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June 15th, 2023

Hands off AI?

Governments debate controls as ChatGPT takes off

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The Big Story

ChatGPT unleashed an AI race, now regulators are struggling to hold on

Artificial intelligence boom pits U.S.'s bottom-up approach against China's top-down take on regulation

As artificial intelligence grows smarter and more widespread, governments from the U.S. to China are grappling with how to, or whether to, control it. (Illustration by Yoshiko Kawano)
Japan has only five organizations monitoring fake news and other misleading information, far fewer than other countries, according to Duke University of the U.S.
Datawatch

Japan lags Asian peers in dealing with fake news

Study shows only one in five Japanese know how to fact-check information

TSMC is just one of many parts of China's invasion calculus. 
Opinion

TSMC's fate will indeed be at stake if China attacks Taiwan

U.S. shouldn't threaten to bomb foundries, but self-destruction can be deterrent

While traditional Thai political parties paid canvassers to mobilize voters, Move Forward leaders went all over the country to spread the group's message of reform and change.
Opinion

Thailand's traditional elite should seek compromise while it can

Move Forward's victory shows forces of change have momentum and broad support

The upper house of Japan's Diet passed and enacted the revised immigration law on June 9. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
The Nikkei View

Japan's immigration policy should aim for inclusive society

Revised law offers chance to rethink treatment of foreign nationals

Tourists stand in front of the main railway station in Kanazawa, in central Japan. More international tourists are looking to visit smaller cities and towns during their travels in the country.   
Business Spotlight

Thinking small: Japan lures tourists away from big cities

Nation's travel industry welcomes visitors looking to get off the beaten track

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., left, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, his cousin, attend the president's first state of the nation address in Quezon City in July 2022.
Companies

Philippine company linked with Marcos ally strikes business deals

RYM Business Management bets on media, banking and infrastructure

Indonesia's massive supplies of nickel -- a key component in batteries -- are helping meet increasing global demand for electric vehicles. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

Nickel surplus seen widening in 2023 as Indonesian output soars

EV batteries to lead demand growth; prices under pressure but still historically high

For Japan to attract the best from abroad, experts say, it needs better pay and a welcoming culture. 
Asia Insight

Aging Japan wants foreign workers, but will they come?

Stagnant wages and old culture loom over Kishida's restructured policies

A man drinks lemonade from a street vendor during a heat wave compounded by power cuts in Dhaka on June 6.
Climate Change

Bangladesh blackouts magnify heat wave linked to climate change

Forex shortage further reduces electricity generation, frustrating residents

Indonesians and Malaysians are being brought closer together by an ASEAN initiative that makes cross-border payments easier and cheaper. (Source photos by Getty Images and logo from ASEAN BAC INDONESIA's website)
Finance

Indonesia-Malaysia QR code payments get started under ASEAN system

Cross border scheme could cut transaction costs by 30%, offer exchange rate buffer

Tourists use kayaks on the river in Vang Vieng, Laos, in July 2022.
Economy

Laos' tourism-driven economic recovery hinges on China

New cross-border railway brings in Chinese money, and concerns about influence

Cai Qi, one of the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, was appointed President Xi Jinping's chief of staff. (Photo by Yusuke Hinata)
Politics

China's No. 5 official gains favor within Xi's inner circle

Cai Qi has wide-ranging responsibilities but no real power, observers say

With "Mad Fate," director Soi Cheang taps into Hong Kong's fascination with the macabre, returning to the milieu with which he first turned heads. (Courtesy of Makerville)
Arts

Soi Cheang and the art of darkness

Maverick Hong Kong filmmaker honored by the city he celebrates in his movies

Many English expressions from the British colonial era live on in India, not always for the better.
Tea Leaves

Why India should euthanize English euphemisms

Polite terms are too often used to hide cruel reality or outdated values