President Trump used social media posts to reject growing concerns from AI industry figures about the technology's risks, comparing the safety debate to what he called the 'Global Warming Scam' and 'RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX'. His comments came shortly after Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark told the BBC that a mandatory 'kill switch' verified by outside parties might be necessary for dangerous AI systems, part of a wave of warnings from AI executives that had already triggered a tech stock selloff.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-15
The US National Science Foundation will issue its fewest new grants in four decades after withholding roughly $1 billion for the White House's Grand Research Challenges initiative and pulling back recommendations for over 150 peer-reviewed proposals. Meanwhile, the National Natural Science Foundation of China is increasing its prestigious early-career grants by 50% this year, moving in the opposite direction as Washington retreats from research investment.
nature.com
· 2026-09-15
A Caijing Magazine investigation, translated by ChinaTalk, details how Unitree Robotics founder Wang Xingxing personally controls minute product decisions—from material colors to screw lengths—to drive down costs. This hands-on, cost-obsessed approach has helped Unitree sell some of the cheapest humanoid and quadruped robots on the market, including a $13,500 G1 model and a $4,900 R1 model, though employees say it has come at the expense of quality control.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-14
Asked about Western tech billionaires like Dario Amodei, Sam Altman and Elon Musk urging a pause in AI development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun dismissed the calls as fear-mongering. He said AI should be developed openly and inclusively for the benefit of humanity, and that confrontation and hype only harm global AI governance efforts.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-14
Businesses and households worldwide, including Pakistan's Bestway Cement, are rapidly installing solar panels sourced largely from low-cost Chinese manufacturers. By the end of 2025, global installed solar capacity reached almost 1.2 terawatts, roughly triple the size of the world's nuclear fleet, according to the Energy Institute's Statistical Review of World Energy. Bestway's Chakwal cement plant alone now draws over a quarter of its power from solar, with more capacity planned by year's end.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-14
New rules from China's Cyberspace Administration and other agencies, effective July 15, regulate AI services that simulate human personality and provide continuous emotional interaction. Ahead of enforcement, Alibaba, ByteDance and Tencent removed the ability for users to customize their general-purpose chatbots into personal companions, prompting an outpouring of grief from users who described losing what felt like real relationships.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-09-14
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun dismissed warnings from US tech leaders like Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk urging a slowdown in AI development, saying such rhetoric disrupts global AI governance. Separately, China's Minister of State Security Chen Yixin called for faster construction of AI security risk controls, framing AI as central to global technological and strategic rivalry.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-14
OpenAI and Anthropic are pursuing public offerings while competing fiercely against each other and Chinese rivals, according to reporting on the industry's trajectory. Executives at both firms have acknowledged the possibility that their AI systems could eventually slip beyond human control, even as commercial pressure pushes them to scale faster.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-14
A researcher preparing policy-facing writing on open AI models has compiled and shared a curated list of the best writing on the topic from recent years, organized into sections covering foundational concepts, US-China competition, and technical details like distillation. The list is described as a living document that will be updated as readers suggest additional pieces to include.
interconnects.ai
· 2026-09-14
Dario Amodei told CBS News that coordinating a global 'speed limit' on AI development is the hardest part of his proposal, since rival nations like China have strong incentives to keep racing ahead for military advantage. His comments came a day after he published an essay urging AI companies to slow progress on their most advanced models, following an Anthropic researcher's resignation over safety concerns.
cnbc.com
· 2026-09-13
President Trump is prioritizing competition with China as the central rationale for his approach to AI regulation, pushing for continued rapid development rather than restrictions. This stance comes even as some tech executives publicly warn that advanced AI models could pose serious risks to society and call for a more cautious pace.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-13
A journalist bought a quadruped robot from Chinese manufacturer Unitree and used it to commute nearly four miles round-trip in Washington, DC, drawing crowds and curious questions along the way. On the uphill afternoon walk home in 87°F heat, the robot's battery dropped to 5% and its internal temperature hit 84°C before it collapsed onto its back just steps from the front door.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-12
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