In May 2024, Sonos released a completely rebuilt and overhauled mobile app for Android and iOS. The new software was meant to improve performance, make the app feel more customizable, and allow for new features in the future. But customers immediately complained about countless bugs, degraded Sonos speaker system performance, and features that had gone missing.The controversy effectively torpedoed Sonos reputation with many customers. In the months since, Sonos has worked to regain their trust, address issues with the redesigned app, and bring back features that were absent at launch. The company still hasnt fully recovered from its enormous mistake. On January 13th, 2025, Sonos announced CEO Patrick Spence would step down after he was unable to turn things around.Today, 16 minutes agoChris WelchSonos explored creating a MagSafe speaker for iPhonesImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeNot long before last years software quagmire thrust the company into controversy, Sonos tinkered with an idea that some employees believed might resonate with Gen Z customers. Engineers at Sonos prototyped a miniature speaker that could magnetically connect to the back of Apples recent iPhones. At least conceptually, the since-abandoned product sounds rather similar to JBLs Soundboost speaker. Released back in 2016, that MotoMod accessory was designed to attach to Motorolas Moto Z lineup of smartphones. Any time you placed it on the phone, music and other audio would automatically play through the Soundboost, which offered louder and more powerful sound than a phones very small speakers.Read Article >Feb 5Chris WelchSonos lays off 200 employees as its struggles continueIllustration: The VergeThings at Sonos are getting worse before they get better if theyre going to get better. Today the company laid off approximately 200 employees, The Verge has learned. The news was announced at around 4PM ET, and a letter to employees from interim CEO Tom Conrad was posted on Sonos website shortly thereafter. One thing Ive observed first hand is that weve become mired in too many layers that have made collaboration and decision-making harder than it needs to be, Conrad wrote. So across the company today we are reorganizing into flatter, smaller, and more focused teams.Conrad clearly sees a need to rethink the way Sonos operates as part of the companys turnaround effort. Sonos is scheduled to report its latest quarterly earnings on Thursday afternoon. And if this is the precursor to that, the near-term outlook probably isnt very good.Read Article >Jan 15Chris WelchSonos continues to clean house with departure of chief commercial officerImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeThis week is quickly becoming a sea change moment for Sonos as the company looks to undo the damage done to its reputation since last May. It all began on Monday with the departure of CEO Patrick Spence, who was replaced by board member Tom Conrad. Then came news that chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin would also be leaving the company another indication that Sonos is serious about correcting course and taking accountability for its new app woes.In a third shakeup within the companys leadership ranks, I can report that chief commercial officer Deirdre Findlay also plans to leave Sonos in the coming weeks. The companys corporate governance page says Findlay oversees all marketing, revenue, and customer experience organizations at Sonos. She is responsible for integrated brand strategy, geographic expansion strategies, and all go to market execution.Read Article >Jan 14Chris WelchSonos chief product officer is leaving the companyImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeA day after Sonos announced a CEO transition, the company is making more moves. Chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin will also be leaving his position. Some employees have told me that Bouvat-Merlin shares a significant amount of blame for the brand damage that Sonos has endured over the last year after deciding to release an overhauled mobile app well before it was ready for customers. There have been reports that top executives at the company ignored warnings from engineers and app testers that the new software wasnt up to par ahead of its May rollout. Those alarms didnt stop it from shipping.In an email to staff, interim CEO Tom Conrad who himself has plenty of product experience said the CPO position is now redundant and that Bouvat-Merlins job is being eliminated. I know this is a lot of change to absorb in two days and I want to thank you for being resilient, Conrad wrote.Read Article >Jan 13Chris WelchSonos CEO Patrick Spence steps down after disastrous app launchImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeSonos CEO Patrick Spence is resigning from the job today, effective immediately, with board member Tom Conrad filling the role of interim CEO. Its the most dramatic development yet in an eight-month saga that has proven to be the most challenging time in Sonos history.The companys decision to prematurely release a buggy, completely overhauled new app back in May with crucial features missing at launch outraged customers and kicked off a monthslong domino effect that included layoffs, a sharp decline in employee morale, and a public apology tour. The Sonos Ace headphones, rumored to be the whole reason behind the hurried app, were immediately overshadowed by the controversy, and my sources tell me that sales numbers remain dismal. Sonos community forums and subreddit have been dominated by complaints and an overwhelmingly negative sentiment since the spring.Read Article >Jan 13Chris WelchSonos interim CEO hits all the right notes in first letter to employeesImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeTom Conrad, a longtime veteran of the tech industry who joined Sonos board of directors in 2017, has been appointed interim CEO following todays ouster of Patrick Spence. And in his first letter as the (temporary) new boss, Conrad hits on a number of things that will likely be music to the ears of rank-and-file Sonos employees.Ive heard from many of you about your own frustrations about how far weve drifted from our shared ideals, he says in the letter. Theres a tremendous amount of work in front of us, including what Im sure will be some very challenging moments, decisions, and trade-offs, but Im energized by the passion I see all around me for doing right by our customers and getting back to the innovation that is at the heart of Sonos incredible history.Read Article >Dec 11, 2024Chris WelchSonos plans return-to-office push for its product teamsImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeSonos will soon encourage employees on its various product teams who live near its US office locations to come in for at least two days per week, The Verge has learned. Thats a notable break from the companys history, throughout which Sonos has enthusiastically supported fully remote and hybrid work. Job listings at Sonos routinely state that its about impact, not location. Glassdoor reviews have long backed this up, with employees reporting no pressure to come into the office.But that lax stance is set to change slightly as Sonos continues its effort to right the ship following this years app mishap and stay on track with upcoming products. Its adopting a stricter policy that will call for product employees within proximity of Santa Barbara, Boston, Seattle, and San Francisco to regularly be present at those offices. The Santa Barbara location is where Sonos is headquartered. The company also currently operates international offices in Paris and the NetherlandsRead Article >Dec 10, 2024Chris WelchSonos Arc Ultra review: dont call it a comeback (yet)Sonos really needed a great product right now. 2024 will be remembered as the year that Sonos nearly torpedoed its brand with the haphazard, premature rollout of an overhauled mobile app. This led to an unprecedented outcry from loyal customers who faced myriad bugs, diminished system performance, and other issues. Many called for CEO Patrick Spence to step down. That didnt happen, but Sonos has spent the majority of this year on the back foot with apologies, turnaround plans, and assurances that a setback of this magnitude will never happen again.Read Article >Nov 13, 2024Chris WelchSonos revenue falls in the aftermath of the companys messy app debacleImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeSonos is still trying to climb out from the hole it dug itself earlier this year by recklessly shipping an overhauled mobile app well before the software was actually ready. Today, just a couple weeks after the release of its latest hardware products the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 Sonos reported its fiscal Q4 2024 earnings. And the damage done by the app debacle is clear.Revenue was down 8 percent year over year, which Sonos attributed to softer demand due to challenging market conditions and challenges resulting from our recent app rollout. During the quarter, the company sank $4 million into unspecified app recovery investments. (Sonos previously estimated it could spend up to $30 million to resolve all of the trouble that has stemmed from the rebuilt app.)Read Article >Oct 1, 2024Chris WelchSonos has a plan to earn back your trust, and here it isImage: Cath Virginia / The VergeSonos remains in the throes of the biggest controversy in its history and its one of the companys own making. Now, several months after the May release of its overhauled app badly tarnished the brands reputation, CEO Patrick Spence has announced a multipart plan to right the ship.You can break the strategy down into two main objectives. First, Sonos has taken steps to thoroughly understand just how the hell everything went so wrong both with its software development practices and its underlying corporate culture that it somehow wound up in this predicament to begin with. And second, the company is kicking off a broad effort intended to rebuild the trust of its customers and convince them that nothing like this will ever happen again.Read Article >Sep 13, 2024Jay PetersYou can now gripe to Sonos about its app on the weekends, too.As Sonos tries to win back trust following the rough rollout of its new app, you can now reach Sonos support on Saturday and Sunday.Aug 29, 2024Jay PetersSonos opens a Trello board so we can see how its fixing the busted appImage: SonosSonos is still trying to clean up from the mess from the messy rollout of its new app, and to help give users a better idea of what fixes are in the pipeline, the company has shared a public Trello board detailing fixes that its working on.All the cards here are sourced from various posts and release notes communications (Future Feature Update, for example), including communications from [CEO Patrick Spence] directly, says Reddit user KeithFromSonos, who is a Sonos employee. What we are hearing and working on is sourced from you the Community at large and our acknowledgment of that area of opportunity.Read Article >Aug 28, 2024Emma RothSonos latest app update fixes just a fraction of its problemsIllustration by Alex Castro / The VergeSonos has released an update to its app as it attempts to reverse the fallout from a disastrous redesign. But while the update adds enhanced accessibility settings and improved stability during the product setup process, the update addresses just a fraction of user complaints.Sonos is reintroducing the ability to clear your music queue on the Android app a feature thats been sorely missed since the apps relaunch. It also added a Night Mode toggle for sound bars, which enhances dialogue without you having to turn up the volume on your TV.Read Article >Aug 20, 2024Jay PetersSonos CEO says the old app cant be rereleasedPhoto by Chris Welch / The VergeIf you want the old Sonos app back, its not coming. In a Reddit AMA response posted Tuesday, Sonos CEO Spence says that he was hopeful until very recently that the company could rerelease the app, confirming a report from The Verge that the company was considering doing so. But after testing that option, rereleasing the old app would apparently make things worse, Spence says.Since the new app was released on May 7th, Spence has issued a formal apology and announced in August that the company would be delaying the launch of two products until our app experience meets the level of quality that we, our customers, and our partners expect from Sonos.Read Article >Aug 14, 2024Chris WelchExclusive: Sonos considers relaunching its old appPhoto by Chris Welch / The VergeSonos has explored the possibility of rereleasing its previous mobile app for Android and iOS a clear sign of what an ordeal the companys hurried redesign has become. The Verge can report that there have been discussions high up within Sonos about bringing back the prior version of the app, known as S2, as the company continues toiling away at improving the performance and addressing bugs with the overhauled design that rolled out in May to a flood of negative feedback. (The new Sonos app currently has a 1.3-star review average on Google Play.)Letting customers fall back to the older software could ease their frustrations and reduce at least some of the pressure on Sonos to rectify every issue with the new app. At least for now, the redesigned version is all thats available, which makes it impossible for some customers to avoid its flaws. The situation has gotten substantially better with recent updates and the app has turned a corner for many, but theres still plenty of work to be done.Read Article >Aug 14, 2024Chris WelchSonos lays off 100 employees as its app crisis continuesIllustration: The VergeSonos laid off approximately 100 employees this morning, a source familiar with the situation tells The Verge. The cuts spanned across the company and impacted divisions including marketing, product and engineering, platform and infrastructure, and software quality. Im told those affected abruptly lost access to the companys internal network. Sonos is also in the process of winding down some of its customer support offices, including one in Amsterdam that will close later this year.Sonos confirmed the layoffs to The Verge on Wednesday afternoon, providing a statement from CEO Patrick Spence. We made the difficult decision to say goodbye to approximately 100 team members representing 6 percent of the company, Spence said. This action was a difficult, but necessary, measure to ensure continued, meaningful investment in Sonos product roadmap while setting Sonos up for long term success.Read Article >Aug 7, 2024Chris WelchSonos delays two new products as it races to fix buggy appPhoto by Chris Welch / The VergeSonos CEO Patrick Spence said the new Ace headphones got off to a strong start and helped spur year over year revenue growth that slightly exceeded the companys expectations as part of its third quarter earnings on Wednesday afternoon. But that success was immediately overshadowed by ongoing woes with the redesigned Sonos app.The company is now delaying two hardware releases originally planned for later this year as it deploys an all-hands-on-deck approach to fixing the app. I will not rest until were in a position where weve addressed the issues and have customers raving about Sonos again, Spence said during the afternoon earnings call.Read Article >Jul 26, 2024Nilay PatelSonos puts the apology for the new app right in the app.Cant think of the last time I opened an app to an apology for how buggy the app is!Add splash screen apologizing for app is not a ticket you want on the board, really.Jul 25, 2024Chris WelchSonos CEO apologizes for disastrous rollout of new appImage: SonosThe big Sonos app redesign was intended to make the companys software more modern, customizable, and easier to use. But two months after its May release, its hard to look at this situation as anything but a colossal unforced error. Sonos has been steadily adding back missing features and functionality with frequent app updates, but the chorus of customer frustration isnt going away.To that end, CEO Patrick Spence today published a letter that covers the progress Sonos has made with the new app and what customers can expect in the near future. It also contains Sonos first direct apology for the rough patch that too many users have gone through. Some customers have been waiting for that after the companys initial responses (like saying the app overhaul took courage) came across as tone-deaf, given all the bugs and technical difficulties.Read Article >May 14, 2024Chris WelchSonos customers complain about missing features in redesigned app in community AMAPhoto: SonosA week after introducing a redesigned, sleeker app that omitted many core features, Sonos held an Ask Me Anything event on its forums today. The purpose was partly to make it clear that customer frustrations are being heard. But as has been the case since last week, the feedback skewed overwhelmingly negative. This companys community remains pretty damn angry over losing software capabilities like local music search, sleep timers, and more with no warning.Many participants asked Sonos why it released an app that was nowhere near on par with the previous version in terms of functionality even after, as The Verge has learned, private beta testers raised concerns with the state that the software was in before launch. And they were often less than satisfied with the answers given by Sonos product team.Read Article >May 9, 2024Chris WelchSonos says its controversial app redesign took courageImage: SonosSonos has responded to the avalanche of feedback some good, plenty bad about the companys redesigned mobile app that was released on May 7th. In the days since, customers have complained about missing features like sleep timers, broken local music library management, and no longer having the ability to edit playlists or the upcoming song queue. More alarmingly, the Sonos apps accessibility has also taken a hit, something the company says its aiming to resolve by next month.In a statement provided to The Verge, Sonos confirms that its keenly aware of the gripes that owners of its speakers have expressed about the new app. Its hearing their response and is working to address the functionality that has (for now) gone missing. But the company is also standing behind its decision to roll out the app this week, basically describing it as a rough patch that will, in theory, lead to a much better experience for everyone down the line.Read Article >Apr 23, 2024Chris WelchSonos announces redesigned app that puts everything on your homescreenImage: SonosToday, Sonos is officially introducing the redesigned mobile app that I showed you earlier this month. Itll roll out for both Android and iOS on May 7th, but the companys desktop apps arent coming along for the ride: Sonos will discontinue its controller apps for Windows and macOS in the near future. Taking their place is a new web app that will allow you to control and access your Sonos speakers from anywhere not just when youre home on Wi-Fi.But for now, lets get back to the smartphone app. Its been rebuilt from the ground up to be more reliable. Sonos fundamental goal was making everything feel faster and getting you where you want to be without relying on a tabbed navigation bar. Now, everything is on the homescreen, and you can customize the layout to put your favorite playlists up top. Want your line-in audio source positioned higher than everything else? You can do that, too. You can pin specific carousels from music apps (like Spotifys new releases) to the homescreen as well. And theres a persistent search bar at the bottom, so finding music is always just a single tap away.Read Article >Apr 10, 2024Chris WelchThis is the new Sonos app, coming May 7thIllustration: The VergeSonos will release a substantial update to its mobile app for both Android and iOS on May 7th, The Verge has learned. Based on screenshots provided by people familiar with the companys plans, the app is receiving a fresh coat of paint. Sonos is also working to make product setup easier and strengthen connectivity between its many speakers. As always, the specific release date is subject to change if the company encounters any last-minute issues.The revamped app will roll out as an update to the Sonos S2 app that the company released in 2020 when it forked off some of its oldest products and left them on the legacy S1 platform.Read Article >

Not long before last years software quagmire thrust the company into controversy, Sonos tinkered with an idea that some employees believed might resonate with Gen Z customers. Engineers at Sonos prototyped a miniature speaker that could magnetically connect to the back of Apples recent iPhones. At least conceptually, the since-abandoned product sounds rather similar to JBLs Soundboost speaker. Released back in 2016, that MotoMod accessory was designed to attach to Motorolas Moto Z lineup of smartphones. Any time you placed it on the phone, music and other audio would automatically play through the Soundboost, which offered louder and more powerful sound than a phones very small speakers.But the MotoMod system used pogo pins for routing audio and other data to accessories. MagSafe does not offer audio passthrough capabilities, so the Sonos speaker wouldve relied on a Bluetooth connection (Trying to integrate Wi-Fi like the Roam wouldve been too much of a battery drain.) This idea isnt without precedent in the iOS world; Scosches BoomCan is a circular speaker that can latch onto iPhones with MagSafe. You can also find similar gadgets on Amazon or Temu.According to images that Ive seen, Sonos envisioned a more rectangular design. The prototypes were the same overall shape and size as Apples discontinued MagSafe Battery Pack, but thicker. Early on, Sonos hoped the magnetic speaker would showcase the innovative transducer technology that came with its acquisition of Mayht Holding in 2022 and deliver surprisingly good sound at a compact size. But technical limitations, questionable appeal, and a limited target market ultimately led to the device being scrapped. Like any consumer tech company, Sonos researches and prototypes many concepts that dont always see the light of day.Mayhts technology was eventually rebranded as SoundMotion and made its debut in the impressive Arc Ultra soundbar. I have no doubt that Sonos will find other innovative ways of building SoundMotion into future products; if the Arc Ultra is anything to go by, the most obvious benefit is substantially improved bass. The new soundbar easily surpasses the original Arc in that regard despite not being much larger.On Wednesday, Sonos interim CEO Tom Conrad announced that the company would lay off 200 employees (around 12 percent of its workforce) in an effort to reshape itself into flatter, smaller, and more focused teams. Lately weve let too many projects run under a cloud of half-commitment, he said in a memo to staff. Were going to fix this too. For now, the top priority at Sonos remains overcoming the damage done after the company prematurely released an overhauled mobile app back in May. Improving the core experience is critical to fueling the Sonos flywheel, Sonos wrote in the investor presentation released with its latest earnings earlier today. Conrad will host his first earnings call as interim CEO on Thursday afternoon.See More:

Fyrox Rust Game Engine 0.36 Release / News / February 6, 2025 / Engine, Release, RustThe Rust-powered Fyrox game engine just released Fyrox 0.36, their biggest release to date. Fyrox is the closest thing to a Rust powered Unity game engine you will find. This open-source rust game engine saw improvements across the board, as well as new features such as a new project manager, 9-patch editor and a new tilemap system for 2D games.From the Fyrox 0.36 release blog:Im happy to announce that Fyrox 0.36 has been released! Fyrox is a modern game engine written in Rust, it helps you to create 2D and 3D games with low effort using native editor; it is like Unity, but in Rust. This release is the largest in history of the engine so far. It includes major rendering improvements, feature-rich tile maps, UI styling support, project manager, nine patch improvements, collider shape editing, terrain improvements, animation improvements, particle system improvements, huge amount of bugfixes and a lot more.Full release notes and details are available in the announcement.Key LinksFyrox HomepageFyrox 0.36 Release DetailsFyrox BookFyrox GitHubFyrox Demo Projects GitHubYou can learn more about the Rust-powered Fyrox game engine and the Fyrox 0.36 release in the video below.

#61: Are LLMs Entering the Age of Agents? 0 like February 6, 2025Share this postAuthor(s): Towards AI Editorial Team Originally published on Towards AI. Good morning, AI enthusiasts! Reasoning agents seem to have taken over AI in the last couple of weeks. While it is early, this class of reasoning-powered agents is likely to progress LLM adoption and economic impact to the next level. So, lets start with the basics this week by first understanding what exactly an agent is.We also have plenty of resources covering everything from design, architecture, and applications of Llama, comparison between OpenAI GPT, DeepSeek, and Qwen2.5 to Artificial Super Intelligence and black box deep learning models. Enjoy the read!Whats AI WeeklyThe vast majority of what we call Agents are simply an API call to a language model. These cannot act independently, make decisions, or do anything. It simply replies to your users. Still, we call them agents. But this isnt what we need. We need real agents, but what is a real agent? In simple terms, a real agent is something that functions independently. Thats exactly what I will dive into this week. Read the complete article here or watch the video on YouTube. Louis-Franois Bouchard, Towards AI Co-founder & Head of CommunityLearn AI Together Community section!AI poll of the week!The poll results are surprising. Most of you believe the alternatives are pretty similar. Are these o1, Deepseek, or any others? Tell us in the thread!Collaboration OpportunitiesThe Learn AI Together Discord community is flooding with collaboration opportunities. If you are excited to dive into applied AI, want a study partner, or even want to find a partner for your passion project, join the collaboration channel! Keep an eye on this section, too we share cool opportunities every week!1. Mongong is developing a framework that uses hypergraph-based AI, tensor embeddings, and adaptive reasoning to solve complex problems across domains. If you would like to join the project, connect in the thread!2. Thebaburuidas is building an AI-powered fashion assistant that uses image recognition and is seeking a co-founder. If this sounds interesting, reach out in the thread!Meme of the week!Meme shared by hitoriarchieTAI Curated sectionArticle of the weekUnlocking the Potential of Meta LLaMA: A Deep Dive into Its Design, Architecture, and Applications By Shenggang LiThis article explores Metas Llama, a large language model designed for efficiency and accessibility. It details the underlying Transformer architecture, including self-attention mechanisms, positional embeddings, and feed-forward networks, explaining how these components contribute to Llamas capabilities. It highlights Llamas optimizations, such as Rotary Positional Embeddings (RoPE), for improved long-sequence handling and weight tying for reduced parameter count. It also discusses Llamas training process, including the causal language modeling objective and techniques used for efficient training on large datasets. Finally, it provides practical guidance on implementing Llama using Ollama, Hugging Face Transformers, or cloud platforms like AWS or Azure, outlining the advantages and limitations of each approach.Our must-read articles1. Langchain (Upgraded) + DeepSeek-R1 + RAG Just Revolutionized AI Forever By Gao Dalie ()This article discusses the creation of a RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) chatbot using LangChain, DeepSeek-R1, and FalkorDB. DeepSeek-R1, a newly released open-source large language model, is highlighted for its cost-effectiveness and performance comparable to OpenAIs o1 model. It details building the chatbot, emphasizing the use of LangChains features: PDFPlumberLoader for PDF processing, SemanticChunker for text splitting, FAISS for efficient search, and the creation of retrieval chains for context-aware responses. The chatbot handles document uploads, extracts information, and generates responses based on user queries and conversation history. It also covers DeepSeek-R1s unique training method, using reinforcement learning without supervised fine-tuning.2. Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI): The Research Frontiers to Achieve AGI to ASI and the Challenges for Humanity By Mohit Sewak, Ph.DThis article explores the potential pathways to Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI), examining scaled-up deep learning, neuro-symbolic AI, cognitive architectures, whole brain emulation, and evolutionary algorithms. It also details significant challenges, including understanding consciousness, solving the hard problem of intelligence, ensuring control and value alignment, managing emergent behaviors, and mitigating existential risks. It concludes by considering the potential utopian benefits of ASI solving global problems, accelerating scientific discovery, and boosting productivity while acknowledging the dystopian risks of mass unemployment, power concentration, and existential threats. Ultimately, it emphasizes the need for responsible development, global collaboration, and ethical considerations to navigate this transformative technology.3. Event-Driven Prediction: Expanding Mamba State Space Models for Conditional Forecasting By Shenggang LiThis article presents a novel approach to conditional time series forecasting, particularly for stock prices. It extends the Mamba state space model by incorporating event-driven dynamics inspired by Markov Decision Processes. This allows the model to predict future price movements (both continuous and binary) based on past data and specific future events, such as a price crossing a key threshold. The method is demonstrated using simulated data with promising results, measured by metrics like MSE, MAPE, AUC, F1 score, and KS statistic. The author also suggests future work will involve real-world data and explore more complex event modeling. The resulting model offers valuable insights for traders and investors in risk management, strategy development, and market surveillance, with potential applications in portfolio optimization and high-frequency trading.4. How to Explain Black-Box Deep Learning Models in Computer Vision and NLP By Chien VuThis article discusses the challenges of interpreting black box deep learning models in computer vision and natural language processing (NLP). It highlights the importance of explainability and interpretability for various stakeholders, including data scientists, business leaders, and regulators. It then introduces OmniXAI, a Python library offering various explanation methods. Using examples, it demonstrates how OmniXAIs techniques such as SHAP, LIME, Integrated Gradients, Grad-CAM, Score-CAM, and counterfactual explanations can be applied to analyze model predictions for image classification and sentiment analysis, revealing which features contribute most significantly to model decisions and offering insights into potential model biases. The article also emphasizes the role of explainability tools like OmniXAI in building more trustworthy and accountable AI systems.5. Rotating Box Challenge: Why OpenAI GPT Beat DeepSeek and Qwen2.5 Hands Down By Tarun SinghThis article compares three AI models OpenAI GPT, DeepSeek, and Qwen2.5 using a rotating box physics simulation as a benchmark. The author provided identical prompts requesting a Pygame-based simulation. OpenAI GPT produced a flawless simulation, demonstrating accurate collision detection and realistic physics. DeepSeeks and Qwen2.5s attempts failed to meet the specified criteria, with DeepSeeks simulation collapsing entirely and Qwen2.5s exhibiting flawed collision handling. The results highlight OpenAI GPTs superior ability to understand and execute complex prompts in a practical context.If you are interested in publishing with Towards AI, check our guidelines and sign up. We will publish your work to our network if it meets our editorial policies and standards.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

LatestMachine LearningFine-Tuning DeepSeek R1 on Reasoning Task with Unsloth [Part 2] 0 like February 6, 2025Share this postAuthor(s): Youssef Hosni Originally published on Towards AI. Hands-On Fine-Tuning DeepSeek on Medical Reasoning DatasetThis member-only story is on us. Upgrade to access all of Medium.DeepSeek company recently released DeepSeek-R1, the next step in their work on reasoning models. Its an upgrade from their earlier DeepSeek-R1-Lite-Preview and shows theyre serious about competing with OpenAIs o1.In this two-part hands-on tutorial, we will fine-tune the DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Llama-8B model on the Medical Chain-of-Thought Dataset from Hugging Face using Unsloth.In the first part of this article, we covered the introduction to the DeepSeek R1 model and then we set up the working environment, downloaded the model and the tokenizer, and finally tested the model with zero-shot inference and observed the result without fine-tuning.In this part, we will start with loading and processing the medical reasoning dataset that we will use to fine-tune the model. Once the data is ready we will fine-tune the model and finally, we will test the fine-tuned model and save it locally and on Hugging Face.Introduction to DeepSeek R1 Model [Part 1]Setting Up Working Environment [Part 1]Loading the Model & Tokenizer with Unsloth.ai [Part 1]Test the Model with Zero Shot Inference [Part 1]Loading and Processing the Dataset [Part 2]Fine Tune the LLM [Part 2]Model Inference After Fine-Tuning [Part 2]Saving the model locally & Hugging Read the full blog for free on Medium.Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming asponsor. Published via Towards AITowards AI - Medium Share this post

Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford has said Troy Baker playing the beloved character in video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is proof "you don't need artificial intelligence to steal my soul."Ford discussed alleviating control of Indy with The Wall Street Journal Magazine, saying he was very happy with the performance of The Last of Us actor Baker."You dont need artificial intelligence to steal my soul," Ford said. "You can already do it for nickels and dimes with good ideas and talent. He did a brilliant job, and it didnt take AI to do it."The Great Circle arrived in December as an "authentic" but maybe not canonical entry in the long running series, which received its first new film in a long time in 2023 with Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.This wasn't well received at all, however, while the game was, so the creatives behind the franchise might be inclined to go in this new direction instead of having Ford put the hat back on.The legendary actor of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and soon Marvel fame is one of many creatives to criticize the use of AI in films and other forms of media, with the likes of Tim Burton calling AI generated art "very disturbing" and Nicolas Cage calling it a "dead end."Several voice actors have rallied against it too, including Grand Theft Auto 5's Ned Luke who called out a chatbot which used his voice. The Witcher voice actor Doug Cockle also told IGN that AI was "inevitable" but "dangerous", sharing in Luke's assessment that chatbots and similar uses are "effectively robbing [voice actors] of income."Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

If youre in the market for a new power bank, the INIU 10000mAh is worth a look. Right now, its available on Amazon for $8.99down from $22when you use the 40% coupon and promo code GZ9FEQAG. Its a solid option for charging your phone, AirPods, and other small gadgets.Limited Time DealINIU Power Bank 10000mAhKeep in mind that deals like this tend to disappear fast, so it might be best to act soon. This price is available only from the seller listed as Ships from Amazon, Sold by SimpleLife LLC. It also matches the Black Friday discount from last year.Ive been using this power bank myself, and I appreciate its reliability and value. If you need to charge multiple devices at once, you might also consider the 10ft Anker Nylon USB C 240W cable which is on sale for $11.99 today as well (down from $18.99). That's how cheap this INIU Power Bank is, getting some decent extra cables will cost you more than the portable charger itself.For more deals, check out our roundups on the best offers for PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switchcovering everything from games and storage to memberships.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.Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.

This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us.Its safe to say that HBOs The Last of Us series is one of the best (if not the best) video game adaptations of all time, but even the excellent first season hasnt stopped some fans from worrying about season 2, which is set to adapt the much more controversial The Last of Us Part II. Quite a bit of outrage, extremely misguided and otherwise, followed the release of the PlayStation game which saw the introduction of a new playable character named Abby, who in the story makes avery big first impression that is difficult to shrug off, even after you step into her boots in the second half of the game.Besides the debate concerning Abbys very specific role in the story as initially its villain and then a more sympathetic co-protagonist, much was said online about her muscular figure. Yes, in the game, Abby is absolutely ripped, a choice that led to both praise from players as well as hateful comments from a loud minority who felt developer Naughty Dog was trying to push an agenda by featuring a female character who didnt conform to a specific body type. Kaitlyn Dever (No One Will Save You), whos set to play Abby on season 2 of the HBO show, will undoubtedly face similar scrutiny when shes introduced on screen in April. But while its currently unclear just how closely the show will follow the story of Part IIthe first season made a few changes to the original, after allexecutive producer and game director Neil Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin have confirmed one major change to the live-action version of the character: Dever, who has a petite figure, wasnt asked to bulk up to play Abby.In a new interview with EW, Druckmann and Mazin addressed the choice to not include a more muscular Abby on the show. In short, they cast Dever in the role because shes a great actor.We value performance over anything else, Druckmann explained. We need someone to really capture the essence of those characters. We dont value as much, Do they look exactly like the character with their eyebrows or their nose or their body? Whatever it is. Its not nowhere on the priority list, but its below a bunch of other things that we consider.Druckmann also went into detail about how they approached writing the character for television versus the video game. Not having to consider gameplay when it came to casting Abby on the show meant that her physique wasnt as important a factor this time around.In the game, you have to play both characters [Ellie and Abby] and we need them to play differently, Druckmann explained. We needed Ellie to feel smaller and kind of maneuver around, and Abby was meant to play more like Joel in that shes almost like a brute in the way she can physically manhandle certain things. That doesnt play as big of a role in this version of the story because theres not as much violent action moment to moment. Its more about the drama. Im not saying theres no action here. Its just, again, different priorities and how you approach it.But theres more to the change than a simple games and television are different media explanation, according to Mazin. He sees Devers version of the character as a fresh way to tell the story from the game.I personally think that there is an amazing opportunity here to delve into someone who is perhaps physically more vulnerable than the Abby in the game, but whose spirit is stronger, Mazin said. And then the question is, Where does her formidable nature come from and how does it manifest? Thats something that will be explored now and later.As far as later is concerned, Mazin also teased that a third (and perhaps even a fourth season) were highly likely: I think its pretty likely that our story will extend past a season 3. How far past? I cant say. And thats not to say that there are not other stories that could be told, but this story is the one that Neil and I are telling. Druckmann added: We have a plan. We know what we need to do going forward, but we couldnt tell you right now exactly how many episodes or how many seasons it would take to get there.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!The Last of Us season 2 hits HBO and Max in April.

This article contains spoilers for Invincible season 3 episode 2.Prime Video animated superhero epic Invincible contains some of the most powerful characters ever seen on television. Based on the comic series from Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, Invincibles roster of crime-fighters (and crime-doers) belong in any who could beat who up comic book store debate alongside the heavy hitters like Superman and Homelander.Atom Eve can manipulate reality on the atomic level. The Immortal is functionally, well, immortal. Father-son pair Mark and Nolan Grayson a.k.a. Invincible and Omni-Man possess so much raw Viltrumite strength that they invariably end up conquering the world in many of the multiverses Angstrom Levy peeks into. Despite this collection of indomitable bemensches, however, the Invincible character who possesses the most power might be just some guy.Cecil Stedman (voiced by Walton Goggins) does not have super strength. He does not have super speed. He cannot fly. All Cecil Stedman has is the gray matter between his ears, an ugly scar on his face, and a portable teleportation device that costs taxpayers $1 million a pop. And yet, Cecil commands the ultimate fear and respect of the super-powered world in his position as the director of the Global Defense Agency.How did one lowly human being come to be Earths most important bureaucrat? Invincible season 3 decides to let viewers in on the answer. And in the process it also reveals that the sentiment guiding Cecils shadowy hand also just happens to be the perfect theme for the entirety of the Invincible saga.Cecil Stedmans full backstory is depicted in A Deal With the Devil the second episode of Invincible season 3s three-part premiere. There we see a younger Cecil stopping a terrorist attack from the Order of the Freeing Fist and losing damn near all his skin in the process. The Pentagons surgeons get him back in shape but they leave one bit of mangled flesh on his chin at his request, a reminder of the time he almost failed.According to Invincible showrunner Simon Racioppa, taking some time to delve into Cecils history served an important purpose in grounding season 3s ongoing arc of his struggles to corral a young and headstrong Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun).Weve seen Marks backstory and upbringing. It felt only fair to show you a little bit more about Cecil if they were going to get into the sort of disagreement over things, Racioppa tells Den of Geek. You want to know where Cecil is coming from, too.Where Cecil is coming from turns out to be very similar to where Mark is coming from. Just as Mark faced the horror of Cecil turning former villains D.A. Sinclair and Darkwing into useful government assets, so too did Cecil have to deal with his GDA predecessor, Radcliffe, deploying The Order of the Freeing Fist as personal guards for the agency. The revelation drives Cecil to attempt to kill the villains like Mark attempted to kill all of Sinclairs ReAnimen. Unlike Mark, however, Cecil was successful and sent to super-jail.I think that clarifying Cecils position of seeing the potential in seemingly bad guys was very important, comic and show creator Robert Kirkman says. Its very important to understand what went into Cecils mindset and how that was formed. As we are solidifying Marks mindset moving forward, and even though he and Cecil are at conflict, I think you can see some similarities emerging as to as to how they might be seeing the world.Cecils storyline serves not only to mirror Marks but also to offer a worldview that he, Mark, and many other characters on Invincible will have to confront time and time again. You can be the good guy or the guy who saves the world. You cant be both, Radcliffe tells Cecil after he kills the Freeing Fist goons. Cecil repeats those sentiments to Donald Ferguson (Chris Diamantopoulos) at episodes end before he heads off to meet with the dangerous Nolan Grayson for the first time.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!It really is kind of a calling card of the series, Kirkman says of Cecils mantra. Whether or not Marks going to make it through the show without completely becoming a villain remains to be seen. But I think that youve already seen that lines have to be crossed in order to keep the world safe. Youre putting characters in a position where theyre making decisions that are very difficult for a single person to make: questions of life or death on massive scales. Thats something that weighs on Mark and is going to be weighing on all of these characters. And theyre definitely going to be having to, at times, get their hands dirty.For his part, Steven Yeun believes his character isnt fully ready to grapple with that complicated moral dilemma just yet. I feel like Mark would have a difficult time with that statement, Yeun says. Hes still very young, and maybe he doesnt understand the world from the vantage point that Cecil sees it. That is the beauty of the show. Its confronting these difficult situations. Theres good intentions, and then theres reality and then sometimes theres cynicism, and then theres idealism that is necessary too.Given the outsized nature of their power and influence, Cecil and Mark will always have the hardest decisions to make. But figuring out how to operate in a dangerous world isnt easy for any characters on Invincible.I think thats why youre seeing Eve in the tree house, Gillian Jacobs says of her characters new, isolated home. Because shes really haunted by what she did in Chicago, how much worse things could have gone. She thought she was doing the right thing, but she didnt know what she didnt know. Maybe the journey of the show for her is is confronting that, but shes not there yet.And then, of course, theres Nolan Grayson. The full-blooded Viltrumite once known as Omni-Man desired to be neither the hero nor the guy who saved the world. But his actor feels the tension of the shows central theme all the same.That almost encapsulates the world to me. Whats more important: being perceived a certain way or doing what is right? J.K. Simmons says. Obviously, each character has his or her own version of whats right. But thats a big moral question that I think all of us can reflect on. Do you want to be perceived a certain way? Or do you want to be a certain way?The first three episodes of Invincible season 3 are available to stream on Prime Video now. New episodes premiere Thursdays, culminating in the finale on March 13.

Every item on this page was hand-picked by a House Beautiful editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.One design rule rings true no matter your aesthetic: Color is absolutely crucial to setting the mood in your space. Some colors, like blues and greens, give off a calming energy, and others, like bright yellow, spark joy. Similarly, there are some colors professional designers consistently use when they want a home to look rich. These may change somewhat as trends come and go, but there are a few key shades designers are reaching for now when their clients paste the word expensive on their dream home mood boardand they shared them with us.From oxblood to navy to warm white, these colors create a luxurious look, and there are plenty of ways to infuse your home with them. You could add a large piece of furniture, like a statement couch. Or, since color drenching is a hot trend for 2025, you could go overboard and coat your walls, ceiling, and trim in one of these designer picks. The experts we reached out to even shared inspiration pictures of their own projects to show you exactly how. Keep reading to find out which 11 colors will make your home look expensive, according to designers.Related StoriesNavy BlueR Brad KnipsteinDesigned by Refined Interiors.Navy blue may become more trendy from time to time, but its a timeless color, and one that multiple designers flock to when trying to make a space look elevated. Designer Laura Elliott of Refined Interiors points out that this shade has a calming effect, reminding us of the ocean and the night sky, but also its also endlessly versatile, especially in living rooms and kitchens. To pair this moody shade with another color, designer Brynn Olson suggests jewel tones. Think deep purples, magentas, golds, and emeralds. While ivory is always a classic match for navy, were particularly fond of pairing warm gold tones with deep blues for a dramatic, rich effect, Olson says. Our Favorite Navy BluesFarrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Wine Dark$8 at Farrow & BallOlive GreenCaroline SharpnackDesigned by Kelly Sutherland Designs.This dark shade of green is popular for a reason: It can transform any room into a rich, tranquil oasis, says designer Marguerite Rodgers. It is an adaptable hue that looks just as beautiful all over the walls as it does just accenting the trim and doors. Kelly Sutherland likes painting ceilings in it, using a smooth semigloss finish, to make a space feel cozier and more elegant. It works equally well in contemporary and traditional settings because it adds sophistication. Olive green can look good next to basically any other color, but this earthy hue looks the best next to brass, bright whites, light oak, and camel. Its also a wonderful alternative to black if you want to bring more color into your home. Our Favorite Olive GreensFarrow & Ball Bancha$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Olive$8 at Farrow & BallOxbloodThis deep red shade is quickly becoming a favorite of designers and designophiles. A deep and moody wine red, this rich, dramatic hue channels the luxurious essence of aged wine, evoking refinement, craftsmanship, and timeless allure, Laura Britt of Britt Design Group explains. Oxblood creates depth, commanding the attention of whoever just walked through the doorway and enveloping them in a luxurious atmosphere.Designer Piper Skillman suggests using this tone in a library, media room, or dining roomsomewhere that already has an air of elegance. Because its so enveloping, it can make a small room feel even cozier, so a large room with high ceilings is the best option for color drenching.Britt and Skillman both love pairing oxblood shades with soft neutrals to balance the boldness and black or dark gray for some unexpected edge and drama.Our Favorite Oxblood HuesFarrow & Ball Preference Red$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Eating Room Red$8 at Farrow & BallDark TealLance GerberIf you want something bolder than navy blue, reach for dark teal. Designer Denise Morrison of Morrison Interiors likes using this deeper tone to bring richness and refinement into a space. The depth of a dark teal draws the eye, playing with shadow and light in a way that enhances dimension and creates an intentional, layered look. She incorporates brass for added warmth and a touch of luxury and ensures balance with neutral elements, like soft beige accents and light wood paneled walls. This lightens things up too.Our Favorite Dark TealsFarrow & Ball Coppice Blue$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Inchyra Blue$8 at Farrow & BallPlum PurpleJulie SoeferDesigned by Linda Eyles Design.The color purple is associated with royalty, so it only makes sense that it brings a rich, luxurious air to a space. Plum, eggplant, amethystthese highly saturated shades create depth and elegance, Linda Eyles says. She likes to brighten them up with gold for contrast. Mary Patton adds that this lavish hue is also extremely versatile and can complement a wide array of colors, such as other jewel tones or even punchier options like a tangerine orange. Our Favorite AuberginesFarrow & Ball Brinjal$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Pelt$8 at Farrow & BallOff-WhiteEmily FollowillEmily J. FollowillPrefer white walls to colorful ones? Well, theres an expensive color for you too. With the abundance of open floor plans these days, I find that an off-white or soft white color instantly exudes sophistication and luxury because it creates a clean, serene, and timeless backdrop, Liz Williams says. An off-white is bright without being too stark or cold. Since its one of the most neutral shades, its beloved for its versatility. It can highlight bolder design elements, Williams adds, or work as a simple backdrop for a minimalist space. Off-white is another color that can go with anything, but for a truly luxurious look Williams emphasizes the importance of pairing an off-white with rich textures like velvet and gold accents. She goes with deeper shades when it comes to color pairings, like dark green, navy, and chocolate brown, and wood tones to add warmth and a high-end, elegant feel. Our Favorite Off-WhitesFarrow & Ball Strong White$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Wimborne White$8 at Farrow & BallSmoky TaupeChristopher StarkWhen designer Holly Kopman is choosing a rich-looking hue, she opts for colors that feel like suede when you look at them. Lately, shes been reaching for a smoky taupe color that looks soft to the touch. It adds more depth to a room than a white or off-white without being overwhelming.If youre looking for elegant pairing ideas, try smoky taupe with robins egg blue or a deep green, or a crisp white for something brighter. Our Favorite Smoky TaupesFarrow & Ball Skimming Stone$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Elephant's Breath$8 at Farrow & BallCharcoalJake Shea A dark gray tone, specifically in a limewash paint, looks especially incredible and elevated to designer Becky Shea. The depth and richness that comes from the subtle texture is timeless yet modern, and the uneven finish gives the room an organic quality. A matte charcoal adds an understate opulence, as she puts it, and can help envelop the room so it feels intimate and cozy yet moody and sophisticated. You can pair a charcoal tone with plenty of different textures, materials, and hues to get an expensive feel. However, Shea loves polished brass, marble, rich wood tones, and plush textiles under soft, diffused lighting to really make an interior feel harmonious and grounded. Our Favorite CharcoalsFarrow & Ball Plummett$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Down Pipe$8 at Farrow & BallDusty BlueCourtesy of Erica McLainDesigned by Erica McLain.Typically lighter than navy but not as vibrant, a dusty blue is another shade that designers love to use to make a home look more expensive. Rich and complex, these shades feel both modern and nostalgic, drawing inspiration from the deep hues of old world textiles and timeworn patinas, designer Erica McLain explains. Since a dusty blue is a blend of blue and gray, the hue adds an air of tailored elegance. For designer Arianne Bellizaire, this complex color feels bespoke and looks refined on cabinetry, millwork, or walls. Other hues this shade pairs well with include crisp whites, warm metallics, and light wood tones. Our Favorite Dusty BluesFarrow & Ball Hague Blue$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball De Nimes$8 at Farrow & BallPlaster Dominique VorillonRather than a particular hue, Kim Gordon of Kim Gordon Designs likes to bring texture to a wall for an expensive look. From limewash to clay plaster, they make a traditional bright white look elevated and sophisticated, she says. No matter which color you go for, a textured finish on the walls will add a touch more elegance every time. If you want to keep it more traditional, Gordon suggests pairing a white plaster wall with pops of jewel tones.Related StoryCelery GreenNick JohnsonMany of the colors that make a home look more expensive are on the darker side, but designer Tom Riker of James Thomas Interiors goes for something light: celery green. Shades of green are making their mark in kitchen design, and we love how this hue extends into the adjoining rooms, allowing the eye to rest and fully take in the stunning views and rich textiles, Riker says. This bold choice, especially if used in a high-gloss sheen, adds so much light and happiness to a room.Since celery green is already such a statement, opt for off-whites and dark accents to pair with the hue for depth and dimension. Our Favorite Bright GreensFarrow & Ball Churlish Green$8 at Farrow & BallFarrow & Ball Green Ground$8 at Farrow & BallFollow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.