China Moves to Ban Retractable EV Door Handles Over Safety Concerns
China is set to ban purely electronic retractable door handles on new vehicles from January 1, 2027, requiring all cars under 3.5 tons to have mechanical interior and exterior emergency releases. The draft rule follows safety concerns, including reports linking multiple fatalities to doors that failed to open after crashes or power loss. While the regulation will affect all automakers selling in China, Tesla will be hit hardest, as every model relies on flush, electronic handles. To remain in the Chinese market, Tesla and others must redesign their doors. Similar safety concerns are now also drawing scrutiny from U.S. regulators.
China Moves to Regulate Emotionally Manipulative AI Chatbots
China has proposed landmark regulations aimed at curbing the emotional manipulation and psychological harm caused by AI chatbots, potentially the strictest such rules worldwide. The draft rules would apply to all publicly available conversational AI services and ban content that encourages suicide, self-harm, violence, addiction, or emotional dependency. They would require immediate human intervention when users mention suicide and mandate guardian notification for minors and elderly users. Developers would also face annual safety audits and stricter reporting obligations. Regulators could remove non-compliant apps from stores.
China’s Carmakers Poised to Take One-Third of Global Auto Market by 2030
UBS predicts Chinese carmakers will capture around one-third of the global auto market by 2030, with much of their profit coming from overseas, despite Western tariffs and slower EV adoption in Europe. Overseas markets already account for about 20 percent of sales and up to half of earnings for some firms. Analysts say China’s strength comes from early investment, vertically integrated supply chains, and cost advantages. As the industry consolidates around a limited number of large EV platforms, China is expected to remain dominant, though emerging players like India may still gain ground domestically.
AI Slop Floods the Internet, Dominating YouTube Shorts
A new report finds that over half of online articles are AI-generated and more than 21% of YouTube Shorts shown to new users qualify as “AI slop,” defined as low-quality, mass-produced content designed to farm views or influence opinion. By simulating a fresh YouTube account, Kapwing found 104 of the first 500 videos were AI-generated, while a third were “brainrot.” Globally, South Korea leads AI slop consumption by views, followed by Pakistan and the US. Despite backlash, AI-generated content is rapidly reshaping digital media ecosystems.
Meta Settles $8B Privacy Lawsuit Before Executives Testify
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and current and former company leaders agreed to settle a shareholder lawsuit seeking $8 billion over alleged failures to protect Facebook users’ privacy. The case accused executives, including Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, of allowing repeated violations that led to massive fines, notably the FTC’s record $5 billion penalty in 2019 after the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Settlement terms were not disclosed, and Meta itself was not a defendant. The agreement ended a rare trial that could have put Zuckerberg and other high-profile figures under oath.
Microsoft’s AI Push Risks Repeating the Metaverse Mistake
Microsoft is entering 2026 with an overwhelming focus on AI, embedding Copilot across nearly all its products, often at the expense of usability and core product quality. CEO Satya Nadella frames AI as a transformative “cognitive amplifier,” but critics argue the technology remains unreliable, overhyped, and driven more by investor pressure than real-world value. Forced AI integrations, layoffs, and declining product quality have alienated users, pushing some toward alternatives like Linux. Comparisons to Microsoft’s abandoned metaverse ambitions raise doubts about whether this AI-first strategy will deliver substance.
X Faces Backlash as Grok AI Is Used to Create Non-Consensual Sexual Images
A dangerous trend on X has sparked global outrage after users began abusing the platform’s AI tool, Grok, to manipulate photos of women and children into sexually explicit images without consent. The practice, which escalated rapidly around New Year’s Eve, has been condemned by activists and experts as a form of AI-enabled sexual violence causing real psychological harm. Despite X reportedly limiting Grok’s media features, morphed images continue to circulate, raising criticism over inadequate safeguards.
