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July 12, 2026
 

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CHATBOTS

Liu Debing, chairman of Knowledge Atlas Technology, better known as Zhipu, attends the Chinese generative-AI startup's listing ceremony at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Thursday, Jan. 8.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 7, 2026
A China shock is shaking Silicon Valley
One thing has become clear: Open models from China now pose one of the biggest existential threats to the U.S. AI establishment.
Zhipu's AI service on the web, dubbed Z.ai.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Jul 3, 2026
A cheap Chinese model is catching up with U.S. AI giants on their home turf
Z.ai’s GLM-5.2 model has been put at the heart of a growing debate about whether China is finally catching up to the U.S. in the artificial intelligence race.
The debate over AI agents running checkout functions is far from resolved, as some retailers balk at giving up control.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2026
An English furniture maker faces AI era of bots buying sofas
Consumers are using chatbots to research products now, but agentic AI could one day see bots acting as their personal shopper.
A supporter holds a flag calling for unlimited constitutional powers for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he stands near the State Historical Museum and the Kremlin wall in central Moscow on June 23.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 24, 2026
Russia’s Wiki warfare tries to distort reality, documents show
Russia’s “Project 2026” wasn’t just to spread misinformation on social media — its main goal to create an alternative information ecosystem.
Japan’s real challenge in the age of artificial intelligence is not technological progress but rebuilding the trust and human connections that help young people feel heard, supported and safe.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 12, 2026
Japan’s real AI problem is not technology. It is trust.
People who feel they matter are more likely to seek help when they need it because they trust that someone will listen. People who feel invisible often remain silent.
A group of high school students arrested over allegedly trying to extort money from a boy in western Tokyo may have used ChatGPT to decide how much to demand, police said.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 11, 2026
Teenagers in Tokyo allegedly used ChatGPT to decide extortion amount in assault case
Five teenagers were arrested in January over the alleged assault and attempted extortion of ¥150,000 from a high school student in the city of Hachioji.
Anthropic is balancing a safety-focused image while rapidly advancing autonomous AI like Mythos, a powerful system some worry could be dangerous.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2026
Anthropic’s latest AIs are making some customers uneasy
Anthropic staff have access to the technology and say it is more human than its forerunners.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at an event in Tokyo on Feb. 3, 2025. The state of Florida in the U.S. alleges in its lawsuit that OpenAI has been "careless” in its introduction of its artificial intelligence chatbot to the public.
WORLD
Jun 2, 2026
Florida sues OpenAI and Sam Altman over chatbot safety concerns
Florida’s sweeping lawsuit cites a range of alleged harms caused by ChatGPT while stating the chatbot is particularly addictive, impacting both younger people and adults.
The 18-year-old daughter of former Yomiuri Giants manager Shinnosuke Abe said she consulted ChatGPT before reporting an alleged altercation with her father to a child guidance center.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2026
Former Giants manager’s daughter consulted ChatGPT before reporting altercation
Shinnosuke Abe resigned from his position Tuesday following his arrest on suspicion of physically assaulting his daughter.
Amazon is hoping that AI-powered answers will help keep shoppers from defecting to other sites or chatbots.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 14, 2026
Amazon puts Alexa inside the shopping search bar in AI push
Queries typed into Amazon’s website and mobile app will soon reply, depending on the context, with product comparisons or suggestions generated by AI large language models.
A chat window for chatbot Grok. Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, is moving with urgency to boost revenue by selling chatbot subscriptions and access to its computing resources before SpaceX’s expected IPO next month.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 14, 2026
Musk’s xAI races to get Wall Street firms to use Grok chatbot
The blitz forms part of a push to bolster revenue ahead of parent company SpaceX’s initial public offering.
Some U.S. lawyers are telling their clients not to ⁠treat AI chatbots like trusted confidants when their freedom or legal liability is on the line.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 16, 2026
AI ruling prompts warnings from U.S. lawyers: Your chats could be used against you
Warnings have grown after a federal judge in New York ruled this year that the former CEO of a bankrupt financial services company could not shield his AI chats from prosecutors.
Researchers evaluated five popular artificial intelligence chatbots by asking 10 questions each across five health categories. About 50% of the responses were deemed problematic, including almost 20% that were highly problematic.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 15, 2026
AI chatbots give misleading medical advice 50% of the time, study finds
The chatbot’s answers were often delivered with confidence, though none produced a fully complete and accurate reference list in response to any prompt, the researchers said.
Elon Musk attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January. Musk’s Grokipedia exemplifies how privately controlled AI chatbots are placed to shape public opinion through opaque algorithms without transparency or oversight.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2026
Who’s whispering in your chatbot’s ear?
Chatbots do not simply curate existing information; they generate and frame it.
Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Apr 13, 2026
Can AI replace a priest? Japan’s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
Japan’s temples experiment with artificial intelligence as questions of faith, presence and care grow more urgent.
Despite reports and rumors about its imminent release, DeepSeek's next-generation "V4" model is nowhere in sight.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 9, 2026
Waiting for DeepSeek: new model to test China’s AI ambitions
The long-awaited V4 model has yet to appear, stoking speculation over China’s AI progress and whether Huawei chips can power a true Nvidia alternative.
When downloaded, OpenClaw can be connected to existing AI models and given simple instructions through instant messaging apps.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 31, 2026
OpenClaw creator visits Tokyo to pitch AI agents that organize your life
The artificial intelligence agent tool has taken the tech world by storm with its ability to execute real-life tasks and connect with existing AI models.
An Australian man’s monthslong quest to fight his rescue mutt Rosie’s cancer using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT has grabbed the attention of OpenAI boss Sam Altman.
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 30, 2026
One man, his dog, and ChatGPT: Australia’s AI vaccine saga
Australian Paul Conyngham used artificial intelligence to design a personalized experimental treatment for his sick dog and find top scientists to administer it.
Literary translation is one of humanity’s most crucial tasks — one that should never be left to the machines.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2026
Lost in AI translation: What’s at stake? Our humanity.
Literary translation is one of humanity’s most crucial tasks — one that should never be left to the machines.
Governments and regulators around the world have launched probes into xAI, imposed bans and demanded safeguards in a growing push to curb illegal and offensive material.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 17, 2026
Tennessee minors sue Musk’s xAI, alleging Grok generated sexual images of them
Governments and regulators around the world have launched probes into xAI, imposed bans and demanded safeguards in a growing push to curb illegal and offensive material.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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