An experimental lung disease drug developed using artificial intelligence showed promise in reversing biological signs of aging, pointing to broader potential use of the treatment, according to its developer. In a midstage study, Insilico Medicine's drug rentosertib helped reduce biological age as measured by six different aging clocks examining chemical changes in the body, according to an analysis published in Nature Biotechnology on Monday. Those who were given a placebo saw little change in their biological age on those same clocks, the Hong Kong-listed company said. "If your biological age is lower, you are likely to die later," the AI drug discovery startup's CEO, Alex Zhavoronkov, said in an interview. He cautioned that the results are still early and the long-term health effects of the drug on larger groups of people are unknown.

South Korea's power demand set to soar on AI boom South Korean Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-whan checks data of the Han River Flood Control Office's flood forecasting system in Seoul on Sept. 2. | REUTERS SEOUL - South Korea's demand for power in the coming years is set to surge on plans by chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to expand production and the building of new artificial intelligence data centers, according to the country's energy minister. Those AI-driven power needs alone will lift South Korea's demand for power by 25 to 30 gigawatts, the Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-whan said in an interview this month. On top of that, the country will also need to contend with increased power demand due to the shift to electric vehicles from gasoline-engine cars and to heating via electricity rather than gas, he added. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

A humanoid robot takes part in a wushu contest during the second World Humanoid Robot Games at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on Aug. 26. BEIJING - At the World Humanoid Robot Games in China last month, robots jumped, boxed and danced. Some fleet-footed bots ran faster than Usain Bolt over 100 meters. Spectators cheered the machines' improving capabilities and their meme-worthy stumbles. Two days after the Games ended, the People's Liberation Army's official newspaper drew its own conclusions from the show.

An empty lot is stacked with aluminum brackets, steel rods and wooden planks in Ulanqab, China. Set in rolling grassland, Ulanqab is an unlikely technological hub. Yet this modest city of less than 2 million people in Inner Mongolia has found itself on the front line of China's efforts to relocate computing power away from its crowded eastern megacities and out to its western regions, where both space and inexpensive green energy are abundant. At one cluttered intersection on the eastern edge of the city on a Friday at lunchtime, workers streamed out of a cluster of data-center construction sites -- a reminder of the scale of the endeavor here, some 350 kilometers northwest of Beijing. Still wearing hard hats and high-visibility vests, their pants and boots caked in dust, they congregated at a cluster of trucks selling cheap meals, beer and cigarettes.

The number of initial public offerings in Japan has been falling sharply amid a slowdown in technology listings. The number of initial public offerings in Japan has been falling sharply, reflecting a slowing pace of new listings by software-related companies that had previously led IPO activity in the country. Companies are moving to postpone their IPOs amid financial market turmoil caused by the war in Iran, concerns that artificial intelligence could replace traditional software products and businesses, and rising interest rates. The Tokyo Stock Exchange's mainstay Prime, Growth and Standard sections saw 17 companies go public in the first half of the year, down about 30% from a year before, according to the TSE. Annual IPO activity has been lackluster since the number peaked at 123 in 2021, when fundraising conditions were favorable as countries eased monetary policies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Waymo is now offering robotaxi rides to the public in three more cities. Starting today, its service is available in Denver, San Diego and Tampa, Florida. The company says tens of thousands of people in each city have signed up. It will gradually open up access to them before everyone else. Moving into these latest locations means Waymo is now running robotaxis in 14 cities in the US, with more to follow. The company is also planning an international expansion, including in Tokyo and Munich.

Defense Ministry's record ¥8.9 trillion budget request expected to balloon further by year-end Ghost Robotics' Vision 60 quadruped robot joins the Ground Self-Defense Force's 1st Airborne Brigade during an annual New Year military drill at Narashino exercise field in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in January. The Defense Ministry is seeking another record-breaking budget -- nearly ¥9 trillion ($56 billion) -- but that figure is widely expected to balloon even further as Japan revises its three key national security documents by the year-end. From hypersonic underwater-launched missiles to artificial intelligence for command and control, the ministry's ¥8.9 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027 submitted to the government Monday is chock full of advanced weaponry and tech, but also includes plans for strengthening the ministry's overseas and domestic outreach and a bigger role for the government in the defense sector. The budget request, the final one in a five-year, ¥43 trillion plan, is based on three pillars: preparing for "new ways of warfare" by employing AI and drones, ensuring sustained operational capabilities in a prolonged conflict and strengthening Japan's defense industrial base. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukrainian drones have again targeted the Russian online shopping giant Wildberries. Authorities in Russia's Tambov region said a major warehouse was entirely destroyed in the latest attack. At least 12 people have died in a series of strikes on the company. Luxury watches worth $1.2 million stolen from a popular mall in Tokyo

Kimi Onoda, minister for intellectual property strategy, speaks to reporters Tuesday about the government's adoption of guiding principles on intellectual rights protection. The government on Tuesday adopted guiding principles on intellectual property protection for generative artificial intelligence operators, calling on such businesses to disclose an outline of data and methods used to train their AI tools. The Principles Code, while not legally binding, is designed to boost transparency related to AI and promote both the protection of intellectual property rights and innovation amid the rapidly spreading use of the cutting-edge technology. Businesses that accept all or part of the code will notify the government and disclose the learning processes, types of learning data and methods of collecting such data for their generative AI models on their websites. The code covers not only domestic businesses but also overseas operators that provide AI systems and services in Japan. There are growing concerns that texts, images and other materials are being used by generative AI for learning without permission, potentially resulting in intellectual property rights violations.

Companies are turning to artificial intelligence and sensor technology to improve the efficiency of indoor farming in Japan as the country faces a growing shortage of farmers. Oishii Farm, which runs a strawberry factory in the United States, recently established a new research and development base in the city of Hamura in western Tokyo. It plans to develop efficient methods for cultivating other crops, such as tomatoes, indoors and robots capable of automatically planting and packaging produce. The company uses AI to manage the breeding environment for bees, which are essential for pollination. The technology has raised the pollination rate for its strawberries to 95%. "We're able to achieve hundreds of years' worth of traditional outdoor breeding progress within a single year," said Hiroki Koga, co-founder and CEO of Oishii Farm, emphasizing the benefits of plant factories unaffected by seasons or weather.