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Welcome to On the Rise! Delivered every Tuesday via email and through the Tech in Asia website, this free newsletter breaks down the biggest stories and trends in emerging tech. If you’re not a subscriber, get access by registering here.

Hello,

A sci-fi magazine I follow is having a very sci-non-fi problem.

Clarkesworld was drowning in AI-generated content so badly that the mag had to close submissions.

Before December 2022, the magazine had banned 50 people for plagiarism or bot-written content on a monthly basis, but that number has crossed 500 this month.

“There are a lot of anti-plagiarism tools out there, but none of the anti-GPT stuff is any good,” the editor said in an interview. “We’ve tried all of the ones that we’re aware of and they’re easily outwitted.”

While we wait for AI tools to outwit one another – because that’s where the next tranche of solutions are likely to come from – a ton of VC money will flood the sector.

In fact, Southeast Asia already has four VC funds dedicated to its AI scene, my colleague Collin reports in this edition’s Big Story. The story’s highlight, however, is its extensive database of recently raised funds that are ready to be deployed.

Another special piece for this edition digs into social app Bondee’s virality and what seems to be a quick decline. Despite its explosive rise, Bondee might not have been very good at bonding with users.

But you know what’s not a fad? Cost-optimization strategies that go beyond layoffs. In Making Waves, GajiGesa co-founder Vidit Agarwal talks about strategies that have worked for the Indonesia-based firm.

You know what else is evergreen? The democratization of pretty much everything, including, yes we’re back to it, generative AI. Shadine has more on this in AI Odyssey. Strap in.

— Nikita

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THE BIG STORIES

1️⃣ A list of VC funds with money to deploy

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MAKING WAVES

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AI ODYSSEY

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FYI

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NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

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