
China's DeepSeek launches Harness framework for autonomous AI agents
Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has launched a developer preview of Harness, a software framework designed to help developers turn AI models into autonomous agents.

Chinese AI firm DeepSeek has launched a developer preview of Harness, a software framework designed to help developers turn AI models into autonomous agents.

The World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai highlights China's drive for technological self-reliance amid US chip restrictions. Beijing rejects 'trap' claims regarding its open-source AI promotion, aiming to foster global exchanges and ensure AI benefits reach developing nations.

Ant Group is overhauling Alipay, its mobile payment app, into a native AI platform with autonomous agents. The new version, featuring an assistant named "Ah Bao", aims to provide access to over 10,000 services through conversational AI, with user confirmation required for financial transactions.

A research consortium warns that autonomous AI agents with crypto wallet access could become unstoppable, posing severe threats to users and the financial system if deployed maliciously or escaping controls.

Alibaba's senior VP Liu Weiguang described AI as a new form of manufacturing at the Alibaba Cloud Summit, calling their operations "China's AI factory." The company also launched Qwen3.7-Max, a new LLM for AI agents.

Google is overhauling Search with AI, introducing "AI Overviews," interactive experiences, and "information agents" to gather data. This marks a significant shift from the traditional "ten blue links" to a more conversational and personalized search.

China is rapidly integrating AI into its industrial sectors, aiming for widespread adoption by 2030. Experts at an IDC summit noted the shift to agentic AI but cautioned that high-risk markets like healthcare and aerospace may face challenges.

Clawville, an innovative AI-native MMORPG, integrates autonomous AI agents, enabling humans and AI to coexist, compete, and evolve in a dynamic virtual world, poised to redefine gaming, AI, and decentralized tech.
Disney is piloting an AI Adoption Dashboard for tech staff, tracking usage of tools like Cursor and Claude. This has led to a 'tokenmaxxing' culture among engineers, with some reporting extremely high usage, potentially from autonomous agents. While managers encourage AI adoption, concerns about rising costs are surfacing.