Technology

This photo taken on 10 May 2023 shows the latest version of a robot called Sophia being tested at Hanson Robotics, a robotics and artificial intelligence company which creates human-like robots, in Hong Kong, China. (Peter Parks/AFP)

AI Stefanie, scams and fake news: China acts on AI regulation

The tech sector has seen a massive shift since the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November last year. The AI wave has brought much trepidation for its potential in advancing education, innovation and more; but along with it comes new challenges, especially those that raise copyright infringement issues or break the law. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk looks into how AI has been misused in China and the responses.
The chip battle wears on amid greater technological rivalry between China and the US. (Florence Lo/Reuters)

Micron ban: Will there be a winner in the China-US chip war?

With China barring domestic operators of critical information infrastructure from procuring products from US chipmaker Micron as the latest move in the China-US chip war, there are concerns about whether moving too strongly might lead to China hurting itself instead. Zaobao correspondent Chen Jing takes a look at how the chip war might play out.
Visitors at the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in Shanghai, China, on 18 April 2023. (Hector Retamal/AFP)

Chinese smart-car makers get into Tesla’s lane

By 2024, the performance of Chinese autonomous smart cars will match that of Tesla at the end of 2022 and early 2023, say Chinese industry experts. But while the commercial prospects for autonomous vehicles are promising, the road leading to them is bumpy as automakers are still in search of effective, affordable technology solutions.
A person tries an Oculus Meta Quest virtual reality headset at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona, Spain, on 28 February 2023. (Josep Lago/AFP)

Tencent, ByteDance gut metaverse units in virtual reality check

Major staff cuts at the metaverse units of ByteDance and Tencent have highlighted the sometimes disorganised ways that big tech firms have handled investments in new businesses. Now, grand development plans have been shelved, not so much because of a looming regulatory risk, but because of the difficulties of navigating a vaguely defined sector with patchy overall demand.
Customers queue at the Apple Fifth Avenue store for the release of the Apple iPhone 14 range in New York City, US, 16 September 2022. (Andrew Kelly/File Photo/Reuters)

Long tethered to Apple, Chinese suppliers seek new options

Chinese component suppliers are trying to curb their reliance on Apple, the latest American giant caught in the US-China tug of-war. In the early days, Chinese firms able to make it onto Apple’s supplier list were able to breathe a little easier. But with reliance comes exposure, and a need to adapt amid news of Apple's decreasing sales and rumoured plans of making production shifts to other countries.
A photo taken on 31 March 2023 in Manta, near Turin, shows a computer screen with the home page of the artificial intelligence OpenAI web site, displaying its ChatGPT robot. (Marco Bertorello/AFP)

China's self-censoring chatbots face many challenges

Since the release of ChatGPT late last year, Chinese tech companies have been rushing to release their own chatbots. But given the Chinese government’s tight grip on information and speech, how will chatbots developed by Chinese tech companies fare on the world stage?
Children playground miniatures are seen in front of displayed TikTok logo in this illustration taken 4 April 2023. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

US digital regulation dilemma: How to censor in a free society?

After TikTok’s recent high-profile congressional hearing, the question on everyone’s lips is what happens next — is a total ban likely? But the larger issue, says academic Sarah Kreps, is whether the US risks winning the battle of ideas and ideals but losing the war.
A man stands near a sign of ByteDance app Douyin during China Fashion Week, in Beijing, China, 31 March 2021. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

China's crackdown on fake and staged short videos

With the deluge of short-form videos on various apps and platforms, the line between fact and fiction can be blurred, with some content creators staging videos just to get views and stir up emotions. To combat this, Douyin has come up with a new rule that creators have to label staged videos as such. How effective will this be in preventing creators from going overboard in generating views?
This file photo taken on 23 January 2023 in Toulouse, southwestern France, shows screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT. (Lionel Bonaventure/AFP)

ChatGPT will permeate all facets of our work and life

While advanced AI tools like ChatGPT are viewed as a potential threat to jobs, all is not lost as workers can adapt by learning to work with such technology to achieve better outcomes.