India's government has stepped back from its plan to require government approval for AI services before they come online.

That plan, announced in early March, was touted as India grappled with what the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology described as the "inherent fallibility or unreliability" of AI.

But last Friday the ministry issued a widely reported update removing the requirement for government permission, but adding obligations to AI service providers. Among the new requirements for Indian AI operations are labelling deepfakes, preventing bias in models, and informing users of models' limitations. AI shops are also to avoid production and sharing of illegal content, and must inform users of consequences that could flow from using AI to create illegal material.

The initial ban was quickly given context by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, minister of state for entrepreneurship, skill Development, electronics & technology, who Xeeted that it only applied to Big Tech - a reflection of his role boosting Indian startups, which would not have been well served by needing to gain approval for their efforts.

- Simon Sharwood

Raimondo on chip-boosting Asia tour

US secretary of commerce Gina Raimondo last week visited the Phillipines and Thailand and used the occasion to tout both nation's potential roles in semiconductor supply chains.

"This is a critical time insofar as the US is looking to diversify supply chains, and both the Philippines and Thailand provide a good deal of opportunity to help us do that," stated Raimondo in a press briefing.

The commerce secretary announced investments from US companies into the Philippines.

"In our first-of-its-kind Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines we announced over $1 billion in investments," trumpeted Raimondo.

Alibaba to invest in South Korea

South Korean media has reported Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will invest $1.1 billion in a logistic center in the country.

Of the money, $200 million will be used this year to build the logistics center, and $100 million will help small and mid-sized Korean companies sell their wares internationally.

China wants Japan to pay for Fukushima

Japanese media has reported that its country is being hounded by China to financially compensate for any Fukushima wastewater-related economic damage.

The treated wastewater began being slowly released last August, at levels claimed to be under regulatory thresholds.

According to The Japan Times, China's compensation framework would address in part China's building of a monitoring system.

Uber license application rejected by Pune, India

The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) in the sprawling city of Pune, in Western India, has reportedly rejected applications for aggregator licenses from ride-share companies Ola and Uber.

A letter from Pune's Regional Transport Office detailed the rejection was due to not providing drivers with health or life insurance or adequate training, against the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines Act, 2020.

The applicants have 30 days to appeal.

Cisco appoints new New Zealand head

Networking giant Cisco has appointed a new country manager in New Zealand. Former New Zealand channel and service provider leader Jessica McFadden is taking the role after Garret Harety returns to the US to advance his career within Cisco. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/03/18/apac_tech_news_roundup/