Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA

Perplexity, the AI-powered search engine gunning for Google, on Thursday released Perplexity Labs, a tool for subscribers to Perplexity’s $20-per-month Pro plan that can craft reports, spreadsheets, dashboards, and more. Perplexity Labs is available on the web, iOS, and Android, and coming soon to Perplexity’s apps for Mac and Windows. “Perplexity Labs can help you complete a variety of work and personal projects,” Perplexity explains in a blog post. “Labs is designed to invest more time — 10 minutes or longer — and leverage additional tools [to accomplish tasks], such as advanced file generation and mini-app creation.” Labs, which arrives the…

DeepSeek’s updated R1 reasoning AI model might be getting the bulk of the AI community’s attention this week. But the Chinese AI lab also released a smaller, “distilled” version of its new R1, DeepSeek-R1-0528-Qwen3-8B, that DeepSeek claims beats comparably sized models on certain benchmarks. The smaller updated R1, which was built using the Qwen3-8B model Alibaba launched in May as a foundation, performs better than Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash on AIME 2025, a collection of challenging math questions. DeepSeek-R1-0528-Qwen3-8B also nearly matches Microsoft’s recently released Phi 4 reasoning plus model on another math skills test, HMMT. So-called distilled models like…

When my employer switched HSA providers in 2025, I attempted to combine my accounts.I ultimately abandoned the complex process, but not without a major takeaway: Pay attention to fees.A certified financial planner weighed in on the process and offered advice for avoiding fees.This year, my employer switched HSA providers, leaving me with two different vendors: Ameriflex and Flores.HSA stands for health savings account, and its primary function is to save for health costs. However, as I’ve learned through my reporting, fiscally savvy individuals also like to use it as an investment tool. I decided to follow their lead last year…

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — An American who was extradited from France this year to face allegations of a 2013 campus sexual assault after the accuser went public with her story hired a private lawyer to review a potential plea deal, lawyers in the case said in court Thursday.Ian Cleary, 32, of Saratoga, California, made his first in-person court appearance in Adams County, a half-mile from where the encounter occurred at Gettysburg College.A plea had been in the works, according to Assistant Public Defender Joshua Neiderhiser, who has represented Cleary since he was brought back to the U.S. However, after speaking…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Frayed by tariff wars and political battles, the academic ties between the U.S. and China are now facing their greatest threat yet as the Trump administration promises to revoke visas for an unknown number of Chinese students and tighten future visa screening.In a brief statement Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will “aggressively” revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying “critical fields.”Rubio’s statement threatened to widen a chasm between the two nations, building on a yearslong Republican campaign to rid U.S. campuses of Chinese influence…

Question: Is there anything that isn’t made better by the smoky sear of a grill? Answer: No! I’ve always believed that if you can eat it, you can grill it. That’s why it’s a shame that when most people want to get primal by pursuing outdoor cookery they stick to the usual suspects. A grilled meal need not be limited to burgers and sausages. For the sake of better taste and improved nutrition, it’s time to think outside the bun and look to your grill as an ultra-versatile cooking medium that is ready to prepare all sorts of food that…

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s newest AI model, an updated version of the company’s R1 reasoning model, achieves impressive scores on benchmarks for coding, math, and general knowledge, nearly surpassing OpenAI’s flagship o3. But the upgraded R1, also known as “R1-0528,” might also be less willing to answer contentious questions, in particular questions about topics the Chinese government considers to be controversial. That’s according to testing conducted by the pseudonymous developer behind SpeechMap, a platform to compare how different models treat sensitive and controversial subjects. The developer, who goes by the username “xlr8harder” on X, claims that R1-0528 is “substantially” less permissive…

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — America’s oldest and wealthiest school, Harvard University, held its commencement Thursday. The ceremony, attended by thousands of people, came as the university takes the lead on defying the White House in federal court to defend higher education.This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors. Hall of Fame center and honorary degree recipient Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is welcomed at Harvard Yard during commencement ceremonies at Harvard University, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Hall of Fame center and honorary degree recipient Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is welcomed at Harvard Yard during commencement ceremonies at…

Meta AI now has one billion monthly active users across its apps, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, as first reported by CNBC. The new milestone doubles the 500 million monthly active users Meta AI had back in September 2024. The “focus for this year is deepening the experience and making Meta AI the leading personal AI with an emphasis on personalization, voice conversations and entertainment,” Zuckerberg said. He went on to state that Meta’s plan is to keep building out the AI assistant before creating a business around it. As the assistant gets…

We’re on the final stretch! TechCrunch Sessions: AI kicks off in just seven days. Main stage and breakout sessions feature AI leaders from Google Cloud, Anthropic, OpenAI, Twelve Labs, and more. It’s your moment to connect, learn, and network at high velocity. Now’s the time to move — lock in your ticket and save $300, plus score an additional 50% off for your guest. These deals vanish the moment UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall opens on June 5. Don’t wait. This is the AI event of the season. Register now before prices surge! Image Credits:TechCrunch Why you can’t miss TC Sessions:…