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ChatGPT and other generative AIs

Ant International’s new AI model for cross-border transactions is expected to strengthen global trade and commerce. Photo: Shutterstock

Ant International drives AI in cross-border payments to boost global expansion

The firm’s AI model predicts currency exchange rates on an hourly basis, helping businesses reduce transaction costs.

7 Nov 2024 - 10:58PM

Urgency of AI development at Meituan underscored as co-founder returns

7 Nov 2024 - 10:33PM

South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix push latest memory products at CIIE

7 Nov 2024 - 7:33PM

Chinese unicorn Zhipu AI raises US$210 million to invest in start-ups

The Z Fund says it aims to take advantage of its parent’s leading position in China’s AI sector to discover promising early-stage start-ups.

6 Nov 2024 - 6:00PM

The Zhipu AI booth at an industry conference in Shanghai. Photo: Handout

Smartphone giant Oppo, PolyU to launch joint AI research centre in Hong Kong

Oppo pledged US$4.2 million in funding over the next five years to deepen collaboration with PolyU on AI imaging technology.

4 Nov 2024 - 11:46PM

Chinese AI unicorn Zhipu adds Beijing, Shenzhen government funds as shareholders

The latest funding reflects how Chinese AI-related enterprises continue to attract new investment, despite US tech restrictions.

4 Nov 2024 - 9:00PM

Alibaba cuts ‘dozens of employees’ at metaverse unit as sector’s hype cools down

The lay-offs affected Alibaba metaverse unit Yuanjing’s operations in Shanghai and Hangzhou, according to a report.

3 Nov 2024 - 7:00AMvideocam

Alibaba’s move to downsize its metaverse workforce reflects how other major tech companies are pulling back resources from the sector. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s crowded and closed generative AI market is facing consolidation

The US-China tech war, focused on chips and AI, is driving a split between the tech ecosystems of the two countries.

1 Nov 2024 - 8:00PM

On the Menu | Diners eat at restaurants for the meal, not the spiel

Farm-to-table this, locally sourced that. Virtuous monologues stick in the throat, especially AI-generated ones, so focus on people.

1 Nov 2024 - 7:45AM

Chinese smartphone brands beat Apple to the AI punch at home

With no word on when Apple Intelligence will arrive in China, domestic players from Xiaomi to Honor are touting their own AI features.

31 Oct 2024 - 9:00PM

Xiaomi president Lu Weibing introduces the company’s latest flagship handsets in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Chinese AI unicorn MiniMax scores big in US with Talkie chatbot app

Talkie, part of the fast-growing ‘companion AI’ market segment, was the fourth most-downloaded AI app in the US in the first half of 2024.

31 Oct 2024 - 8:00AM

So-called companion AI apps, such as MiniMax-developed Talkie, are popular among younger social-media users. Photo: Handout

OpenAI, Broadcom working to develop AI inference chip

OpenAI is less focused on GPUs, chips that are used to train and build generative AI models – a market that has been cornered by Nvidia.

30 Oct 2024 - 11:39AM

China’s Zhipu AI says its app can operate your smartphone for you

AutoGLM can order coffee, send messages and complete other tasks on smartphones based on voice prompts, according to the Chinese start-up.

30 Oct 2024 - 9:00AM

OpenAI chair’s AI start-up Sierra gets US$4.5 bn valuation in latest funding round

The funding has established Sierra as one of the most highly valued AI start-ups, despite growing concerns around AI bubbles.

29 Oct 2024 - 12:00PM

Artificial intelligence letters are placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken, June 23, 2023. Photo: Reuters

US to ban outbound investments in China’s chips, AI for national security

From January 2, engagement involving ‘defined set of technologies and products’ is prohibited to guard against fuelling PLA’s modernisation.

29 Oct 2024 - 3:23PMvideocam

US President Joe Biden exits Marine One as he arrives in Washington on Monday. The American leader’s term in office ends in January. Photo: AP

The scientist on a mission to nurture AI talent in Hong Kong

Ma Yi explains why Hong Kong is an ideal place to attract global talent and how he is using the new role at the University of Hong Kong to promote academic exchange.

26 Oct 2024 - 11:34AM

Nvidia CEO bets on India growth, supports Hindi-language AI model

Jensen Huang’s push comes as India has risen in prominence for global tech companies amid rising US-China tensions.

24 Oct 2024 - 2:52PM

SK Hynix posts record profit, outshining Samsung in AI chip sales

The world’s second-biggest memory chip maker beat forecasts in its third-quarter earnings.

24 Oct 2024 - 5:18PM

Nvidia supplier SK Hynix posted record third-quarter profit, beating forecasts. Photo: Reuters

Oppo enters tech pact with top EV maker BYD, acquires AI start-up

The latest initiatives by Oppo show its ambition to diversify and expand its business beyond the smartphone industry.

23 Oct 2024 - 7:30PM

Microsoft closes Azure path for individuals to access OpenAI in mainland China

Owing to local regulatory requirements, only enterprise customers are eligible to subscribe to Azure OpenAI Service in mainland China.

21 Oct 2024 - 6:30PM

Sam Altman’s rebranded Worldcoin ramps up iris-scanning crypto project

World Network, which is facing scrutiny over its data collection, introduced a new version of its orb iris-scanning device on Thursday,.

18 Oct 2024 - 12:00PM

Alibaba’s global commerce unit launches new translation-focused AI model

Macro MT is a new large language model that supports translation in various cross-border e-commerce scenarios.

16 Oct 2024 - 9:45AM

Alibaba’s new translation-focused large language model can be integrated into merchants’ systems that manage their products, customer services and search guidance. Photo: Shutterstock

Moonshot AI updates Kimi chatbot to offer capabilities akin to OpenAI o1

Kimi Chat Explore is touted by Moonshot AI as being able to ‘think and reflect’ in response to user queries.

13 Oct 2024 - 7:00AM

TikTok owner ByteDance launches US$170 AI earbuds in China

The Ola Friend earphones are linked to ByteDance’s self-developed chatbot, Doubao, currently China’s most popular GenAI app.

10 Oct 2024 - 2:11PM

OpenAI says it foiled suspected China-linked phishing attack

The US start-up says SweetSpecter, a suspected China-based group, posed as a ChatGPT user and sent emails to staff with malware attached.

10 Oct 2024 - 9:51AM

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The start-up says it has thwarted an attempt by a suspected China-linked group to phish its employees. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

OpenAI accuses Elon Musk of harassment over his ‘altruism versus greed’ lawsuit

The lawsuit has not dampened investors’ interest in OpenAI, which recently raised US$6.6 billion at a US$157 billion valuation.

9 Oct 2024 - 2:34PM

OpenAI claims Elon Musk’s lawsuit is part of an “increasingly blusterous campaign to harass” the Microsoft-backed start-up. Photo: Shutterstock

iPhone maker Foxconn says EV business will need years to ramp up

It will probably take another five years for Hon Hai to fully utilise its production lines at an Ohio facility, EV head Jun Seki says.

8 Oct 2024 - 11:15AM

Samsung apologises for weak results during AI chip boom

In a rare apology, the company vows to review its culture and processes to enhance competitiveness.

8 Oct 2024 - 3:56PM

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ChatGPT and other generative AIs

Latest news and updates on ChatGPT, a large language model conversational bot operated by Microsoft-backed OpenAI that is able to understand sophisticated questions and give surprisingly humanlike text responses, and other generative AI, including Baidu's Ernie Bot, and image generation software such as Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and Dall-e 2. The articles focus on the implications of such technology, the challenges it could pose China’s censors, possible bans by educational institutions, AI regulation, and the development of other similar software.

last updated:

9 September, 2024