A campaign for Chinese self-sufficiency in artificial intelligence technology has led to intense local competition and a vicious price war, while export-oriented companies have thrived on surging global demand for infrastructure such as data centers. China's push for global supremacy in artificial intelligence technology is increasingly benefiting companies that supply the rest of the world, with investors favoring such stocks as fierce competition hurts their domestically focused peers. A Bloomberg gauge tracking 30 Chinese technology stocks with the biggest overseas revenue exposure has delivered a return of 36% this year, versus 9% for those more dependent on local sales. A separate measure of the export-oriented firms' outperformance over the other group is set for the strongest-ever reading this year. The contrasting fortunes partly result from Beijing's ambition to build its own AI ecosystem.

SoftBank Group, led by billionaire Masayoshi Son, has committed close to $65 billion to ChatGPT creator OpenAI, making it one of the world's biggest investors in artificial intelligence along with its other investments in the sector. SoftBank Group has drawn more than $20 billion of preliminary demand for what's shaping up to be one of the biggest junk bond deals ever, people familiar with the matter said, as investors rush to capture record yields likely to be offered to help fund the firm's investments in OpenAI. The potential interest reflects early, nonbinding indications from investors and serves as an initial gauge ahead of pricing, which is still expected Thursday, according to the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private matters. SoftBank was seeking to raise the equivalent of more than $11 billion in the deal including a $10 billion dollar part and a €1 billion ($1.1 billion) euro portion, other people said Monday. There's no cap for the size, and no final decisions have been made, they added.

The UK will set up a new centre to stem the poisonous tide of hostile state attacks, including Russian disinformation, and lead efforts to establish global safety standards for artificial intelligence, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said. In his first major international speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Burnham warned Russian agencies are using every means at their disposal, including bots and fake websites, to spread lies and disinformation. The prime minister noted AI will multiply existing threats, and pitched the UK as an honest broker on the technology. Fears about AI have grown after industry insiders recently warned it could threaten humanity. In Burnham's speech, he accused Russia of running a disinformation campaign.

From smart glasses to AI pins, privacy fears challenge tech's next big bet Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a speech, as a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses appear on screen, during the Meta Connect event at the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, California, on Sept. 27, 2023. SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK - Companies betting artificial intelligence devices will usher in a post-smartphone era are fueling privacy fears around the globe that could slow adoption of the emerging technology. The backlash against devices that can see, hear and respond to the world around them has been strongest against Meta's Ray-Bans, which made smart glasses mainstream by pairing EssilorLuxottica's trendy designs with AI from the social media giant chasing "personal superintelligence." The glasses have become a lightning rod for growing unease over AI-powered devices, drawing scrutiny from courts weighing privacy lawsuits, users fearing covert recordings and critics warning of a future in which ubiquitous AI eyewear erodes expectations of anonymity and consent. Several U.K. venues, including one of the country's biggest pub chains, Wetherspoon, have restricted the use of the frames.

Pro-China groups funded by tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham are staging protests from Austin to the UN as Donald Trump prepares for high-stakes talks with Xi Jinping.

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AI and China experts warn Beijing's free open source AI models and knowledge distillation campaigns threaten U.S. tech supremacy as President Xi Jinping arrives in US.

Zelenskyy warns Russia could launch drone or missile attacks against European countries, saying the risk is "very high" after meeting with Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly.

In the expansive grasslands of Inner Mongolia, farmers are picking plump potatoes alongside new neighbours: huge, rectangular blocks that will fuel China's AI platforms. Ulanqab, with its steppes and volcanoes, is an unlikely digital frontier. For years, it has been China's official potato capital. But now its fields have also become construction sites for a slew of data centres, as Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping meet to discuss AI safety among other things. Hundreds of workers in yellow helmets carry heavy equipment into the building site as welding sparks fly off metal scaffolding.

AI data centers face 71% voter opposition locally but 52% support in remote areas ahead of midterm elections. Water supply and energy bills concerns drive the NIMBY divide.