Technology
When man bonds with a machine, depends on it and feels affirmed by it, is a void filled? But what if the mirage disappears or the relationship is taken to extremes? Researcher Renwen Zhang contemplates the psyche behind the rise of AI companions.
Renwen Zhang
14 Aug 2026
Technology
How China is funding its AI ambitions without US capital
China’s hard tech sector once relied heavily on US and other overseas capital. As geopolitical tensions closed that funding channel, Beijing built a multi-tier domestic capital system that is now reshaping how Chinese AI and semiconductor companies grow, exit and attract private investment, opines technology specialist Yin Ruizhi.
Yin Ruizhi
13 Aug 2026
Technology
Can governments control an AI that breaks its cage?
Experts warn that advanced AI models with cyberattack capabilities should not be made open to the public. With defence windows down from weeks to hours in an AI cyberattack, Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tan Jet Min finds out what regulators need to do to mitigate the risks.
Tan Jet Min
11 Aug 2026
Technology
Kimi K3’s lesson: The AI race won’t be won by containing China
China’s Kimi K3 shows that export controls alone cannot preserve US leadership in AI. The next phase of competition will depend less on slowing rivals than on strengthening America’s own innovation ecosystem. US academic Sarah Kreps weighs the issue.
Sarah Kreps
07 Aug 2026
Technology
The AI squeeze: No juniors, no seniors, more burnout
As older workers and the very young exit or are not able to even enter the workforce, the “squeezed middle” may have to take on extra burdens. For this group, the AI age might be making work harder, not easier, says NUS academic Weiyi Ng.
Weiyi Ng
06 Aug 2026
Technology
Why China’s biotech rise is harder to contain than AI
China is emerging as a biotech powerhouse, but its rise is entwined with US drugmakers through research, licensing and supply chains, making decoupling far more difficult than in AI. Academic Chen Xiangming and biopharma industry practitioner Leon Tang analyse the situation.
Chen Xiangming, Leon Tang
05 Aug 2026
Technology
Why hyper-efficient Singapore is Asia’s most AI-anxious society
A survey across Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and mainland China found Singapore leads the region in AI adoption, but also records the highest levels of anxiety over job displacement, deepfakes and AI dependence. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lee Si Min tells us more.
Lee Si Min
04 Aug 2026
Technology
Why China’s universities stopped fighting AI
Having initially sought to restrict the use of generative AI, Chinese universities are increasingly incorporating it into teaching and research. However, institutions are also grappling with difficult questions over authorship, accountability and how to preserve academic integrity in the age of AI, notes Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu.
Liu Liu
03 Aug 2026
Technology
Can AI’s sky-high valuations survive disclosure?
As AI giants rush to go public, investors will finally get the disclosures needed to test whether soaring valuations rest on durable business models — or simply another wave of market euphoria. Professor Lin William Cong explains what will separate hype from fundamentals.
Lin William Cong
03 Aug 2026
Technology
Did DeepSeek’s leak hand the US an AI roadmap?
A leaked transcript of DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng’s investor meeting has exposed China’s AI industry’s chip constraints, US pressure and the growing geopolitical risks facing its tech leaders. Lianhe Zaobao’s China Desk reports.
China Desk, Lianhe Zaobao
31 Jul 2026
Technology
China’s AI-driven robotics boom faces IPO reality check
China’s strides in “embodied AI” — the integration of artificial intelligence into physical systems like robots — is built on world-class manufacturing and bold investor bets. But with IPOs looming, startups must prove their robots can generate real commercial value — not just hype.
Caixin Global
31 Jul 2026
Technology
How China split Silicon Valley over AI
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang’s push for open-weight AI has generated fierce debate in Silicon Valley. Behind the divide lies China’s rapid AI advance, reshaping competition, security concerns and Washington’s AI strategy. Lianhe Zaobao China news editor Yang Danxu gives an analysis.
Yang Danxu
29 Jul 2026
