Thursday briefing: Chinese spies compete with American spies

Chinese spies rise to meet US

The Chinese Ministry of State Security uses artificial intelligence other advanced technology to compete with the CIA. At the same time, the CIA is investing resources in monitoring Chinese companies developing AI, quantum computing and other similar tools.

The ministry’s most important source of information was once gossip during embassy dinners. But it has built itself through broader recruitment, including of American citizens. It has also sharpened itself through better training, a larger budget and the use of advanced technologies.

AI is key to its goals. The MSS has technology that instantly creates dossiers on people of interest in Beijing, including American spies and others. It has intensified its intelligence collection on US companies developing technology for both military and civilian applications.

The CIA’s spending on China has doubled since the start of the Biden administration. Collecting detailed information about commercial trade secrets was once the kind of espionage the US avoided, but now information about China’s development of emerging technologies is considered as important as predicting its conventional military power or the machinations of its leaders.

Context: Beijing’s most immediate concern is that the US and its allies could deprive China of technological know-how essential for economic and military growth.

The Times sued OpenAI and Microsoft

The New York Times OpenAI and Microsoft sued for copyright infringement yesterday, opening a new front in the legal battle over the unauthorized use of published work to train artificial intelligence technologies.

The court case claims that millions of Times articles were used to train automated chatbots, which now compete with the news channel. The complaint cites several examples in which a chatbot provided users with near-verbatim excerpts from Times articles that would otherwise require a paid subscription to view.

It apparently follows an impasse in negotiations between The Times, Microsoft and OpenAI. The Times is the first major U.S. media organization to sue the companies that created ChatGPT over copyright issues related to their written works.

Explanation: Chatbots can generate responses that rely on journalism from The Times to answer questions about events or the news. The Times said readers might be satisfied with the response and refuse to visit The Times’ website, reducing web traffic and revenue.

Lee Sun-kyun found dead in Seoul

Police are investigating the death of Lee Sun-kyun, who played the head of a wealthy family in ‘Parasite’. as suicide. A police official said the 48-year-old actor left a note.

The award-winning actor was recently subject to a police investigation on suspicion of illegal drug use. He denied the allegations and – after a 19-hour interrogation – told reporters that he had been the target of blackmail.

Context: Since President Yoon Suk Yeol declared the “war on drugs,” the number of drug arrests has skyrocketed, from about 10,400 in 2019 to 17,000 this year, and offenders face prison sentences ranging from six months to 14 years. The country’s entertainment industry has recently been rocked by drug abuse scandals.

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How will we eat in 2024?

Every year my colleague Kim Severson tries to anticipate the coming food trends. She sifts through predictions from major food companies, PR firms, restaurant groups and more to predict next year’s plate. Here’s some of what she found:

Meals are so 2023. Next year will be all about snacks, which one forecaster called “the ultimate lowbrow cool.”
But meal-flavored cocktails are coming. Brace yourself for umami-heavy drinks, tasting chicken or caprese.
Water and hydration are still in vogue. Look for ‘wearable hydration sensors’, flavored syrups and water management for nature-conscious consumers.
Buckwheat is a rising star. It’s rich in protein and fiber and can be found in everything from foie gras to hot chocolate and monkfish.

There’s more, including soup, flowers, AI and natural fermentation. Read Kim’s full review here.