Microsoft to Retire Skype on May 5, 2025

PLUS:OpenAI Launches GPT-4.5,Amazon Unveils Alexa+

Author

DataIntel
February 28, 2025

Image Source: Techcrunch

Microsoft has announced that it will permanently shut down Skype on May 5, 2025, after 22 years of service.

Key Highlights:

🗨️ Transition to Microsoft Teams: Users are encouraged to migrate to Microsoft Teams, which offers enhanced features such as meeting hosting and calendar management.

⚡ Account Integration: Existing Skype users can log into Teams using their current Skype credentials, ensuring a seamless transition.

🎯 Data Access: Users will have the ability to export their Skype data until the shutdown date.

Why It Matters:
Skype, launched in 2003, was a pioneer in internet-based voice and video communication. However, with the rise of competing platforms and the success of Microsoft Teams, the company has decided to focus its resources on the latter to provide a more integrated and efficient user experience.

Image Source:Amazon

Amazon has introduced Alexa+, its next-generation virtual assistant powered by generative AI, designed to offer more natural, intuitive, and proactive interactions.

Key Features of Alexa+:

🗨️ Enhanced Conversational Abilities – Understands and responds more naturally to user prompts.

⚡ Action-Oriented – Controls smart home devices, books reservations, and orders groceries.

🎯 Personalized Experience – Remembers user preferences for tailored assistance.

🤖 Autonomous Capabilities – Can independently complete tasks like scheduling home repairs.

Why It Matters:
Alexa+ represents Amazon’s leap into AI-first virtual assistants, making everyday tasks more seamless and intuitive.

Alexa+ is available at no additional cost for Amazon Prime members. This development signifies Amazon's commitment to integrating advanced AI technologies to enhance user experiences, positioning Alexa+ as a versatile and proactive assistant in daily life.

Image Source: Wan AI

Alibaba has announced the open-source release of its cutting-edge video and image-generating AI model, Wan 2.1. This move aims to foster innovation and collaboration within the AI community.

Key Features of Wan 2.1:

🗨️High-Quality Output: Capable of producing realistic videos up to 720p resolution, with durations of a few seconds.

⚡ Scalable Architecture: The model's architecture ranges between 1.3 billion and 14 billion parameters, balancing performance and computational efficiency.

🎯 Personalized Experience – Remembers user preferences for tailored assistance.

🤖 Autonomous Capabilities – Can independently complete tasks like scheduling home repairs.

Strategic Context:
This release positions Alibaba competitively in the AI landscape, especially following recent open-source contributions from companies like DeepSeek. Additionally, Alibaba has committed to investing 380 billion yuan ($52 billion) over the next three years to enhance its cloud computing and AI infrastructure.

By open-sourcing Wan 2.1, Alibaba aims to accelerate advancements in AI-driven video generation, inviting developers and researchers worldwide to contribute and innovate.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has introduced Ocelot, a breakthrough quantum computing chip designed to enhance error correction and accelerate quantum development.

Key Features of Wan 2.1:

🔬 Bosonic Quantum Error Correction – Reduces error correction overhead by up to 90%, making quantum computing more efficient.

🐱 Cat Qubits for Stability – Uses "cat qubits", inspired by Schrödinger’s cat experiment, to improve quantum stability.

📡 Scalable Quantum Architecture – Built for large-scale quantum computing, aiming for fault tolerance and real-world applications.

Why it Matters:
Ocelot positions Amazon as a major player in the quantum computing race, competing with Google and Microsoft. By tackling error correction, it could shave years off the development timeline for practical quantum computing.

Top Data→AI News
 🤖 OpenAI Launches GPT-4.5: More Intelligent, Less Hallucination.

Image Source:Venture Beat

OpenAI has introduced GPT-4.5, an improved version of its AI model, boasting better accuracy, reasoning, and reduced errors.

Key Features of GPT 4.5:

⚡ Fewer Hallucinations – Reduces misinformation, improving factual reliability by over 40%.
🧠 Enhanced Reasoning & Emotional Intelligence – Feels more conversational and insightful, mimicking human-like understanding.
💡 Expanded Knowledge Base – Improved training makes it more versatile for complex queries and problem-solving.

Why it Matters:
GPT-4.5 raises the bar for AI chatbots, offering more accurate, human-like interactions. It’s available now for Pro users, with wider access expected soon.

NEWLY LAUNCH AI TOOLS

Trending AI tools

💬 Scribe - ElevenLabs' new SOTA speech-to-text model

🪨 Granite 3.2 - IBM's compact open models for enterprise use

🗣️ Octave TTS - Generate AI voices with emotional delivery

🧑‍🔬 Deep Review - AI co-scientist for literature reviews

Source:RundownAI