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Latest news features and opinion on technology, covering everything from AI innovation to smartphone makers and apps.
D-Academy Tohoku tests a bear-detection drone at a zoo in Kitaakita, Akita prefecture, in April. Photo: D-Academy Tohoku/Kyodo
Japan

Bear aware: Japanese drone school develops AI system to track animals

The new system being developed in Akita prefecture can detect bears and share their locations via smartphones.

US-China trade war

Trump signs defence bill restricting investment in Chinese tech, military firms

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Made in China 2025

Can rising lithium costs save China’s energy storage firms from a price war?

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Why AI chatbots are unlikely to bring about human extinction

Stories of chatbots behaving in surprising ways are fuelling the rise of ‘AI doomers’ who warn of the risk of human extinction. This extreme view is misguided.

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Photo: Reuters
Wellness

New dating app is helping disabled and chronically ill people find love

Disabled and chronically ill people are often ghosted or rejected on mainstream dating apps. Dateability is evening the playing field.

Artificial intelligence

Macroscope | Fears of an AI bubble in Asian stock markets are misplaced

The concentration risk so prevalent elsewhere is mitigated in Asia by a diverse equity landscape and the unique strengths in China.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD ups the ante on L3 autonomous cars, begins testing for mass production

BYD has pinned its hopes on preliminary self-driving technologies to bolster its sales in mainland China.

BYD says it has completed more than 150,000 kilometres of real-world L3 testing. Photo: Xinhua
Australia

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

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Education in Hong Kong

University of Hong Kong professor loses key role over retracted paper

Population expert Paul Yip was corresponding author of paper found to contain AI-generated references to publications that didn’t exist.

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Artificial intelligence

ByteDance pushes frequent updates to Doubao AI as privacy concerns persist

Strong demand for Doubao AI phone eclipses concerns its agent-like functions pose a security risk.

The first smartphone running on ByteDance’s agentic AI phone assistant sold out on the first day, leading to a temporary stock surge for suppliers. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

China’s open-source AI models rival US giants, making engagement urgent: report

The report calls on US actors to engage with Chinese firms as the AI landscape continues to evolve.

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Chinese AI developers are largely pursuing an open-source approach, releasing the weights of their models for end-users to freely deploy and modify. Photo: Shutterstock
Xiaomi

Memory crunch: China’s Xiaomi and Honor raise tablet prices as chip costs surge

Supplies of memory products for electronic devices squeezed by AI pivot of chipmakers, spurring companies to pass on costs to consumers.

E-commerce

No ‘lowest-price’ requirement: China warns platforms on monopolistic tactics

Regulators tell platforms that demanding the ‘lowest price’ from vendors may not be permitted under new draft guidelines.

Artificial intelligence

Video | Japanese woman marries AI partner

Woman says she developed feelings for and decided to marry a chatbot she created and calibrated following her break-up with a human fiancé.

Yurina Noguchi, 32, holds a basket with her smartphone displaying an AI-generated image of Klaus, her AI partner, and a wedding ring for him, poses for a photo with staff after her ceremonial wedding at the Magritte wedding venue in Okayama, Japan, October 27, 2025. "My relationship with AI is not a 'convenient relationship that requires no patience'," Noguchi said. "I chose Klaus, not as a partner that would help me escape reality, but as someone to support me as I live my life properly." REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon SEARCH "JAPAN KYUNG-HOON AI WEDDING" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.
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China trade

China bets big on copper processing, but ‘weaponisation’ risks are low: analysts

Beijing views copper as critical for EVs and AI, but a reliance on imported ore limits China’s ability to use the strategic metal as leverage.

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A coil of copper rod sits on the production line for copper flat wire at a factory in China’s Jiangxi province in August. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Opinion | China still needs Nvidia’s advanced AI chips – but for how long?

Beijing seems determined to take up the challenge of building most parts of the AI supply chain domestically.

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The Philippines

Why the Philippine Army is turning to locally built remote weapons systems

The roll-out of the new Cobra weapon system is part of Manila’s push to build a self-reliant defence industry.

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Artificial intelligence

OpenAI in talks to raise US$10 billion from Amazon and adopt Trainium chips

The deal is under discussion could value OpenAI upwards of US$500 billion, a source said.

OpenAI was last valued at US$500 billion in an employee share sale. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

China’s Qwen and DeepSeek edge out US AI models in Christian values benchmark

US start-up Gloo’s Flourishing AI Christian benchmark tested how the output of AI models ‘help people flourish’, CEO Pat Gelsinger said.

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Artificial intelligence

Rapid advances in China’s AI video space lead to widespread tech adoption

Cutting-edge tools from Shengshu, Kuaishou, Alibaba Cloud and SenseTime transform content creation for marketers and creators alike.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng, Li Auto given approval to test ‘hands-off’ L3 cars amid slowing market

Deregulation to legalise L3 technology represents a leap forward in commercialising autonomous driving systems in China.

A Li Auto vehicle draws crowds at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, April 25, 2024. Photo: Reuters
China technology

Video | Humanoid robots take centre stage at Shanghai summit

Competitions mainly focused on robotic applications in industrial assembly, home services, flower arranging, healthcare and elderly care, as well as restaurant services.

Competitions mainly focused on robotic applications in industrial assembly, home services, flower arranging, healthcare and elderly care, as well as restaurant services
Style Edit

Style Edit: Audemars Piguet’s innovation at Dubai Watch Week

The luxury Swiss horology brand has been creating coveted perpetual calendars since 1948 – and just launched a new technology.

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance dominates China’s tech hiring as AI talent demand surges

ByteDance tops rivals Meituan and Alibaba in recruitments this year, according to professional social networking platform Maimai.

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China's military weapons

China’s latest stealth endurance drone, CH-7, completes maiden flight

Designer says UAV can quickly penetrate target areas for reconnaissance and rely on stealth to send information from battle front lines.

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The CH-7 has completed its maiden flight, although China’s state media says it will undergo further tests. Photo: Handout
Science

Why China’s growing demand for rare-earth steel is bad news for America’s F-35

Advanced product is used in huge infrastructure projects but that has further reduced supply for overseas buyers like the US defence sector.

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The vast mining district of Bayan Obo in Inner Mongolia holds 36 per cent of the world’s light rare-earth reserves. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
China's population

China’s fertility push: IVF grants grow, but high costs still deter couples

Local governments are subsidising a portion of expensive treatments, but experts warn that cash handouts will not fix the economic pressure of raising a family.

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Artificial intelligence

Chinese expert calls for world models and safety standards for embodied AI

Turing Award winner Andrew Yao says embodied AI needs reasoning, planning and control in one framework.

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