Tech Roundup: U.S. Wants Cloud Firms to Flag Foreign Users Training AI
Domestic box office slips in last week of January, China pushes for breakthroughs in advanced tech
A physical intelligent agent that can mimic human expressions gets showcased at a technology exhibition in Beijing on Monday. Photo: VCG
Welcome to the Tech Roundup — a briefing of the top technology news making headlines in China and the rest of Asia.
After chip controls, U.S. wants cloud firms to flag foreign users training AI
The U.S. wants cloud service providers such as Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. to identify and actively investigate foreign clients developing artificial intelligence (AI) applications on their platforms amid a tech conflict between Washington and Beijing, Bloomberg reported. The draft regulations, which are open for public comment until April 29, would apply to all U.S. providers of infrastructure as a service.
China pushes for breakthroughs in advanced tech
Humanoid robots, quantum computers and ultra-high-speed trains are some of the technologies China is pushing to develop in a new directive issued Monday by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and six other government agencies. The goal is to drive the industrialization of new technologies to become a world-leading player in the high-end equipment sector.
China box office slips in last week of January
Ticket sales at Chinese cinemas fell nearly 19% from the previous week to 410 million yuan ($57.2 million) in the seven days that ran through Sunday. The reigning box office champion, “Johnny Keep Walking!” brought in 147 million yuan, accounting for 35.92% of total ticket sales. It was followed by Aaron Kwok’s new film “Rob N Roll” and Tony Leung’s “The Goldfinger.”
Wanda Film chooses its president as new chairman
Dalian Wanda Group Co. Ltd.’s film unit announced Monday that its president, Chen Xi, has been elected its new board chairman. Chen, who founded a creative and film production house in 2012, has held a variety of roles in the industry, including executive director of Shanghai Ruyi Television Production Co. Ltd. and president of Wanda Film Holding Co. Ltd. She was elected to the board as a non-independent director. She does not hold any shares in Wanda Film.
Think tank reports rapid growth in experience-based consumption and instant retail
Amid a warming consumer market, a noticeable differentiation in retail formats has been observed, with experience-based consumption and instant retail showing rapid growth in 2023. The annual report, titled “Ten Highlights of China’s Commercial Sector 2024” published by the Fung Business Intelligence, a Hong Kong think tank, and the Expert Committee of the China General Chamber of Commerce, highlights that service consumption, online shopping and discretionary spending sectors are among the key drivers of consumer market growth. These trends are expected to continue throughout the year.