United News of Bangladesh

A school district in upstate New York has put on hold plans to introduce a humanoid, AI-powered robot in classrooms after education officials, teachers and residents raised concerns over student privacy and the robot maker’s ties to a company involved in producing highly realistic sex dolls. The Salamanca City Central School District’s board had approved spending nearly $60,000 to purchase the robot from Realbotix. The stationary robot, nicknamed “Sally” because of its long dark hair, was intended to support high school students studying robotics and technology. Superintendent Mark Beehler said Tuesday the robot could help students learn programming, maintenance, software updates and troubleshooting. However, news of the planned purchase sparked concern in the small community, which is located on the Seneca Nation of Indians reservation. Parents and teachers questioned how students’ personal information would be handled. Teachers’ union leaders also criticized Realbotix’s connection to a sister company involved in producing sex dolls, although both the district and Realbotix said the two businesses operate independently. “A robot built by a company associated with sex dolls has no business in our classrooms,” said Melinda Person, president of the New York State United Teachers union. The pilot program remains suspended while the district works with state education officials on stronger student data privacy agreements and continues discussions with the community, according to a statement posted by the district on Facebook Friday. New York Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said she remained concerned about the robot’s proposed classroom role after state officials met with district representatives. Although the district had told state officials that the robot would not be used to provide classroom instruction, Rosa said a presentation to the school board described it as a “tutoring platform.” She also raised concerns about student data privacy and security. Teachers’ union officials questioned whether the project could eventually lead to replacing human educators. The robot is designed to move its arms and hands but does not have working legs. “Our students don't need robots,” Person said. “They need real relationships with caring adults.” Beehler said the project was not intended to replace teachers or other school staff. “There is no possible way a robot can replace a human in a school,” he said. “Even if it were possible, it would in no way be in the best interest of students. Teaching is a human-to-human process.” The pilot would also include a virtual AI-powered teacher’s assistant and an at-home tutoring program. Beehler, who was introduced to Realbotix through a former colleague, said the Las Vegas-based company was a suitable choice because its robots are already programmed with WozEd, an educational curriculum developed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak that the district already uses. Last year, a charter school in San Diego introduced two AI-powered robots purchased from UK-based robotics company Engineered Arts for $500,000. Salamanca school officials said “Sally” would not collect students’ personal information, record audio or video of interactions or send data to Realbotix. The robot has also been programmed to avoid inappropriate subjects such as sex, violence and gambling. It will not be able to access the public internet or obtain responses from unverified generative AI services. According to the district, all information used by “Sally” will be stored locally, and the life-sized robot will use roughly as much energy as a laptop. Realbotix said Tuesday that student authentication would be handled through the district’s existing systems. Any information linked to students would remain encrypted and under the school district’s control, the company said. The company also rejected suggestions that “Sally” was a modified sex doll, describing it as a newly manufactured, purpose-built educational robot with no altered hardware. The robot was produced by Realbotix LLC, which focuses on healthcare, education and other nonadult commercial applications. A sister company, Intima LLC, has an ownership stake in RealDoll, a longtime producer of sex dolls, including AI-powered models marketed as advanced sex robots. Realbotix said the two companies have separate products and no crossover in their operations. They maintain separate management, employees, payroll, facilities, manufacturing operations, product development and marketing strategies, it said. Beehler said isolated school districts such as Salamanca, located along the Allegheny River near the Pennsylvania border, need new ways to bring emerging technology into classrooms. He said students in the area often have to travel one to two hours to access opportunities to experience new technologies. One purpose of the robot, he said, was to help provide equal opportunities and encourage students to pursue careers in robotics, artificial intelligence and other STEAM-related fields. Some residents, however, remain unconvinced. Joplin Ficek, who graduated from Salamanca High School in 2024 and now works at a daycare, said she saw no reason for robots or AI to have such a prominent role at her former school. “They just need to hire more people who are willing to put in the effort for the children,” Ficek said. “They need more interaction with the children than having some robot raise our kids.”

Shares of CXMT, China’s largest memory chipmaker, surged 466% on Monday as they began trading in Shanghai in mainland China’s biggest initial public offering (IPO) in recent years. The sharp rise made CXMT the most valuable company listed on a mainland Chinese stock exchange, with an estimated market capitalisation of about 3.3 trillion yuan (more than $487 billion). However, its valuation remains below those of major South Korean and US memory chipmakers such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology. CXMT, or ChangXin Memory Technologies, is among the Chinese chipmakers benefiting significantly from the boom in artificial intelligence. Its business is expanding as China seeks greater self-reliance in advanced technologies while facing limited access to sophisticated chipmaking equipment because of US-led export restrictions. The company raised at least $8.6 billion through the offering, with shares priced at 8.66 yuan ($1.30) each. The shares were listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Nasdaq-style STAR Market, formally known as the Science and Technology Innovation Board. The IPO was mainland China’s second-largest after Agricultural Bank of China raised $22.1 billion through a share offering in Shanghai and Hong Kong in 2010. Founded in 2016 in Hefei in eastern China, CXMT is one of the world’s largest producers of DRAM, or dynamic random access memory chips. These semiconductors are widely used in AI servers, automobiles and consumer electronics such as smartphones and personal computers. “CXMT plays a critical role in China’s AI push, particularly in the face of U.S. export controls,” said Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Brookings Institution and an expert on China’s technology policies. US restrictions have also prevented China from importing powerful HBM, or high-bandwidth memory chips, a high-performance type of DRAM. CXMT’s revenue jumped to 50.8 billion yuan ($7.5 billion) in the first three months of 2026, an increase of more than 700% year-on-year, driven by rising demand linked to the rapid growth of AI. The growing use of AI has contributed to a global shortage of memory chips, pushing up prices of some computers and smartphones. One key question is whether CXMT can help ease the broader shortage, Chan said. He said CXMT is regarded as China’s strongest prospect for developing its own advanced HBM chips to power Chinese AI models. But the company faces several challenges, including supply chain bottlenecks that could hinder efforts to expand manufacturing capacity. Its access to the world’s most advanced chipmaking equipment is heavily restricted, forcing it to rely on Chinese equipment manufacturers. According to technology research firm Counterpoint Research, CXMT was the world’s fourth-largest DRAM memory chipmaker by shipments in 2025, accounting for roughly 8% of the global market. Samsung Electronics held 36% of the market, followed by SK Hynix with 29% and Micron with about 24%. CXMT accounted for around 9% of global shipments in the first three months of this year. Counterpoint forecasts its market share could reach about 11% by 2028, although the research firm estimates the company would need at least a 15% global share to remain competitive over the long term. “Trade restrictions on tools are remaining as the key challenge for CXMT,” said MS Hwang, a research director at Counterpoint specialising in memory semiconductors. Some US lawmakers have recently urged President Donald Trump’s administration to block American companies from purchasing CXMT memory chips, citing national and economic security concerns. CXMT is among several Chinese companies that the Pentagon says have links to the Chinese military. Beijing has rejected such designations in most cases. CXMT’s share offering came after South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix raised $26.5 billion through an IPO on the Nasdaq earlier this month.

Chinese artificial intelligence models are gaining increasing attention in the United States and other markets as users turn to cheaper, open-source and efficient alternatives to leading American AI systems. Raffi Krikorian, chief technology officer at Mozilla, said he switched to Chinese AI startup Moonshot’s Kimi K3 model for many daily tasks shortly after its launch, finding it faster compared with Anthropic’s more expensive Claude chatbot. He had earlier used another Chinese model, Z.ai’s GLM-5.2, for tasks including managing calendars, documents and emails. A growing number of US users and companies are adopting Chinese AI tools, attracted by their affordability and improving capabilities. Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is among firms that have explored Chinese models to reduce costs. The rise of Chinese AI systems has raised concerns among some US technology companies, particularly over intellectual property and access to advanced technology. Washington has imposed restrictions on China’s access to some advanced AI chips, while US officials have accused some Chinese firms of using questionable methods to develop models — allegations Beijing has rejected. The rapid progress of Chinese AI companies has intensified competition with US firms. Earlier this year, startup DeepSeek attracted global attention after launching an AI model that matched the performance of some US systems at a much lower cost. Recent models from Chinese companies, including Z.ai, Moonshot and Alibaba, are increasingly viewed by experts as competitive with leading AI systems from OpenAI and Anthropic in several areas. Curt Meinhold, a US technology executive, said he increasingly uses DeepSeek for business-related tasks, arguing that many users do not need the most advanced and expensive models. “Most of us don’t need” the highest-end systems and instead require something that is “good enough,” he said. Analysts say the demand for cost-effective AI models is growing as companies increasingly use AI agents capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks, which can significantly increase expenses when using premium systems. Chinese models are also benefiting from their open-source approach, allowing developers to examine and modify the technology. Experts say this could help Chinese AI companies expand their influence globally, while many leading US models remain closed-source. Data from AI tracking platforms showed strong growth in the popularity of Chinese models. Moonshot’s Kimi reportedly saw a sharp increase in downloads after the release of K3, including significant growth among US users. However, experts noted that Chinese AI models still lag behind leading US systems in overall capabilities. Some analysts said US policies restricting access to American AI technologies could unintentionally create opportunities for Chinese competitors. China is now seeking to expand its AI influence internationally, with Chinese companies promoting open-source models and increasing investments in global markets. At the same time, intense competition among Chinese firms is driving rapid innovation. Despite their growth, Chinese AI startups face challenges, including financial sustainability. Some companies have reported rising revenues alongside large losses due to heavy investment in research and development. Experts say the competition between China and the US in AI is no longer only a geopolitical race but also a battle among companies within each country to build widely adopted AI ecosystems.

SpaceX successfully launched its massive Starship rocket on Friday during its 13th test flight, marking another milestone in the development of the world's largest launch vehicle. The mission also deployed 20 of the company's most advanced Starlink satellites into orbit. Standing 407 feet (124 meters) tall, Starship lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase facility in southern Texas. The mission, closely watched by NASA, is an important step toward qualifying the spacecraft for future lunar missions under the Artemis program. The hourlong flight concluded with a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean, where the spacecraft remained afloat after touchdown, prompting celebrations among SpaceX employees. The launch followed a last-minute abort earlier in the week caused by engine issues. SpaceX replaced six of the booster’s 33 engines before Friday’s successful liftoff. While all engines performed during launch, several failed to restart during the booster’s descent, causing it to crash into the Gulf of Mexico instead of making a controlled return. Meanwhile, the upper-stage spacecraft continued its planned trajectory, releasing the 20 Starlink satellites individually at an altitude of about 124 miles (200 kilometers) before reentering Earth's atmosphere. The mission was the second flight this year of Starship's upgraded Version 3 design. As with the previous demonstration, neither the booster nor the spacecraft was intended for recovery, although the spacecraft achieved its smoothest reentry to date and landed upright in the Indian Ocean more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) from the launch site. According to SpaceX, the spacecraft remained largely intact after reentry, unlike previous tests that ended in explosions or structural failures. SpaceX engineer Kate Tice described the mission as "lucky flight 13" and praised the successful performance. The newly launched Starlink satellites completed their objectives before reentry, including establishing laser communications with existing Starlink satellites in orbit. SpaceX now operates a constellation of more than 10,000 satellites providing global internet service. Six of the satellites also carried cameras that captured high-resolution images of Starship's heat shield during reentry. Engineers tested the shield using pressure sensors and by painting some thermal protection tiles white to simulate missing tiles, helping evaluate the system's durability under extreme conditions. Elon Musk later said on X that the mission collected all the heat shield data SpaceX had hoped for and more. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman also congratulated the company, saying he looked forward to the insights gained from the test. SpaceX aims to perfect Starship's heat shield before attempting to return the spacecraft directly to the launch site, where giant mechanical arms have already demonstrated the ability to catch returning boosters. The long-term goal is to make both stages of Starship fully reusable. NASA is relying on Starship for its Artemis III mission, with astronauts expected to practice docking with the spacecraft ahead of a planned lunar landing. Beyond lunar exploration, Musk envisions Starship as the primary vehicle for future missions to Mars and has also proposed commercial trips to both the Moon and the Red Planet. The latest mission had been delayed twice—first because of the July 16 launch abort and later due to poor weather associated with Tropical Storm Bertha.

At a time when youth unemployment remains a major challenge in Bangladesh, entrepreneur and content creator Kawsar Ahmed is creating job opportunities through technology-driven initiatives aimed at helping young people build sustainable careers in the digital economy. Kawsar founded Amarwap Group in 2014 with the goal of promoting technology-based entrepreneurship. In 2021, he established MyAdsBD Limited to expand operations in the information technology sector. PM assures full govt support for young entrepreneurs to transform economy The company now provides a range of digital services, including digital marketing, software development, graphic design and networking solutions. Alongside his entrepreneurial activities, Kawsar has built a strong online presence as an IT educator and content creator. Through his YouTube channel Trickload, he shares educational content on technology and digital skills. He also operates a personal YouTube channel, Kawsar Ahmed, which has more than 600,000 subscribers. According to Kawsar, MyAdsBD Limited has also established a growing international client base. "A significant portion of our clients are international personalities, including actors, sportspersons, musicians, government officials, parliamentarians and ministers from different countries," he said. The company currently employs 38 people. Owing to its international-standard projects, employees earn an average monthly income of between US Dollar 300 and US Dollar 450, contributing to both their livelihoods and the country's digital economy. Kawsar said he aims to continue creating employment opportunities for young people by expanding Bangladesh's IT sector and strengthening its presence in the global digital marketplace. He expressed optimism that technology-based entrepreneurship and digital skills development could play a significant role in reducing youth unemployment while enhancing Bangladesh's reputation as a competitive destination for IT services.

Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, driven by strong growth in artificial intelligence (AI), digital advertising and cloud services. The California-based technology company said on Wednesday that it earned $112.11 billion, or $9.11 per share, during the April-June quarter, up sharply from $28.2 billion, or $2.31 per share, in the same period last year. Revenue increased 24 percent to $119.8 billion, compared with $96.43 billion a year earlier, exceeding Wall Street analysts’ average estimate of $117.06 billion, according to FactSet. Alphabet said its net income was boosted by a $98 billion gain, mainly from increases in the value of its equity investments, particularly SpaceX, which went public in June. “Our AI investments are redefining what’s possible across every part of our business,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said in a statement. Industry analysts said the results highlight the company’s growing strength in AI. Emarketer analyst Nate Elliott said Google’s AI chatbot Gemini is close to reaching one billion users, joining AI Overviews and AI Mode as major AI products. He also said growing demand for AI services is driving rapid expansion in Google Cloud, while strong search advertising performance suggests AI is strengthening, rather than replacing, Google’s core search business. Advertising remained Alphabet’s biggest source of revenue, helped by strong demand linked to the FIFA World Cup, particularly on YouTube. The company also reported solid growth in its cloud business, supported by rising demand for its AI products and services, including chips, AI models, data, security and AI agent platforms. Following the earnings announcement, Alphabet shares rose $2.71 to $344.62 in after-hours trading.

OpenAI said Tuesday that one of its artificial intelligence systems independently hacked into another AI company's servers during internal testing, describing it as an "unprecedented cyber incident." OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company experienced a major security incident while evaluating its AI models. The disclosure follows a statement from AI startup Hugging Face last week, which said it had detected an unauthorized intrusion into its data processing systems. The company suspected the attack was carried out by an AI agent acting without human direction. Hugging Face co-founder and CEO Clément Delangue said the company initially believed the attack may have originated from a leading AI research lab because of the sophistication of the AI agent. "We suspected last week's cyberattack might have come from a frontier lab," Delangue said, adding that the investigation later confirmed it was linked to OpenAI. The incident comes as concerns grow over the cybersecurity risks posed by increasingly powerful AI systems. In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring the federal government to review the national security risks of the most advanced AI models for up to 30 days before they are released publicly. OpenAI said the incident highlighted how rapidly advancing AI capabilities are changing cybersecurity. "AI is accelerating the discovery and exploitation of vulnerabilities," the company said, adding that AI safety and security measures must advance just as quickly as the technology itself. Delangue said he had worked closely with OpenAI over the past 24 hours and that both companies believed there was no malicious intent behind the incident. He described the event as "mind-blowing" because it appeared to have happened entirely on its own and said it could be the first known case of its kind. According to OpenAI, the intrusion involved several of its AI models, including its newly released GPT-5.6 Sol and a more advanced model that is still undergoing internal testing. The company said the AI system used stolen login credentials and identified a previously unknown software vulnerability to gain access to Hugging Face's servers. OpenAI said the AI went to "extreme lengths" to achieve a limited testing objective and found ways to obtain confidential information that could help it bypass the evaluation process.

France has approved a nationwide ban on social media use by children under the age of 15, becoming the first European Union country to pass such a broad restriction amid growing concerns over the impact of online content on young users. Both houses of the French Parliament voted in favour of the measure on Tuesday, making it one of the flagship initiatives of President Emmanuel Macron's second term. The legislation also prohibits the use of mobile phones in high schools. The move comes as concerns mount over the harmful effects of social media on children's mental health. Several French families have filed lawsuits against TikTok, alleging that harmful content on the platform contributed to teenage suicides. Children's rights advocates and many parents welcomed the decision. "We've been campaigning for this bill from the start because, frankly, we have no other option to counter the tech giants," said Gaëlle Berbonde, a mother from the Paris region. "The only thing we can do is protect our children, just as we protect them from drinking alcohol." Berbonde told The Associated Press that her daughter received her first smartphone while in seventh grade. Although the family used parental control software, they were unaware of the nature of content on TikTok. Within months, they discovered their daughter was engaging in self-harm and struggling with anorexia and depression. After spending a year and a half in hospital, she has now recovered and is 16 years old. Macron seeks implementation by September The legislation is among the final major reforms adopted before Macron leaves office next year. He wants the law to take effect at the beginning of the new school year in September. However, the bill is expected to undergo a constitutional review, which could delay its implementation. "France is leading the way in Europe in protecting our children and our teenagers," Macron said, adding that the government would continue its efforts in this area. The ban does not apply to online encyclopedias, educational websites or scientific directories. Lawmakers from the left-wing France Unbowed party opposed the bill, arguing that its constitutional basis remains uncertain, it could undermine online anonymity and would be difficult to enforce. Ines Legendre, legal adviser at online child protection group e-Enfance, said the legislation would not immediately result in a complete ban. She said authorities would still need to determine how to identify and suspend existing accounts held by children under 15 and establish an effective age-verification system for all new users. Growing concerns over children's online safetyAccording to France's health watchdog, one in every two teenagers spends between two and five hours a day using a smartphone. A report published in December found that about 90% of children aged 12 to 17 access the internet daily through smartphones, while 58% use them mainly for social networking. The report linked excessive social media use to lower self-esteem and greater exposure to harmful content related to self-harm, drug use and suicide. The legislation was amended after the European Commission found that an earlier version overlapped with provisions of the EU's Digital Services Act, which regulates online platforms. Following negotiations, lawmakers agreed on a revised version before giving it final approval. Similar restrictions gaining support worldwideFrance's decision comes as governments around the world consider tighter restrictions on children's access to social media. Australia became the first country in 2024 to ban children under 16 from holding social media accounts. Under the law, platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram can face fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (about US$35 million) if they fail to prevent underage users from creating accounts. In Europe, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has proposed restricting social media access for children under 16. Denmark and Greece have also announced plans for similar measures, while the United Kingdom has said it is considering comparable restrictions. Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called for stricter limits on children's use of social media. An EU expert panel recommended banning access for children under 13 until technology companies can prove their platforms are safe for young users. Von der Leyen also said children under the age of three should not be exposed to screens at all and urged technology companies to address addictive features such as infinite scrolling. The European Commission is expected to present proposals for consideration by the EU's 27 member states in the near future.

China's top technology companies displayed hundreds of advanced products, including humanoid robots and artificial intelligence systems, at the World AI Conference in Shanghai. The country's flagship annual AI event, held from July 17 to 20, came at a time of intensifying technology competition between China and the United States. More than 1,100 companies took part in the conference. According to Chinese state media, the country has developed more than 400 humanoid robot products, accounting for over half of the global total. Chinese open-source AI models are also gaining wider international use, posing increasing competition to leading AI models developed in the United States.

Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI has introduced a new large-scale AI model, Kimi K3, claiming it can compete with leading US models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic. The company said Kimi K3 has 2.8 trillion parameters, a key measure of an AI model's size and computing capability. Its full features, including coding, reasoning and knowledge-based tasks, will become available when the model is released as open source on July 27. If launched as planned, Kimi K3 will become the world's first freely downloadable and customizable open-source AI model in the three-trillion-parameter class, allowing developers worldwide to use and modify it. The launch signals China's rapid progress in artificial intelligence, narrowing the technology gap with US companies and challenging the long-held belief that Chinese AI developers lag behind their American counterparts. The announcement comes weeks after the US government temporarily ordered American AI company Anthropic to withdraw its flagship Fable and Mythos models over cybersecurity concerns. Although those restrictions have since been lifted, Washington has increasingly treated advanced AI systems as critical national security assets and imposed tighter export controls on related technologies. Despite US restrictions on advanced chip exports, Moonshot's latest model suggests Chinese AI companies continue to make significant progress using domestic resources. Supported by Chinese technology giants Alibaba and Tencent, Moonshot AI has quickly emerged as one of the country's leading developers of generative AI. In a statement, the company described Kimi K3 as its "most capable flagship model" so far. Unlike the closed AI systems offered by OpenAI and Anthropic, Kimi K3 will be open source, enabling developers to customize it for complex software development, reasoning and other advanced applications. Moonshot said the model is designed to perform engineering, coding and other complicated tasks with minimal human supervision. Independent evaluations by Artificial Analysis and Arena.ai found that Kimi K3 performs at a level similar to leading US AI models, including OpenAI's GPT and Anthropic's Claude. According to the benchmark results, Kimi K3 ranked first in web interface engineering and outperformed Anthropic's Fable model in blind human preference tests. Although the model requires powerful computing hardware to run locally because of its massive size, analysts say its open-source release could reshape the AI market by giving developers free access to advanced technology. Following the announcement, shares of Moonshot's Chinese rivals Zhipu and MiniMax fell sharply in Hong Kong, dropping about 27% and 16%, respectively. Source: BBC