- China's Manus AI has announced a strategic partnership with Alibaba's Qwen AI team, aiming to enhance its AI capabilities and expand its market presence. The partnership positions both companies to better meet the evolving demands of the AI industry.
- Hong Kong's Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, has announced that the government is prepared to allocate land to technology firms specializing in cutting-edge technologies, particularly AI, that demonstrate strong job creation potential. This move aligns with Hong Kong's broader strategy to enhance its competitiveness in the global tech landscape.
- SoftBank's Japanese consulting unit is actively demonstrating that AI can be a profitable venture. By integrating AI solutions into various business operations, the company aims to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and drive revenue growth. This initiative reflects SoftBank's commitment to leveraging AI technologies to deliver tangible financial benefits for its clients.
- South Korea, as the 2024 chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), has prioritized cooperation in AI as one of the key agenda items. The topic was actively discussed during the first APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Gyeongju.
- Singapore is leveraging AI to manage its rapidly aging population, integrating technologies like fall detection systems, hospital monitoring tools and exercise robots to ease healthcare workforce shortages. While these innovations enhance elderly care and independence, experts stress the need for privacy protections and a balance between AI assistance and human caregiving.
- South Korea's Science Minister, Lee Jong-ho, has acknowledged that without a shift in government strategy, the nation risks falling behind global competitors in AI development. This admission highlights the urgency for policy reforms to bolster the country's AI capabilities.
- South Korea's top telecom companies, including SK Telecom, KT Corporation, and LG Uplus, are partnering with major AI firms like Anthropic, Microsoft, and Google to enhance their AI capabilities. The strategy aims to integrate advanced AI models into telecom services, ensuring competitiveness in the rapidly evolving industry.
- Lingnan University in Hong Kong recently hosted Career Expo 2025, themed "Imagine, Innovate, Initiate, and Invent". The event featured an "Emerging AI-powered tools in job hunting" zone, offering free access to AI tools designed to enhance resume design and provide mock interview practice. The expo attracted over 130 local and multinational organizations and will continue virtually until mid-April.
- Despite a 253% surge in women's enrollments in generative AI courses in Singapore during 2024, women constitute only 32% of GenAI learners, highlighting a significant gender gap in the field. Barriers such as confidence gaps, time constraints due to caregiving responsibilities, and a perceived lack of relevance of GenAI to various career paths contributed to this underrepresentation.
- Nagasaki University, in collaboration with a local systems development company, has unveiled an AI program designed to assist medical students in practicing interviews with virtual patients. The program aims to address the shortage of simulated patients in regional universities and enhance medical training.
- Chinese robotics company EngineAI has achieved a breakthrough with its humanoid robot, PM01, successfully performing the world’s first front flip, a maneuver requiring advanced balance, coordination, and torque control.
We hope you found this edition interesting and insightful—look out for our weekly updates with more AI news, research and analysis.
