when it comes to business branding. A shining example of how branding style guides should reflect the essence of a brand’s creativity, Dropbox’s site has set a high standard that hopefully marks the end of plain, static style guides.

Conclusion

Dropbox’s brand guideline site is a game-changer in the world of design, showcasing the power of creativity and innovation in even the most unlikely of places. As a shining example of what can be achieved, it is hoped that other brands will follow in Dropbox’s footsteps and create style guides that are engaging, interactive, and reflect the true essence of their brand.

FAQs

Q: What is Dropbox’s new brand guideline microsite?
A: Dropbox’s new brand guideline microsite is an interactive website that showcases the creative prowess of Dropbox’s identity and provides a unique and engaging way to understand the company’s brand guidelines.

Q: What are some of the highlights of the site?
A: The site includes the Variable Type Explorer tool and the interactive Icon Slot Machine, which allows users to explore the flexibility of Dropbox’s custom typeface and the diversity of its iconography.

Q: What is the purpose of Dropbox’s new brand guideline site?
A: The site is designed to provide a creative and engaging way to understand Dropbox’s brand guidelines, while also showcasing the company’s design evolution and innovation.

Rebellion’s Latest Surprise: A Deliciously Addictive Experience

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Sniper Elite: Resistance Details

Publisher: Rebellion

Developer: Rebellion

Format: Xbox Series X/S (reviewed), PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Asura

Platform: Asura

Release date: 28 January 2025

As befits a game which is all about hiding in long grass and taking out enemies from unfeasible distances, Rebellion’s Sniper Elite franchise has remained firmly below the radar, even while quietly amassing a large and enthusiastic following.

A new protagonist

But Sniper Elite: Resistance does offer some differentiation from its predecessors. For a start, it puts you in control of a different character, giving series protagonist Karl Fairburne a rest. This time around, the fate of the war rests on the broad shoulders of Harry Hawker, like Fairburne an SOE agent. To be frank, I found playing Hawker almost indistinguishable from playing Fairburne – they both have the same moves and skills. Hawker is a tad grittier and more working-class, however, with a trace of Cockney in his accent.

Long, involving missions

Story-wise, Sniper Elite: Resistance is set in a very specific time-frame and location: specifically France, in the lead-up to D-Day. The SOE has got wind of something which could put a serious spanner in D-Day’s works: a super-weapon being developed by Nazi boffins designed to wipe out any Allied invasion force, wherever it may land, elaborate misdirection notwithstanding.

Comforting gameplay

Playing Sniper Elite: Resistance was something like pulling on a comfy sweater: I found the act of plotting my way through serried ranks of Nazis infinitely comforting. As in Sniper Elite 5, all of Resistance’s missions are long and involving, with multiple main objectives along with plenty of hidden ones: extensive exploration was the order of the day, and after completing the campaign, I returned to many missions in search of maxing out the rating given at the end of each one.

Propaganda mode

But Sniper Elite: Resistance has a new mode which I greatly enjoyed. Entitled Propaganda, and unlocked by finding French Resistance propaganda posters in the missions, it offers short but intense blasts of action focusing on one particular form of gameplay. There are three types: sniping, stealth, and frontline combat. Each session is time-limited, but you can earn extra time by, for example, pulling off headshots when sniping or explosive-kills in combat.

Conclusion

In common with previous Sniper Elite instalments, it’s a game that you will find unexpectedly compelling and moreish should you take the plunge and play it. Sniper Elite: Resistance will delight the existing Sniper Elite fanbase, and should, in truth, impress any discerning aficionados of third-person shooters in general. If, given recent events, you’re growing tired of griping about wannabe Nazis, why not work off your frustrations by killing a load of digitally recreated ones?

FAQs

Q: Is Sniper Elite: Resistance a new game?
A: Yes, it is a new game in the Sniper Elite series.

Q: Is it a significant upgrade from Sniper Elite 5?
A: Yes, it offers visual upgrades and a new game mode, Propaganda, which provides a fresh way to play the game.

Q: Is the gameplay similar to Sniper Elite 5?
A: Yes, the gameplay is similar, with a focus on stealth and sniping, but with some new elements added in Propaganda mode.

Q: Is the game only for fans of the series?
A: No, it is suitable for fans of third-person shooters and action games in general.

China’s DeepSeek AI Hitting Nvidia Where It Hurts

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A Chatbot Made by DeepSeek Rockets to Top of Apple’s App Store Charts

A chatbot developed by Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek has become the most downloaded free app in the US, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT, according to recent reports. The AI assistant, also named DeepSeek, is powered by the company’s open-source models, which can be trained at a significantly lower cost and with fewer chips than leading models.

Competitive Advantage

DeepSeek claims to have used only around 2,000 specialized chips from Nvidia to train its V3 model, whereas leading models require 16,000 or more chips. This unverified claim has raised eyebrows among developers and investors, who are questioning the compute-intensive approach favored by leading AI companies. If true, it suggests that DeepSeek engineers had to find innovative solutions to circumvent trade restrictions aimed at ensuring US dominance in AI.

AI Industry Shake-Up

The sudden success of DeepSeek’s chatbot has sent shockwaves through the AI industry. Investors and analysts are now wondering if the massive investments made by companies like Nvidia, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Meta are justified. These companies are investing billions of dollars in AI data centers, with the Stargate Project alone allocating $500 billion, of which $100 billion is earmarked for Nvidia. The decline in pre-market trading for these companies is a clear indication that investors are reevaluating their bets.

Implications for the Industry

The success of DeepSeek’s chatbot raises questions about the future of AI development. Can smaller companies, with fewer resources, compete with the likes of Nvidia and Microsoft? Will the industry see a shift towards more cost-effective and innovative approaches? The answers to these questions will have significant implications for the industry as a whole.

Conclusion

DeepSeek’s chatbot has sent a shockwave through the AI industry, forcing companies and investors to rethink their strategies. The success of this chatbot has shown that it is possible to achieve similar results with significantly fewer resources. As the industry continues to evolve, it is likely that we will see a greater emphasis on innovation and cost-effectiveness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is DeepSeek’s chatbot?
A: DeepSeek’s chatbot is a conversational AI assistant that has become the most downloaded free app in the US, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Q: What is the chatbot’s secret to success?
A: According to DeepSeek, the chatbot’s open-source models can be trained at a fraction of the cost and with fewer chips than leading models.

Q: What are the implications for the AI industry?
A: The success of DeepSeek’s chatbot raises questions about the future of AI development, including whether smaller companies can compete with larger ones and whether the industry will see a shift towards more cost-effective and innovative approaches.

Original Art Shows Black Myth Wukong Character Designs

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Character Art of Black Myth: Wukong

Released last August, Game Science’s action-role play game Black Myth: Wukong quickly became one of the biggest games of the year. And part of that success comes down to the strength of the characters.

Character Performances

We’ve already spoken to performance director Beth Park about how she interpreted the concept art for the character performances. Art director Qi Yang’s gorgeous character art provides more insights into the development of the heroes of the game.

Character Art

Image 1 of 4

(Image credit: Yang Qi)

Image 2 of 4

(Image credit: Yang Qi)

Image 3 of 4

(Image credit: Yang Qi)

Image 4 of 4

(Image credit: Yang Qi)

The Art of Character Development

Qi Yang, co-founder of Game Science, showcases some of his work for Black Myth: Wukong on his ArtStation account. The detailed character art reveals a closer and more intimate look at the figures from the game, depicted in a painterly style with visible brushstrokes that resemble oil paint. The pieces include intricate details such as the tassels and studs in clothing.

Inspiration for Game Art Careers

If you’re inspired, check out our guide to game art careers. Art director Qi Yang’s work on Black Myth: Wukong is a great example of the level of detail and craftsmanship that can go into game development.

Conclusion

Black Myth: Wukong’s character art is a testament to the dedication and skill of the game’s development team. The game’s success is a result of the hard work and attention to detail that has gone into creating its characters, and we can’t wait to see what the team comes up with next.

FAQs

Q: What is Black Myth: Wukong?
A: Black Myth: Wukong is an action-role play game developed by Game Science.

Q: Who is Qi Yang?
A: Qi Yang is the co-founder of Game Science and the art director behind the character art for Black Myth: Wukong.

Q: What is the style of the character art in Black Myth: Wukong?
A: The character art in Black Myth: Wukong is depicted in a painterly style with visible brushstrokes that resemble oil paint.

Laziness vs Eagerness

The Eager Model: Deepseek V3’s Hectic Behavior

In late 2023, people complained about GPT-4 Turbo’s laziness – often the model didn’t complete tasks. Later, OpenAI stated they had fixed this issue in the newer gpt-4-0125-preview. With Deepseek V3 (not to be confused with R1), I observed the opposite behavior – you can get more than you ask for.

A Recent Example

A recent example: I asked Aider (configured with deepseek-chat) to add a small feature to a web app. Besides the changes related to the task, there were additional modifications. The model corrected a few spelling issues in the HTML, which seemed nice, although unrelated to the request. However, it also modified an unrelated piece of JavaScript, breaking an older feature. This made me realize I would prefer the lazy model I was used to over this eager new one full of surprises.

Stress Testing Deepseek V3

With Deepseek V3, I think it goes a bit further. The model can be characterized as hectic and sporadic. Stress testing it in LLM Chess highlights how brittle the model is, demonstrating a high rate of mistakes in completions and frequently breaking the game loop. On average, it stays in the game for 58 moves compared to 190 moves for gpt-4o-2024-11-20. It is also far more verbose than other SOTA models (247 tokens per 1,000 moves vs. 51 tokens for gpt-4o-2024-11-20).

Limitations and Concerns

Deepseek might be a good chat model – i.e., when a human interacts with a chatbot directly, carefully reads the replies, and doesn’t care much about a few details being off. Some might find the model’s eagerness useful in coding, assuming every change is carefully inspected (though are there many who would spend their brain-cycles reviewing the outputs vs. copying-pasting right away).

However, OpenAI and Anthropic have found a better balance between laziness and eagerness. Their models demonstrate better steerability and stability. I would be cautious about applying Deepseek’s models in a larger-scale, multi-user environment with LLMs integrated into complex workflows (prompt chains, agentic flows, outputs consumed by third parties, etc.).

Conclusion

Engineering teams working with LLM integrations know the challenge: you build the product, test it internally, and everything seems fine. Later, you ship the product, and with many more people, you discover how creative users can be in their interactions with the LLM. The tested prompts and models start failing at an alarming rate in production. Model “durability” – its resilience to tricky combinations of tokens in the input (which can unexpectedly provoke hallucinations, break instructions, etc.) — becomes far more important when scaling.

FAQs

Q: What is Deepseek V3?

A: Deepseek V3 is a large language model developed by Deepseek, characterized by its hectic and sporadic behavior.

Q: Is Deepseek V3 suitable for large-scale, multi-user environments?

A: No, due to its brittleness and tendency to break instructions, Deepseek V3 is not recommended for large-scale, multi-user environments.

Q: How does Deepseek V3 compare to other SOTA models?

A: Deepseek V3 is more verbose than other SOTA models, with 247 tokens per 1,000 moves compared to 51 tokens for gpt-4o-2024-11-20.

Q: Is Deepseek V3 suitable for chatbots?

A: Yes, Deepseek V3 might be suitable for chatbots, as it can provide more responses than requested, but it may not be the best choice for complex workflows or large-scale environments.

A.I. Adoption in the Military Is Too Rapid

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Militaries’ Reliance on Artificial Intelligence Systems Raises Concerns

The Pentagon’s Push for A.I. Integration

Militaries are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence (A.I.) systems to make decisions about who or what to target and how to do it. The Pentagon is considering incorporating A.I. into many military tasks, potentially amplifying risks and introducing new and serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities. With Donald Trump’s administration in place, the tech industry is moving full steam ahead in its push to integrate A.I. products across the defense establishment, which could make a dangerous situation even more perilous for national security.

Partnerships and Initiatives

In recent months, technology industries have announced a slew of new partnerships and initiatives to integrate A.I. technologies into deadly weaponry. OpenAI, a company that has touted safety as a core principle, announced a new partnership with the defense tech startup Anduril, marking its entry into the military market. Anduril and Palantir, a data analytics firm, are in talks to form a consortium with a group of competitors to bid jointly for defense contracts. In November, Meta announced agreements to make its A.I. models available to the defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen. Earlier in the year, the Pentagon selected the A.I. startup Scale AI to help with the testing and evaluation of large language models across a range of uses, including military planning and decision-making.

Concerns and Risks

Proponents argue that the integration of A.I. foundation models can help the United States retain its technological advantage. However, some of our country’s defense leaders have expressed concerns. Gen. Mark Milley recently said in a speech at Vanderbilt University that these systems are a "double-edged sword," posing real dangers in addition to potential benefits. In 2023, the Navy’s chief information officer Jane Rathbun said that commercial language models, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Google’s Gemini, won’t be ready for operational military use until security control requirements had been "fully investigated, identified and approved for use within controlled environments."

Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

U.S. military agencies have previously used A.I. systems developed under the Pentagon’s Project Maven to identify targets for subsequent weapons strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. These systems and their analogues can speed up the process of selecting and attacking targets using image recognition. However, they have had problems with accuracy and can introduce greater potential for error. A 2021 test of one experimental target recognition program revealed an accuracy rate as low as 25 percent, a stark contrast from its professed rate of 90 percent.

Foundation models are even more worrisome from a cybersecurity perspective. As most people who have played with a large language model know, foundation models frequently "hallucinate," asserting patterns that do not exist or producing nonsense. This means that they may recommend the wrong targets. Worse still, because we can’t reliably predict or explain their behavior, the military officers supervising these systems may be unable to distinguish correct recommendations from erroneous ones.

Conclusion

The integration of A.I. foundation models into military systems raises serious concerns about national security. Rather than grapple with these potential threats, the White House is encouraging full speed ahead. Mr. Trump has already repealed an executive action issued by the Biden administration that tried to address these concerns — an indication that the White House will be ratcheting down its regulation of the sector, not scaling it up.

FAQs

Q: What are A.I. foundation models?
A: A.I. foundation models are systems trained on very large pools of data and capable of a range of general tasks.

Q: What are the concerns about A.I. foundation models in the military?
A: The concerns include the potential for errors, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and the reliance on sensitive data.

Q: What is the current state of A.I. integration in the military?
A: The Pentagon is considering incorporating A.I. into many military tasks, and technology industries are announcing new partnerships and initiatives to integrate A.I. technologies into deadly weaponry.

Q: What are the potential risks of A.I. integration in the military?
A: The potential risks include the amplification of risks and the introduction of new and serious cybersecurity vulnerabilities.