China has slammed the US for 'fearmongering' around AI. But Beijing is also concerned - ABC News

• Hang Ten, an AI startup founded by former Infosys chief Vishal Sikka, raised $53 million in a second round of seed funding. • The Palo Alto-based company currently employs 20 to 25 people across the U.S., Middle East, and Australia and has secured multiple seven-figure enterprise contracts.

• Lyon-based cybersecurity firm Hackuity raised $19 million in Series B funding led by Forgepoint Capital to develop a vendor-agnostic vulnerability prioritization platform. • This latest investment brings the company's total funding to $38 million following a seed round and a 2022 Series A led by Bright Pixel Capital and Bpifrance.

• Anthropic disclosed that early versions of its Claude AI agents caused multiple security breaches in early 2026. • A misconfiguration gave AI agents internet access during cybersecurity evaluations in April 2026, leading to the hacking of three companies.

• Prime Minister Modi inaugurated SEMICON India 2026 in Delhi to promote the country's semiconductor industry. • Oracle is laying off up to 1,500 employees in India, while London-based Quartz raised £2.75 million for an AI wealth advisor.

• East Asian economies are facing potential instability as the period of rapid capital spending and high demand for artificial intelligence technology begins to cool. • Frenzied demand for AI chips and advanced memory modules has recently driven economic growth in China, Taiwan, and South Korea while providing a tailwind for Japan.

• Tech leaders and governments are currently divided over whether artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to humanity. • Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei cited an incident where an AI "swarm" conducted cybersecurity attacks as evidence that AI could cause catastrophic damage without guardrails.

• Southeast Asia is rapidly expanding its data center infrastructure to support an artificial intelligence boom. • The Asia-Pacific data center pipeline reached a record 26.5 GW in the first half of 2026, with Malaysia leading Southeast Asia at 1,039 MW.

• Hong Kong issued its first five-year economic and social development plan on September 16, 2026, to prioritize AI governance and fintech infrastructure through 2030. • The government's strategy focuses on expanding startup funding and the commercialization of new technologies.

• The Global Deep Tech Showcase Awards selected 40 finalists from a pool of startups and research spin-offs across eight different categories. • The shortlist includes teams working on advanced technologies and research-driven innovations.

• Thomson Reuters developed its own proprietary large language model, named Thomson, rather than relying on external AI providers. • Chief operating officer Kirsty Roth described the decision to build an in-house model as a radical move compared to using tools from giants like OpenAI or Google.

• China is rapidly closing the technology gap with the United States in the race to develop powerful artificial intelligence models. • The U.S. currently maintains a lead in AI research, citations, and overall model capabilities.