AI companion market growing explosively Over 160 services offer “AI lovers” Potential side effects include pseudo-attachment and emotional isolation As generative AI becomes increasingly sophisticated, the dating app market built on this technology is booming. The concept of Samantha from the movie Her—an AI that shares emotions with a human—has become reality. However, many analysts warn that emotional exchanges with AI may negatively impact human emotional health in the long run.

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.

Trump Warns of 145% Tariffs on Chinese Electronics and Components Apple, which sources over 80% from China, likely to face price hikes Moves production to India and Vietnam in a bid to diversify As the Trump administration signals plans to impos

Huawei Faces Production Issues with Next-Gen 5nm AP EUV Equipment Shortage Leads to Yield Around 30% Production to Rely on Improved SMIC 7nm Process As Huawei prepares to launch its next-generation smar

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.

U.S. EV Tax Credits Abolished as OBBBA Takes Effect Musk: “Trump’s Tax Cuts Will Wreck the U.S.

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.

A Lone Earnings Shock Amid the AI Rally Second-Quarter Losses Reflect Future Write-Downs Room for Earnings Recovery in the Second Half Expands Employees in cleanroom suits hold up wafers at Samsung Electronics' Py

From Jakarta’s toll roads to Tokyo’s Marunouchi subway, rush-hour traffic has thinned in ways few labor economists dared predict. Bureau of Labor Statistics microdata released in February 2025 shows that the share of Asian women who reported teleworking at least once a week jumped from 7% in 2019 to 32.5% by late 2024—a near-quadruple leap matched only by wartime mobilization in modern economic history.

Amid Market Saturation, Fierce Competition in China’s EV Industry "Only 15 Out of 129 Brands Expected to Survive" Excessive Price Wars Leave Most Firms Unprofitable China’s electric vehicle (EV) industry is facing a dire outlook, with projecti

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.

Microsoft Tightens Its Belt, Cuts 9,000 Jobs "Reducing Non-AI Workforce to Increase Investment" US Tech Companies Lay Off 63,000 This Year Alone Photo = Microsoft Microsoft (MS), which has been inve

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.

Universities now channel almost $14 million every hour into public cloud infrastructure, a spending line that already exceeds the combined global budgets for faculty development and student mental health programs. Data centers consume 415 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, a demand curve projected to surpass Japan’s national consumption before 2030. Conventional wisdom treats those figures as the inevitable price of artificial intelligence progress.

North Korea Evades Western Sanctions Through Crypto Hacks Pyongyang Trains Elite Cyber Operatives for State-Sponsored Attacks South Korea’s Fragile Cyber Defense: A Ticking Time Bomb? North Korea is now firmly positioned at the epi

Massive subsidies and chronic overcapacity fuel a vicious cycle China’s state-led industrial policy hits structural limits Experts warn: “The era of explosive growth is over” China’s solar industry is teetering on the brink of collapse, hit ha

On a raw Tuesday morning this past April, two lines of data crossed in a way every curriculum committee should heed. First, Pew reported that 37% of American adults now begin a web search directly inside ChatGPT rather than using Google (Pew Research Center, 2025a). Second, a Vectara/Hugging Face leaderboard quietly showed that even the best model, GPT-4o-mini, still invents facts in 1.7% of answers—and in domain-specific writing, that figure can skyrocket past 40%.