circus vs carnival Picking the top-performing artificial intelligence (AI) stock a year out isn't easy. In 2023, it ended up being Nvidia . In 2024, all signs are pointing toward Palantir Technologies . This shift from AI hardware to AI application software was predictable because it has to be deployed and become useful at some time for all of the investment dollars in hardware to pay off. As a result, I think we'll see another AI software company rise to the top in 2025. My prediction is that it will be SoundHound AI ( SOUN 12.60% ) , even though it has already had an incredibly strong 2024, rising over 300%. So, how can a company that has already risen so much be a top pick for 2025? SoundHound's reach has widened in 2024 SoundHound AI's platform is centered around taking a voice input and turning it into a prompt for an AI platform. This has multiple uses, including automaking, restaurants, financial services, insurance, and healthcare. The company already has products serving those industries, and automakers and restaurants are some of its largest clients. Still, the company has become quite diversified in 2024. During last year's third quarter, 72% of revenue came from one client, and 90% of total revenue came from the automotive sector. Now, the largest client contributed only 12% of revenue, and the largest sector made up 25% of revenue. That diversification is a key part of SoundHound becoming more relevant in all industries and turning into a more stable company. If that single client left in late 2023, it might have caused the business to go belly up. If its largest client leaves now, it will still hurt, but not as much as it would have before. While SoundHound still has risks associated with it, this plays a huge part in lowering that risk level. In the third quarter, revenue grew 89% year over year to $25.1 million. This makes it a small-cap stock, as its revenue in the past 12 months totals $67 million. For other, more established software companies, that would be a fairly small percentage of overall revenue, but the company isn't expected to stay there for long. Management projects 2025 revenue will come in between $155 million and $175 million, which is nearly double the revenue it projects for 2024. Clearly, SoundHound expects its business to maintain its boom for 2025. This also highlights a key investment point: How high is the limit if its products become the industry standard in audio recognition? Think of all the ways we use voice to control what we do; now, imagine that being associated with the power of AI. SoundHound could become a huge winner in this space, even after it has run up so much. A lot of success is built into its stock price Perhaps the biggest risk with SoundHound is its valuation. Investors need to be aware of the success that's already baked into the stock's price. Its valuation tips the scales at around 40 times sales , which historically is very expensive. SOUN PS ratio, data by YCharts; PS = price to sales. However, we also know that SoundHound's current trailing-12-month revenue is set to triple by the time 2025 ends (if management's projections come true), which would price the stock in a more reasonable valuation range -- somewhere around 20 times sales. The problem is that the stock must stay at the same price. If the company's business continues to boom, its stock isn't going to stay put. Although I'm excited about 2025, it's clear that all of that year's financial growth is already assumed in the stock price. As a result, if the business stumbles, the stock will take a nosedive. Still, I think there are hefty tailwinds blowing in SoundHound's favor, and I wouldn't be surprised if management ends up beating 2025 expectations, since it has raised its guidance multiple times in 2024 (that year's revenue was originally projected to be between $63 million and $77 million; current guidance is for $82 million to $85 million). If SoundHound AI forecasts that it will continue doubling its revenue in 2026, I think that would keep the hype going in the stock, and be enough to propel it to become the best-performing AI stock in 2025.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to implement the "toughest" anti-US policy as Donald Trump prepares for his second term as president. Trump's return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, he met Kim three times for talks on the North's nuclear programme. But many experts say a quick resumption of Kim-Trump summitry is unlikely as Trump will first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. North Korea's support for Russia's war against Ukraine also poses a challenge to efforts to revive diplomacy, experts say. During a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party that ended on Friday, Kim called the US "the most reactionary state that regards anti-communism as its invariable state policy", the country's state media reported. Kim said the US-South Korea-Japan security partnership is expanding into "a nuclear military bloc for aggression". "This reality clearly shows to which direction we should advance and what we should do and how," he said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. It said his speech "clarified the strategy for the toughest anti-US counteraction to be launched aggressively" by North Korea for its long-term national interests and security. KCNA did not elaborate on the anti-US strategy, but it said Kim set out tasks to bolster military capability through defence technology advancements and stressed the need to improve the mental toughness of North Korean soldiers. The previous meetings between Trump and Kim had not only put an end to their exchanges of fiery rhetoric and threats of destruction, but they developed personal connections. Trump once famously said he and Kim "fell in love", but their talks eventually collapsed in 2019, as they wrangled over US-led sanctions on the North. North Korea has since sharply increased the pace of its weapons testing activities to build more reliable nuclear missiles targeting the US and its allies. The US and South Korea have responded by expanding their military bilateral drills and also trilateral ones involving Japan, drawing strong rebukes from the North, which views such US-led exercises as invasion rehearsals. Further complicating efforts to get North Korea to rid itself of nuclear weapons is its deepening military co-operation with Russia . According to US, Ukrainian and South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops and conventional weapons systems to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. There are concerns that Russia could give North Korea advanced weapons technology in return, including help to build more powerful nuclear missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in Russia's Kursk region. It was the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties since the North Korean troop deployment to Russia began in October. Russia and China , locked in separate disputes with the US, have repeatedly blocked US-led pushes to levy more United Nations sanctions on North Korea despite its repeated missile tests in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. Last month, Mr Kim said his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington's "unchangeable" hostility towards his country and described his nuclear build-up as the only way to counter external threats.

Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Lancashire Evening Post, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. The line-up for Celebrity Cyclone has been confirmed for 2024. I’m a Celebrity is preparing for the final two days of this year’s season - and a winner will soon be crowned. Oti won the golden ticket straight through to the coveted challenge - a fan and participant favourite each year. However more places were up for grabs. Advertisement Advertisement A double elimination shocked fans and the campmates on Thursday (December 5) night - but how many of the remaining six stars survived tonight's (December 6) episode. Here’s all you need to know: Stay up-to-date with the latest UK news and culture with our free UK Today newsletter. It is one of the most iconic I’m a Celebrity challenges and a benchmark for the participants. However only a handful of stars can make it all the way to take on Celebrity Cyclone. Oti Mabuse won the golden ticket in the two part challenge spread across the episodes on Wednesday (December 4) and Thursday. After two trips to the Arcade of Agony, she won the major advantage. Advertisement Advertisement She was joined by Danny Jones, Coleen Rooney and Reverend Richard Coles. Two more celebs were sent home in yet another double elimination. The unlucky two were Alan Halsall and GK Barry. Their depatures come just before the final two episodes of I’m a Celebrity 2024 - as the top six became a top four. Find out who makes it to the final day in Saturday’s (December 7) episode. Friday’s episode started, as is tradition, with a recap of the events from the day prior, up to the double elimination of Maura and Barry. Alan had the pleasure of announcing the details of the latest Bush Tucker trial - with two celebs set to take part. Advertisement Advertisement Once again, it was up to the campmates to decide who would face the challenge. Coleen Rooney and Reverend Richard Coles volunteered. It was a trial called ‘Dreaded Dregs’ - a drinking themed challenge. They had a chance to win up to six stars, but some of the drinking games saw the two celebs facing off against each other. Starting with a game of spin the bottle, Coleen had to drink a ‘jungle drink’ - made from blended pig testicles. Who hasn’t downed one of these have a few pints? She successfully won the first star. The two celebs then went head to head, for a game of gruesome flip cup - with the celeb taking the longest having to face a forfeit. Advertisement Advertisement They got two stars for the game, but Coleen was the slowest and had to face the forfeit. Meaning she had to face the next one on her own. She had to face six shots, including blended camel teets and then horses anuses. Like a true trooper, Coleen managed to finish all of them. For the next game, it was a Bush Tucker twist on beer pong - and two stars were up for grabs. And they managed to win them both. A seventh star was then up for grabs, if Coleen and Richard could finish a dirty fishbowl drink together. If they managed it - drinks would be up for grabs for everyone back in camp that evening. Advertisement Advertisement Coleen struggled but Richard kept going and finished it all. Winning the final star - taking the total to seven: six for meals and one for drinks. After the challenge, each of the celebs were pulled out of camp for a surprise: to meet a family member or loved one for an emotional reunion. It was a piece of TV that was bound to touch the hearts of even the most curmudgeonly watchers. What do you think of the line-up for Celebrity Cyclone this year? Share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected] .Missing trees, misleading ornaments, mini inflatables: Holiday decor scams leave shoppers less jolly

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