Artificial Intelligence

Turing Award winner Robert Tarjan lauded Liu Cixin’s “The Three-Body Problem,” prompting a congratulatory response from the author regarding Tarjan’s upcoming Lifetime Achievement Award. In an interview, Tarjan discussed contrasting views on AI’s future. While some foresee AI surpassing human intellect, Tarjan believes AI development is cyclical and currently overhyped. He argues current AI systems lack the autonomous exploration, sustained curiosity, and goal-oriented behavior necessary to achieve true super-intelligence, drawing parallels to childhood learning.

NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang praised China’s AI advancements, highlighting his long-standing collaboration with Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun. Their partnership spans smartphones, AI, and autonomous driving. Huang admires China’s innovative engineers and vast consumer base. During a recent meeting, Lei Jun showcased Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra electric vehicle, prompting Huang to commend its technology and design, expressing his desire to purchase one despite its unavailability in the US. Their decade-long collaboration started when NVIDIA was less established.

Xiaomi Group is gaining recognition and expanding its smart home capabilities. It was named a “Top 100 Enterprise in China’s Light Industry of Science and Technology” and designated an “Artificial Intelligence Enterprise” in Wuhan. Xiaomi’s first dedicated smart home appliance factory in Wuhan, its third major smart manufacturing facility, is nearing completion and will begin mass production by the end of the year, starting with air conditioning products. This factory will enable Xiaomi to independently develop and manufacture its appliances.

Elon Musk predicts AI will surpass individual human intelligence in two years and all of humanity’s collective intelligence in five. Currently, while superior to most, AI hasn’t exceeded the smartest individual or a powerful team (‘a company’). However, Musk estimates AI’s intelligence is growing tenfold annually, potentially increasing by 10,000 to 100,000 times in four years. This projection follows Musk’s previous warnings about AI’s rapid advancement and potential risks, alongside its benefits.

At the China Automotive Forum 2025, Yin Tongyue, chairman of Chery Automobile, urged auto industry leaders to increase face-to-face meetings to prevent misunderstandings. He called for associations to facilitate more informal gatherings, with a moderate relaxation of anti-alcohol policies. Yin humorously noted AI advances make decision-making challenging, leading companies like Chery to act cautiously and sometimes follow others. (66 words)

The Chinese Football Association announced a public tender for its “Forward Plan” AI project, aiming to build a foundational Big Data Analysis Platform using artificial intelligence. This platform will process football data to support national team preparation, youth development, coaching, and referee training, addressing persistent performance challenges. The project has a strict cost ceiling of RMB 10.68 million. It follows the men’s national team’s recent 0-3 loss to South Korea, extending their winless streak against that opponent to six matches.

360 Digital Security Group and Bijie Vocational College partnered on July 10, 2024, establishing the Bijie Vocational-360 Digital Intelligence Security Industry College in Guizhou. This collaboration aims to accelerate talent development for the region’s digital economy through an integrated teaching-research-application system. The initiative features a “three-centers, one-platform” structure focusing on industry-aligned training, dual-qualified faculty, and technological innovation. Executives emphasize bridging academia-industry gaps to support Guizhou’s digital industrialization goals and create a sustainable talent pipeline, positioning it as a model for Western China’s development during the province’s 14th Five-Year Plan implementation. (100 words)

At the Global Digital Economy Conference, Beijing unveiled plans for AI-powered “data-smart cities” featuring optimized governance and integrated intelligence hubs. 5G emerged as a key diplomatic and technological tool, enabling real-time applications like holographic streaming and fueling a projected $1.3 trillion smart city market by 2035. The integration aims to create cities that anticipate urban needs.

Cathie Wood reaffirms strong support for Elon Musk and Tesla, emphasizing Musk’s critical hands-on role in sales operations during a transition phase. She maintains ARK Invest’s $2,600 price target by 2028, based on autonomous ride-hailing dominance. Wood dismissed distractions from Musk’s politics, analyzing fundamentals instead. Additionally, she critiqued Apple’s vulnerability from AI talent loss to competitors like Meta, while questioning Meta’s ability to gain sustainable advantage through its open-source AI strategy.

Baidu has initiated its 2026 campus recruitment, offering over 4,000 positions spanning 256 specialized roles across seven Chinese cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, and Hangzhou. Over 90% of openings are AI-related, including 90 newly created roles in multimodal systems, cross-modal algorithms, and large-scale model architecture. The recruitment features a dual-batch system: early applicants bypass written exams for accelerated interviews, while unselected candidates may reapply during the regular admission cycle. (79 words)