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Japan's Unicorn Growth Stalls Despite Record Number of Potential Startups

Japan's pool of potential unicorns, startups valued at $1 billion or more, reached a record high of 14 in 2024, according to a new survey by Nikkei, but the growth of these companies remains sluggish. The annual survey, now in its eighth year and conducted in partnership with

AI's Reasoning Power Will Make It Less Predictable, Says Ilya Sutskever

Former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, a leading figure in artificial intelligence, has predicted that AI's reasoning capabilities will make the technology far less predictable, reports Reuters. Speaking at the NeurIPS conference in Vancouver, Sutskever, who is now co-founder of Safe Superintelligence Inc., argued that the current approach

Toyota Races to Catch Up in "Smartphone on Wheels" Revolution

Toyota and other Japanese automakers are scrambling to partner with telecom giants and tech companies to develop the next generation of software-heavy vehicles, aiming to close the gap with Chinese and US competitors in the burgeoning "smartphone on wheels" market, reports Nikkei Asia. Toyota President Koji Sato, at

Ex-OpenAI Engineer Launches Robotics Start-Up in China and Singapore

Former OpenAI engineer Roger Jiang has founded a new robotics company, Light Robotics, in Singapore, joining a growing number of companies racing to produce intelligent machines in China, reports the South China Morning Post. Jiang, who left OpenAI in June 2023, established Light Robotics (Liangyuan Xinchuang in Chinese) in August.

Japan's Machine Tool Makers Shift Gears for the Electric Vehicle Revolution

Japan's established machine tool industry is undergoing a significant transformation as the automotive sector's pivot to electric vehicles (EVs) reshapes demand, reports Nikkei Asia. This shift comes as geopolitical uncertainty, particularly in light of President-elect Donald Trump's policies, casts a shadow over the market&

TikTok Shop Overtakes Sephora and Shein in US Online Shopping Growth

TikTok Shop, the relatively new online retail platform launched in September 2023, has surpassed established giants Sephora and Shein in capturing the spending power of US shoppers, according to a new report from Coefficient Capital and The New Consumer's Dan Frommer. The report, based on 11 surveys of

AI Voice Generation Used in Russian Influence Campaign: TechCrunch

Generative AI is increasingly being used in malicious activities, and a recent report highlights its role in a Russian influence operation targeting European audiences. TechCrunch, citing a report from Recorded Future, a threat intelligence company, reveals that a Russian-linked campaign, dubbed "Operation Undercut," utilized AI-generated voiceovers in misleading

Spotify's Audiobook Success and AI's Impact on Publishing: HarperCollins CEO

HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray, speaking at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference, highlighted the growth of audiobooks and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in the publishing industry, as reported by TechCrunch. Murray emphasized the continued strong performance of audiobooks, noting that they currently surpass ebooks in overall revenue

Google's Biggest Bet: AI-Powered Search

Alphabet, Google's parent company, is doubling down on its core business of online search by integrating artificial intelligence, according to remarks made by Ruth Porat, Alphabet's president and chief investment officer, at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York on Tuesday. Porat, in an interview with

Oracle Shares Plunge on Earnings Miss Despite Strong Cloud Growth

Oracle shares experienced their sharpest single-day decline of 2024, falling nearly 7%, after the database software company reported disappointing second-quarter earnings, CNBC reports. This marks the stock's worst performance since May, although shares remain up approximately 69% for the year—a performance that would be the best since