News Archive
Pick a date to read that day's stories.
Days with a blue dot have stories.
- 01 of 10CHINA
China's chemical industry gets a smarter assistant
A new version of ChemELLM, China's chemical engineering language model, can now carry out tasks rather than just answer questions. Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics built it with iFlytek and Alibaba Cloud.
OUR TAKETeaching a chemistry model to actually do the work, not just read the manual. The lab coat emoji practically draws itself.
Read more → - 02 of 10CHINA
China links data growth to AI uptake
Officials and companies at the 2026 China International Big Data Industry Expo said stronger data industries and AI tools are feeding each other, drawing firms from Singapore, Morocco and Canada.
OUR TAKEA reminder that data is the boring half of the AI sandwich, and someone has to bake the bread.
Read more → - 03 of 10EUROPE
Europe orders its newest AI supercomputer
The EuroHPC Joint Undertaking picked French-owned Bull to build a €388 million AI supercomputer in Finland, adding roughly ten times the capacity of the existing LUMI system.
OUR TAKEEurope's answer to the computing crunch is less "move fast" and more "move with procurement paperwork, but fast enough".
Read more → - 04 of 10AFRICA
Nigeria eyes a slice of a trillion-dollar AI economy
The government wants a meaningful share of Africa's projected $1 trillion AI-driven economy by 2035, according to Secretary to the Government George Akume, speaking at GITEX Nigeria.
OUR TAKEAmbitious? Yes. Specific? Not yet. But at least the spreadsheet has been opened.
Read more → - 05 of 10AFRICA
African AI summit calls for home-grown talent
More than 2,000 people gathered at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria for the ACAI Summit, where speakers urged more investment in African AI researchers and students.
OUR TAKEConferences are easy; graduates with visas and funding are harder. Still, filling the hall is a decent start.
Read more → - 06 of 10JAPAN
Japan's police to scan social media for warning signs
The National Police Agency plans to use generative AI to spot social media posts that suggest a high risk of lone-offender crime and issue early warnings.
OUR TAKEA tool that reads the room before the room turns nasty. The civil liberties review, one hopes, is being booked at the same time.
Read more → - 07 of 10KOREA
Korea and Japan talk up a $6 trillion tech partnership
SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won told a Korea-Japan business forum that the two countries form a $6 trillion market and should build a joint AI and tech ecosystem through cooperation rather than rivalry.
OUR TAKENothing brings neighbours together like a shared spreadsheet and a slight fear of being left behind.
Read more → - 08 of 10INDIA
India's highways will use more AI on big projects
The National Highways Authority of India will require automated construction systems on highway projects longer than 20 km, aiming to improve quality and speed on large road builds.
OUR TAKEIf it stops yet another flyover from being resurfaced three times, the nation will build a statue to it.
Read more → - 09 of 10INDIA
Indian IT is faster thanks to AI, but still bills by the hour
India's IT services sector says AI tools have made work quicker, yet many contracts still charge clients by time rather than by results, creating a tension between productivity and pricing.
OUR TAKEFaster work billed by the hour is a bit like a taxi driver celebrating shorter journeys. Someone will notice the meter eventually.
Read more → - 10 of 10KOREA
South Korea plans free AI for all citizens
The government has picked consortia led by SK Telecom, KT and Kakao to offer free generative AI services for booking appointments, finding housing and handling taxes.
OUR TAKEFree AI for taxes is either the ultimate public good or the fastest way to crash a server on 31 March. Possibly both.
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