It’s been a tale of technology and tariffs this week as a Chinese-developed chatbot delivered the first shock to stock markets after appearing to have stolen a march on US tech supremacy. For our big story, technology editors Robert Booth and Dan Milmo dived into the implications of DeepSeek, a cheaper and less energy intensive AI tool than Silicon Valley rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Within days of DeepSeek’s stealth launch, it had raced up the download charts but equally as fast, its limitations when questioned on tricky subjects such as contentious Chinese history were pointed out by testers. With the help of typical Turing test questions we, however, report that all chatbots on the market have their limitations. And, as commentator Kenan Malik writes, the real shock of the new pretender owes more to economics than technical developments.
Meanwhile, barely recovered from their tech tremors, the markets reeled again as Donald Trump unveiled his promised tariff tactics. While Mexico and Canada won a month’s reprieve after agreeing to shore up their borders against Trump’s claims of migrants and illegal drugs coming into the US, China stood up to the White House by imposing its own tariffs on US imports. In a week when the news, seemingly, never had a moment to draw breath, this edition of Guardian Weekly is a chance to reflect on these two globally significant events.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | My home was crushed and buried
Gaza-based reporter Malek A Tantesh records her family’s arduous walk back to Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, the joy of making her way home but the sorrow of the destruction she sawEnvironment | Why icebreakers are a hot topic in the Arctic?
While Donald Trump seems intent on securing Greenland, our Nordic correspondent Miranda Bryant speaks to local experts, who explain that it will be no mean feat to control shipping routes through the prized Northwest PassageFeature | My inside story
Imprisoned for her part in the UK’s Just Stop Oil protests, Louise Lancaster reflects on prison conditions and what she has learned from her time in jailOpinion | Labour is sacrificing everything to the god of GDP
The government is committing environmental vandalism via chancellor Rachel Reeves’ push for growth at all costs and is no better than its Tory predecessors, says George MonbiotCulture | Bridget Jones is back
As the ultimate singleton returns, older and wiser after 25 years, the star and creator of the new movie, Renée Zellweger and Helen Fielding, tell Hollie Richardson why her appeal hasn’t dimmed
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What else we’ve been reading
Wider fears about the direction of artificial intelligence were allayed somewhat by this sweet tale of an “AI granny” chatbot named Daisy, designed to frustrate telephone fraudsters with a stream of befuddling inquiries about cups of tea, knitting and how computers work. Graham Snowdon, editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | Alice Weidel: the far-right banker Elon Musk wants as German chancellor
• Video | How immigration is used as a political weapon
• Gallery | Marianne Faithfull – a life in pictures
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