Entertainment
DeepSeek AI might be smarter than OpenAIs smartest AI, and you can try it out now
There’s a new AI player in town, and you might want to pay attention to this one.
On Monday, Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek launched a new, open-source large language model called DeepSeek R1.
According to DeepSeek, R1 wins over other popular LLMs (large language models) such as OpenAI in several important benchmarks, and it’s especially good with mathematical, coding, and reasoning tasks.
DeepSeek R1 is actually a refinement of DeepSeek R1 Zero, which is an LLM that was trained without a conventionally used method called supervised fine-tuning. This made it very capable in certain tasks, but as DeepSeek itself puts it, Zero had “poor readability and language mixing.” Enter R1, which fixes these issues by incorporating “multi-stage training and cold-start data” before it was trained with reinforcement learning.
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Arcane technical language aside (the details are online if you’re interested), there are several key things you should know about DeepSeek R1. First, it’s open source, meaning it’s up for scrutiny from experts, which should alleviate concerns about privacy and security. Second, it’s free to use as a web app, while API access is very cheap ($0.14 for one million input tokens, compared to OpenAI’s $7.5 for its most powerful reasoning model, o1).
Most importantly, this thing is very, very capable. To test it out, I immediately threw it into deep waters, asking it to code a fairly complex web app which needed to parse publicly available data, and create a dynamic website with travel and weather information for tourists. Amazingly, DeepSeek produced completely acceptable HTML code right away, and was able to further refine the site based on my input while improving and optimizing the code on its own along the way.
I’ll do all of that…tomorrow.
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable / DeepSeek
I also asked it to improve my chess skills in five minutes, to which it replied with a number of neatly organized and very useful tips (my chess skills did not improve, but only because I was too lazy to actually go through with DeepSeek’s suggestions).
I then asked DeepSeek to prove how smart it is in exactly three sentences. Bad move by me, as I, the human, am not nearly smart enough to verify or even fully understand any of the three sentences. Notice, in the screenshot below, that you can see DeepSeek’s “thought process” as it figures out the answer, which is perhaps even more fascinating than the answer itself.
We get it, you’re smart.
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable / DeepSeek
It’s impressive to use. But as ZDnet noted, in the background of all this are training costs which are orders of magnitude lower than for some competing models, as well as chips which aren’t as powerful as the chips that are on disposal for U.S. AI companies. DeepSeek thus shows that extremely clever AI with reasoning ability doesn’t have to be extremely expensive to train — or to use.
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Artificial Intelligence
Entertainment
Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
Mother figures are the backbone of the world. Yours may be your biological mother, or maybe she’s your mother-in-law, your best friend’s mom, or simply someone whose motherly instinct has helped you through hard times.
Moms teach you the adulting necessities, give advice even if the problem is your fault, and above all, they put up with your shit and (almost) never complain.
The game plan here isn’t just to snag the last bouquet at CVS just so you’re not the kid who forgot Mother’s Day (but definitely also get flowers). And you don’t even need to spend a lot of money. (Peep our list of Mother’s Day gifts that cost less than $50. Want even more cheap gift ideas?
Skip the generic mugs and show your appreciation with a gift picked just for her: Whether it’s something to make a part of her life easier, something she’s mentioned wanting in passing, or simply something to make her feel like a damn queen, you can’t put a price on everything she’s done for you, but heartfelt gifts certainly help.
After all, they say “No matter how hard you try, you always end up like your mother.” But is that even a bad thing?
Entertainment
Ban subscriptions and get Microsoft Office 2024 for life for just £121
TL;DR: Grab Microsoft Office 2024 Home and Business for PC or Mac for just £120.54 through June 1.
You wouldn’t keep paying for Netflix if you could own your favorite shows, right? So why are you still subscribing to Office apps you use every day? Microsoft 365’s price keeps going up, but there’s finally a way to break free — and it’ll cost you way less in the long run.
Microsoft Office 2024 is the answer you’ve been looking for. Instead of monthly payments, simply pay £120.54 once and be set for life (reg. £188.37). It’s that simple. And, yes, this lifetime download works for PC or Mac.
What’s included?
This license comes with:
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Word
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Excel
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PowerPoint
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Outlook
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OneNote
The newest version of Microsoft Office is a little different from Microsoft 365. But just because you’re switching to a lifetime license doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on some of the most recent updates. Word and Excel both still have AI integrations for text suggestions and smart data analysis, and PowerPoint still has improved tools for recorded presentations.
Once you’ve redeemed your purchase, you can install your apps on one computer. After that, they’re yours to use however you want. No more subscription fees or sudden price hikes to worry about.
Why rent when you can own?
Mashable Deals
Get a Microsoft Office lifetime license on sale for £120.54 with no coupon needed.
StackSocial prices subject to change.
Entertainment
Wordle today: Answer, hints for May 9, 2025
Oh hey there! If you’re here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we’re serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today’s answer.
If you just want to be told today’s word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today’s Wordle solution revealed. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
Where did Wordle come from?
Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once.
Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.
What happened to the Wordle archive?
The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website’s creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.
Is Wordle getting harder?
It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn’t any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle‘s Hard Mode if you’re after more of a challenge, though.
Here’s a subtle hint for today’s Wordle answer:
Gibberish.
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Does today’s Wordle answer have a double letter?
There are no recurring letters.
Today’s Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with…
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter T.
The Wordle answer today is…
Get your last guesses in now, because it’s your final chance to solve today’s Wordle before we reveal the solution.
Drumroll please!
The solution to today’s Wordle is…
TRIPE.
Don’t feel down if you didn’t manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we’ll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.
Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today’s Strands.
Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Not the day you’re after? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Wordle.
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Best Mothers Day gifts: Show mom some love
