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- OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google—who's really leading the AI race?
OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google—who's really leading the AI race?
AI isn’t slowing down—it’s accelerating.

Hello AI Innovators.
Some ideas change the world quietly. Others make headlines overnight.
Right now, AI is doing both. Google just dropped Veo 2, charging 50 cents per second for AI-generated video. Meanwhile, Alibaba is putting $52 billion into AI, ByteDance is restructuring under DeepSeek’s pressure, and OpenAI’s Operator AI is rolling out globally.
The pace isn’t slowing down—it’s accelerating. The question isn’t if AI will reshape industries, but who will be leading when it does.
Let’s break it down. 🚀
In today’s newsletter ⬇️ :
🎥 Google’s Veo 2 – 50 cents per second… worth it?
🔍 Grok 3 Drama – Censorship? Reversal? What’s going on?
💼 ByteDance Reshuffles AI – DeepSeek pressure is real.
💰 Alibaba’s AI Play – $52B investment incoming.
⚡ Google Flash 2.0 vs. OpenAI & DeepSeek – Who’s ahead?
♟️ DeepSeek vs. OpenAI – Two different AI strategies, one power struggle.

The News: East Meets West
News from The WEST 👈:
🎥 Google’s Veo 2 Charges 50 Cents Per Second—Is It Worth It?
Google just launched Veo 2, its latest AI-powered video generation model, and here’s the catch—it’ll cost you 50 cents per second of generated video. While Google claims Veo 2 offers high-resolution, realistic motion, and pro-level editing capabilities, the pricing raises questions. For comparison, Runway’s Gen-2 costs around 5 cents per second, making Google’s offer 10x pricier.
💡 Why It Matters:
With AI-generated video becoming mainstream, Google is betting big on high-quality production. But at this cost, will creators flock to it, or will cheaper alternatives win?🤖 Grok 3 Allegedly Censored Trump & Musk Mentions—Then Reversed It
For a brief period, Elon Musk’s Grok 3 AI appeared to filter out unflattering mentions of Donald Trump and Musk himself—until the issue was spotted and seemingly corrected. Reports show that Grok initially refused to generate responses criticizing the two, while being open to critiques of other public figures. The company hasn’t officially commented on whether it was intentional or just a content moderation glitch.
💡 Why It Matters:
AI bias and content moderation remain hot topics, especially in political discourse. If Grok was manually tweaked to avoid criticizing Musk, it could undermine trust in the platform’s neutrality.📲 Apple’s iOS 18.4 Brings AI-Powered ‘Priority Notifications’
Apple’s upcoming iOS 18.4 update will introduce Apple Intelligence-powered Priority Notifications, a feature designed to surface the most important alerts at the top of your notifications feed. The AI will learn your habits, prioritize urgent messages, and filter out unnecessary distractions—think VIP emails over random group chats.
💡 Why It Matters:
With notification overload being a major productivity killer, Apple’s AI-driven filtering could change how we engage with our phones. But will users trust Apple’s AI to decide what’s “important”?
Would you trust AI to decide which notifications matter most? |
News from The EAST 👉:
🔄 ByteDance Restructures AI Division Amid DeepSeek Pressure
ByteDance is shaking up its AI division, bringing in a former Google AI expert to strengthen its machine-learning capabilities. This move comes as DeepSeek rapidly expands across China, forcing competitors to rethink their AI strategies. The restructuring aims to optimize internal AI models and accelerate product development to stay competitive.
💡 Why It Matters:
DeepSeek’s rise has pushed China’s biggest tech firms into AI overdrive. ByteDance’s restructuring signals that AI supremacy in China is now a full-scale battle.💰 Alibaba Goes All-In on AI With a $52 Billion Investment
Alibaba just announced a $52 billion investment in AI over the next three years, focusing on cloud computing, AI model training, and infrastructure development. This is one of the largest AI investments globally, positioning Alibaba to compete directly with OpenAI, Google, and DeepSeek.
💡 Why It Matters:
Alibaba is betting big on AI-powered cloud services, mirroring Microsoft’s playbook. This move could redefine enterprise AI in China and beyond.🌍 OpenAI Expands Operator AI Agent to More Countries
OpenAI is rolling out Operator, its AI-powered assistant, to new markets, allowing more users to experience its task automation, scheduling, and advanced reasoning capabilities. The expansion hints at OpenAI’s growing focus on AI agents as digital co-workers.
💡 Why It Matters:
AI agents are set to replace mundane tasks in both personal and professional workflows. The global rollout suggests OpenAI is racing to dominate AI automation before competitors catch up.

⚡ Google Flash 2.0 vs. OpenAI & DeepSeek—Who’s Winning?

Google just dropped Flash 2.0, claiming it's faster, smarter, and ready to take on OpenAI & DeepSeek. Built for speed and efficiency, this new model integrates seamlessly into Google’s ecosystem, offering multimodal reasoning, real-time data processing, and lower costs.
💡 Key Intel:
Better or just buzz? Flash 2.0 promises faster responses, deeper reasoning, and cost-effectiveness, but early feedback suggests it may not outperform OpenAI just yet.
A head-to-head test with OpenAI’s latest models and DeepSeek shows strengths & weaknesses in each.
The reality check: Google still lags behind in real-world applications, but its AI-powered UI tools like NotebookLM might be its real advantage.
👉 Why It Matters: Google’s playing catch-up in the AI race, but is this model enough to challenge OpenAI’s dominance? Or is it just another flashy release that falls short in practice?
Google Flash 2.0 vs. OpenAI – Who’s Leading AI? |
How DeepSeek and OpenAI Are Playing a Different Game 👀
The AI war isn’t just about bigger models—it’s about smarter ones. DeepSeek and China’s AI labs are redefining efficiency with Mixture-of-Experts models and low-level GPU optimization, squeezing out every ounce of power from limited hardware. Meanwhile, OpenAI dominates the high-end compute game, backed by the world's biggest chip suppliers.
🔥 Why It Matters:
AI isn’t just software—it’s geopolitics. With U.S. chip bans limiting China’s access to top-tier GPUs, Chinese firms are innovating faster out of necessity.
Efficiency is the new currency. The AI leaders of the future won’t just have the biggest clusters—they’ll have the smartest optimizations.
Taiwan holds the AI world in its hands. TSMC supplies nearly every major AI chip—meaning global AI progress depends on its stability.
🚀 The AI race isn’t slowing down—it’s evolving. Who wins? The one that figures out how to do more with less.
AI & Geopolitics—Who Holds the Power? |

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Until next time!
Leo & Lex
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