“ChinAI #366: Most Companion Robots Die by Day 30” by Jeffrey Ding

“ChinAI #366: Most Companion Robots Die by Day 30” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links * Huxiu piece [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/HNM7_aWoqgQIitDcwJZmAw] * Fast Company [https://www.fastcompany.com/91570086/ubtech-first-commercial-human-like-robot] * ChinAI #341 [https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-341-big-tech-v-the-chinese?utm_source=publication-search] * Most Companion Robots Die by Day 30 [https://docs.google.com/document/d/11UUx3tPaHQR9Pf1VcSRlLFcK_qh7QA3eL6TC5y7oR6I/edit?usp=sharing] * Labelling AI-Generated Content in China - Where the Rules Work and Where They Don’t [https://ocpl.substack.com/p/labelling-ai-generated-content-in] * Are There Any Good Ideas for AI Governance? [https://www.chinafile.com/conversation/are-there-any-good-ideas-ai-governance] * Fan Yang, Back to the Future: A Walk through Huaqiangbei in 2025 [https://positionspolitics.org/fan-yang-back-to-the-future-a-walk-through-huaqiangbei-in-2025/] * Shanzhai (or “knockoff”) cell phones [https://read.dukeupress.edu/positions/article-abstract/24/3/589/21785/From-Bandit-Cell-Phones-to-Branding-the-Nation?redirectedFrom=fulltext] * Who is us: the globalization of innovation and challenges to assessing technological dependence [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09692290.2026.2674989] Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues here [https://chinai.substack.com/archive] & please subscribe here [https://chinai.substack.com/] to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com [chinainewsletter@gmail.com] or on Twitter at @jjding99 [https://twitter.com/jjding99] --- First published: July 13th, 2026 Source: https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-366-most-companion-robots [https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-366-most-companion-robots?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration] --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO [https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration]. --- Images from the article: This image depicts the drop-off in users by Day 30. Source: Huxiu [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKZk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc376bab8-c441-4f07-9c1f-414d99e9e26a_1000x558.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKZk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc376bab8-c441-4f07-9c1f-414d99e9e26a_1000x558.png Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts [https://pocketcasts.com/], or another podcast app.

“ChinAI #365: Around the Horn (26th episode)” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links * ChinAI #358 [https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-358-around-the-horn-25th-episode] * Most Companion Robots Die by Day 30 [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/HNM7_aWoqgQIitDcwJZmAw] * Release of AI Safety Benchmark Results for Agents (Claw-class) – Q2 2026 Edition [https://finance.sina.com.cn/wm/2026-07-01/doc-inifiaeq0896384.shtml?froms=ggmp] * The First Shot in Domestic Compute for Training: Meituan’s LongCat-2.0 Officially Released [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/crcoyhZszN-Hle4aNQJcbg] * American AI can no longer hide its ultimate ambition, giving China a major wake-up call [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/3FtYxfJ7iTefX5333WXjQw] * After hiding it for three months, Anthropic has removed hidden code that identified “Chinese AI” [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YBxA0i-jlqmy61YHHHm0sw] * Doubao introduces paid tier, ranging from 68 to 5088 RMB: some people left but there are others who want the price to go up [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GjdPQ56_LoQ-dLVNUW7GHg] * Zhipu vs. MiniMax is China’s projection of the Anthropic vs. OpenAI Rivalry [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/J3WElkB5Qk_hRjTcCJRPHw] * The Disappearing Human: is AI taking over the Internet? [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ySmPBPEhdzDQ6140dsa9eQ] Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues here [https://chinai.substack.com/archive] & please subscribe here [https://chinai.substack.com/] to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com [chinainewsletter@gmail.com] or on Twitter at @jjding99 [https://twitter.com/jjding99] --- First published: July 6th, 2026 Source: https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-365-around-the-horn-26th-episode [https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-365-around-the-horn-26th-episode?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration] --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO [https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration]. --- Images from the article: ESPN's [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vckw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F634c73fc-853b-4e16-a7a4-d8a58c45cc2f_358x197.jpeg]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vckw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F634c73fc-853b-4e16-a7a4-d8a58c45cc2f_358x197.jpeg Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts [https://pocketcasts.com/], or another podcast app.

“ChinAI #364: Who is Us - the hybridization of innovation and challenges to assessing technological dependence” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links * China’s Leap into the Information Age [https://academic.oup.com/book/40073] Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues here [https://chinai.substack.com/archive] & please subscribe here [https://chinai.substack.com/] to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com [chinainewsletter@gmail.com] or on Twitter at @jjding99 [https://twitter.com/jjding99] --- First published: June 22nd, 2026 Source: https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-364-who-is-us-the-hybridization [https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-364-who-is-us-the-hybridization?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration] --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO [https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration]. --- Images from the article: Table showing three models of hybrid corporations with domestic and foreign ties configurations. [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YCBu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff55a6717-d15e-4284-ad67-d3ea0b994bf1_1112x266.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YCBu!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff55a6717-d15e-4284-ad67-d3ea0b994bf1_1112x266.png ---------------------------------------- Ding 2026, “Who is Us,” p. 18 [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7Auq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d81baaa-1f72-42af-89f3-7a31e9011693_1106x480.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7Auq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4d81baaa-1f72-42af-89f3-7a31e9011693_1106x480.png ---------------------------------------- Ding 2026, “Who is Us,” p. 22 [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IAt1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d79b05c-a648-479d-b827-0b701aaf2edd_1094x530.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IAt1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d79b05c-a648-479d-b827-0b701aaf2edd_1094x530.png ---------------------------------------- Ding 2026, “Who is Us,” p. 24 [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dnrq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dbb82e1-55d0-4864-83dc-8abac6278846_1102x698.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dnrq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1dbb82e1-55d0-4864-83dc-8abac6278846_1102x698.png Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts [https://pocketcasts.com/], or another podcast app.

“ChinAI #363: A College Admissions Advisor for 13 Million” by Jeffrey Ding

Plus, details on the college preference list, or what happens after the Gaokao? . Featured links * An AI that serves as a reliable “college preference form partner” is the one truly “worthy of trust” [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BJAVFxdJHKYgjjHsgcmQ-mdVHEgbQG8eoQOAdHhDs7Q/edit?usp=sharing] * Jia and Li (2021 [https://www.ruixuejia.com/uploads/4/6/3/3/46339953/eliteuniversity.pdf] * Exporting U.S. Military AI Won’t Be Easy [https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/10/military-ai-middle-power-anthropic-pentagon-pax-silica/] * TP-Link’s American Dream [https://www.thewirechina.com/2026/05/17/tp-links-american-dream/] * Life [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42260689-life] Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues here [https://chinai.substack.com/archive] & please subscribe here [https://chinai.substack.com/] to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com [chinainewsletter@gmail.com] or on Twitter at @jjding99 [https://twitter.com/jjding99] --- First published: June 15th, 2026 Source: https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-363-chinas-first-college-admissions [https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-363-chinas-first-college-admissions?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration] --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO [https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration]. --- Images from the article: College entrance exam volunteer report showing score 560, ranked 21423, with university recommendations and major analysis. [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_-vy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18920e00-ec92-41a9-99d9-e57533313d77_1080x1498.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_-vy!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F18920e00-ec92-41a9-99d9-e57533313d77_1080x1498.png ---------------------------------------- Animation software interface showing pixel art characters and timeline. [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DRxq!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5790a187-5442-4c29-b851-bd9db4efab0d_1080x662.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DRxq!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5790a187-5442-4c29-b851-bd9db4efab0d_1080x662.png Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts [https://pocketcasts.com/], or another podcast app.

“ChinAI #362: Chinese Encounters with “Artificial Challenged Intelligence” [人工智障]” by Jeffrey Ding

Featured links * My “Artificial Challenged Intelligence” Moment [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hPxiBFuVXeBrhP43HJ5v5svHVt8qSx7-ZTAvxRFc5kc/edit?usp=sharing] * Chinese delivery drivers [https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-112-part-ii-the-human-cost] * China is getting worried about AI & jobs [https://mattsheehan.substack.com/p/china-is-getting-worried-about-ai] * How China is breaking apart a people and its culture [https://www.ft.com/content/119d8c3a-e10f-4bf7-a198-90507293054b?syn-25a6b1a6=1] * How did Hangzhou become more hardware-oriented [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Ehk4qOBCY23Fh5q_nhkkkw] * Today’s college students are living their university years like their final year of high school [https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UZHipkFqJSnqJquEewNGXA] Thank you for reading and engaging These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. Check out the archive of all past issues here [https://chinai.substack.com/archive] & please subscribe here [https://chinai.substack.com/] to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all). Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com [chinainewsletter@gmail.com] or on Twitter at @jjding99 [https://twitter.com/jjding99] --- First published: June 8th, 2026 Source: https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-362-chinese-encounters-with [https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-362-chinese-encounters-with?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Source+URL+in+episode+description&utm_campaign=ai_narration] --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO [https://type3.audio/?utm_source=TYPE_III_AUDIO&utm_medium=Podcast&utm_content=Narrated+by+TYPE+III+AUDIO&utm_term=jeffrey_ding&utm_campaign=ai_narration]. --- Images from the article: A user asks Yuanbao to share information about a famous Chinese crosstalk comedy group. Source: Renwu. [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yyFq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7f3719eb-1857-42ba-97d7-3786ac481ced_1080x571.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yyFq!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7f3719eb-1857-42ba-97d7-3786ac481ced_1080x571.png ---------------------------------------- Survey question with response options highlighted, [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_G-k!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7c30019-145b-48bf-a34e-b02fc690c30b_803x396.png]https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_G-k!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd7c30019-145b-48bf-a34e-b02fc690c30b_803x396.png Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts [https://pocketcasts.com/], or another podcast app.