AI Weekly Malaysia

CelcomDigi is partnering with IPification to offer network-based mobile number verification APIs, reducing reliance on SMS OTPs for identity verification. This API-as-a-Service allows global social media platforms to combat fraud and fake accounts more effectively. It marks CelcomDigi as the first Malaysian telco to provide such network-based authentication capabilities.

JomCharge is running a Midweek Saver campaign offering 10% off DC EV charging every Tuesday and Wednesday. This builds on their existing off-peak and weekend discount initiatives tied to #JomChargeDiKL deployments.

Zoom has appointed Carlos Quaderi as head of Asia-Pacific (APAC), effective August 2026, expanding his previous role as head of Asia to cover the broader region including ANZ, India, and Korea (excluding Japan). The move signals Zoom's push into AI-powered collaboration, customer experience, and SMB growth across APAC, with a focus on channel expansion and an open platform ecosystem.

Apple has raised Apple Music subscription rates in Malaysia, with Individual and Family plans increasing by RM1.00 to RM2.00 per month. However, Apple One bundle pricing remains unchanged, making it a cheaper alternative for users who subscribe to multiple Apple services.

An email from Sam Altman to OpenAI's board, dated October 2022 and exposed in the Musk v. Altman lawsuit, reveals a deliberate strategy to release a small locally-runnable model (GPT-3-level) primarily to discourage competitors from releasing similarly powerful models and to make it harder for new efforts to get funded. The email frames open source as a competitive moat rather than a purely altruistic gesture.

PMX AI, a WhatsApp chatbot designed as a digital twin of PM Anwar Ibrahim to explain government policies, went offline just a day after launch following users sharing unusual responses. The bot is currently inaccessible, raising questions about the readiness of AI chatbots for public-facing government communications.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's iconic leather jacket was auctioned off for nearly US$1 million. The item is closely associated with Huang's public persona and NVIDIA's rise as a tech powerhouse.

Rakuten shares how they use Claude to build AI agents overnight, offering a case study in frontier agent development workflows. The post details their practical approach to rapidly prototyping and deploying agents at scale.

Anthropic is inviting applications for its AI for Science grants focused on rare disease research, offering access to Claude models and funding for selected projects. The program targets researchers exploring how AI can accelerate understanding and treatment of rare diseases.

SHANGHAI, July 20 — Tech firms are racing to roll out advanced smartphones that use artificial intelligence t...

Netflix disclosed it paid $587 million in cash to acquire InterPositive, an AI filmmaking startup co-founded by Ben Affleck. The acquisition signals major streaming platforms are betting on AI-assisted content production tools.

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang's visit to Tokyo resulted in deals across Japan's entire tech ecosystem, signaling deepening AI infrastructure and partnerships in the region. The visit highlights Japan's push to integrate AI into its semiconductor, cloud, and enterprise sectors.

Apple has filed a lawsuit that could complicate OpenAI's reported ambitions to enter the hardware market and pursue a public offering. The TechCrunch Equity podcast debates whether this legal challenge will meaningfully slow or derail those plans.

TechCrunch's Mobility column covers the ongoing regulatory battle over robotaxi rules, highlighting how AI is increasingly central to transportation policy. The piece frames the debate as a key inflection point for autonomous vehicle deployment.

The limited-edition Hot Wheels x 7-Eleven Nissan GT-R R35 collectible launched in Malaysia, making it the first Southeast Asian market to receive the model, just a week after its US release. The launch event was held at Café by 7-Eleven Damansara Uptown.

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan described AI as an obvious 'Trojan horse,' adding that 'Everybody knows the Greeks are inside.' He made the remarks in the context of his upcoming film 'Odyssey.'

Current AI, a nonprofit, is working to build an open, free-to-access AI infrastructure layer it likens to a 'World Wide Web of AI,' with progress reported across devices, AI chat, and related areas. The initiative emphasizes inclusivity across cultures, aiming to ensure no culture is left behind in AI development.

Listen now (72 mins) | Elizabeth Stone, CPTO of Netflix, on managing AI-era product teams, the rise of systems thinking, and how to build excellence as an operating system

Simon Willison highlights Nik Suresh's entertaining and anecdote-rich critique of AI mania in large enterprises, where executives are making major AI-centric decisions without ever using the tools themselves. The piece includes spicy stories of engineers gaming token leaderboards and vendors staying silent on unrealistic 100x productivity claims to avoid losing enterprise contracts.

Simon Willison verified that Claude Code v2.1.181 and later ship with a Rust port of Bun, finding 563 Rust source files embedded in the binary and a Bun version (1.4.0) not yet in public release. Jarred Sumner noted startup got 10% faster on Linux with otherwise minimal noticeable change, calling the quiet production rollout 'boring is good.'

EVPower has installed a 100kW DC EV charger at Star Residences KLCC, offering an introductory rate of RM1.00 per kWh for a limited time. The charger is located outdoors along Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, providing a fast top-up option near the KLCC area.

Waymo briefly suspended its San Francisco autonomous ride-hailing service for about an hour due to a power outage, then resumed operations. The excerpt notes this is not the first time power outages have disrupted Waymo's service.

Moonshot AI released a new version of its Kimi model, sparking debate about the implications of Chinese AI development and what some are calling 'full AI communism.' The TechCrunch piece frames the release as both a competitive threat and a topic of concern for Western AI ecosystems.

Simon Willison shares a new interactive SQLite Query Explainer tool inspired by Julia Evans. The tool runs SQLite in the browser via Pyodide and WebAssembly, using AI to add explanatory layers to the output of EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN commands.

This Community Wisdom roundup from Lenny's Newsletter covers syncing Claude Code with Claude Design, managing customer trust when they assume your product was 'vibe coded', lessons from co-founder fallouts, and personal CRM strategies.