China's hackers use DeepSeek for attacks, researchers say Researchers say experienced Chinese hackers are using far less capable AI to scale up their activities and achieve breakthroughs. Chinese hackers are ramping up attacks after integrating DeepSeek and other open-source artificial intelligence models into their operations, highlighting attackers' ability to leverage basic AI tools to hit targets abroad. State-affiliated cyber groups more than doubled the amount of attacks they carried out since they began delegating mundane tasks to AI and using it to develop advanced malicious software, according to TeamT5, a Taiwanese research firm. Researchers said it wasn't always possible to identify the AI model they used, but in general DeepSeek's offerings are popular with hackers in the country because of its high performance and ability to be customized. Anxieties among U.S. national security officials are mounting over the autonomous capabilities of advanced models from Anthropic and OpenAI after a series of high-profile incidents in which they managed to break out of testing environments. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Robots can outrun humans, but can they plug in a cable? Booster Robotics humanoid robots walk in formation during the opening ceremony for the second World Humanoid Robot Games at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing on Saturday. Beijing - China's humanoid robots have shown they can run quicker than the fastest humans. Now comes the real test: can they also handle packaging and warehouse operations while reliably performing precision tasks like connecting cables designed to evaluate their ability to work like humans in less flashy jobs? The five-day World Humanoid Robot Games, which began Saturday in Beijing, combine events modeled on human sports with those designed to test the robots in simulated factories, restaurants, offices and in emergency situations.

Iran condemns U.S. plans to announce new sanctions Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stands with members of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces at the grave of Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed alongside Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020, in Najaf, Iraq, on Friday. CAIRO/WASHINGTON - Iran on Saturday denounced U.S. plans to announce new sanctions that could put further strain on the Islamic Republic's economy and have an impact on its most important trading partners, including China. After nearly six months of war since the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28, the sides are not firing at each other but also showing no sign of pursuing peace talks. Oil shipments are at a virtual standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran threatening to strike any unauthorized oil tankers that try to transit the vital waterway, and Iran's economy is already under immense pressure from sanctions. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Hosted by Ben Byford, The Machine Ethics Podcast brings together interviews with academics, authors, business leaders, designers and engineers on the subject of autonomous algorithms, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and technology's impact on society. This month we speak with Demetrios for the second time about: what ML and MLops are, narrow machine learning being still relevant, vibe coding, working with agents, talking to your computer, unknown productivity gains of LLMs, the chat interface as a bad interface for all knowledge, AIs that know when they're wrong, the lack of ground truth, and more Demetrios founded the largest community dealing with producitonizing AI and ML models. The MLOps Community is now where tens of thousands of practitioners come to learn from one another. In his free time he can be found building stone stackings in the woods with his daughters. This podcast was created and is run by Ben Byford and collaborators.

Researchers led by Kouhei Masumoto, a professor of psychology at Kobe University, posed ethical dilemmas that are variations of the classic trolley problem to participants of a study and presented them with artificial intelligence-generated counterarguments for the two choices they could make. If ChatGPT challenged your moral judgment, would you be persuaded? A recent study suggests that more than 30% of people would, highlighting the significant influence of artificial intelligence on views about questions with no easy answers. The study also found that older adults showed a greater tendency to be swayed in their opinions, pointing to a potential danger of persuasive technologies in a rapidly graying society such as Japan. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Akita eyes AI data center that could become Japan's largest An artificial intelligence data center, which could become one of Japan's largest, is being planned in Akita Prefecture with a goal of commencing operations in 2030 at the earliest. A plan is underway to build an artificial intelligence data center in Akita Prefecture that could become Japan's largest. The plan is being led by S2, a server management firm based in the city of Akita, and U.S. startup Bitgrit, with the total construction cost estimated at ¥2 trillion ($12.5 billion). The firms are cooperating with Akita Prefecture and the city of Akita with an aim to make the data center a hub to attract AI-related businesses and human resources. 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.

Can robots save an aging Japan? A mechanical wolf robot used to ward off bears and wild boars at a cabbage farm in the village of Shimo Higashiyama, in Yamagata Prefecture. It's hard to explain why Japanese love the cherry blossoms, called sakura. Robots do not appreciate the soft evanescence of the sakura. Nor do they understand why a snowbound town in northern Japan has dedicated itself to the cultivation of a winter variety. But the residents of Nishikawa have discovered -- at least, they thought they had discovered -- that they need robots for their sakura.

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping while leaving after a visit to the Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, May 15, 2026. China's latest barrage of countermeasures against the U.S. drew on an expanding legal arsenal, demonstrating Beijing's growing capacity to retaliate while warning Washington against further tech curbs before Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected visit to the U.S. next month. The package announced Wednesday featured the first national security investigation under China's recently revised Foreign Trade Law and tighter scrutiny of drone-related exports. It also included sanctions on seven American entities and a suspension of cooperation with the U.S. over the inspection of products destined for China. The speed and breadth of the action, revealed in a volley of five statements released one week after the U.S. moved to ban new foreign robots, shows China's willingness and ability to turn up the pressure even as it preserved room for de-escalation.

OpenAI's new device will be hockey puck-size and cost over $300 OpenAI is looking to break new ground with its upcoming device, which is slated for release in 2027. A highly anticipated new device from OpenAI will have a unique look, complete with moving parts that help give it personality, and likely cost more than $300, according to people familiar with the matter. The product -- essentially a smart speaker without a display -- will be shaped like a doughnut that's roughly the size of a hockey puck, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is confidential. The idea is to make the device easy to carry around the home with one hand. OpenAI is looking to break new ground with the product, which is slated for release in 2027.

Chinese tech firms including Bytedance are driving demand for Hong Kong's data centers. Chinese tech firms, from Bytedance to artificial intelligence startups, are driving demand for Hong Kong's data centers, helping push lease prices up by nearly double this year. The AI boom, fueled in part by the success of DeepSeek, has prompted more Chinese firms to use Hong Kong as a springboard to test models and expand overseas. Deals for digital infrastructure accelerated in the last quarter, driving up prices for data center capacity on a per-kilowatt basis, according to Structure Research, a data center consultancy. Chinese "hyperscalers," including Alibaba Group Holding and Tencent Holdings, are increasing their capacity in the city, said Jason Zhou, senior analyst with the research firm.