🗞️In this edition

• •DeepSeek’s new V3.1 challenges U.S. AI leaders

• •Workflow Wednesday #33 ‘AI Experimentation’

• •Nvidia plans blackwell-based B30A for China

• • In other AI news –

  • •Meta AI dubs Instagram videos with lip-sync translation

  • •Google Gemini can now read Docs aloud

  • •Excel Copilot fills spreadsheet cells with AI

  • •Qwen-Image Edit rivals Photoshop with instant AI edits

• • 4 must-try AI tools

Open source DeepSeek V3.1 challenges closed models from OpenAI and Anthropic

♨️News –  Chinese startup DeepSeek has released its most ambitious system yet, a 685-billion parameter model called DeepSeek V3.1. The model appeared quietly on Hugging Face but quickly gained attention after early tests showed performance on par with top systems from OpenAI and Anthropic, while remaining freely available as open source.

👨‍💻Fast facts –

• Scored 71.6% on the Aider coding benchmark, ahead of Claude Opus 4.

• Delivers results at about $1 per coding task compared to nearly $70 for rivals.

• Processes up to 128,000 tokens, roughly equal to a 400-page book.

• Uses a hybrid design that combines chat, reasoning, and coding functions.

• Open access contrasts sharply with the closed, API-driven models of U.S. firms.

🤓OpenTools POV –  DeepSeek V3.1 signals a shift in how frontier AI is developed and shared. By matching top performance while staying open source, it raises tough questions for American companies built on closed and costly access.

This Week in Workflow Wednesday #33: AI Experimentation

 Experiment Smarter: Organizing Workflows with Saner.AI
This week we’re testing how AI can completely reshape your workflow. Saner.AI pulls in your tasks, notes, emails, and calendar, then layers AI on top to keep you focused and moving fast.

Step 1: Start on the Home Screen
Get an AI-generated daily plan that highlights urgent tasks and quick wins.

Step 2: Connect Your Data
Sync Gmail, Drive, or Calendar…We break it all down in this week’s issue, along with 2 other AI workflows……We break it all down in this week’s issue, along with 2 other AI workflows.

Nvidia weighs new blackwell-based AI chip for China market

☕News – Nvidia is weighing new product options after reports that it is working on an AI chip for China that could be more powerful than its current H20 model. The chip, called the B30A, is said to be built on Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture and may reach Chinese clients for testing as soon as next month.

👨‍💻Fast facts –

• According to reports the B30A is designed as a stronger alternative to the H20.

• Nvidia said all products comply with government rules and approvals.

• Company shares fell more than 3 percent on Tuesday.

• Nvidia and AMD recently agreed to give the U.S. government 15 percent of their China sales to keep selling in the region.

• President Trump has signaled he may allow scaled-down versions of advanced chips to be sold in China.

🤓OpenTools POV – This shows how Nvidia is trying to keep its edge in China while navigating complex U.S. trade restrictions. The real test will be whether regulators view the B30A as a safe compromise or another flashpoint in the chip race.

🙆🏻‍♀️What else is happening?

• Meta’s AI translation tool can dub your Instagram videos // You can even have Meta AI match the movement of your lips to the translated audio

• Google Gemini can now read your Docs aloud // You can customize Gemini’s voice and playback speed

• Microsoft Excel adds Copilot AI to help fill in spreadsheet cells // The new ‘COPILOT’ function uses AI to generate summaries, tags, tables, and more based on a group of cells

• Qwen-Image Edit gives Photoshop a run for its money with AI-powered text-to-image edits that work in seconds // Qwen-Image-Edit extends the system’s unique strengths in text rendering to cover a wide spectrum of editing tasks, from subtle appearance changes to broader semantic transformations

👩🏼‍🚒Discover mind-blowing AI tools

1. Learn How to Use AI - Starting January 8, 2025, we’re launching Workflow Wednesday, a series where we teach you how to use AI effectively. Lock in early bird pricing now and secure your spot. Check it out here

2. Vidnoz - A tool that allows users to create talking avatar videos by simply selecting a photo and writing a script

3. PitchPower - A software service that helps consultants and agencies create powerful proposals quickly

4. Stackbear - A no-code platform that allows you to create custom AI chatbots based on your own content