Microsoft has open-sourced Phi-4, a compact and efficient small language model, on Hugging Face under the MIT license. This decision highlights a shift towards transparency and collaboration in the AI community, offering developers and researchers new opportunities.What Is Microsoft Phi-4?Phi-4 is a 14-billion-parameter language model developed with a focus on data quality and efficiency. Unlike many models relying heavily on organic data sources, Phi-4 incorporates high-quality synthetic data generated through innovative methods such as multi-agent prompting, instruction reversal, and self-revision workflows. These techniques enhance its reasoning and problem-solving capabilities, making it suitable for tasks requiring nuanced understanding.Phi-4 is built on a decoder-only Transformer architecture with an extended context length of 16k tokens, ensuring versatility for applications involving large inputs. Its pretraining involved approximately 10 trillion tokens, leveraging a mix of synthetic and highly curated organic data to achieve strong performance on benchmarks like MMLU and HumanEval.Features and BenefitsCompact and Accessible: Runs effectively on consumer-grade hardware.Reasoning-Enhanced: Outperforms its predecessor and larger models on STEM-focused tasks.Customizable: Supports fine-tuning with diverse synthetic datasets tailored for domain-specific needs.Easy Integration: Available on Hugging Face with detailed documentation and APIs.Why Open Source?Open-sourcing Phi-4 fosters collaboration, transparency, and wider adoption. Key motivations include:Collaborative Improvement: Researchers and developers can refine the models performance.Educational Access: Freely available tools enable learning and experimentation.Versatility for Developers: Phi-4s performance and accessibility make it an attractive choice for real-world applications.Technical Innovations in Phi-4Phi-4s development was guided by three pillars:Synthetic Data: Generated using multi-agent and self-revision techniques, synthetic data forms the core of Phi-4s training process, enhancing reasoning capabilities and reducing dependency on organic data.Post-Training Enhancements: Techniques such as rejection sampling and Direct Preference Optimization (DPO) improve output quality and alignment with human preferences.Decontaminated Training Data: Rigorous filtering processes ensured the exclusion of overlapping data with benchmarks, improving generalization.Phi-4 also leverages Pivotal Token Search (PTS) to identify critical decision-making points in its responses, refining its ability to handle reasoning-heavy tasks efficiently.Accessing Phi-4Phi-4 is hosted on Hugging Face under the MIT license. Users can:Access the models code and documentation.Fine-tune it for specific tasks using provided datasets and tools.Leverage APIs for seamless integration into projects.Impact on AIBy lowering barriers to advanced AI tools, Phi-4 promotes:Research Growth: Facilitates experimentation in areas like STEM and multilingual tasks.Enhanced Education: Provides a practical learning resource for students and educators.Industry Applications: Enables cost-effective solutions for challenges like customer support, translation, and document summarization.Phi-4s release has been well-received, with developers sharing fine-tuned adaptations and innovative applications. Its ability to excel in STEM reasoning benchmarks demonstrates its potential to redefine what small language models can achieve. Microsofts collaboration with Hugging Face is expected to lead to more open-source initiatives, furthering innovation in AI.ConclusionThe open-sourcing of Phi-4 reflects Microsofts commitment to democratizing AI. By making a powerful language model freely available, the company enables a global community to innovate and collaborate. As Phi-4 continues to find diverse applications, it exemplifies the transformative potential of open-source AI in advancing research, education, and industry.Check out Twitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. Dont Forget to join our60k+ ML SubReddit. Asif RazzaqAsif Razzaq is the CEO of Marktechpost Media Inc.. As a visionary entrepreneur and engineer, Asif is committed to harnessing the potential of Artificial Intelligence for social good. His most recent endeavor is the launch of an Artificial Intelligence Media Platform, Marktechpost, which stands out for its in-depth coverage of machine learning and deep learning news that is both technically sound and easily understandable by a wide audience. The platform boasts of over 2 million monthly views, illustrating its popularity among audiences. [Recommended Read] Nebius AI Studio expands with vision models, new language models, embeddings and LoRA (Promoted)

It's that time of year. On January 22, Samsung will host its biannual Galaxy Unpacked Event, where they will announce their new line of 2025 Galaxy S smartphones. This is also when preorders go live. In advance of the event, you can place a reservation online in order to get it on some early bird perks if you end up placing a preorder. These include:A bonus $50 Samsung creditUp to $1,250+ in additional savings (most likely from trade-ins)A chance to even their sweepstakes for $5,000 in Samsung creditIf you're even slightly interested in getting your hands on the new 2025 Galaxy S25 smartphone, there's no reason not to reserve. Since this isn't a pre-order, you don't have to place any kind of deposit, and there's no commitment to buy.Reserve the Upcoming Samsung Galaxy S SmartphonePreorders go live on January 22.See it at SamsungAlthough Samsung is tight-lipped about the details, we can infer that the new Galaxy S phones will be dubbed "S25" (last year's series was the S24) and will very likely come in its usual three variants: the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra, with a potential fourth model - the Galaxy S25 "Slim" - being unveiled as well. The Galaxy S24 Ultra was our favorite Android phone of 2024. In our Galaxy S24 Ultra review review, Jacqueline Thomas wrote that "The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is an incredible smartphone. It might look like yet another Galaxy device, but its titanium chassis and powerful processor makes this a durable gaming phone that can outrace the best of them."The less expensive Galaxy S24 Plus was also a solid winner in our books. In our Galaxy S24 Plus review, Mark Knapp wrote that "The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best Android phone you can buy right now, but at $1299, it really needs to be. This is not only the fastest gaming phone you can buy today, but with its premium Titanium chassis, it might just be the most durable. Samsung is sweetening the deal a bit by adding a huge variety of AI tools, but many of them will probably be forgotten after you've been using the phone for a while. Still, don't let that get you down: if you want a premium Android phone in 2024, it's hard to imagine getting anything else.Since the Galaxy S25 will be Samsung's new flagship phone, we expect improvements across the board. Galaxy S phones are well noted for their excellent build quality and premium aesthetic, powerful components, and a best-in-class camera. The incorporation of AI has been at the forefront of CES 2025 and I expect Samsung to follow suit with its own Galaxy AI algorithm. Rumors abound but concrete details are still wanting. We will all find out soon enough, and if the phone beats expectations, you'd be glad that you reserved in advance.For more big tech news for this month, check out our CES 2025 hub for all of the latest updates.Why Should You Trust IGN's Deals Team?IGN's deals team has a combined 30+ years of experience finding the best discounts in gaming, tech, and just about every other category. We don't try to trick our readers into buying things they don't need at prices that aren't worth buying something at. Our ultimate goal is to surface the best possible deals from brands we trust and our editorial team has personal experience with. You can check out our deals standards here for more information on our process, or keep up with the latest deals we find on IGN's Deals account on Twitter.Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.

If you're looking for Squid Game X codes in Roblox, IGN's got you covered! In this article, you'll find a list of active and working Squid Game X codes in January 2025 that you can redeem for free rewards, including money to spend on outfits in the in-game store.The Squid Game X codes below have been tested as working at the time of submission. However, codes with unknown expiry dates may stop working at any time. Spotted a new code or one has expired? Let us know in the comments!Active Squid Game X Codes (January 2025)Here are all the active Squid Game X codes in January 2025 and the free rewards you get for redeeming them:PENTA: $35 (NEW!)150KLIKES: $55 (NEW!)UPDATE11RELEASE: $75 (NEW!)MINGLE: $45 (NEW!)$100K$: $50 (NEW!)All Expired Squid Game X CodesThe following Squid Game X codes no longer work and can't be redeemed as of January 2025:UPDATE7RELEASE$100M$BAXTRIX_2*100KLIKES*^100MIL^+80KLIKES+75MIL20KCONCHow to Redeem Squid Game X Codes in RobloxFollow the steps below to redeem Squid Game X codes and claim free rewards in the Roblox Experience:Open the Squid Game X Roblox Experience.Once in the dormitory, you'll see a group of tiles on the left side of your screen.Click on the blue bird icon underneath the shopping basket icon to open the Codes menu.Input your code into the "Enter Code" field, double-checking for typos.Press Enter and if active, your code will be redeemed.Why Isn't My Squid Game X Code Working?If the Squid Game X code you're trying to redeem isn't working, it's likely because of one of the following reasons:The Squid Game X code is expiredThere's a typo or accidental space in the codeWhen inputting a Squid Game X code into Roblox, ensure it's spelled correctly and that there are no accidental spaces before or after the code. We'd recommend copying and pasting codes straight from this page to ensure they're correct as we've tested and verified them.If the Squid Game X code still isn't working, it's more than likely expired and can no longer be redeemed.How to Get More Squid Game X CodesOutside of bookmarking this article, the best way to get more Squid Game X codes as soon as they become available is to join the redifi Roblox Community. The creator posts new codes there the second they're released. Meg Koepp is a Guides Editor on the IGN Guides team, with a focus on trends. When she's not working, you can find her playing an RPG or making miniatures.

In the Lost Lands, a film adaptation of a George R.R. Martin short story starring Dave Bautista, has received a wild official trailer.Guardian of the Galaxy actor Bautista stars alongside Milla Jovovich while Resident Evil director Paul W. S. Anderson directs. In the Lost Lands is based on a short story of the same name and the trailer lists a theatrical release "this winter," though Martin himself said March 7 in his latest blog post."A Queen sends the powerful and feared sorceress Gray Alys to the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands in search of a magical power, where the sorceress and her guide, the drifter Boyce, must outwit and outfight man and demon," the synopsis reads.Jovovich plays Gray Alys while Bautista plays Boyce, and the trailer shows plenty of action on both sides as well as a handful of meetings between the two.In the Lost Land - Official Trailer StillsThe film has been floating around for almost a decade having been announced in 2015, with Jovovich incredibly cast that early too. It grew dormant for several years before finally emerging again in 2021, and four years later is finally ready for release.The film likely has a lot of pressure behind it given Martin's previous adaptation, Game of Thrones, has become one of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time.Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Tiny heroes, huge drama! A REAL BUGS LIFE is back for a thrilling second season thats bigger and bolder than ever. Inspired by the world of Disney and Pixars A Bugs Life, the Disney+ original series from National Geographic takes us on another extraordinary adventure into the micro-bug world where the forces of nature play out on a completely different scale and miniature creatures rely on amazing superpowers to make it through each day.Check out an exclusive clip from the series before its release on January 15!Just a little over a week before the movie drops, Universal decided to reveal the appearance of the titular The Wolf Man in their upcoming horror movie.Awards season is heating up, which means the Gloden Globes have come and gone. Here are the winners from the show this past Sunday, highlighted by The Brutalist and Shogun.The 82nd Golden Globe Awards are well underway tonight, with Nikki Glaser hosting the annual ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Emilia Prez leads the film category with a total of 10 nominations, becoming the most nominated comedy or musical film in Golden Globes history, while FXs The Bear leads the TV category with five. Ahead of the ceremony tonight, Viola Davis and Ted Danson were presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award and the Carol Burnett Award, respectively.Read more at HypeBeastSpeaking of awards season, SAG announced their nominations for the ceremony.The 2025 SAG Awards nominations have been revealed. Wicked leads this years film nominations with five nods, followed by A Complete Unknown with four nods and Emilia Prez and Anora with three nominations each. All four films are nominated for the SAG Awards top prize of best cast, along with Conclave, which landed two nominations, as did The Last Showgirl.Read more at THRThe NFL Playoffs are this weekend! Discover all you need to know to stay up-to-date with the final 14 teams alive for the Super Bowl.After the Detroit Lions victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, all six wild-card matchups for the 2024 NFL playoffs are set. The Lions are the 1-seed in the NFC, while the Kansas City Chiefs are the 1-seed in the AFC. Both teams have byes to the divisional round and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!Read more about the NFL Playoffs here

If youre experiencing issues sending or receiving money with Apple Cash today, youre not alone. Apple says its Apple Cash service is experiencing a multi-hour outage on Wednesday. The outage is seemingly only impacting Apple Cash, which is Apples peer-to-peer payment platform akin to Venmo, Zelle, and Cash app. If you try accessing your Apple Cash account, youll see an infinitely-spinning loading wheel. The Wallet app may suggest that you need to Set Up Apple Cash, even if youve used it without issue before. Meanwhile, Apple Pay, the contactless payment platform, appears to be functioning normally.Apple Cash users have taken to social media to complain about issues with the service. Apples System Status webpage says there has been an issue with Apple Cash since 10 a.m. ET/7 a.m. PT today.Apple Cash Issue Today, 10:01 AM Ongoing Some users are affected: Some users may experience issues with this service. Theres no word on when this outage will be resolved. Have you had any issues with Apple Cash today? Let us know down in the comments. Follow Chance:Threads,Bluesky,Instagram, andMastodon.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Apples AirPods lineup is stronger than ever following the launch of AirPods 4, which now include many features formerly exclusive to AirPods Pro 2. But for me personally, there are still three key Pro-exclusive features that make the more expensive AirPods worth the upgrade.Up to 2x better noise cancellationThis is a big one for me. While the high-end AirPods 4 model does include ANC (Active Noise Cancellation), its roughly half as powerful as whats found in AirPods Pro 2.I use my AirPods Pro 2 all throughout the work day, and ANC is turned on nearly that whole time.Improved ANC was one of the big features that convinced me to upgrade from the original AirPods Pro to AirPods Pro 2. And Im looking forward to an even more powerful noise cancelling experience with AirPods Pro 3.All that to say, I wouldnt want to go back to a less capable ANC feature with AirPods 4.Hearing health features iOS 18.1 gave AirPods Pro 2 three powerful new features focused on hearing health:Hearing TestHearing AidHearing ProtectionPer my test results, I have little to no hearing loss at this point. Otherwise Hearing Aid would be an especially key feature for me.Regardless, having the always-active Hearing Protection feature could help prevent such loss from occurring in the future. And I never would have known the state of my hearing in the first place if it wasnt for Apples test.However much you need or dont need AirPods Pro 2s hearing health features, they undoubtedly offer a huge advantage over AirPods 4 for lots of users.Better battery lifeAirPods Pro 2 offer up to 6 hours of listening per charge. AirPods 4, meanwhile, only provide up to 5.A 20% battery boost comes in especially handy when you use AirPods as much as I do. I almost never hear the low-battery indicator with my AirPods Pro 2, but I suspect it would be a more regular issue with less battery to work with.AirPods Pro 2 feature wrap-upComparing AirPods Pro 2s $249 retail price to the high-end AirPods 4s $179, Im very happy to pay that extra $80 to get the Pro-exclusive features. If youre able to get AirPods Pro 2 for as low as $189 (the current price on Amazon), Apples Pro model becomes even more of a no-brainer.Which AirPods model do you prefer and why? Let us know in the comments.Best AirPods Pro accessoriesAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Skip to main contentCheck out these Year of the Snake accessories for iPhone, AirPods, Mac Zac Hall|Jan 8 2025 - 9:30 am PTMissing out on those super limited edition Year of the Snake AirPods 4? Apple has stocked a ton of exclusive Year of the Snake accessories for iPhone, AirPods, Mac, and more. From iPhone cases and MagSafe battery packs to laptop bags and charging solutions, theres plenty of Lunar New Year swag that isnt limited to China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan like those AirPods.Year of the Snake productsEach of these products have special designs that add plenty of Lunar New Year flare to your Apple products. The Year of the Snake designs are exclusive to Apple.Anker Charger (30W with USB-C Cable) [Apple, Amazon] Bellroy Travel Organizer [Apple]Bellroy Caddy for 13- and 14-inch Mac Laptops [Apple] Belkin BoostChargePro Magnetic Power Bank 5K [Apple, Amazon]OtterBox Lumen Series Case for iPhone 16, Plus, Pro, Pro Max OtterBox Rugged Case for AirTag [Apple]Satechi Magnetic Wallet Stand, MagSafe compatible [Apple]Tech21 EvoArt for AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods MaxTech21 EvoArt for AirTag [Apple]Artists credited with these unique designs: Sylvia Chu for Bellroy and Jane Liu for OtterBox.Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel Featuredfrom 9to5Mac9to5Mac Logo iOS 19: Everything we know so far Chance MillerJan 7 2025 Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news: CommentsGuidesNewsManage push notificationsAllPost

A West Coast-based real estate mogul and Elon Musk fan named Keith Wasserman triggered a tidal wave of schadenfreude on social media after begging for "private firefighters" to come "protect our home" in the city as it's menaced by raging wildfires.Los Angeles has been battling with several out-of-control fires this week, prompting evacuations. Well over a thousand structures have burned down already, and fires are expected to grow due to growing winds.In a Wednesday tweet, Wasserman begged for help, asking if anybody had "access to private firefighters to protect our home in Pacific Palisades.""Need to act fast here," he wrote. "All neighbors houses burning. Will pay any amount. Thank you."But Wasserman didn't get much pity online. Instead, he was swiftly mocked for asking for special treatment while thousands of Californians had no choice but to leave their homes behind especially because, netizens were quick to point, a mere three months ago, Wasserman begged president-elect Donald Trump to cut taxes."Homeboy went from 'Real estate ballers dont pay taxes' to 'will pay anything for private firefighters' real quick," one user wrote in a Threads post.The ensuing media coverage appears to have been too much for Wasserman, who promptly deactivated his X account. That's despite praising X owner Elon Musk for purportedly bringing "free speech" to the platform just days earlier and calling the Tesla Cybertruck which he appears to own himself "one badass machine."Wasserman's anti-tax posts got special attention, since one purpose of taxation is to pay for services and programsincluding fire departments. Specifically, residents in Los Angeles also pay a special tax for essential fire suppression and emergency medical services."Avoiding taxes so you can afford private firefighters whilst your neighbors burn," another user tweeted. "Capitalist dystopia.""'I will pay any amount for a private service that helps only me, but I will pay nothing for a public service that helps everyone,'" one Bluesky user wrote mockingly.Other users poked fun at Wasserman for becoming the poster child of late-stage capitalism, the concept that the inequities of modern-day capitalism, including a widening wealth gap and concentration of power, have reached their finaland most exploitative stage. (Meanwhile, ultra-rich preppers are building bunkers to save themselves from a crisis of their own making.)All the mockery didn't go unnoticed."So here are all the trolls!" Wasserman tweeted in response, before deactivating his account. "Hello trolls!"Besides arguing that he was only "trying to protect homes," though, Wasserman didn't have much to add to the conversation.A mere three days ago, long before the wildfires started engulfing the Los Angeles area, the real estate investor tweeted that "Pacific Palisades is the most hidden gem neighborhood in LA."Now that the specific neighborhood is being evacuated while being surrounded by fierce flames, another user was quick to point out the irony of the situation."This didnt age well," another user responded.And even if he did manage to buy his way to private firefighting services, others pointed out, it's nearly impossible to entirely cut yourself off from common resources."Even if you *do* manage to find private firefighters, youre going to have to find a water source," posted another critic. "They all want to disappear on a lifeboat and leave the rest of us to drown or burn. But ultimately there is no durable lifeboat without 'the rest of us.'"We were unable to reach Wasserman due to him suspending his account.More on the fires: NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab Evacuated as Los Angeles BurnsShare This Article

It's a rapidly changing situation.Battle of Los AngelesNASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, the agency's research and development center that's been at the cutting edge of space exploration for decades, is under an evacuation order due to the devastating wildfires currently ravishing the city.Ironically, the center has been at the forefront of studying the science of wildfires, from air quality measurements to the analysis of carbon monoxide emissions caused by blazes.Now the facility, which is located in Pasadena roughly half an hour's drive from downtown LA, had to shut its doors due to an encroaching wildfire dubbed Eaton.The entire region has been battling with a number of raging and wind-fueled wildfires, threatening the homes of thousands of Californians an increasingly common phenomenon as climate change rears its ugly head."My heart goes out to those affected by the Palisades Fire in Southern California," NASA administrator Bill Nelson wrote in a statement on X-formerly-Twitter. "Many in our NASA family, including our teams at Armstrong and JPL, are affected. Grace and I are praying for their safety and the safety of the first responders battling the blaze."Fanning the FlamesThe Sunshine State has been suffering from a severe lack of rain and an extremely warm summer, a perfect storm for the outbreak of wildfires. Strong winds reaching 70 mph are making the situation extremely serious, allowing fires to spread at an alarming rate, as a reporter for the local news station KTLA found out firsthand.As CNN reports, even vice president Kamala Harris' home was put under an evacuation order on Wednesday.In short, it's a precarious situation and several out-of-control wildfires remain across Southern California at the time of writing. Worst of all, those strong winds could make the situation worse before it gets better, experts are warning.So far, at least two people have lost their lives, while 1,000 structures have been destroyed.It's a devastating situation that's quickly becoming a common fixture in the yearly news cycle. And the situation is bound to become worse as climate change continues to make extreme weather conditions more pervasivethan ever before.More on wildfires: Firefighters Wrap World's Largest Tree in Foil to Protect From Raging FireShare This Article