Author: GT

Alibaba is updating its artificial intelligence chatbot Qwen as it pushes to catch up with tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The revised app replaces the older Tongyi version and became available on both major app stores on Friday, last week.In its app-store descriptions, Alibaba calls Qwen the “most powerful official AI assistant for its models” and the main way for users to try its newest Qwen model. The company also plans to add agent-style features that can help shoppers on platforms such as Taobao, according to Bloomberg. Alibaba did not respond to a request for comment.Alibaba has spent the past two…

New insight from the CQF Institute, a worldwide network for quantitative finance professionals (quants), reveals that fewer than one in ten specialists believe new graduates possess the AI and machine learning skills necessary to succeed in the industry. This highlights a growing issue in quantitative finance: a lack of human understanding and fluency in the language of machines.The CQF survey underscores a serious shortage of skills among those working in or entering the quantitative finance sector. As AI becomes increasingly important for success, it’s a worrying trend. Experts say the industry must close this skills gap through improved education, training,…

South Korea’s major defense giants have amassed roughly $69 billion in order backlogs as of late 2024, according to media reports. Seoul is also accelerating investment in advanced weapons systems and expanding its defense ties, particularly with Europe. With the new EU–South Korea Security and Defence Partnership in 2024 and growing exports of vehicles and artillery, the country has become the second-largest arms supplier to European NATO members. Yet despite that enormous industrial footprint, remarkably few startups have emerged to match or challenge the incumbents. The country’s defense-tech startup scene is still nascent, exposing a wide gap between Korea’s manufacturing…

A Russian telecom company that develops technology to allow phone and internet companies to conduct web surveillance and censorship was hacked, had its website defaced, and had data stolen from its servers, TechCrunch has learned. Founded in Russia, Protei makes telecommunications systems for phone and internet providers across dozens of countries, including Bahrain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Pakistan and much of central Africa. The company, now headquartered in Jordan, sells video conferencing technology and internet connectivity solutions, as well as surveillance equipment and web-filtering products, such as deep packet inspection systems. It’s not clear exactly when or how Protei was hacked,…

Security leaders face a new class of autonomous threat as Anthropic details the first cyber espionage campaign orchestrated by AI.In a report released this week, the company’s Threat Intelligence team outlined its disruption of a sophisticated operation by a Chinese state-sponsored group – an assessment made with high confidence – dubbed GTG-1002 and detected in mid-September 2025.The operation targeted approximately 30 entities, including large tech companies, financial institutions, chemical manufacturing companies, and government agencies.Rather than AI assisting human operators, the attackers successfully manipulated Anthropic’s Claude Code model to function as an autonomous agent to execute the vast majority of tactical…

As U.S. giants like Google, OpenAI and Anthropic race to develop the large language models that underpin their AI products, startups such as Sakana AI, Mistral AI, DeepSeek and AI21 Labs are carving out their own niche with specialized models designed for specific regions, industries, or unique features. In pursuit of that goal, Tokyo-based Sakana AI has closed a ¥20 billion (approximately $135 million) Series B funding round, which values the company at $2.65 billion post-money, up from a pre-money valuation of $2.5 billion, CEO David Ha told TechCrunch. Founded in 2023 by former Google researchers Llion Jones, Ren Ito…

A man pushes a tricycle loaded with LPG cylinders on the road below the Adani signage in Mumbai. US based Hindenburg Research firm’s allegation on fraud by Adani Enterprise has sparked political debate in India by the opposition parties.Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesIndia is ramping up its energy imports from the U.S. in a bid to reduce its trade surplus with Washington — a key demand of the Trump administration during trade negotiations with New Delhi.On Monday, Hardeep Singh Puri, Indian union minister of petroleum and natural gas, announced a deal that will see the United States supply…

Flatpay, which facilitates card payments for SMBs, has joined the ranks of European fintech unicorns — or startups valued at more than $1 billion — a milestone that has driven some of the region’s biggest exits. These include competitors like Adyen, a Dutch payment processing giant that remains far ahead in scale. However, Flatpay’s fresh funding could help it narrow the gap. Flatpay’s bet is that it can challenge larger players by charging small merchants a flat transaction rate to use its card terminals and point-of-sales systems. This focus on a segment that accounts for 99% of European businesses has…

Ted Danson’s “A Man on the Inside” returning to Netflix for its second season and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo belting out the “Wicked: For Good” soundtrack are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Aerosmith teaming up with Yungblud on a new EP, “The Bad Guys 2” hitting Peacock and Jordan Peele looking at Black cowboys in a new documentary series. New movies to stream from Nov. 17-23— “Train Dreams,” (Friday, Nov. 21 on…

The death of a neighborhood bodega cat named Kit Kat has shaken San Francisco’s Mission District, according to The New York Times. After Kit Kat was run over by a Waymo robotaxi on the evening of October 27, locals created a shrine to memorialize him. The area has also been decorated with competing signs, some criticizing Waymo, others noting the many deaths caused by human drivers. Jackie Fielder, who represents the Mission District on SF’s Board of Supervisors, brought up Kit Kat while making the case for a proposed city resolution that calls on the state to allow local voters…