Journalist
John Na
han@ajunews.com
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Time Names OpenAI, Alphabet and Three Chinese Firms Among 2026’s Most Influential AI Companies Time has named OpenAI and Google parent Alphabet, along with China’s ByteDance, Alibaba and Zhipu AI, to its list of the 10 most influential artificial intelligence companies this year. The selection reflects how the AI race is expanding beyond model performance to user scale, data centers and competition over open AI ecosystems. According to Time on April 27 (local time), the “10 Most Influential AI Companies of 2026” are OpenAI, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Anthropic, Hugging Face, ByteDance, Alibaba, Zhipu AI and Mistral. Time said it is publishing its Time100 Companies list by 20 industries starting this year. U.S. companies were cited for strengths in consumer reach and data-center operations. OpenAI was highlighted as driving commercialization, with more than 900 million weekly active ChatGPT users and about $2 billion in monthly revenue. Alphabet was praised for applying AI across its services, including Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps and Waymo. Amazon stood out less as a model developer than as a provider of the infrastructure that runs AI. It is operating large-scale AI data centers using its in-house AI training chip, Trainium2. It runs infrastructure supporting Anthropic’s models and pledged to provide AI computing infrastructure to OpenAI on the condition that OpenAI uses Trainium. Meta was categorized as advancing AI advertising and recommendations using data from Facebook and Instagram users. Chinese companies also made a strong showing. ByteDance was cited as an example of mass-market AI adoption, with its AI assistant Doubao surpassing 155 million weekly active users. Alibaba is expanding into cloud and enterprise AI services with its open model Qwen. Zhipu AI was presented as a Chinese example of reducing reliance on U.S.-made chips by releasing a large AI model trained on Huawei semiconductors. Anthropic, Mistral and Hugging Face were described as another pillar of the field. Anthropic is expanding into corporate and government markets with Claude. France’s Mistral was noted as a European independent AI model company, while Hugging Face was recognized as an open platform for sharing AI models and datasets.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 17:13:05 -
Fed Meeting Focuses on Powell’s Final Message: Inflation and Independence in Spotlight The Federal Reserve’s upcoming Federal Open Market Committee meeting is drawing attention less for the expected rate decision than for what Chair Jerome Powell says about inflation and the central bank’s independence. The Fed will meet April 28-29 (local time) and is set to announce its benchmark rate at 2 p.m. April 29 (3 a.m. April 30 in South Korea). Markets largely expect the rate to remain at 3.50% to 3.75%, unchanged since last December. The meeting coincides with the end of Powell’s term as Fed chair on May 15, with Kevin Warsh’s Senate confirmation as the next chair appearing within reach. With a criminal probe tied to renovations of the Fed’s headquarters shifting from the Justice Department to the Fed inspector general, a political factor that could have delayed Warsh’s confirmation has eased. That has fueled expectations that this could be Powell’s final FOMC news conference. Investors are focused on Powell’s guidance on where rates go next. Attention had been on when rate cuts might resume, but expectations have cooled after oil prices jumped following the Iran war. Reuters reported Brent crude has risen about 50% since the war began, and that higher gasoline and energy prices contributed to a sharp increase in last month’s U.S. consumer price index. Reuters also said the bond market is reflecting the possibility that the Fed’s policy rate could stay near current levels at least through mid-2027. That shift could show up in the Fed’s statement. While holding rates steady, the Fed has previously left the impression its next move would be a cut. If the statement highlights both inflation risks and slowing-growth risks — and leaves open the possibility of hikes as well as cuts — markets could read it as a signal the Fed is keeping the door open to tighter policy. Bank of America said Powell’s news conference “could sound more hawkish than the market expects.” As sensitive as monetary policy is the question of Fed independence. Axios said that while Warsh’s confirmation prospects have improved, a key unknown is whether Powell will remain on the Fed’s Board of Governors after stepping down as chair. Powell’s term as a governor runs through January 2028. Traditionally, Fed chairs have also resigned their board seats when their chair terms end, but Powell has left open the possibility of staying amid pressure on the Fed from the Trump administration. Questions also remain about Warsh. In a CNBC Fed survey of 26 economists, strategists and analysts, 50% said they expect Warsh to conduct monetary policy independently, while 46% said his independence could be constrained. In the same survey, 58% said Warsh would likely be favorable to rate cuts, and 65% expected him to be active in shrinking the Fed’s balance sheet, meaning reducing its asset holdings.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 15:33:50 -
OpenAI Renegotiates Microsoft Deal, Opening Path to AWS and Google Cloud OpenAI and Microsoft have revised their partnership, loosening a structure that had effectively given Microsoft exclusive rights to sell OpenAI’s AI models. Reuters reported on 27일(현지시간) that the companies renegotiated key terms, allowing OpenAI to offer its products through rival cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud under certain conditions. Under the amended agreement the companies released, Microsoft remains OpenAI’s primary cloud partner, and OpenAI products will generally launch first on Microsoft Azure. But if Microsoft cannot, or chooses not to, support needed features, OpenAI may provide those products on other clouds. A central change is that Microsoft’s intellectual property license to OpenAI models and products, which runs through 2032, is no longer exclusive. The U.S. technology outlet The Verge said the shift to a nonexclusive license could widen access to OpenAI technology for other companies. The revenue-sharing structure also changes. Microsoft will no longer share with OpenAI a portion of the revenue it earns from offering OpenAI models on Azure. OpenAI’s revenue-sharing payments to Microsoft will continue through 2030, but with a cap on the total amount. Reuters reported that Microsoft will receive 20% of OpenAI revenue through 2030, subject to an undisclosed overall limit. The adjustment comes as OpenAI seeks to expand its corporate customer base. Under the previous deal, AWS and Google Cloud customers faced constraints in adopting OpenAI products directly. Amazon responded quickly. CEO Andy Jassy said, “We will offer OpenAI models directly on AWS’s AI platform within weeks.” The revised agreement also removes an artificial general intelligence, or AGI, clause. The earlier contract included a provision that could have changed revenue-sharing and rights if OpenAI reached AGI. The new deal keeps revenue-sharing in place through 2030 regardless of whether AGI is achieved. The Verge said the AGI clause, long seen as pivotal to the partnership’s future, was deleted. The changes do not end the relationship. Microsoft remains a major shareholder with a 26.79% stake in OpenAI. OpenAI’s commitment to use at least $250 billion (about 36.8 trillion won) in Azure services through 2032 also remains in effect. 2026-04-28 14:17:58 -
Automakers Warn U.S. Low-Cost Models Could Exit Without USMCA Deal as Tariffs Bite Foreign automakers including Hyundai have warned the Trump administration that they may pull low-priced models from the U.S. market if the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is not maintained or if a new deal does not sufficiently reduce tariff burdens on North American vehicles and parts. The Wall Street Journal reported April 27, citing people familiar with the matter, that Nissan, Hyundai and Toyota conveyed those concerns to the administration’s economic advisers. The companies are among the few that still supply small, lower-priced new vehicles to U.S. buyers, as U.S. automakers in recent years have shifted production toward SUVs and pickup trucks, shrinking choices in the budget passenger-car segment. The dispute centers on USMCA renegotiation and auto tariffs. President Donald Trump signed the USMCA in 2020, granting duty-free treatment to vehicles that primarily use parts from the United States, Mexico and Canada. But in the second-term administration, a 25% tariff was imposed even on vehicles previously eligible for duty-free treatment, applied to the portion that reflects non-U.S. parts content. During this year’s USMCA review, officials also raised the possibility of scrapping the pact or shifting to separate agreements with Canada and Mexico. Automakers say the tariff burden is hitting the profitability of low-priced cars first. Jennifer Safavian, CEO of Autos Drive America, said, “Without the certainty and scale that a three-country USMCA provides, automakers cannot continue to produce affordable options for American consumers.” A pullback in budget models would clash with the Trump administration’s push to ease cost-of-living pressures. The average price of a new vehicle in the United States has risen to around $50,000, a level already out of reach for many consumers. Current lower-priced options include the Mexico-built Nissan Sentra at about $22,600 and the Hyundai Venue imported from South Korea at about $20,550. According to auto information firm Edmunds, eight of the 10 cheapest new vehicles sold in the United States are models from foreign automakers; the other two are small SUVs that General Motors produces in South Korea. Companies say losses on low-priced models are already growing. Nissan Americas Chairman Christian Meunier said in a recent interview, “Tariffs are killing our affordable cars.” Toyota has also been accumulating losses in its North American business since the tariffs took effect last year. Toyota plans to invest up to $10 billion in U.S. plants over the next decade, but it is taking a cautious approach to major expansion under the current trade environment. The Trump administration says bringing manufacturing back to the United States is the priority. The White House said automakers that want to sell vehicles to U.S. consumers need to accept the need to return production to the United States. Industry officials, however, say that if tariffs persist, cuts to low-priced models could come before any meaningful expansion of U.S. production. USMCA renegotiation remains uncertain. U.S. trade authorities have indicated that some level of tariffs could remain even under a revised USMCA, while Canada and Mexico are making tariff relief a key negotiating goal. The outcome could determine how many low-priced new vehicles remain available to U.S. consumers. 2026-04-28 11:24:23 -
NATO Weighs Scaling Back Annual Summits as Members Seek to Avoid Clash With Trump NATO is discussing whether to scale back its practice of holding a leaders’ summit every year, a move diplomats described as aimed in part at avoiding a public clash with U.S. President Donald Trump. Reuters reported on April 27, citing six diplomats and senior officials from NATO member states, that internal discussions include ending the annual summit routine. NATO leaders have met each summer since 2021. This year’s summit is scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara, Turkey. The focus is on changing the schedule. One diplomat said the 2027 summit in Albania is likely to be held in the fall, and that an option under discussion is not holding a summit in 2028. That year includes a U.S. presidential election and is Trump’s last full year in office. Some members are also arguing for summits every two years, Reuters said. No decision has been made, and the final call will be made by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. NATO officials stressed that high-level consultations would continue. “NATO will continue to hold regular meetings at the highest level,” a NATO official told Reuters, adding that between summits allies would keep consulting, planning and making decisions on collective security. The talks come amid strains between Trump and other NATO members. Reuters said the Trump administration has repeatedly criticized many of the 31 member countries other than the United States. More recently, it publicly rebuked some allies for not providing greater support for U.S. military operations against Iran. Tensions are expected again at this year’s summit. Reuters reported that after allies declined to support the Iran war, Trump publicly questioned whether the United States should honor NATO’s mutual defense pledge and mentioned the possibility of withdrawal. His claim to sovereignty over Greenland, a Danish territory, also remains a source of friction within the alliance. Some inside NATO argue that frequent summits can undermine long-term strategy. “It’s better to have fewer summits than a bad summit,” one diplomat told Reuters. Another official said the alliance should be judged by the quality of its discussions and decisions, not the number of meetings. Analysts have voiced similar views. Phyllis Berry, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, wrote in a commentary last week that reducing top-level summitry could help NATO focus on its core work and lower tensions that have repeatedly surfaced in recent trans-Atlantic meetings. She also noted that during the Cold War, NATO held only eight summits over several decades. Trump has applied heavy pressure at NATO summits before. At the 2018 summit, he threatened to walk out in protest over what he said was low defense spending by other members. Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg wrote in a memoir published last year that if Trump had actually left, “we would have had to pick up the pieces of a shattered NATO.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 10:28:49 -
Pentagon says North Korean ICBMs can strike U.S., cites need for stronger homeland defense A senior Pentagon official assessed that North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles have the capability to strike the United States, again citing the North’s nuclear and missile programs as a rationale for strengthening U.S. homeland defenses. According to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Mark Berkowitz, the assistant secretary of defense for space policy, appeared Monday at a Strategic Forces subcommittee hearing on the missile defense budget. In written testimony, he listed North Korea alongside China, Russia and Iran as missile threats to the U.S. homeland and allies. “North Korea poses a direct and growing threat to the U.S. homeland, forward-deployed U.S. forces, and allies with its increasing nuclear, missile, and air capabilities,” Berkowitz said. He added that North Korea’s “theater-range” missiles can reach U.S. territory and the territory of South Korea and Japan, and that North Korean ICBMs “can strike the United States.” Berkowitz made the remarks while arguing for the need for the Trump administration’s next-generation homeland defense concept known as the “Golden Dome.” The plan envisions a layered defense system aimed not only at ballistic missiles but also hypersonic weapons, advanced cruise missiles and next-generation aerial threats. He said current U.S. homeland missile defenses are limited and becoming less effective against evolving threats. “Today’s U.S. homeland missile defense is limited, and its effectiveness against increasingly advanced threats is declining,” he wrote, adding that it provides only minimal defense against hypersonic weapons, advanced cruise missiles and large-scale ballistic missile attacks. He described the Golden Dome as a concept to build a comprehensive, layered defense covering the entire United States. The hearing was held as part of the review of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization request and the Future Years Defense Program. Other witnesses included U.S. Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, who leads the Golden Dome effort, and Missile Defense Agency Director Heath Collins. Berkowitz also said the United States would continue strengthening missile defenses in the Indo-Pacific. He said the U.S. maintains a forward-deployed, layered integrated air and missile defense network centered on Aegis destroyers, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, and Patriot batteries, and would keep pushing development of an integrated air and missile defense system for Guam. 2026-04-28 09:48:20 -
Trump WHCA Dinner Shooting Renews Scrutiny of Secret Service Response The shooting incident at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner attended by President Donald Trump has renewed scrutiny of the U.S. Secret Service after an armed suspect moved through the hotel and reached an area near the event. Former Secret Service agents, however, said the core protective layers worked. According to CBS News and Reuters, the suspect, Cole Thomas Allen, left a 10th-floor room at the Washington Hilton on April 25 (local time). Carrying a shotgun, a handgun and three knives, he used an internal stairwell toward the event area, then charged toward a hotel security screening point with metal detectors. Allen was subdued by uniformed Secret Service officers one floor above the ballroom where Trump was. Reuters reported Allen was charged with attempted assassination of President Trump and could face life in prison if convicted. Former agents largely framed the outcome as damage prevention rather than a breakdown. Timothy LeBoeuf, who took part in WHCA dinner security during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, told CBS News that “everyone did their job,” calling it a “textbook response” in which a multilayered defense worked. He said the Secret Service uses outer, middle and inner perimeters, and the suspect did not reach the ballroom. Paul Eckloff, a former senior official in the presidential protection detail, told CBS News the incident should be seen as preventing mass casualties. “Dozens could have been shot, but everyone walked out,” he said. Former agent Mike Matranga also said the agency’s concentric security model held. He said the suspect ran at full speed toward the screening area, leaving officers only seconds to react. But he added that “you can’t completely secure an entire hotel,” and that public-venue events carry inherent risk. The venue remains a central issue. The Washington Hilton is where former President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. Security upgrades later included an enclosed garage allowing a presidential vehicle to enter without outside exposure. Still, the building’s scale poses limits because guests, staff, delivery workers and other visitors share the same space. LeBoeuf said that without defining where a venue begins and ends, “it becomes infinite.” A.T. Smith, a former deputy director of the Secret Service, told CBS News it is possible to fully lock down an open hotel, but that is not typically done in the United States. Instead, he said, the agency sets its protective footprint around the event area where the president is and the access routes. Some former agents said additional steps should be considered. The Independent quoted former agent Bobby McDonald as saying the system worked but could improve, calling it less a “successful outcome” than a “positive outcome.” Former agent Bill Gage said the defense model worked but that strengthening screening points and expanding protected zones could be reviewed. The Secret Service also left room for changes. The Independent quoted spokesman Anthony Guglielmi as saying the WHCA dinner protection model proved effective, but improvements are expected “at every level” for future events.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-28 09:22:07 -
Bond Markets Watch for Hawkish Signals as G7 Central Banks Set Rate Decisions Major central banks are set to decide policy rates this week, and while markets broadly expect them to hold steady, bond investors are watching closely for any hawkish signals. Oil prices have surged amid the U.S.-Iran war, raising concerns that inflation pressures could build again. According to Bloomberg on the 27th, the U.S. Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada will all hold policy meetings this week. It is unusual for Group of Seven central banks to make rate decisions in the same week. Together, they influence about half of the global economy. Markets expect the major central banks to keep benchmark rates unchanged. The focus, however, is less on the decision itself than on the message. How Fed Chair Jerome Powell and ECB President Christine Lagarde assess the war-driven oil shock could shape the direction of bond markets. Bloomberg said the U.S.-Iran conflict has raised the risk of what it described as the largest-ever potential disruption to crude supply, heightening central banks’ inflation vigilance. If policymakers emphasize the oil shock as a serious price risk, selling pressure in government bonds could intensify. Stocks and credit markets have rebounded as investors looked past the initial shock, but government bonds have lagged. Investors are already positioning defensively. Amy Xie Patrick of Pendal Group said she has closed out all bond positions vulnerable to rising rates this month. “What do central banks have to lose by sounding hawkish right now?” she said. “There’s an oil shock, and the inflation outlook is uncertain.” In the U.K., the oil shock is already showing up in inflation data. The March consumer price index rose 3.3% from a year earlier, up from 3.0% the previous month, with higher motor fuel prices a key driver. Bloomberg reported that U.K. money markets have begun to price in at least two possible rate hikes this year, up from just one last week. The U.S. has seen a similar shift. Fed officials have warned the war could further stoke inflation and that rate hikes may need to be considered depending on conditions, while also stressing uncertainty over how long higher oil prices will last. Molly Brooks, a U.S. rates strategist at TD Securities, said she expects Powell to take a “neutral stance” given uncertainty about the Middle East shock’s longer-term effects. The Bank of Japan is also in focus. BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda has said policymakers need to assess both upside and downside risks to underlying inflation. Evercore ISI said the BOJ could hold rates at this meeting but opt for a “hawkish hold” that keeps the door open to possible hikes in June and December. The ECB, too, is unlikely to ease its inflation guard. Lagarde has stressed in a recent speech that uncertainty has increased. Bloomberg reported that swap markets are pricing in a June ECB rate hike as nearly certain and are also factoring in the possibility of an additional increase in September. Inflation is not the only variable. If high oil prices and geopolitical tensions curb consumer spending and business activity, market attention could shift back to slowing growth. In that case, both central bank rates and market yields could face downward pressure. Wee-Khoon Chong, senior Asia-Pacific market strategist at BNY, said markets will look for hawkish signals that would justify the rate-hike expectations already priced in for the eurozone, the U.K., Canada and Japan. “Geopolitical uncertainty and high oil and petrochemical prices raise both upside inflation risks and downside growth risks,” he said. He added that central banks are likely to maintain a cautious hawkish tone while avoiding firm commitments on the future rate path. 2026-04-27 17:42:26 -
Analyst: OpenAI may develop an 'AI agent phone,' with mass production eyed for 2028 OpenAI may be moving toward developing its own smartphone, as the competition around ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence tools spreads from apps and services into hardware. The key question is whether it can build a new device architecture centered on an AI agent, rather than simply adding AI features to existing phones. According to China’s Kechuangban Daily on Sunday, TF International Securities IT analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for tracking Apple’s supply chain, said OpenAI is pursuing development of its own smartphone. In a post on X, Kuo said OpenAI is developing smartphone processors with MediaTek and Qualcomm, and he forecast that Luxshare would serve as the exclusive partner for joint system design and manufacturing. He projected mass production in 2028. Kuo described the concept as an “AI agent phone,” differing from the current model in which users open and operate apps themselves. In his view, the phone would understand a user’s situation and context, and an AI agent would carry out needed tasks on the user’s behalf. He said OpenAI’s motivation is to gain control over the operating system and hardware, arguing that offering a comprehensive AI agent service would be limited if it relied only on a ChatGPT app running on existing smartphones. Smartphones also hold large amounts of real-time user information, including location, schedules, conversations and usage habits. OpenAI’s hardware push has already taken shape. The company acquired io, a hardware startup co-founded by Jony Ive, who led iPhone design. After the acquisition, the io team joined OpenAI, and Ive’s side has continued to take part in OpenAI product design work. If Kuo’s forecast is correct, OpenAI’s aim would be to make the smartphone a primary gateway for its AI models and agent services. That could introduce a new variable for ecosystems dominated by Apple and Samsung Electronics, which are built around iOS and Android and the App Store and Google Play. If OpenAI releases an AI agent device, it could accelerate a shift toward AI calling apps and services in the background to deliver results, rather than users selecting and launching apps themselves. Still, the report remains an analyst’s projection, and uncertainty is high. OpenAI, Qualcomm, MediaTek and Luxshare have not officially confirmed the details. Challenges before any mass production include technical readiness, handling personal data, and securing an operating system and app ecosystem. 2026-04-27 15:52:07 -
BOJ Seen Holding Rates as Yen Nears 160 per Dollar; Focus on Ueda’s Guidance Japan’s central bank is widely expected to keep its policy rate unchanged at a meeting on the 28th, shifting market attention to what Gov. Kazuo Ueda says as the yen nears 160 per dollar. Investors are focused on how clearly the Bank of Japan signals willingness to raise rates again after holding steady. Bloomberg News reported on the 27th that markets expect the BOJ to maintain the policy rate at 0.75%. Until a few weeks ago, many investors had expected another increase as part of the bank’s policy normalization. That view has faded after international oil prices jumped following a military clash between the Trump administration and Iran. Markets now price only a 7% chance of a rate hike this month, and economists have increasingly pushed their expectations to June. As rate-hike expectations ease, pressure has grown on the BOJ to address yen weakness. The yen traded around 159.50 per dollar in Tokyo on Monday morning, near levels that prompted Japanese authorities to intervene in 2024 to support the currency. Japan’s finance minister, Satsuki Katayama, said at a recent Bloomberg event, “Japanese authorities are in close contact with the U.S. side 24 hours a day,” while warning against speculative moves. Ueda’s remarks are under scrutiny in part because of last April. After the BOJ held policy steady then, his comments on the yen were taken as a cautious stance on rate hikes, and the currency fell sharply. Investors worry the yen could weaken again if his message after another hold is seen as too soft. At the same time, the BOJ faces risks in signaling a strong commitment to further tightening. Since the Iran war, uncertainty over oil prices and supply chains has increased. Higher rates could help support the yen, but they could also add to slowdown pressure from higher energy costs. Bloomberg, citing sources, reported the BOJ’s final decision could be delayed until the last moment. Inflation data underscore the dilemma. Japan’s March consumer inflation accelerated for the first time in five months. Services producer prices rose 1.25% from the previous month, the biggest increase in about 36 years excluding periods tied to consumption tax hikes. A weaker yen is pushing up import costs, and companies have continued raising prices. The BOJ may find it difficult to hike immediately because of growth concerns, but it also cannot fully rule out further increases given currency weakness and inflation pressure. The meeting is expected to test how the BOJ balances a hold decision with language that keeps the door open to additional hikes. That balancing act is also expected to show up in the quarterly outlook to be released with the meeting. Bloomberg reported policymakers may consider raising their inflation forecast for the fiscal year that began this month from 1.9% by a significant margin, while trimming growth projections. The median market estimate is that the BOJ will cut its growth forecast for the current fiscal year to 0.8% from 1.0%. Markets are watching whether Ueda leaves room for further hikes even if the BOJ holds rates. Bloomberg said the key issue is how strongly the BOJ communicates its willingness to raise rates to curb yen weakness.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-27 14:54:09