This article was independently developed by The Economy editorial team and draws on original analysis published by East Asia Forum. The content has been substantially rewritten, expanded, and reframed for broader context and relevance. All views expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the official position of East Asia Forum or its contributors.

This article was independently developed by The Economy editorial team and draws on original analysis published by East Asia Forum. The content has been substantially rewritten, expanded, and reframed for broader context and relevance. All views expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the official position of East Asia Forum or its contributors.

This article is based on ideas originally published by VoxEU – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and has been independently rewritten and extended by The Economy editorial team. While inspired by the original analysis, the content presented here reflects a broader interpretation and additional commentary. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of VoxEU or CEPR.

This article was independently developed by The Economy editorial team and draws on original analysis published by East Asia Forum. The content has been substantially rewritten, expanded, and reframed for broader context and relevance. All views expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the official position of East Asia Forum or its contributors.

In March 2025, an independent audit of 11 leading chatbots found that when confronted with news-related prompts, these systems either repeated false claims or dodged the question in more than 41% of cases; in barely three-fifths of responses did they deliver a competent debunk. Performance has plateaued across months despite expanded web access and retrieval tricks, suggesting a ceiling on short‑term progress.

This article was independently developed by The Economy editorial team and draws on original analysis published by East Asia Forum. The content has been substantially rewritten, expanded, and reframed for broader context and relevance. All views expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the official position of East Asia Forum or its contributors.

In April 2025, 73% of AI experts surveyed by the Pew Research Center stated that artificial intelligence would have a positive impact on how people perform their jobs over the next two decades; only 23% of the US public agreed. The growing gulf is not just about jobs or productivity; it also encompasses broader societal issues. It is about what these systems are.

This article is based on ideas originally published by VoxEU – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and has been independently rewritten and extended by The Economy editorial team. While inspired by the original analysis, the content presented here reflects a broader interpretation and additional commentary. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of VoxEU or CEPR.

This article is based on ideas originally published by VoxEU – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and has been independently rewritten and extended by The Economy editorial team. While inspired by the original analysis, the content presented here reflects a broader interpretation and additional commentary. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of VoxEU or CEPR.

This article is based on ideas originally published by VoxEU – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and has been independently rewritten and extended by The Economy editorial team. While inspired by the original analysis, the content presented here reflects a broader interpretation and additional commentary. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of VoxEU or CEPR.

The most revealing number in first‑quarter 2025 was not a blockbuster yield or a spectacular default. It was 3.1 basis points—the average bid‑ask spread recorded across forty‑one sovereign and supranational bonds issued as fully tokenised instruments on permissioned ledgers. Their matched conventional twins traded at 6.6 basis points, more than double the friction. That 3.5-basis-point delta may look microscopic, yet every basis point saved on a standard USD 100 million ten-year bond removes roughly USD 100,000 in intermediation costs.

This article is based on ideas originally published by VoxEU – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and has been independently rewritten and extended by The Economy editorial team. While inspired by the original analysis, the content presented here reflects a broader interpretation and additional commentary. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of VoxEU or CEPR.

This article was independently developed by The Economy editorial team and draws on original analysis published by East Asia Forum. The content has been substantially rewritten, expanded, and reframed for broader context and relevance. All views expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the official position of East Asia Forum or its contributors.

爆発的に成長するAIコンパニオン市場 「AI恋人」サービス160種類以上 擬似的な愛着や感情的孤立といった副作用の懸念も 生成型人工知能（AI）がますます高度化する中、それを基盤とした恋愛アプリ市場が急成長している。人と感情を分かち合う映画『her／世界でひとつの彼女』に登場する「サマンサ」が現実のものとなったのだ。しかし、AIとの恋愛感情のやりとりが、長期的には人間の情緒に悪影響を与える可能性があるという分析も少なくない。AIへの過度な依存により、社会的・情緒的問題が生じる「AI情緒中毒」が蔓延するおそれがあるという懸念もある。 AI恋愛市場、10年間で12倍の成長見込み 7月16日に市場調査会社マークットリサーチフューチャー（MRFR）が発表した『AI恋人アプリ市場報告書』によると、AI恋愛アプリ市場の規模は、2024年には27億ドルから、2034年には245億ドルにまで成長すると予測されている。主な用途は、個人の情緒的交流を目的とした「デジタルコンパニオン」として分類される。特に北米地域は、昨年時点で世界市場のシェア35％を占め、トップとなった。

This article is based on ideas originally published by VoxEU – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and has been independently rewritten and extended by The Economy editorial team. While inspired by the original analysis, the content presented here reflects a broader interpretation and additional commentary. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of VoxEU or CEPR.

In just eighteen months, US public school data dashboards recorded an estimated 73 million automated “risk scores”—digital red flags that can trigger everything from remedial placement to mandated mental-health referrals. The figure is not conjecture. RAND’s fall 2024 survey found that 48% of districts had trained teachers on AI tools – a jump of twenty-five points in a single year. This increase in AI usage, however, should not overshadow the crucial role of human judgment in education.

This article is based on ideas originally published by VoxEU – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and has been independently rewritten and extended by The Economy editorial team. While inspired by the original analysis, the content presented here reflects a broader interpretation and additional commentary. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of VoxEU or CEPR.

トランプ、 中国製電子製品と部品に145%の高関税を予告 中国依存度80%超のアップル、価格上昇など打撃は不可避 インド・ベトナムを生産拠点に選定し、生産量の移転を推進 ドナルド・トランプ米国政権が中国製電子製品および部品に145%の高率関税を予告する中、アップルは中国のサプライチェーン依存度を減らすため、インド、ベトナムなどの新たな生産基地への転換を進めている。

ファーウェイ、次世代APの5ナノ量産に支障の可能性 EUVなど必須装置の不足により5ナノ歩留まりは約30％ 既存のSMIC 7ナノプロセスを改良して製造 ファーウェイが今年下半期に次世代スマートフォン「Mate 80」の発売を控える中、当初5ナノメートル（㎚、10億分の1m）プロセスで量産されると予想されていた“モバイルの頭脳”アプリケーションプロセッサ（AP）が、7㎚プロセスで製造されるという見方が出ている。

This article is based on ideas originally published by VoxEU – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and has been independently rewritten and extended by The Economy editorial team. While inspired by the original analysis, the content presented here reflects a broader interpretation and additional commentary. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of VoxEU or CEPR.