Artificial Intelligence

An illustration projected on a screen shows a robot hand and a human one moving towards each others during the "AI for Good" Global Summit at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland, 7 June 2017. (Denis Balibouse/File Photo/Reuters)

AI is us, we are AI

Malaysian academic Goh Chun Sheng ponders the weighty issues thrown up by artificial intelligence, seeking a little assistance from none other than OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Teachers are seen behind a laptop during a workshop on ChatGPT organised by the School Media Service (SEM) of the Public education of the Swiss canton of Geneva, on 1 February 2023. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP)

ChatGPT could be partners in education if we overcome these challenges

Academics Wong Lung Hsiang and Looi Chee Kit note that information and AI literacies are or will become essential for anyone living in the IT era. One must possess both literacies to responsibly and constructively produce and disseminate information, as well as to understand and appraise the functions and limitations of AI tools, and the challenges they pose.
The ChatGPT logo is seen in this illustration taken 3 February 2023. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

Is a Chinese ChatGPT on the way?

Following OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT, players such as Google are scrambling to develop their own AI chatbot. It is also rumoured that Baidu is developing a project called ERNIE Bot to rival ChatGPT. With tech giants feeling the heat, will we see the race quickening to build a truly sentient chatbot?
Shoppers crowd at the Ameyoko shopping district, Tokyo, Japan, 29 December 2022. (Issei Kato/Reuters)

AI is taking the place of mental labour but fear not

Technology expert Yin Ruizhi believes that the advent of AI-enabled ChatGPT might be a solution to the ageing populations in Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and China, as humans are freed from jobs that ChatGPT can handle.
A QR code for Covid-19 contact tracing was displayed at the entrance of a shopping mall in Shanghai, China, on 29 November 2022. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

China's growing digital economy does not guarantee a 'digital civilisation'

Amid the frequent refrain of building a digital civilisation in China, Chinese academic Zhang Tiankan warns of the natural progression assumed in digital progress leading to greater civilisation. Innovations such as facial recognition technology or human tracking devices are placed in the hands of man and can be used for good or evil.
Instead of chasing after strong or general AI, perhaps companies would do better to focus on weak or specialised AI. (Pixabay)

AI stars in China and the US lose their shine

Technology expert Yin Ruizhi looks at artificial intelligence (AI) companies and the development of strong and weak AI, and notes that instead of chasing after strong AI for general use, perhaps weak AI for specialised use is the way to go.
An advertisement to promote Alibaba's Singles' Day shopping festival is pictured in Shanghai, China, 11 November 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

Public awareness, perception and digital divide: Addressing the effectiveness of provisions on algorithm-generated recommendations in China

As governments across the world grapple with ways to regulate platform algorithms, China has pushed ahead with rolling out a set of provisions regulating algorithm-generated recommendations for internet information services. Chinese tech giants have taken prompt adaptive actions in response, but a lack of consumer awareness, prevailing attitudes and a digital divide may undermine the authorities’ efforts.
Staff members walk past a logo of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba at its headquarters in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on 27 May 2022. (AFP)

China tech companies draw up war plans for ASEAN battleground

In the second of a seven-part Lianhe Zaobao-Business Times series on China and ASEAN, Zaobao senior correspondent Chew Boon Leong looks at the strategies adopted and challenges faced by China’s tech companies in Southeast Asia.
Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk speaks onstage during a delivery event for Tesla China-made Model 3 cars at its factory in Shanghai, China, 7 January 2020. (Aly Song/File Photo/Reuters)

The Chinese government is wary of Tesla

An alleged ban of Tesla cars from Beidaihe, the site of Communist Party leaders’ annual retreat, shows the fangs behind the smiles in the Chinese government’s attitude towards US company Tesla. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk has the analysis.