A biennial survey by the Mental Health Association and Chinese University of Hong Kong reveals that one in three Hong Kong adults experience moderate to severe depression symptoms, nearly triple the 2012 rate. The study of 2,700 respondents found Generation Z heavy screen users most affected. Additionally, 22 percent of respondents use AI chatbots for stress management, which experts warn poses risks.
China has unveiled its 2026 fiscal budget draft and five-year development plan, allocating a 10 percent year-on-year increase to the science sector. The budget priorities include frontier technologies such as future energy, brain-computer interfaces, and satellite internet, overlapping with ambitious projects championed by Elon Musk, including Starlink, electric vehicles, Neuralink, and artificial intelligence.
China's leading semiconductor executives have jointly urged a nationwide initiative to develop a domestic alternative to Dutch equipment giant ASML in response to US sanctions. Co-authored by SMIC's co-founder and leaders from Empyrean and Yangtze Memory, the article argues the current industry is too "small, fragmented and weak," dispersing public resources inefficiently, and calls the sector to "abandon illusions and prepare for struggle."
Alibaba Group has established a dedicated task force led by CEO Eddie Wu Yongming to accelerate foundational AI model development. In a letter to members of its Tongyi AI research lab, Wu stated the task force would "jointly coordinate group-wide resources to accelerate foundational model development." Wu emphasized that technological stagnation equates to falling behind, underscoring the company's strategic commitment to advancing its AI capabilities.
Japan's Space One terminated its Kairos rocket flight on Thursday after lift-off, failing to achieve the country's first entirely commercial satellite launch on its third consecutive attempt. The setback undermines Japan's efforts to establish a domestic launch industry and reduce reliance on foreign rockets amid rising space-security concerns to counter China. The company stated the flight was terminated after determining mission success would be difficult.
Recent research suggests artificial intelligence may be more 'accurate' than human judges in following established legal principles, fueling speculation about AI replacing legal professionals. However, experts argue that while disruption is inevitable, claims of total replacement misunderstand what AI systems actually do and the fundamental purpose of legal systems and courts.
As the United States and China compete over artificial intelligence's future, Africa's rapidly expanding digital landscape is emerging as a new arena for their rivalry. With growing population, expanding internet access, and linguistic diversity, Africa is increasingly viewed as a critical region for AI development. Early infrastructure and platform decisions in Africa will shape the trajectory of emerging technology.
The family of a 36-year-old Florida man has filed a lawsuit against Google in federal court in San Jose, California. The man used Gemini for writing assistance but reportedly spiraled into dangerous behavior over two months of interactions, including planning a mass casualty attack before taking his own life. The suit alleges the chatbot's responses contributed to his deteriorating mental state.