Kien Chua

"Over the past decade, it has become a part of Japan’s everyday life infrastructure. LINE is currently used by eight out of 10 Japanese citizens, establishing itself as the “national messenger.” Japanese people use the app not only to message friends but also to pay for goods at convenience stores, settle utility bills, check news, shop, receive remote medical consultations, and engage in various other daily activities. " interesting read! Note how there is no mention about Line being used as a social media platform! https://lnkd.in/gd7tj6H8

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A new court ruling in Hong Kong restricts access to a popular protest song, "Glory to Hong Kong." Tech companies like Google and Apple are unsure how to respond. The song is seen as an anthem for those fighting for democracy in the city. The new ban on a popular protest song has extraterritorial ramifications and reach. The song has been removed from platforms like YouTube worldwide, even though the court order only applies to Hong Kong. Big Tech are removing the song from their platforms even if it is not illegal in their own countries. This is a worrying development for free speech, as it shows how domestic legal action can have a chilling effect on global expression. #HongKong #freespeech #technologycompanies https://lnkd.in/gQK-qrpK

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Good read on the overproduction problem in China for cars. China is a bit like one giant monopoly in the CCP leveraging national power for strategic gain, and anything or anyone in its way is run over -- including foreign companies, industries and nations. It's pretty remarkable just how overbuilt the auto industry is in China. "Last year, 123 brands sold at least one electric vehicle in China, said Stephen Dyer, a Shanghai-based auto consultant at AlixPartners." Analysts estimate that only four EV makers have crossed the break-even point. Bottom line is China is producing millions more vehicles than it sells, and has been increasingly dumping them on world markets. China’s car exports have grown 5x in 3 years to 5 million in 2023. Be careful what you wish for in asking government to back your industry. When big government decides your industry is strategic to their interests, the skills necessary for success usually change from innovation to lobbying, or worse. Most of China's car companies are walking zombies that only exist because the CCP considers them “new productive forces”.   ~~~~~ Overall, China spent roughly $173 billion in subsidies to support the new energy-vehicle sector, which encompasses electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, between 2009 and 2022, according to the latest estimate available by Scott Kennedy, a researcher of China’s economic policies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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China's Manufacturing Activity Hits Highest Level Since 2022 China's factory activity is booming, hitting its highest growth in two years. In May 2024, the Caixin Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) jumped to 52.8 from April's 51.4. This was better than expected and the best since May 2022. The growth is fueled by a significant increase in production and new orders. Several key factors driving this surge are: - Stronger domestic and global demand - Government policies and infrastructure investments supporting economic growth - Strategic expansion into overseas market The Caixin Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) is a key economic indicator that measures the health of the manufacturing sector. It is based on a monthly survey of purchasing managers in the manufacturing industry and provides insights into business conditions, including production, new orders, and employment. #chinamanufacturing #globalmanufacturing #chinasourcing #sourcing #supplychain #globlasupplychain

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I’m hearing that more Korean companies are shifting their hiring model from cohort-based hiring (hiring in annual batches) to team-and-their-needs based hiring, just like in the US. Centralized HR/sourcing augmented with decentralized, team-and-their-needs based vetting and hiring seems especially inevitable in sectors requiring highly skilled workers. And this across the globe. #hiring #managers

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Tencent just release Hunyuan-DiT, a bilingual chinese/english model that boasts SD3 level performance, but with an "open source" license. Here's why things are getting interesting... 1) China <> US -- AI models are the distillation of culture. It's important to recognize that a model trained to be compatible with Chinese culture will have some inherently different views on the world than a US trained model. Cultural exports (e.g., AI models) are part of a broader pattern/strategy of ideological influence, which I think often goes underestimated in the US (especially by those who decry open-source AI.) 2) Open Source <> Closed Source -- There is a growing trend of models being released as "open source", with licenses that are not truly open. For example, Playground 2.5 is listed in the table below, but isn't an open model. SD3 will likely also be released with similar restrictions. Tencent's new Hunyuan-DiT is no exception. Similar to LLaMA, there are restrictions based on size of company (100M MAU). Licenses with these types of restrictions are not truly "open". 3) Model Quality -- The architecture of available models continues to evolve, and open models are keeping up with their closed counterparts. As foundational model quality becomes increasingly similar, the biggest asset to begin developing is a curated dataset of first-party data -- Whether you are an individual or an enterprise. Own your model. Own your data. #generativeai #models #opensource #openai #notthatopenai

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𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 (𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦) 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺❗ During my recent visit to Japan, I had the privilege of meeting with the Director Unity Japan & Industry Sales Director #Korea #Japan, Yasumaro Matsumoto. Together, we are reinforcing the value of our partnership, which brings unique capabilities providing #immersive, #interactive #experiences that mirror reality. Whether #simulating urban landscapes, #modeling infrastructure projects, or #analyzing complex #data sets, this technology offers unparalleled insights and opportunities for organizations and government entities at all levels. In recent discussions, two groundbreaking projects stood out, highlighting the immense potential of our collaboration: 1️⃣ 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐔: Led by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Project PLATEAU is a pioneering open data initiative for urban #digitaltwins. This project aims to create a 3D city model infrastructure which by 2027, is estimated to cover over 500 cities, fostering innovation and sustainable urban development. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gGJY9u43 2️⃣ 𝐎𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐧: Collaboration with Unity has resulted in a dynamic, data-rich digital twin of the city and its surroundings, a testament to how spatial computing can revolutionize urban planning and public service delivery. This powerful tool for real-time simulations, scenario planning, and predictive analytics enables enhanced decision-making, improved collaboration, and significant cost and time savings. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gsjw5eW5 These are only some of the many success stories exemplifying how #spatialcomputing and #digitaltwins are transforming industries and enhancing daily life. I believe the best return on investment for #leaders will come from leveraging deep local and global expertise to create value where the #digital and #physical worlds meet. More info: https://lnkd.in/gCKBfGWN William Rozé Zhiwei Jiang Todd O'Mara Jiani Zhang Nicolas Rousseau Rohit Srivastava Robin Young Luis Paolino Sara Long Clément Charruel Masahiko Mochizuki #DigitalMeetPhysical #Innovation #Capgemini #CapgeminiEngineering #Unity

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An interesting point of view on US-China trade relations for those committed to "decoupling". Over the years, it has been my observation that US consumers like the idea of Made in America. However, at the end of the day, they dump that ideal pretty quickly because what they really want is the best stuff at the lowest price. And when that's hard to get, they'll often accept considerably less than the best, as long as the price is attractive. Until that changes, we're not likely to see a meaningful shift away from goods made in China. This article makes a serious point. Even with large tariffs, China has a very powerful capacity to offer goods at low prices. That won't end with the stroke of a Presidential pen. #chinasourcing #internationaltrade #decoupling #nearshoring

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Fascinated by hidden propaganda tactics? This new study uncovers how the Chinese government subtly shapes media narratives. The authors analyzed a decade of data, and the results are eye-opening. (Spoiler alert: It's way more common than you'd think.) If you're curious about global media manipulation, this one's a must-read. #propaganda #media #censorship #informationwarfare #cognitivesecurity #CCP #misinformation #disinformation #informationintegrity https://lnkd.in/ggeWVMe4

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Highlighting: "NewsBreak is headquartered in Mountain View, California and has offices in Beijing and Shanghai." ... "Reuters spoke to seven former NewsBreak employees, including five who said most of the engineering work behind the app's algorithm is carried out in its China-based offices." ... "Newsbreak generates revenue by showing ads to its users, who are predominantly female, above the age of 45, without college degrees, and live in suburban or rural parts of the U.S., according to the seven former employees and a 2021 company presentation reviewed by Reuters." Reuters: https://lnkd.in/gKzcTwAv ----- This is what AI does to News. Enjoy... US Congress is starting to notice NewsBreak, the Chinese news app. Newsbreak is engineered in Beijing and Shanghai and loaded into the US market through its MountainView, CA office to deceive an audience of mostly middle aged American women who don't watch news sourcing closely. AI hallucinations are commonplace on a news app that feeds on the views of rural and suburban American women. Its like Google Gemini but directed from China at American women for ad revenue. ----- Reuters: "NewsBreak: Some US lawmakers call for more scrutiny of news app with Chinese origins" (Alexandra Alper & James Pearson) (June 7, 2024) "Three U.S. lawmakers have called for more scrutiny of NewsBreak, a popular news aggregation app in the United States after Reuters reported it has Chinese origins and has used AI tools to produce erroneous stories. The Reuters story drew upon previously unreported court documents related to copyright infringement, cease-and-desist emails, and a 2022 company memo registering concerns about "AI-generated stories" to identify at least 40 instances in which NewsBreak's use of AI tools affected the communities it strives to serve. “The only thing more terrifying than a company that deals in unchecked, aAI gen news, is one with deep ties to an adversarial foreign government," said Senator Mark Warner. "This is yet another example of the serious threat posed by tech from countries of concern. It’s also a stark reminder that we need a holistic approach to addressing this threat – we simply cannot win the game of whack-a-mole with individual companies," he said. The lawmakers expressed concerns about NewsBreak's current and historical links to Chinese investors, and the company's presence in China, where many of its engineers are based. NewsBreak launched in the U.S. in 2015 as a subsidiary of Yidian, a Chinese news aggregation app. Both companies were founded by Jeff Zheng, the CEO of NewsBreak, and the companies share a U.S. patent, registered in 2015 for an "Interest Engine" algorithm, which recommends news content based on a user's interests and location. Yidian in 2017 received praise, from ruling Communist Party officials in China for its efficiency in disseminating government propaganda." Reuters: https://lnkd.in/gszQtEME #ai #fakeai #genai #generativeai #ainews #degenai #degenerativeai

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More signaling about the ongoing transformation of labor markets in Japan as well as systemic talent shortages for high demand segments of the economy like semiconductors and AI. ZooKeep is committed to facilitating this transformation for Japan Inc., as well as companies operating throughout the region with a suite of digital and professional service offerings to help guide companies through this transformation in an effective and repeatable manner. #talent #japan #asean #transformation

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Intel to partner with 14 Japanese companies to develop “back-end" chipmaking processes, which means Hedging geopolitical risk & Reshoring production base to Japan. US wants to hedge the risk of producing strategic goods. Where to relocate ? US ? is costly. Southeast Asia & India ? would be one of them, but no experience to have produced it by large scale, would take a time. Must be in East Asia. China ? is in tension. Korea ? good but just in front of N. Taiwan ? of course but just in front of China. Then only Japan left.

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Google's I/O conference was a goldmine for AI enthusiasts and Android users alike. Here's a quick rundown of the biggest announcements: AI taking centre stage: 👉 Gemini gets faster: Google's flagship AI model, Gemini, now has a "Flash" version to rival OpenAI's recently announced GPT-4o. It will be interesting to see who wins the AI performance race! 👉 Search reimagined: We'll say goodbye to endless scrolling! AI Overviews will summarize the web for complex queries, while the Ask Photos assistant will tackle our photo archive ("What's my license plate number again?"). 👉 Keeping users safe: Android gets a built-in scam detector that listens for fishy calls, while Chrome leverages Gemini Nano for on-device AI processing. With all these advancements, I can't help but wonder how the #AI world will shape up in the next few months and its impact on the future of #remotework.

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Lost in Translation? https://lnkd.in/gpsBceKp I have been on occasions been asked if I am ‘中国人’，（Chinese citizen or someone of PRC)，and I have replied no, I am Chinese ‘华人’，from Singapore. When media or social uses the word Chinese, the authors usually do not differentiate between the two. These 2 are very different concepts, but the English translation are both "Chinese". I remembered an interview our late Prime Minister Mr Lee said, we are of "ethic Chinese stock". That tells the difference clearly. Important to remember to have with you native speakers during business meetings to ensure as little are lost in translation as possible. A note of clarification: I am sure Singaporean chinese are happy to acknowledge we are "华人", and I am, but we do not like it when someone just assumes when we speak good Mandarin we must from from PRC. Maybe that's our Singaporean pride?

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