International, Technology

From Chatbots to Smart Toys: AI’s Rapid Growth in China

Shameer11:49 amMarch 22, 2025 Eight-year-old Timmy sat hunched over his chessboard, deep in concentration, as he faced off against his robotic opponent powered by artificial intelligence. But this wasn’t a high-tech lab or an AI exhibition — this robot had become part of his everyday life, residing on the coffee table of his Beijing apartment.The first night the robot arrived, Timmy gave it a warm hug before heading to bed. He hasn’t named it yet, but he already sees it as more than just a machine. "It’s like a little teacher or a little friend," he said, as he proudl

International, Technology

Anysphere, a GitHub Copilot rival, has raised $60M Series A at $400M valuation from a16z, Thrive, sources say

entspos8:15 pmAugust 11, 2024 Anysphere, a two-year-old startup behind the AI-powered coding assistant Cursor, has successfully raised over $60 million in Series A financing, reaching a post-money valuation of $400 million, according to sources familiar with the deal, as reported by TechCrunch.The funding round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz and Thrive Capital, with participation from Patrick Collison, co-founder and CEO of Stripe. While Anysphere, a16z, and Collison did not provide comments, Thrive declined to comment.Founded by MIT students Michael Truell, Sualeh A