Asia In Brief Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs has suspended the nation’s game rating system (IGRS) after claims the service leaked developer creds and video of unreleased games.
The claim of a leak appeared in a Reddit post from a user with the handle “Me_ Finity” who said they built their own front end to the IGRS and in the process gained access to “approximately 1,000 developer emails, including AAA developers” plus “leaked gameplay of unreleased games such as 007 First Light and Echoes of Aincrad.”
007 First Light is set for release in May. Echoes of Aincrad will arrive in July.
Indonesia’s National Police report the ministry has suspended IGRS while it investigates the apparent leak.
Last week was a busy one for the ministry, which on April 15 warned the Wikimedia Foundation it must register for a license to operate in the country or see its services blocked. Indonesia requires all major online services register under its Penyelenggara Sistem Elektronik, a regulation that requires provision of information including the purpose of an organization, its infosec and data protection polices, the domain names it uses, and contact details for a person regulators can reach.
Wikimedia Foundation has already missed previous deadlines to register and is now apparently in talks with Indonesia’s government to resolve the matter.
Philippines to host high-tech manufacturing zone
The Philippines last week signed up for the US-led “Pax Silica” project that aims to create robust supply chains for high tech goods, especially those needed to run AI.
According to the Philippines government news agency, the nation will develop a 4,000-acre industrial zone in the Luzon Economic Corridor billed as the “first AI-native industrial acceleration hub under Pax Silica.”
A US State Department announcement says the industrial zone “… is intended to serve as a staging point for a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing, an investment acceleration hub where specific industrial activities can be shaped by market demand, host-country comparative advantages, and the evolving needs of the Pax Silica network.”
Australia, Finland, India, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States are the other Pax Silica members.
Robot shatters human half marathon record
A humanoid robot beat human competitors in the Beijing half marathon on Sunday.
A WeChat post from the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area shows the robots running in their own lane alongside bemused human competitors and reports a bot called “Lightning” completed the course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, well ahead of the fastest human male and female competitors, Zhao Haijie and Wang Qiaoxia, who crossed the line in 1:07:47 and 1:18:06 respectively.
The world record for the half marathon stands at 57:30 for men, and 1:02:52 for women. Robots may also soon beat humans on a Chinese production line. According to a report from Chinese state media, a recent trial of humanoid bots showed the machines are “a genuine driver of productivity that can enter production lines, and create real value.”
India backs down on compulsory ID app installation
India’s government has reportedly backed down on its plan to have smartphone manufacturers pre-install a digital identity app.
The Unique Identification Authority of India, which oversees the nation’s Aadhaar digital identity scheme, told Reuters its parent ministry cooled on the idea after consultation with electronics manufacturers.
India is trying to court electronics manufacturers to boost local industry, and has also spent years making Aadhaar an integral part of daily life to secure access government services. The digital ID scheme is also part of India’s efforts to broaden its tax base.
It seems the desire to grow India’s manufacturing sector won out on this occasion.
APNIC stages first sub-regional conference
The Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), the regional internet registry for Asia and the Pacific, last week staged its first sub-regional forum (SRF) – a new type of event the organization hopes will complement its two major annual conference.
SRFs could involve APNIC participating within an existing program, or hosting sessions and Member discussions alongside the event.
The first SRF took place at the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association’s Annual General Meeting, which ran alongside a business forum and expo, in the Cook Islands.
As explained in a recent post, APNIC is supporting SRFs to give members “more accessible opportunities, particularly for those unable to travel” and hopes the events “provide Members opportunities to discuss technical and policy issues, highlight local priorities, and help APNIC better understand how to improve community support.”
The South Asia Network Operators Group (SANOG) will work with APNIC on future SRFs.
Square Enix turns to AI for Manga typesetting
Mantra Inc, a Japanese company that offers tools to translate Manga into languages other than Japanese, last week announced it has worked with entertainment giant Square Enix to develop a tool that uses AI to typeset dialog in speech bubbles.
As the company explains, artists consider “font type, size, style, and placement for every line of dialogue in a manga” and make different choices “for daily conversation, shouting, internal monologues, and narration.”
“Editors currently perform this manually for every single line of dialogue – ranging from dozens to hundreds per chapter,” the company explains, and those choices consumes over 3,000 hours per year at Square Enix alone.
The AI analyzes the “speech bubble shapes” and “character data as symbols” from the manuscript on the left, then proposes font styles and character sizes within the bubbles of the manuscript on the right. ⓒMiyuki Tonogaya/SQUARE ENIX – Click to enlarge
AI will analyze speech bubbles and dialogue and automatically suggest a layout with optimally-sized and styled type.
A beta test at Square Enix apparently saw 100 percent of staff express “a positive stance toward continued use.” ®
