This year, a Chinese-developed robot delivered the first shock to the stock markets after claiming to have stolen a march on US tech power. It’s been a story of technology and taxes. Technology editors Robert Booth and Dan Milmo covered the ramifications of DeepSeek, a less expensive and energy-consuming AI tool than Silicon Valley rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, for our big story.
Within days of DeepSeek’s stealth launch, its download charts had soared up but just as quickly. Testers also pointed out its limitations when questioned on contentious Chinese history. With the help of typical Turing test questions we, however, report that all chatbots on the market have their limitations. And, as commentator writes, the real shock of the new pretender owes more to economics than technical developments.
Meanwhile, barely recovered from their tech tremors, the markets reeled again as Donald Trump unveiled his promised tariff tactics. China upheld Trump’s demands by imposing its own tariffs on US imports, while Mexico and Canada received a month’s reprieve after agreeing to shore up their borders against his claims of migrants and illegal drugs entering the US. This edition of Guardian Weekly offers a chance to reflect on these two internationally significant events in a week when the news, it seems, never had a moment to breathe.
Five essential reads in this week’s edition
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Spotlight | My home was crushed and buried
Gaza-based reporter records her family’s arduous walk back to Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, the joy of making her way home but the sorrow of the destruction she saw -
Environment | Why are icebreakers so popular in the Arctic?
While Donald Trump seems intent on securing Greenland, our Nordic correspondent speaks to local experts, who explain that it will be no mean feat to control shipping routes through the prized Northwest Passage -
Feature | My inside story
Louise Lancaster, who was imprisoned for her role in the Just Stop Oil protests in the UK, reflects on prison conditions and what she has learned from her time in prison. -
Opinion | Labour is giving everything to the god of GDP.
The government is committing environmental vandalism via chancellor Rachel Reeves’ push for growth at all costs and is no better than its Tory predecessors, says -
Culture | Bridget Jones is back
As the ultimate singleton returns, older and wiser after 25 years, the star and creator of the new movie, Renée Zellweger and Helen Fielding, tell why her appeal hasn’t dimmed
What else we’ve been reading
This sweet tale of an” AI granny” chatbot named Daisy, which was meant to stifle telephone fraudsters with a stream of obtrusive inquiries about cups of tea, knitting, and how computers work, slightly stifled wider concerns about the direction of artificial intelligence. Graham Snowdon, editor
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