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Vietnam’s path to expanding its semiconductor industry

Vietnam has unveiled a national strategy to develop its semiconductor industry, with a focus on gradually building expertise and integrating it into the assembly, packaging, and testing (APT) stages of the value chain. The goal is to position Vietnam as a global semiconductor hub in the long term. According to a report from The Diplomat, Vietnam’s stable political environment and neutral diplomatic stance are key advantages in attracting foreign investment and partnerships in this sector.

The country’s youthful population also presents a major advantage as labour shortages loom in major semiconductor hubs like the US and South Korea. Investments in education and talent development will help Vietnam strengthen its presence in areas like chip design and research. Partnerships, such as those with Amkor, Cadence, and Synopsys, further support Vietnam’s ambitions to grow in the semiconductor space.

However, the report highlights challenges, including geopolitical pressures to align with either the US or China, competition from other countries like India, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and the need to meet global sustainability standards. Balancing these challenges with the demands of a growing industry will be crucial for Vietnam’s success in becoming a key player in the global semiconductor market.

AI stress hits workers worldwide

A survey conducted by Wiley reveals that 96% of workers in the US feel stressed about adapting to AI at work. Many employees are grappling with how to integrate the rapidly evolving technology into their daily tasks, with 40% struggling to do so and 75% lacking confidence in their AI skills.

Managers also face challenges in leading AI transitions. Only 34% of people managers feel ready to support their teams effectively, exposing a knowledge gap that could hinder AI adoption. Meanwhile, 80% of employees believe their managers are supportive, though just 60% think their managers possess the expertise to guide them through the process.

Clearer strategies and structured training could ease the pressure. About 61% of employees say training on AI tools would help, while 54% believe a defined organisational strategy would make adoption smoother. Furthermore, 48% suggest that setting clearer expectations around AI use would boost their confidence.

Wiley’s report recommends three strategies for improving AI integration. Organisations are encouraged to define specific AI use cases, improve communication with employees, and provide targeted training for managers to lead their teams through the transition more effectively. Tracey Carney, the lead researcher, stresses the importance of equipping both employees and managers to handle the evolving demands of AI.

Google gains temporary pause on Play Store overhaul

A California judge has granted Google’s request to delay a ruling that required overhauling its Play Store by 1 November. The pause allows more time for an appeals court to consider Google’s challenge to the order, which aimed to give users more choice in downloading apps.

The ruling came as part of an antitrust lawsuit from Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite. Google warned that implementing the changes quickly would introduce security risks across the Android ecosystem. The company’s request for a longer pause during the full appeals process was denied.

Epic criticised Google’s argument as fearmongering, stating the court had dismissed the appeal as meritless. The initial order required Google to permit rival app stores within the Play Store and enable third-party payment systems. The ruling also barred Google from incentivising device makers to preinstall its store.

Google has already challenged the antitrust findings and maintains that Play competes directly with Apple’s App Store. The company argued it should not be labelled a monopolist and warned that complying with the injunction would unfairly force it to collaborate with rivals.

Gusto embraces AI by upskilling non-technical staff

Gusto’s co-founder and head of technology, Edward Kim, believes that replacing existing teams with AI engineers is not the best approach for businesses preparing for an AI-driven future. In an interview, Kim emphasised that non-technical team members often have a deeper understanding of customer needs and challenges, making them more effective in guiding the development of AI tools.

At Gusto, non-technical customer experience team members contribute by writing “recipes” that instruct Gusto’s AI assistant, Gus, on how to interact with customers. This approach allows employees to leverage their domain expertise, even without technical skills, to create powerful AI applications. Kim highlighted the success of CoPilot, a customer support tool developed by a former support team member, Eric Rodriguez, who was later promoted to the engineering team. The tool, used by Gusto’s support team, quickly became a game-changer, enhancing efficiency by providing immediate, accurate responses based on the company’s internal knowledge base.

Kim noted that AI tools like Gus empower teams to create solutions without requiring coding knowledge, using natural language instructions. This bottom-up strategy contrasts with the trend of hiring highly specialised AI experts and reflects Gusto’s belief in leveraging domain expertise. As AI continues to evolve at the company, Kim envisions a shift in roles, with more employees focusing on writing AI recipes and fine-tuning prompts rather than direct customer interactions. This approach, he suggests, will enhance customer experiences and free up resources for Gusto to expand its services.

PayPay rolls out digital wage payments amid Japan’s cashless drive

Japan has launched digital wage payments with PayPay, a popular QR-code payment app, becoming the first to gain approval from the government as part of its push for cashless transactions. From September, ten SoftBank companies, including PayPay, began offering employees the option to receive up to 200,000 yen of their salary via the app.

This move follows the labour ministry’s decision in 2022 to allow digital wage payments, starting in April 2023, to encourage cashless payments as a way to stimulate the economy. Employees who prefer not to be paid digitally can still opt for traditional bank transfers.

PayPay, which has over 65 million users, aims to enhance employee benefits by diversifying wage payment methods. The app’s operator cited a government survey showing that 40% of workers were open to receiving wages through payment apps.

To protect users, a 1 million yen limit has been placed on digital wallet balances, as app operators do not fall under Japan‘s deposit insurance system. Several other app providers are also seeking government approval to offer similar services.

Ride-hailing app Yango suspended in Togo over safety concerns

Togo’s transport ministry has suspended the operations of Yango, a ride-hailing app owned by Yandex, the tech giant from Russia, due to security concerns. The app had been operating in the West African nation since June, but the ministry stated Yango was functioning without proper authorisation and in violation of national regulations.

The decision to suspend Yango was driven by concerns over passenger safety, as well as the app’s failure to adhere to the country’s legal procedures. The ministry emphasised the need to ensure that transportation services in Togo operate in compliance with local laws.

Effective immediately, Yango’s services have been halted across the entire national territory. The company has not yet commented on the suspension or provided any response to requests for information.

Yango, which had only recently entered the Togolese market, now faces an indefinite pause in operations as the government prioritises safety and regulatory compliance for ride-hailing services.

ByteDance fires intern for disrupting AI training

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, has dismissed an intern for what it described as “maliciously interfering” with the training of one of its AI models. The Chinese tech giant clarified that while the intern, who was part of the advertising technology team, had no experience with ByteDance’s AI Lab, some reports circulating on social media and other platforms have exaggerated the incident’s impact.

ByteDance stated that the interference did not disrupt its commercial operations or its large language AI models. It also denied claims that the damage exceeded $10 million or affected an AI training system powered by thousands of graphics processing units (GPUs). The company highlighted that the intern was fired in August, and it has since notified their university and relevant industry bodies.

As one of the leading tech firms in AI development, ByteDance operates popular platforms like TikTok and Douyin. The company continues to invest heavily in AI, with applications including its Doubao chatbot and a text-to-video tool named Jimeng.

IBM unveils new AI model for businesses amid intensifying generative AI competition

IBM unveiled its latest AI model, known as ‘Granite 3.0,’ on Monday, targeting businesses eager to adopt generative AI technology. The company aims to stand out from its competitors by offering these models as open-source, a different approach from firms like Microsoft, which charge clients for access to their AI models. IBM’s open-source strategy promotes accessibility and flexibility, allowing businesses to customise and integrate these models as needed.

Alongside the Granite 3.0 models, IBM provides a paid service called Watsonx, which assists companies in running these models within their data centres once they are customised. This service gives enterprises more control over their AI solutions, enabling them to tailor and optimise the models for their specific needs while maintaining privacy and data security within their infrastructure.

The Granite models are already available for commercial use through the Watsonx platform. In addition, select models from the Granite family will be accessible on Nvidia’s AI software stack, allowing businesses to incorporate these models using Nvidia’s advanced tools and resources. IBM collaborated closely with Nvidia, utilising its H100 GPUs, a leading technology in the AI chip market, to train these models. Dario Gil, IBM’s research director, highlighted that the partnership with Nvidia is central to delivering powerful and efficient AI solutions for enterprises looking to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

Meta unveils Movie Gen in collaboration with Blumhouse

Meta, the owner of Facebook, announced a partnership with Blumhouse Productions, known for hit horror films like ‘The Purge’ and ‘Get Out,’ to test its new generative AI video model, Movie Gen. This follows the recent launch of Movie Gen, which can produce realistic video and audio clips based on user prompts. Meta claims that this tool could compete with offerings from leading media generation startups like OpenAI and ElevenLabs.

Blumhouse has chosen filmmakers Aneesh Chaganty, The Spurlock Sisters, and Casey Affleck to experiment with Movie Gen, with Chaganty’s film set to appear on Meta’s Movie Gen website. In a statement, Blumhouse CEO Jason Blum emphasised the importance of involving artists in the development of new technologies, noting that innovative tools can enhance storytelling for directors.

This partnership highlights Meta’s aim to connect with the creative industries, which have expressed hesitance toward generative AI due to copyright and consent concerns. Several copyright holders have sued companies like Meta, alleging unauthorised use of their works to train AI systems. In response to these challenges, Meta has demonstrated a willingness to compensate content creators, recently securing agreements with actors such as Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, and John Cena for its Meta AI chatbot.

Meanwhile, Microsoft-backed OpenAI has been exploring potential partnerships with Hollywood executives for its video generation tool, Sora, though no deals have been finalised yet. In September, Lions Gate Entertainment announced a collaboration with another AI startup, Runway, underscoring the increasing interest in AI partnerships within the film industry.

Bain and OpenAI to develop AI solutions for key industries

Bain & Company announced it is expanding its partnership with OpenAI to offer AI tools like ChatGPT to its clients. The firms previously formed a global alliance to introduce OpenAI technology to Bain’s clients, and the consultancy has now made OpenAI platforms, including ChatGPT Enterprise, available to its employees worldwide.

Bain is also setting up an OpenAI Centre of Excellence, managed by its own team, to further integrate AI solutions. The partnership will initially focus on developing custom solutions for the retail and healthcare life sciences industries, with plans for expansion into other sectors.

While Bain did not disclose financial details, around 50 employees will be dedicated to this collaboration, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.