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The Star
2 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Pony.ai steps up mass production of robotaxis, targets overseas expansion
Chinese autonomous driving technology firm is gearing up to mass produce driverless cabs to make its robotaxis widely available and more affordable, as technological advancement helps shorten its path to commercialisation. The Guangzhou-based company – the only firm with approval to operate robotaxi services on the mainland's four most developed cities – is banking on an accelerated pace of commercialisation at home and abroad to achieve cost efficiency, according to Lou Tiancheng, co-founder and chief technology officer. 'We are anticipating a pickup in production [of robotaxis],' he said in an interview on the weekend. 'Over the past few years, we have solidified our tie-ups with carmakers to attest to the feasibility of building a large volume of driverless cabs.' would partner with local carmakers GAC and BAIC, and Toyota of Japan in production, and target a fleet of 1,000 robotaxis by the end of this year, he added. Nasdaq-listed received a permit to run its robotaxis in Shanghai's Pudong New Area last week. The permit allows the company to charge fares, pioneering the move in the nation's major commercial and financial hub. will initially operate its fleet in the Jinqiao and Huamu areas totalling a combined 40 sq km. That will be gradually expanded to other parts of Pudong, China's 1,400 sq km pioneer zone to showcase progress in building a modern socialist system. 'We believe this milestone demonstrates Pony's technological and operational readiness in the robotaxi business,' BofA Securities said in a report on Monday, reiterating its buy recommendation. 'We believe that Pony will scale up its robotaxi fleet size and see improving profitability, given better economies of scale.' Meanwhile, has expanded its operations in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, offering its services 'at any time'. It previously operated only between 7am and 11pm. The company is also looking to create new revenue sources by offering value-added in-car infotainment services to customers or supplying autonomous driving control systems to carmakers, Lou said. It was looking at Hong Kong, South Korea, the Middle East and Europe as potential markets to widen its reach, he added. Baidu's autonomous driving unit Apollo, and robotaxi start-up WeRide are deemed by analysts and industry officials as China's answer to US-based Waymo, the global leader in self-driving taxi service. Driverless cabs could account for 6 per cent of China's taxi market, aided by advanced digital infrastructure and public acceptance, HSBC said in a report earlier this month. China's robotaxi market could eventually be worth about US$40 billion a year, the bank said, without giving a time frame. reported a 4.3 per cent increase in revenue to US$75 million last year, while its net loss more than doubled to US$275 million. Shanghai authorities also granted licences to Baidu's Apollo, WeRide, Jinjiang Taxi, Dazhong Transportation and SAIC Motor to operate robotaxis in Pudong, on the sidelines of the three-day World Artificial Intelligence Conference in the city. The issuance of these licences – on a pilot basis – demonstrates Shanghai's efforts in advancing the development of driverless technology.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Malaysia secures RM2.97b digital investments from China
PUTRAJAYA:** Malaysia has secured RM2.97 billion in confirmed digital investments from leading Chinese technology firms, paving the way for over 6,800 high-value digital jobs nationwide, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo announced. The investments, secured during a high-level mission to China led by Gobind, reinforce Malaysia's position as a regional leader in digital transformation. The mission, held alongside the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2025 in Shanghai, resulted in strategic partnerships with major Chinese tech players. Companies such as Baidu (via Wisetech), Tsing Digital, iSoftStone, Inspur Group, China Mobile International, and China Unicom have pledged support for Malaysia's digital ambitions. These firms bring advanced technologies and expertise to strengthen Malaysia's tech ecosystem. 'The mission demonstrated the strength of the Malaysia Digital (MD) initiative, which continues to attract high-quality investments aligned with national priorities,' Gobind said. He noted that MD Status recognitions and partnerships are enhancing Malaysia's global digital competitiveness while creating opportunities in Selangor, Johor, and Perak. Gobind urged Chinese firms to establish more innovation centres in Malaysia, reinforcing the country's ambition to become ASEAN's digital innovation hub. He emphasised the need for new tech-based ecosystems, including autonomous mobility platforms and a national command centre to support smart city development. 'Digital technologies are reshaping society, and Malaysia is leading with a values-based approach,' he said. He highlighted the growing role of AI agents—intelligent systems capable of autonomous decision-making—as key drivers of modern digital transformation. To ensure responsible AI deployment, Gobind proposed AI certification frameworks to align emerging technologies with national priorities and ethical safeguards. He also announced Malaysia's plan to launch the ASEAN AI Safety Network during its ASEAN chairmanship this year to harmonise regional governance. 'The world is entering the age of intelligence, and trust in AI systems is crucial,' Gobind said. - Bernama
The Star
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Gobind: Malaysia secures RM2.97bil digital investments from China
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo. PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has secured RM2.97 billion in confirmed digital investments from leading Chinese technology players, paving the way for the creation of over 6,800 high-value digital jobs nationwide, said Digital Minister, Gobind Singh Deo. He said the achievement, which was the result of the recent high-level mission to China led by him, has reaffirmed Malaysia's rising position as a regional leader in digital transformation and innovation. According to him, the mission, held in conjunction with the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) 2025 in Shanghai, yielded concrete outcomes and strategic advancements that will accelerate Malaysia's transition into a digitally driven, high-income economy. In a statement today, Gobind said companies such as Baidu (via Wisetech), Tsing Digital, iSoftStone, Inspur Group, China Mobile International, and China Unicom, have pledged their support for Malaysia's digital aspirations, bringing with them advanced technologies and deep expertise that will strengthen the nation's tech ecosystem. "The mission further demonstrated the strength and momentum of the Malaysia Digital (MD) initiative, which continues to attract high-quality investments aligned with national development priorities. "Through MD Status recognitions and strategic partnerships, Malaysia is advancing its global digital competitiveness while opening new opportunities in Selangor, Johor, and Perak,' he said. Gobind has also called on Chinese companies to establish more innovation centres in Malaysia, emphasising the country's ambition to become a hub for digital innovation in ASEAN. He highlighted the importance of building new technology-based ecosystems such as autonomous mobility platforms and a national command centre that will serve as key enablers of smart city development and advanced digital governance. "As digital technologies reshape every facet of society, Malaysia continues to lead with a values-based and forward-looking approach,' he said. The minister highlighted the growing significance of artificial intelligence (AI) agents -- intelligent systems capable of autonomous decision-making and task execution -- as a defining feature of the modern digital landscape. "These systems are revolutionising public services and industry, but their success depends on public confidence that they operate in ways that are safe, ethical, and aligned with societal values,' he said. He also announced Malaysia's plan to launch the ASEAN AI Safety Network during its ASEAN chairmanship this year to help harmonise governance frameworks across the region. Gobind noted that the world is entering the age of intelligence, where AI agents will play increasingly critical roles, and that people must trust that these systems are aligned with their values and societal needs. To support responsible AI deployment, he proposed the development of AI certification frameworks, a mechanism to ensure that emerging technologies reflect national priorities, cultural context, and ethical safeguards. - Bernama
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Baidu Wenku Enables 20M AI-Generated PowerPoint Presentations Annually in China
2025 AI-Enhanced PowerPoint Tools Market Research Report: Baidu Wenku Tops 34M Monthly Visits, Doubles User Base BEIJING, July 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Baidu Wenku, launched by its AI-powered tool for generating PowerPoint presentations has surpassed 34 million monthly visits, making it the most widely used globally and the market leader in China, according to the 2025 AI-Enhanced PowerPoint Tools Market Research Report, issued by Aurora Mobile's Moonfox Data. The platform now supports the creation of 20 million PowerPoint presentations annually for Chinese users through AI generation, with its user base doubling year-over-year—outpacing broader industry growth and reinforcing its position in what analysts describe as a market led by one dominant provider alongside several emerging competitors. The report examined major AI-powered presentation tools and found that the overall market expanded by more than 50 percent year-over-year, with the number of providers also rising sharply. Baidu Wenku's offering was cited as leading in both technological capabilities and user adoption. According to the AI PowerPoint competency model developed by Moonfox Research Institute, Baidu Wenku outperformed competitors across six key criteria: input and output efficiency, content quality, visual presentation, user experience, innovation, and data integration. It was also rated highest in overall functionality and market penetration. The report noted that as generative AI applications continue to gain traction, competition within the AI-powered presentation space has intensified. Baidu Wenku, drawing on its extensive content repository and search capabilities, delivers fully automated, high-quality PowerPoint presentations in minutes. It supports multimodal input and output and continues to refine its visual presentation, dynamic effects, and text generation features to meet the needs of a broad range of users. Baidu Wenku introduced its AI PowerPoint feature in 2023, positioning it as the first end-to-end solution covering content retrieval, generation, editing, formatting, and summarization. Over the past two years, the company has made broad improvements in text accuracy, data visualization, design quality, and interactivity, enhancing output in content depth, logical structure, consistency, and usability. It also introduced templates that elevate basic presentations into master-level quality. As a comprehensive AI-enabled content platform, Baidu Wenku, positioned as a core productivity platform, reports 97 million monthly active users across its AI-powered services. In addition to its AI-powered presentation and document generation features, the platform offers a wide range of capabilities, including AI-generated animation, web search, contract drafting, comics, and fiction. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE
Asia News Network
2 days ago
- Business
- Asia News Network
In China, digital humans show future of livestreaming e-commerce
July 29, 2025 BEIJING – What happens when a livestreaming session is hosted by a digital human who can interact with viewers in real time? Last month, I watched a livestreaming show presided over by the virtual avatar of Luo Yonghao, founder of smartphone maker Smartisan Technology and a key online opinion leader on Chinese social media platforms. Throughout the live broadcast lasting over six hours, Luo's digital human along with a cohosting avatar garnered more than 13 million views, generating over 55 million yuan ($7.7 million) in gross merchandise value, or GMV. In key product categories such as consumer electronics and food, order volumes surpassed Luo's real-person livestream debut on the same platform earlier in May. What impressed me the most was that Luo's digital avatar and the supporting avatar interacted naturally, exhibiting detailed gestures — such as making eye contact and speaking in unison — that mirrored real human hosts, while engaging with viewers in real time. Powered by Chinese tech heavyweight Baidu Inc's Ernie foundation model, the livestreaming was the first to feature dual digital avatars as cohosts. Baidu described the new generation of AI digital human as super-intelligent AI agents that closely resemble real people, with coordinated expressions, speech, gestures and behavior. These digital humans are capable of thinking, making decisions and collaborating to complete specific tasks. AI-powered digital human hosts that bear a close resemblance to real humans in appearance as well as behavior are being increasingly utilized in livestreaming e-commerce to unveil a variety of products and bolster sales. I noticed that several brands preferred to use virtual anchors to attract digitally savvy and novelty-seeking young consumers, as they cost less than employing real human hosts and don't cause celebrity scandals that could potentially hurt brand image. A digital human of Liu Qiangdong, Chinese e-commerce giant JD's founder and chairman, appeared in the company's livestreaming rooms in last April to promote a variety of products, including meat, edible oil, eggs, milk, air conditioners and TV sets. The virtual anchor almost perfectly replicated Liu's expressions, body language, gestures, voice and accent, capturing even the subtlest movement of his fingers. Liu's avatar generated over 20 million views within the first hour and raked in 50 million yuan in sales throughout the entire real-time broadcast session. The size of China's virtual human market is forecast to reach 270 billion yuan by 2030, according to a report released by QbitAI, an industry services platform focusing on AI and other cutting-edge technologies. With continuous technological advancements in large language models and multimodal capabilities, the appearance, gestures and actions of digital humans will be more refined and closer to that of real humans, experts said. However, the virtual human industry is still in its infancy, and the major challenges lie in how to allow virtual anchors to better interact with users and understand their demands more precisely. The application of virtual hosts in livestreaming e-commerce will likely see speedy growth fueled by user demand, advances in AI technology and policy support, said Zhang Yi, CEO and chief analyst at consultancy iiMedia Research. Compared to humans, the biggest advantage of digital avatars is that they can significantly cut operating costs of livestreaming for merchants, and work 24 hours a day without coffee and restroom breaks, thus pushing up sales, Zhang said. Mo Daiqing, a senior analyst at the Internet Economy Institute, a domestic consultancy, said the use of AI-powered virtual hosts in e-commerce livestreaming sessions can bring a feeling of freshness to users, while brand owners can appeal to new consumers via this innovative method. Virtual livestreamers can play an important role in finishing tedious and repetitive tasks, improving the consumer shopping experience and boosting product sales, thus allowing human hosts to devote more time to creative work, Mo said. 'However, they will not totally replace real human hosts, as it is difficult for virtual anchors to fully establish real emotional connections with fans.'
