Two Chinese AI companies released frontier models last week that they say can compete with the best from OpenAI and Anthropic. And they're giving them away for free. Moonshot launched Kimi K3 ... a massive model with 2.8 trillion parameters. They say it only trails OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol and Anthropic's Claude Fable 5. Alibaba followed with Qwen3.8 Max at 2.4 trillion parameters, claiming it's second only to Claude Fable 5. Here's what makes this different from the usual AI announcements. Both companies are making these models fully open-source. That means any developer in the world can download them, modify them, and build new tools on top of them. While the big US labs mostly keep their best models locked behind paid subscriptions, China is betting on giving theirs away. Demand for Kimi K3 was so high that Moonshot had to temporarily stop accepting new users ... they literally ran out of computing capacity. A few things that stood out to me: - The gap between the best open-source and closed-source models is getting smaller - More competition means better AI tools at lower prices for everyone - Open-source models give smaller companies and developers access to capabilities that used to be locked behind expensive APIs America still has big advantages in chips and investment. But the lead is narrower than most people realise. Do you think open-source AI will win out over closed models in the end? Or will the big US labs stay ahead? 👇

Welcome to the AI Community! I'm thrilled you're here. 👋 Watch the quick START HERE to get oriented and see exactly how to make the most out of your membership. You can find it here. Then, let's get connected—introduce yourself below! Share where you are from, what you're excited to learn about AI, and your biggest goal for joining this community. This is your place to explore, engage, and elevate your accounting practice through cutting-edge AI. I'm here to support your journey every step of the way. Let’s get started! 🎉

I've been sitting on this for months, and today it's finally live. The AI Academy is going to Portugal. Two days that could change how you use AI in your firm ... in a small group of no more than 25 AI Academy members ... on the coast of Portugal in March 2027. Here's what's happening: - Wednesday 3 March: Welcome wine tasting evening - Thursday 4 and Friday 5 March: Two full days of intensive AI working sessions at the Vila Galé Hotel in Ericeira - Pre-dinner drinks with the group on both evenings We'll work through your real AI challenges together. Prompt engineering ... automations ... how AI agents actually fit into a firm ... whatever you're stuck on right now. This isn't a slide-fest. It's roll-up-your-sleeves work with peers who get it. For the next few days only, you can grab your place at the flash sale price of $395. But ONLY IF YOU ARE AN AI ACADEMY MEMBER. There is currently a free 7-day trial here, https://www.skool.com/theaiacademy/about That price is only live until 8am UK time on Friday. After that, it jumps to $495, and it keeps stepping up from there ... full standard price is $1,600. You'll find the brochure below 👇 I'd love to see you there. What's the one AI challenge you'd love to work through if you were sitting in that room with us? Drop it below 👇

Which AI tool is easiest for creating a website from scratch that is hosted by GoDaddy? Is GoDaddy's AI tool worth a look?

Big news this week. OpenAI has launched a new set of AI models called GPT-5.6. There are three versions. Sol is the most powerful, Terra is the balanced everyday one, and Luna is the fast, low-cost option. They've also started rolling out "ChatGPT Work", a workspace that connects to your apps and files and can build documents and presentations from a single prompt. Why this matters for accountants: - More capable models usually mean more of the fiddly admin work can be handed off - Having a cheap, fast option and a powerful one lets you pick the right tool for the job - The pace isn't slowing down ... staying curious is now part of the job I'll be honest with you ... I haven't tested any of this yet, and I'd take the bigger claims with a pinch of salt until we've seen it work on real accounting tasks. New and impressive doesn't always mean useful. So here's my question for you 👇 When you hear "another new AI model just dropped" ... are you excited, exhausted, or a bit of both? Drop one word below.