How Taiwan Made Cashless Payments Cute

DeepSeek's recent study highlights the cultural alignment of Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly focusing on how prompt language and cultural prompting affect their outputs. The research utilized Hofstede's VSM13 international surveys to analyze the alignment of models like DeepSeek-V3 and OpenAI's GPT-5 with cultural responses from the United States and China, revealing a significant alignment with the U.S. but not with China.

The chapter discusses the application of Large Language Models (LLMs) in the legal domain, emphasizing their potential to enhance traditional legal tasks such as interpreting statutes, contracts, and case law. It highlights the benefits of improved clarity in legal summarization and information retrieval while acknowledging challenges like algorithmic monoculture and compliance with regulations such as the EU's AI Act.

President Trump has announced a significant policy shift allowing Nvidia to sell its advanced H200 AI chips to approved customers in China, effectively lifting a previous export ban imposed due to national security concerns. This decision includes a 25% surcharge on sales, which experts have criticized as illogical given the context of the deal.

Taiwan has invoked its National Security Law to safeguard trade secrets of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) following the departure of an executive to Intel, raising concerns about potential threats to national security. This move underscores the government's commitment to protecting its critical technology assets.

The Bay Area is poised to play a crucial role in the Genesis Mission, a multibillion-dollar initiative launched by the Trump administration aimed at enhancing the United States' artificial intelligence capabilities amid growing competition from China. This mission will leverage federal scientific datasets to train AI models and develop AI agents, marking a significant government effort to boost innovation in this critical sector.

US startups, including Oakland-based Brimstone, are intensifying efforts to develop domestic sources of critical raw materials essential for technology, an area historically dominated by China. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance supply chain resilience and reduce dependence on foreign sources.

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, is reportedly developing its next AI model using several thousand Nvidia Blackwell chips that were smuggled into China through third-party countries. This development raises concerns regarding compliance with international trade regulations and the implications of using restricted technology.

The former chief executive of Nexperia, a Dutch semiconductor company, revealed that Dutch officials were aware for years of the company's Chinese owner’s intentions to transfer technology to China. This revelation follows the Dutch government's seizure of Nexperia in September, amid rising concerns over technology security.