🌍 China Proposes World AI Cooperation Body
At WAIC in Shanghai, Premier Li Qiang made waves by pitching a brand-new “World AI Cooperation Organisation” 🌐 - a kind of multilateral forum for coordinating global AI governance. The message was loud and clear: no one nation should dominate the AI future. Li’s 13-point framework calls for inclusive infrastructure projects, open-source platforms, and equitable resource sharing - all under a loosely globalist umbrella.
Critics say it’s a power play cloaked in benevolence. Still, China’s appeal to the Global South seems genuine, or at least strategic. Exhibitors at the conference showcased everything from humanoid robots 🤖 to next-gen LLMs. Over 800 companies participated, including American giants like Tesla and Amazon - though conspicuously, Elon Musk skipped this one.
💰 U.S. and China Lead Surge in AI VC Funding
According to the 2025 Global AI Innovation Index, AI startups raked in a record-breaking $137 billion 💸 during 2024 - up 25% year over year. The U.S. captured a dominant 66% share, with China hot on its heels thanks to massive government backing and increasing open-source momentum.
What’s funding? Everything from synthetic biology models 🧬 to high-efficiency edge chips. Chinese firms like DeepSeek and Baichuan have begun releasing LLMs that go toe-to-toe with OpenAI and Anthropic. Meanwhile, Europe’s still stuck in regulatory limbo.
🔧 Huawei Challenges Nvidia With New AI Chip
Huawei debuted the Ascend Ultra 920, a high-end AI chip 🖥️ designed to compete directly with Nvidia’s dominant silicon. Despite lingering export controls, Huawei’s domestic chip division is thriving - tapping into China’s growing need for homegrown compute power. Some early WAIC demos hinted at near-A100-class performance.
This wasn’t just a product launch - it was a signal. Chinese engineers are filling gaps, fast.
🩺 Alibaba and ITU Partner on AI for Global Health
Alibaba’s DAMO Academy linked up with the ITU to build AI tools for diagnostics, disease tracking, and environmental monitoring 🌿. It’s an ambitious push to bring cutting-edge models to places that traditionally get left out of the loop.
Execution’s going to be tricky - data, infrastructure, trust - but if it works, this could put meaningful AI in clinics, labs, and villages.
🎨 Japan’s Ancient Weaving Craft Embraces AI
In Kyoto, the fabled Nishijinori textile artisans are teaming up with researchers to blend tradition and tech 🧵🤖. AI-driven design tools now help simulate intricate patterns that used to take years to master.
Some see this as a threat to craftsmanship. Others? A lifeline. There’s even talk of repurposing the same tech for space-ready rope and carbon fibers 🚀.
⚛️ Scientists Use AI to Speed Nuclear Material Analysis
U.S. labs are testing AI models trained to inspect nuclear samples faster and more accurately than traditional methods. Think hours, not days. It could reshape everything from energy safety to weapons monitoring 🔍💥.
Hyperspectral imaging, isotopic classification, real-time anomaly flagging - and all without waiting for lab backlogs.
📊 AWS and Orbit Launch New AI-Powered Data Tools
AWS’s new Spark History Server MCP lets devs query logs in plain English 💬 - cutting down debugging time dramatically. Orbit Analytics, meanwhile, launched Websheets, a real-time spreadsheet wired to live data with LLM-powered insight.
Together, they’re making back-end analytics feel almost... fun?