OpenAI takes on Meta and DeepSeek with free and customisable AI models
OpenAI is taking on Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and Chinese rival DeepSeek by launching its own freely available artificial intelligence models.The ChatGPT developer has announced two “open weight” large language models, which are free to download and can be customised by developers.Meta’s Llama models are available on a similar basis, and OpenAI’s move marks a departure from ChatGPT, which is based on a “closed” model that cannot be customised.Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, said the company was excited to add to a stack of freely available AI models “based on democratic values … and for wide benefit”.He added: “We’re excited to make this model, the result of billions of dollars of research, available to the world to get AI into the hands of the most people possible.
”OpenAI said the models could underpin an AI agent that operates autonomously, and that they were “designed to be used within agentic workflows”.Zuckerberg, similarly, has said that making models freely available and customisable will “ensure that more people around the world have access to the benefits and opportunities of AI” and that power is not concentrated in the hands of a small number of companies.However, Meta has said his company may need to be “careful” about taking a similar approach with highly advanced AI models.Sign up to TechScapeA weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our livesafter newsletter promotionDeepSeek, a Chinese rival to OpenAI and Meta, has also released powerful models that can be downloaded and customised freely.OpenAI said the two models, called gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b-two, outperformed similarly sized models on reasoning tasks, with the larger, 120b model achieving a near-equal performance to its o4-mini model in terms of core reasoning.
The company added that during the testing process it had created “maliciously fine-tuned” versions of the models to simulate biological and cybersecurity threats but found they were “unable to reach high capability levels”.The existence of freely available, powerful AI models that can be customised by developers has alarmed some experts who have warned that they could be adapted to cause serious harm, such as developing bioweapons.Meta has defined its Llama models as “open source”, meaning they can also be downloaded and customised freely, while their training datasets, architecture and training code are also provided.However, the Open Source Initiative, a US-based industry organisation, has said the restrictions Meta places on using its models mean it does not qualify as fully open source.OpenAI has used the term “open weight”, in effect a notch down from open source, which means the model can still be fine-tuned – but its workings are not fully transparent to the developer.
OpenAI’s announcement came amid speculation that a new version of the model that underpins ChatGPT could be released soon.On Sunday Altman shared a screenshot of what appeared to be the company’s latest AI model, GPT-5.Meanwhile, Google has outlined its latest step towards artificial general intelligence (AGI) with a new model that allows AI systems to interact with a convincing simulation of the real world.The Genie 3 “world model” could be used to train robots and autonomous vehicles as they engage with realistic recreations of environments such as warehouses, according to Google.Its AI division, Google DeepMind, argues that world models are a key step to achieving AGI, a hypothetical level of AI where a system can carry out most tasks on a par with humans – rather than just individual tasks such as playing chess or translating languages – and potentially do someone’s job.
DeepMind said such models would play an important role in the development of AI agents, or systems that carry out tasks autonomously.“We expect this technology to play a critical role as we push toward AGI, and agents play a greater role in the world,” DeepMind said.
HMRC files winding-up petition against Sanjeev Gupta’s Liberty Steel pipes business
British tax authorities have filed a winding-up petition against Liberty Steel’s business making pipes in northern England in the latest sign of the pressure on the metals empire controlled by the tycoon Sanjeev Gupta.Court filings list HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) as the petitioner in a winding-up petition against Liberty Pipes (Hartlepool) that was filed on Tuesday.The listing suggests that the petition relates to an unpaid VAT bill. However, Liberty said everything the business owed to HMRC had been settled and that there was no threat to the Hartlepool operations, which continue to operate and employ 178 people.A spokesperson said: “Liberty Pipes Hartlepool has no outstanding payments due to HMRC
UK construction activity shrinks by most in five years; Trump imposes extra 25% tariff on India – as it happened
Ouch! Activity in the UK construction sector has fallen at the fastest rate in over five years, indicating the government is struggling to hit its housebuilding targets.Data firm S&P Global has reported that there was “a considerable slump in the UK construction sector” in July, as builders reported a renewed decline in housing projects.That is a sign that Labour are falling behind in their target to boost housebuilding and build 1.5 million new homes by 2029.Commercial construction, and civil engineering, both also shrank in July
OpenAI in talks on share sale that would price it above Elon Musk’s SpaceX
OpenAI is reportedly in early talks about a sale of shares held by current and former employees that would value it at half a trillion dollars, overtaking Elon Musk’s SpaceX.If the transaction goes ahead, the value of the ChatGPT developer would rise by about two-thirds, from $300bn (£225bn).Musk’s rocket companyis currently worth $350bn and is reportedly circling a $400bn price tag in a new fundraising.Bloomberg, which first reported the OpenAI talks, said existing investors, including Thrive Capital, have approached the company about buying employee shares. Other investors in OpenAI, which is based in San Francisco, include the Japanese investment company SoftBank, which led the $300bn financing, and Microsoft
Lib Dems call for urgent regulation of YouTube ads after wave of scams
The Liberal Democrats are calling for urgent regulation of YouTube advertising after scams including deepfakes, impersonated public figures and fraudulent investment claims were found to be spreading on the platform with little oversight.The party said YouTube’s adverts remain largely unchecked by independent regulators, despite new data from Ofcom showing the platform has overtaken ITV in weekly UK viewership and continues to dominate children’s media consumption.Among the recent scams onYouTube was a series of ads using an AI-generated voice and likeness of the consumer champion Martin Lewis to promote a cryptocurrency scheme, despite Lewis having no involvement. The videos, which have drawn thousands of complaints on Reddit and X, mislead users into thinking they are receiving financial advice from a trusted source.Other viewers have reported false product claims, scam diet pills and fake competitions
British athletes could be allowed to compete in future Islamic Solidarity Games
Organisers of the Islamic Solidarity Games, a quadrennial event with 57 nations competing in multiple sports, have left the door open for British athletes to take part in future, saying such a prospect would be “interesting to see”.The latest edition of the Games is to take place in Riyadh in November and – under the Saudi sports minister as president of the governing body, the Islamic Solidarity Sports Association – there is a desire to grow its international audience, which could involve inviting new countries to take part.“It would be great quality sports. It would be interesting to see,” said Nasser Majali, secretary general of the ISSA, who was speaking in London on Wednesday. “It depends on the appetite, it depends on what we are able to do based on sustainability
Hundred’s days could be numbered with T20 switch in play for next year
The Hundred could be changed to a Twenty20 competition as soon as next year. The 100-ball format is enshrined in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s domestic TV contracts with Sky Sports and the BBC until 2028 but the Guardian has learned that both broadcasters are open to switching to T20 next summer if requested by the newly formed Hundred board, which will be dominated by representatives of the eight franchises.The ECB first explored dropping the Hundred in favour of the global-standard T20 format two years ago in informal discussions, which drew a lukewarm response from Sky in particular. The broadcaster has invested heavily in marketing the Hundred, which has succeeded in attracting more diverse crowds to grounds and has a younger TV audience than other forms of cricket on the network, while the BBC also likes the format as it is easier to fit shorter matches into its schedules.The sale of, in most cases, minority stakes in the eight franchises for £520m this year has altered the power dynamics, however, with the new co-owners expected to have a huge influence over the future of the competition given the collective size of their investment
Keir Starmer plays down warnings that taxes will have to be raised in autumn
Rachel Reeves needs to put up taxes to cover £40bn deficit, thinktank says
Labour thinktank offers sponsorship packages to meet and influence ‘key policymakers’
Support for hardline anti-immigration policies linked to ignorance about migration figures, poll suggests – as it happened
Scottish ministers criticised for slow progress in exam passes for poorer students
‘We’re the party of ambition’: Plaid Cymru sets out to topple Labour