Episode 388
📍 OpenAI has released o3-mini, a cost-efficient AI model that advances the boundaries of what small models can achieve, in response to DeepSeek's R1 model that matched top-tier performance at a fraction of the computational cost.
📍 The o3-mini model is part of OpenAI's "o" family of AI models focused on reasoning tasks, which are less creative but more capable of solving complex problems, and is available in three versions: low, medium, and high, with varying levels of inference and pricing.
📍 The release of o3-mini is seen as a competitive move against DeepSeek, which had triggered a massive tech selloff that wiped nearly $1 trillion from U.S. markets, and OpenAI is trying to close the efficiency gap with its new model, which runs 24% faster than its predecessor and matches or beats older models on key benchmarks while costing less to operate.
📍 Meanwhile, in the crypto market, Bitcoin's price has been volatile, influenced by news such as DeepSeek's AI model release, Trump's tariffs, and Tether's announcement of digital dollars on the Bitcoin network, with the coin currently sitting comfortably above $100,000 despite substantial swings fueled by the news cycle.
📍 Tether's move to bring its native USDT token to the Bitcoin network is seen as a significant development, allowing millions of people to use the most open, secure blockchain to send dollars globally, and could potentially increase the adoption and usage of Bitcoin.
