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Zhipu AI is one of China’s top generative AI start-ups. Photo: Handout

China’s ‘AI Tiger’ Zhipu in race to boost video-generation features

The updated version of Ying will be able to generate 10-seconds long 4K high-definition video clips at 60 frames per second, Zhipu says.

Vietnam threatens to block Chinese retailers Shein and Temu over licences

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Ant International drives AI in cross-border payments to boost global expansion

Australia to ban children under 16 from social media: ‘real harm to kids’

The proposed age limit would be among the world’s strictest measures targeting children.

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Children in Australia under the age of 16 will be banned from social media as part of a push to protect young people’s mental health, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, with firms involved required to enforce the new regulations or face potential fines. Photo: TNS

From chip war to TikTok ban: what tech can expect from Donald Trump

As Donald Trump returns to the White House, tech companies are bracing for a revamp of tech policies imposed by Joe Biden.

Apple to face first fine under new EU digital antitrust rules

The penalty, under the Digital Markets Act, is related to the iPhone maker’s App Store.

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Alibaba’s Black Friday alternative hits US with AliExpress Singles’ Day sales

Alibaba’s international e-commerce platform is kicking off Singles’ Day sales in the US on Friday and runs through November 18.

AliExpress is pushing Singles’ Day sales in the US with major promotional events for the first time this year. Photo: Shutterstock

What Google Maps’ new AI features are and how they will help you

Google is using its AI-powered Gemini technology to set up Google Maps as an entertainment guide as well as a navigational tool.

Huawei’s Ren Zhengfei: US tech is great, but we have to build our own

The 80-year-old CEO talks about Huawei’s struggles and his admiration for US technology in a conversation with students.

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Chinese AI unicorn MiniMax scores big in US with Talkie chatbot app

Talkie, part of the fast-growing ‘companion AI’ market segment, was the fourth most-downloaded AI app in the US in the first half of 2024.

So-called companion AI apps, such as MiniMax-developed Talkie, are popular among younger social-media users. Photo: Handout

China’s Zhipu AI says its app can operate your smartphone for you

AutoGLM can order coffee, send messages and complete other tasks on smartphones based on voice prompts, according to the Chinese start-up.

People look at their smartphones outside a restaurant in Shanghai. Photo: AFP

TikTok CEO vows to earn global trust, as app challenges US ban

Chew Shou Zi calls earning local trust around the world “a big challenge” for TikTok at a summit in Riyadh.

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Check world chess No 1 Magnus Carlsen’s next move, a chess app

Carlsen, the world’s top player, talks about getting older and his new app Take Take Take, which makes following chess games easier.

Ant CEO Eric Jing touts tokenisation benefits for cross-border transactions

Tokenisation is a major focus of FinTech Week this year, in addition to AI, as Web3 in Hong Kong looks beyond ‘speculative’ cryptocurrencies.

Hong Kong FinTech Week 2024 kicked off on Monday with an emphasis on artificial intelligence and tokenisation. Photo: Matt Haldane

Pakistani women turn to marriage apps, not aunties, to find love

In a country where dating is seen as dishonourable and arranged marriages and matchmaking are common, marriage apps promise ‘love matches’.

A group of “rishta aunties”, as matchmakers are known, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. In a country where dating is considered dishonourable, marriage apps have emerged that promise “love matches”. Photo: AFP

TikTok owner ByteDance faces flagging growth as e-commerce rivals circle

ByteDance has faced ‘significantly’ slower revenue growth this year, according to media reports, as it struggles to get TikTok Shop to take off.

Huawei releases new version of home-grown OS in push for adoption in China

Huawei has started rolling out the latest update to HarmonyOS, which the company says now has 15,000 native apps and services.

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Apple’s iPhone 16 sees further price cuts as part of Singles’ Day promotions

Alibaba’s Tmall, JD.com and Pinduoduo introduced further iPhone 16 discounts as part of their respective Singles’ Day campaigns.

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The iPhone 16 series on display at an Apple Store in Shanghai. Photo: Shutterstock

Alibaba sees double-digit sales growth for Singles’ Day in Hong Kong

The rosy prediction comes on the back of a US$142-million promotion that waives delivery fees on certain orders for Taobao users in the city.

Indonesia’s ban on Temu won’t spread across Southeast Asia: analysts

Indonesia’s core issue with Temu is how a large volume of cheap Chinese goods entering the country could impact its manufacturing sector.

Alibaba’s global commerce unit launches new translation-focused AI model

Macro MT is a new large language model that supports translation in various cross-border e-commerce scenarios.

Alibaba’s new translation-focused large language model can be integrated into merchants’ systems that manage their products, customer services and search guidance. Photo: Shutterstock

TikTok’s 2023 revenue rises 75% in Europe, UK and other markets outside US, Asia

ByteDance-owned TikTok attributed that increase to its growing user base, improved ad performance and greater live-streaming revenue.

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TikTok is currently facing increased scrutiny in the European Union. Photo: Shutterstock

Moonshot AI updates Kimi chatbot to offer capabilities akin to OpenAI o1

Kimi Chat Explore is touted by Moonshot AI as being able to ‘think and reflect’ in response to user queries.

Discount shopping giant Temu enters Vietnam and Brunei amid Indonesia ban

The latest expansion initiatives of Temu reflect its efforts to grow in Southeast Asia, home to nearly 700 million people.

TikTok slashes hundreds of jobs in shift towards AI content moderation

Short-video platform TikTok currently employs a mix of automated detection and human moderators to review content posted on the site.

Several hundred TikTok employees globally are expected to be affected by the short-video platform’s latest round of job cuts. Photo: Shutterstock

US weighs Google break-up in historic Big Tech antitrust case

The US Justice Department may propose a forced sell-off of parts of Google’s business to prevent illegal monopolisation.

The US Justice Department is considering asking a federal judge to force Google to sell off parts of its business. Photo: Reuters

Shopping on Taobao via WeChat: Tencent, Alibaba break digital wall

Users of Tencent’s WeChat can now buy and pay for products sold on Alibaba’s Taobao marketplace without leaving the multipurpose app.

‘People have died’: TikTok sued by 13 US states on behalf of young users

Financial penalties sought in claims that popular short-video app puts engagement over public safety via addictive content to maximise ad revenue.

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last updated:
9 September, 2024
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