China’s robot surge vs. the US’ AI hype

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In focus

• What China’s robotics revolution means for the global economy
• A real-world lesson about starting an AI company
• Why is TikTok’s shopping algorithm interacting with war videos?

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Hello reader,

I’ve tried getting a better understanding of robots, I really have, but old science fiction isn’t helping.

I recently reread Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot. It has not aged well. The 1940s and 1950s concept of what robots would be like didn’t even come close to today’s reality.

Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is the same. (Yes, I know androids and robots are different things, but I’m trying to make a point about fiction here. Work with me!)

So my initial thoughts on writing a story about the growth of robotics in China weren’t positive. To really get into the issue with robots, I needed to look at it economically.

I was lucky enough to speak with Robert Atkinson, the economist who founded the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a Washington DC think tank. His thoughts on the economic impact of robots is an eye-opener, especially when it concerns the US dollar. He’s one of the main voices in today’s first Top Story.

And robots aren’t the only things making people’s heads spin. In our second Top Story, we’ll hear from Palash Kala, a startup founder working in agentic AI. He writes about how the AI boom created a false sense of how easy it is to build a successful startup.

We’ll also take a quick look at the TikTok algorithm’s unfortunate ability to link war videos with shopping suggestions. But first, on to the Top Stories.

Scott Shuey, senior tech journalist

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Top Stories

1️⃣ Shenzhen’s robot vision challenges Silicon Valley’s AI dream

We’ve all heard about China’s growing dominance in robotics, but so what? They’re just robots – a robot sweeps my floor every day.

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