# artificial intelligence
Latest news and articles about artificial intelligence
Total: 49 articles found
iFlytek Denies Massive Layoff Rumours as Strong Cash Flow and AI Demand Bolster Guidance
iFlytek has denied online rumours of a major layoff affecting around 1,500 staff and low severance terms, with its PR vice-president calling the reports false. The company reported strong 2025 guidance—projected net profit of RMB 785–950 million—and record operating cash flow above RMB 3 billion, driven by scaled AI deployments and some government project subsidies.
Hong Kong to Host 2026 Asia‑Pacific World Internet Summit as China Pushes AI Governance Agenda
The World Internet Conference Asia‑Pacific Summit will convene in Hong Kong on April 13–14, 2026, focusing on AI governance, digital finance and smart public services. Organizers plan to publish multiple reports, run capacity‑building sessions and launch global award submissions, signalling an effort to translate China’s governance concepts into internationally cited policy tools.
China’s 2026 ‘Strong Start’: AI Demand, Infrastructure and Exports Drive Early Recovery
China’s January–February data show a broad early‑year recovery led by infrastructure and high‑tech investment, a services‑led consumer rebound and a brisk trade performance. New drivers—AI‑related compute demand, electronics manufacturing and strengthened online services metrics—are increasingly visible alongside traditional investment.
Li Xiang Dials Down the Growth Fever: Li Auto’s Year of Fixes, Not Expansion
Li Auto reported substantial year‑on‑year profit and revenue declines for 2025 and has set a more modest growth target of just above 20% for 2026. CEO Li Xiang has launched operational changes — a partner store model, network rationalisation and AI initiatives — and emphasises 2026 as a year of repair and strategic repositioning rather than aggressive scale‑up.
From Restoring Sight to 'Consciousness Machines': Neuralink Co‑founder Says BCI Is Entering a Takeoff Era — and Predicts Humans May Live to 1,000
A retinal implant developed by Max Hodak’s company Science has reportedly restored coherent visual percepts in more than 40 blind patients and published results in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hodak frames this clinical success as the start of a BCI "takeoff era," outlining ambitious plans for biohybrid implants, deep AI–neuroscience convergence, and even radical longevity claims that the first 1,000‑year humans may already be alive.
China’s Push for a ‘Smart Economy’: Why Robots, Toys and 6G Matter More Than You Think
China has enshrined a “smart economy” in its 2026 policy agenda, signalling a push to industrialise AI across production, services and consumer markets. Li Meng, a former vice minister, argues that specialised embodied agents — notably companionship robots and smart toys — are likeliest to reach commercial scale first, while technical progress hinges on richer physical world models and hardware advances. She warns policymakers to manage distributional risks and ensure inclusive, human‑centric deployment.
China’s Labour Ministry Plans to Harness AI to Create Jobs and Boost Traditional Roles
China’s labour ministry is drafting measures to harness artificial intelligence to create new jobs and to augment traditional occupations, emphasising reskilling and the formal development of new professions. The policy reflects Beijing’s dual goal of boosting productivity while protecting employment stability amid rapid AI adoption and a large cohort of new graduates.
Beijing Wants AI to Be a Job-Creator, Not a Job-Killer — Human Resources Minister Signals Policy Push
China’s human-resources minister announced that the ministry is preparing measures to use AI to create new jobs and empower traditional ones, part of a broader effort to align technological progress with social and employment goals. The move signals Beijing’s attempt to marry its AI ambitions with domestic stability concerns, though the impact will depend on the design and scale of forthcoming policies.
Russian Team Trains AI to Flag Early Breast Cancer on CT Scans — Promise, Not Proof
A Russian research team has developed an AI neural network that analyses CT scans to mark areas suspicious for early breast cancer and forwards annotated images to doctors. The tool could convert routine CTs into opportunistic screening opportunities, but its clinical value remains unproven pending independent validation, transparency about performance metrics, and resolution of privacy and regulatory issues.
China’s Provinces Race to Build a 10-Trillion-Yuan AI Economy — But Each Is Betting on a Different Path
China has made the development of an ‘intelligent economy’ a national priority, with central targets to grow AI‑related industries to more than 10 trillion yuan. All 31 provinces have laid out AI plans for 2026, but strategies vary widely: Beijing focuses on research and governance, Shanghai on finance and open source, coastal provinces on manufacturing upgrades, and interior regions on compute and niche specialisation.
China’s Provinces Race for a ¥10-trillion AI Prize — 31 Regions, 31 Strategies
Beijing, Shanghai and all 29 other Chinese provinces have incorporated AI into their 2026 work plans as Beijing aims to anchor research and standards, Shanghai leverages strategic capital, and manufacturing provinces pursue application-led upgrades. The country’s objective to grow AI‑related industries to more than ¥10 trillion has produced a differentiated national push that blends metropolitan R&D, financial instruments, factory automation and regional niche plays.
China’s Economic Chiefs Signal Targeted Growth Push: Big Fiscal Envelope, Faster Credit and Market Reforms
China’s top economic officials announced a coordinated set of fiscal, monetary and market measures to stabilise growth, strengthen domestic demand and accelerate strategic sectors such as AI. The plan combines record fiscal spending and transfers, a fiscal–financial coordination tool to mobilise private capital, targeted infrastructure and service-sector investment, and capital-market reforms to improve equity financing and investor protections.