Technology

Robots on display at a CloudMinds Technology Inc. booth at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China on 7 July 2023. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

China’s strides in AI: Promising but not without its challenges

While China and the West have different strategic visions, they face the common challenge of tackling pitfalls and regulatory challenges while embracing the potential of AI, says Chinese academic Zhang Tiankan.
Students visit an educational base of AI in Handan, in China's northern Hebei province on 25 May 2023. (AFP)

China’s OpenAI starting off on the wrong foot?

As the world is getting used to generative AI tools from the West, China is struggling to get its generative AI industry started. The high-profile acquisition of AI firm Light Years Beyond by Meituan started with much fanfare but prospects of it spearheading China’s AI rise are petering out. There is no doubt that the West holds the AI lead for now, but how long will it take for China to get running and catch up?
A central processing unit (CPU) semiconductor chip is displayed among flags of China and US, in this illustration picture taken 17 February 2023. (Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters)

China’s new export controls on rare metals for chipmaking: Latest tit-for-tat in US-China tech war

The China-US tech war has heated up again as China imposes export restrictions on two rare metals widely used in strategic emerging industries. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yang Danxu notes that this is a tit-for-tat move against the US for its export restriction of advanced chips and chipmaking technology to China. How will this latest move in the tech war affect the semiconductor industry and China-US relations?
Beijing has put in place new measures to tighten its grip over domestic data to protect national security. (Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters)

How China is tightening controls over cross-border data transfers

In an effort to tighten its grip over domestic data to protect national security, Beijing has implemented the Measures on the Standard Contract for the Cross-Border Transfer of Personal Information, requiring certain personal data processors to sign contracts with overseas recipients before sending data abroad.
Robotic arms assemble cars in the production line for Leapmotor's electric vehicles at a factory in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China, 26 April 2023. (China Daily via Reuters)

Homegrown robots are marching into Chinese factories

China is the world’s largest industrial robot market, accounting for 51.9% of the global industry with 268,200 robots newly installed in 2021. The greatest use of industrial robots is in the electronics and electrical industry, with demand growing since the pandemic. International manufacturers have long dominated the sector, but Chinese manufacturers of industrial robots are catching up. What obstacles would they need to tackle?
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.