China's AI ascendance gives Xi a stage and a security dilemma The rise of China's AI models is handing President Xi Jinping new bragging rights and a stronger claim to shaping the technology's global rules. The rise of China's AI models is handing President Xi Jinping new bragging rights and a stronger claim to shaping the technology's global rules, even as their growing power stirs security alarm in Washington and Beijing alike. Xi is expected to make his case in his debut at the World AI Conference in Shanghai starting Friday, an event that previously attracted Elon Musk and Jack Ma. He'll be addressing scores of tech and government leaders as Chinese models win over companies worldwide, with their share of U.S. firms' AI usage nearing record 60% on the popular marketplace OpenRouter. In what could be a preview of Xi's position, state media this week cast China's openness as the antidote to a world of walls. The Communist Party's flagship mouthpiece People's Daily warned against an "AI Iron Curtain," contrasting an "oil mindset" that hoards data and computing power with a "water" approach that treats AI as a public good for all, without naming any country.

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Netflix says it's already used AI in'roughly 300' titles this year Netflix says it's already used AI in'roughly 300' titles this year Don't expect that number to shrink any time soon. Netflix hasn't made any secret of its interest in artificial intelligence, and now we have a sense of how those tools are being used in its content. In 2026, GenAI workflows have been used in roughly 300 of our titles, with the largest concentration of work in post-production, according to the shareholder letter detailing its second-quarter financials. The company named three projects -- (India), (Brazil) and (US) -- that used generative AI to create highly complex sequences, but the tech is becoming more widespread at this point. We already knew that Netflix had applied generative AI in at least one original show as of last July, but between making acquisitions and launching new specialized studios, its ambitions clearly extended further.

Weekly quiz: What name did scientists give this $50m dinosaur? This week, Sir Keir Starmer took part in his last Prime Minister's Questions as he prepared to hand over the keys to 10 Downing Street, the US and Iran continued to trade both barbs and bombs, and film critics went wild for The Odyssey . But how much attention did you pay to what else happened in the world over the past seven days? What information do we collect from this quiz? Try last week's quiz, or have a go at something from the archives .

Hospital staff swapped two babies at birth who were then raised by unsuspecting families... until DNA test 36 years on exposed the scandal, lawsuit alleges Warning to millions as lung-penetrating toxins sweep across 14 US states... with Detroit's air ranked the worst on Earth The detail everyone missed in this photo of Kate and William... and what it reveals about state of their relationship. Scientists at Northwestern University have designed a drone that spins so fast it disappears before your eyes. Called the'Phantom Twist', the drone spins up to 25 times every second, which is too fast for the human eye to see. While it isn't completely invisible, the drone is about 10 times less visible than a conventional quadcopter. Its developers describe its appearance as a'ghostly smudge', claiming it blends'seamlessly into the background'.

Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar said tech founders are building in the national interest since Donald Trump returned to the White House, discussing AI and defense tech on Ruthless Podcast.

Using archaeological evidence, historical records and cutting-edge 3D technology, experts have created the first scientifically accurate reconstruction of Nassau during the Golden Age of Piracy. The digital model strips away centuries of Hollywood myth to reveal what the notorious pirate stronghold actually looked like in the early 1700s. Far from a bustling colonial city lined with grand stone buildings, Nassau was little more than a ramshackle settlement of wooden huts, pirate camps and crumbling ruins. The reconstruction also revives some of history's most infamous buccaneers, including Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Calico Jack Rackham and Benjamin Hornigold, using AI based on historical engravings and contemporary descriptions. The recreations will feature in the finale of Wreckwatch TV's series about the real pirates of the Caribbean, Mystery of the Pirate King's Treasure.

What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain? The United States military says it has launched another wave of strikes on Iran, while Tehran says it retaliated with missile and drone attacks against US military assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said it concluded an evening wave of strikes against Iran at 9pm ET on Wednesday (01:00 GMT on Thursday), targeting "Iranian command centres, air defence sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities" in an effort to reduce Iran's ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian air defences were activated over the capital, Tehran, as state media reported attacks across much of the country. Explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas and on nearby Qeshm island in the south, as well as in the southeastern coastal towns of Sirik, Chabahar and Konarak. Iranian media also reported attacks further inland in Rask, Khondab, Khorramabad and Semnan.

The Cabinet has adopted revised guidelines for artificial intelligence-related policies to bolster cybersecurity measures. The government has revised its guidelines for artificial intelligence-related policies, calling for constantly strengthening measures against cyberattacks in light of serious risks posed by cutting-edge AI models. The original AI policy guidelines were compiled only last December. The revision comes amid rapid technological innovation, including the launch of U.S. startup Anthropic's Claude Mythos. The revised guidelines, adopted at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, note the growing threat of cyberattacks against the backdrop of advancing AI capabilities, and call for collaborating with foreign government agencies and AI development companies to significantly strengthen the capabilities of Japan's AI Safety Institute. The guidelines also highlight the need to avoid excessive reliance on specific countries or companies for AI, and express the government's intention to develop domestic AI that addresses challenges facing Japan.

A facial recognition system has been introduced at ticket gates at Ikebukuro Station on the Tobu Tojo Line in Tokyo. Hitachi and Tobu Railway on Wednesday introduced a facial recognition system at ticket gates at Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo's Toshima Ward. Passengers can pass through the ticket gates hands-free if they register their facial data and commuter pass information in advance. The companies hope to encourage other railway operators to adopt the system, which can be installed by simply adding cameras and other equipment to existing ticket gates. The system was jointly developed in cooperation with three ticket gate manufacturers, including Toshiba. This is the first time that the system has been installed at a major terminal station in Tokyo.