If I could read your mind, love

Welcome to Tech in Asia’s Sunday newsletter, your weekend brief on the biggest moves in Asia’s tech and startup world. Not on the mailing list? Register here. Got a story tip? Send it to editors@techinasia.com.

In focus

• Collin Furtado on how brain chip startups are gaining traction in China
• How easy it is for AI companions to become your new BFF
• How quantum computing startups are getting a big boost in Singapore

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Hello reader,

As a kid, I was fascinated by the telepathic powers of Professor X, a character from the X-Men animated and live-action series who can communicate with and control others using only his mind.

Recently, it seems like some of the tech we have is moving toward giving us near-telepathic powers, minus the mind control. For instance, last week, MIT Media Labs unveiled AlterEgo, a device that allows people to converse with each other and with AI without speaking a word. It uses neuromuscular signals sent to the user’s jaw and vocal cords when they “speak” internally to communicate.

Then this week, Meta released its Neural Band, a Fitbit-like wrist band that pairs with the company’s new smart glasses to let users navigate and perform tasks with very subtle hand gestures.

However, what wasn’t so subtle was the multiple glitches that emerged during these tech devices’ demos at the event, which left an embarrassed Mark Zuckerberg blaming it on “Wi-Fi problems.” Good save, Zuck! I’m sure everyone believes you.

But even as Big Tech CEOs like him push products that aren’t ready for launch, these early-stage tools are already paving the way for tech that could later be attached to – or embedded in – our bodies.

A chip in the brain – an idea popularized by Elon Musk-founded Neuralink – is now gaining a lot of traction in China, with several companies advancing the tech. One of them is neurotech startup NeuroXess, which is emerging as a frontrunner and chipping away at Neuralink’s lead, as mentioned by Ye Yuan in one of our featured stories this week.

NeuroXess became the first Chinese startup to achieve real-time decoding of both motor and language functions in human trials. The company says the tech allows recipients to speak Mandarin at 300 words per minute. For comparison, the average for healthy individuals is 150 words per minute.

But while humans may be able to communicate without uttering a word in the near future, we’ll still need someone to talk to, especially on a rough day. As we get more isolated, AI might be a viable stand-in for your best bud – ready to lend a sympathetic ear. That’s what my colleague Melissa Goh found out.

In her story, she shares her experiences of befriending some AI companions to test what all the fuss is about and why users are spending so much money on them.

It just goes to show that despite all the tech there is to improve communication, humans remain the loneliest species on the planet. I doubt even telepathy will solve that.

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Editor’s picks

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Short cuts

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One data story you shouldn’t miss

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Weekend deep dive

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