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AI in ASIA
Thursday, 26 February 2026

3Before9

3 must-know AI stories before your 9am coffee

Who should pay attention

Investors | AI hardware suppliers | Creative industries | E-commerce platforms

What changes next

Debate regarding AI-generated content and copyright is likely to intensify.

1

Nvidia Reports Q4 Earnings As Wall Street Holds Its Breath

Nvidia posted Q4 FY2026 revenue of $68.1 billion, up 73% year-on-year, with Data Center pulling in $62.3 billion. CEO Jensen Huang declared "the agentic AI inflection point has arrived" and guided Q1 revenue to $78 billion, well above analyst expectations. Shares rose in after-hours trading.

Why it matters for Asia

bullish guidance from the core supplier of AI hardware signals that infrastructure investment shows no signs of slowing, with hyperscalers committing a combined $650 billion in AI spend this year - directly relevant to data centre buildout across Asia.

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2

ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 Goes Viral and Spooks Hollywood

ByteDance's new AI video model has exploded across social media, generating hyper-realistic cinematic clips of celebrities in absurd scenarios within minutes. Disney issued a cease and desist, Paramount called it "blatant infringement," and the Motion Picture Association denounced it. ByteDance has since pledged to address IP concerns.

Why it matters for Asia

Seedance 2.0 is among the most advanced tools of its kind and has reignited anxiety over China's fast-evolving AI capabilities, particularly in creative industries, as the gap between professional VFX and consumer-grade AI generation continues to narrow at breakneck speed.

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3

Google and Sea Build Agentic AI Shopping Prototype for Shopee

Google and Singapore-headquartered Sea Ltd have signed an MOU to develop AI-powered tools across Shopee, Garena and fintech arm Monee. The centrepiece is an agentic shopping prototype designed to autonomously handle product discovery, engagement and transactions across Shopee and Google platforms.

Why it matters for Asia

with Shopee holding 52% of Southeast Asia's e-commerce market, the partnership signals a shift from conversational AI to task-handling agents embedded directly in the region's dominant commerce infrastructure.

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Recent Editions

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Thursday

12 March 2026

  • 1.China's 15th Five-Year Plan formally adopts an AI-first strategy, dedicating a chapter to computing infrastructure and targeting 7% annual R&D growth.
  • 2.The plan introduces a new 'model-chip-cloud-application' strategic term, indicating a comprehensive approach beyond just chip manufacturing.
  • 3.This state-backed AI push will reshape regional supply chains and competitive dynamics, with offshore infrastructure already being deployed in Southeast Asia.
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Tuesday

10 March 2026

  • 1.Advanced Machine Intelligence (AMI), co-founded by Yann LeCun, secured over $1 billion in seed funding to develop AI systems that reason from real-world data, with initial applications in healthcare, robotics, and industrial automation.
  • 2.AMI has established offices in Paris, New York, Montreal, and Singapore, with the Singapore hub strategically positioned to serve future Asian clients and leverage regional investment.
  • 3.Japanese government has prioritised 61 goods and technologies for state investment, including physical AI, signifying a strategic move to bolster national technological capabilities and economic growth.
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Tuesday

10 March 2026

  • 1.The Trump administration is pressuring US states to align their AI regulations with a national deregulatory agenda through today's Department of Commerce and Federal Trade Commission reports.
  • 2.States face the potential loss of up to $21 billion in federal broadband infrastructure funds if their AI laws are deemed inconsistent with the federal framework.
  • 3.The US government seeks to establish a singular federal AI standard, replacing disparate state laws, but short-term uncertainty remains as existing state laws persist until court challenges are resolved.
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Monday

9 March 2026

  • 1.OpenAI's head of robotics resigned due to the company's decision to deploy its AI models on the Pentagon's classified cloud networks, citing a lack of clear guardrails for domestic surveillance and lethal autonomy.
  • 2.This high-profile departure highlights growing internal dissent within OpenAI regarding ethical governance and the rapid implementation of AI technologies in sensitive sectors.
  • 3.The incident underscores that governance concerns are not merely external criticism but represent a significant internal operational risk for AI vendors and enterprise buyers alike.
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Friday

6 March 2026

  • 1.GPT-5.4 offers native computer use, achieving 75% on the OSWorld-Verified benchmark, surpassing human performance.
  • 2.It boasts a 1 million token context window, direct integrations with Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets, and a 47% reduction in token usage for specific agentic tasks.
  • 3.OpenAI’s new model matches or exceeds human professionals in 83% of 44 evaluated occupations, according to their GDPval benchmark.
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Thursday

5 March 2026

  • 1.Apple launched the MacBook Neo, a new budget-friendly laptop priced from $599, featuring the A18 Pro chip and a 13-inch Liquid Retina display.
  • 2.OpenAI released GPT-5.3 Instant, an updated ChatGPT model designed to be less preachy, with reduced moralising and fewer conversational preambles.
  • 3.This update also reportedly decreased hallucinations by 26.8% when utilising web search, suggesting an improvement in model accuracy and user experience.
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