Rapid AI adoption by India business; US dials up China tech tensions

#China #unicorns - China tops the list of countries with the most AI unicorn companies in the world, the 21st Century Business Herald reported on Tuesday. China has 206 AI unicorn companies, according to a CCID Research Institute spokesman. (ECNS)

#Singapore #startups - Local AI start-up NextBillion.ai was crowned winner of Enterprise Singapore’s start-up competition Slingshot yesterday. It beat nine other finalists from such countries as Canada, Israel and Britain. (Straits Times)

#India #business - India reported a 45 per cent increase in the use of AI, the highest among all countries, while the US recorded a 35 per cent rise, the UK 23 per cent and Japan 28 per cent, following the outbreak of the virus. (Indian Express)

#Japan #SouthKorea #M&A - Hyundai Motor Co. is acquire the US robotics firm Boston Dynamics Inc. from SoftBank Group for slightly less than 1 trillion won ($921 million) and will finalise the acquisition at its Dec. 10 board meeting, according to sources with knowledge of the matter on Dec. 8. (The Korean Economic Daily)

#India #coronavirus - A robot called Sayabot is greeting voters at polling booths, taking their temperatures, dispensing sanitizer and advising them to maintain social distancing. The robot was developed by Kochi-based startup Asimov Robotics.  (Hindustan Times)

#SouthKorea #restaurants - South Korean telecom giant KT Corp. is launching a trial of an AI-based digital transformation service for the restaurant industry in collaboration with local dining company Sun at Food Co. (Korea Bizwire)

#China #Xinjiang - A Human Rights Watch report says China’s police surveillance platform flagged Uyghurs for legal, everyday activities like travel and personal relationships. Predictive policing technologies are widely criticised, and HRW’s Maya Wang calls it a ‘pseudoscientific fig leaf’ for repression. (SCMP)

#Singapore #HR - Some roles performed by human resource (HR) managers are at risk of being taken over by robots in near future, a study commissioned by the Ministry of Manpower and the Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) has found. (Straits Times)

#Singapore #coronavirus - IDentif.AI rapidly discovers optimal drug combinations for infectious diseases; The combination was uncovered from examining 12 potential drug candidates with over 530,0000 possible drug combinations within two weeks. (Biospectrum Asia)

#Germany #Singapore #flyingtaxis - German aviation start-up Volocopter has announced its commitment to launch air taxi services in Singapore, following two years of “close collaboration” with the city. In partnership with the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the start-up plans to launch air taxi services within the next three years. (Straits Times)

#India #agritech - With the increasing digitalisation of India, today technology can address most of the challenges that farmers face – from soil issues, climate, irrigation, to supply chain gaps. (Your Story)

India reported a 45 per cent increase in the use of AI, the highest among all countries, while the US recorded a 35 per cent rise, the UK 23 per cent and Japan 28 per cent, following the outbreak of the virus.

#China #US #tradewar - In its final weeks in office, the Trump administration is rushing out policies against flagship Chinese companies. The goal? To cement Trump’s legacy as a hardliner against Beijing, hobble China’s tech ambitions and box in the incoming Biden administration. (CNN - video)

#Brazil #China #Huawei - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s government is looking for a legal way to exclude Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd from 5G networks in Brazil, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. (Reuters)

#China #gaming - Ming Xuan describes his girlfriend: “she has a sweet voice, big eyes, a sassy personality, and — most importantly — she’s always there for me,” he tells Sixth Tone. She is Xiaoice — an AI-driven chat bot that’s redefining China’s conceptions of romance and relationships. (Sixth Tone)

#China #Japan #dating - The Japanese government is promoting a matchmaking project that uses AI to pair people up. Chinese netizens are curious and have begun asking if China’s government could follow suit and use AI technology to find marriage partners for its citizens. (Global Times)

Carrington Malin is a UAE-based entrepreneur, marketer and writer who focuses on emerging technologies.