中國希望科技領導企業在國內籌集資金（2/2）

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

China Wants Its Tech Champions to Raise Money at Home (2/2)

Blockbuster market debuts by two technology companies show how Beijing is turning to local investors to finance its A.I. ambitions and reduce reliance on Wall Street.

By Steve Lohr and Xinyun Wu - Steve Lohr reported from Seoul and Xinyun Wu from Taipei, Taiwan. Meaghan Tobin contributed reporting from New York.

 Published Aug. 18, 2026

Updated Aug. 19, 2026, 4:02 p.m. ET

(continue)

Last year, Beijing set up a “national venture capital guidance fund” to work with Chinese investors and eventually deploy as much as $145 billion in investment in companies pursuing high-tech fields like A.I. and quantum computing.

The Shanghai stock market has long been known for speculative volatility and for a listing process burdened by red tape. In June, the Shanghai Exchange issued guidelines to streamline the process for Chinese A.I. software companies whose chatbots compete with those from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google.

The Chinese start-ups developing these so-called large language models, the exchange said, “urgently need the supporting role of the capital market.”

The first Chinese A.I. model makers to go public early this year — Z.ai and MiniMax — listed first on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, a market many investors regard as more established and less volatile than Shanghai.

But the government is encouraging all Chinese A.I. model developers to establish secondary listings in Shanghai, which Z.ai and MiniMax have said they plan to do.

Beijing is not only steering companies toward domestic markets. It is also willing to step in to support those markets when they come under pressure.

In July, as fears of excessive A.I. spending triggered a global stock sell-off, the Shanghai market fell. Two state-owned investment funds, China Reform Holdings and China Chengtong Holdings, responded by announcing purchases of $9 billion in Chinese shares and expressing confidence in the market.

That increasingly state-guided system contrasts sharply with an earlier era, when American investment funds and venture firms rushed into China, lured by its growth and encouraged by policymakers in Washington. In the 2010s, American investors were early backers of Alibaba, the e-commerce giant; ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company; and Didi, once hailed as China’s answer to Uber.

Now, as Beijing encourages domestic investors to put money into homegrown technology companies, it is making foreign capital a less welcome part of the equation.

Geopolitics has contributed to the retreat. American firms have grown wary of being caught in the crossfire of U.S.-Chinese trade and technology disputes. Foreign venture investment in China has fallen sharply, and many firms have scaled back or left altogether.

Sequoia Capital, for example, spun off its China business two years ago. The resulting firm, HSG — its Chinese name, Hongshan, means “redwood” — backed Unitree and owns a 7 percent stake in the company, now worth about $3.5 billion.

For Chinese companies, “raising money overseas is actively discouraged,” said Kevin Xu, founder of Interconnected Capital, a hedge fund that invests in A.I. technologies. “The Manus saga is the clearest example.”

Manus, an A.I. company started by three engineers in Wuhan, China, developed an A.I. agent that caught Meta’s attention. By the end of last year, Meta had agreed to buy Manus for $2 billion. But in April, the Chinese government intervened and demanded that the deal be unwound.

Manus had moved its headquarters to Singapore, but Beijing still considered it a Chinese company subject to its authority. This month, the unwinding was completed, and Manus announced it had resumed operating as an independent company.

Translation

中國希望科技領導企業在國內籌集資金（2/2）

兩家科技公司在市場上的驚人亮相表明，北京正轉向本土投資者，為其人工智能雄心壯志提供資金，並減少對華爾街的依賴

（繼續）

去年，北京設立了“國家創投引導基金”，旨在與中國投資者合作，最終向從事人工智能和量子運算等高科技領域的公司投資高達1,450億美元。

上海股市長期以來以投機波動和繁瑣的上市程序而聞名。今年6月，上海證券交易所發佈了指導方針簡化中國人工智能軟件開發公司上市流程。這些軟件公司開發的聊天機器人與OpenAI、Anthropic和Google等公司的同類產品競爭。

交易所表示，開發這些所謂「大型語言模型」的中國新創公司「迫切需要資本市場的支持」。

今年年初，首批上市的中國人工智能模型開發商 - Z.ai和MiniMax - 首先在香港聯交所上市。許多投資人認為，香港市場比上海市場更成熟，波動性也更低。

但政府鼓勵所有中國人工智能模型開發商在上海進行二次上市，Z.ai和MiniMax都表示計劃這樣做。

北京不僅引導企業向國內市場發展，也願意在這些市場面臨壓力時出手支持。

7月，由於對人工智能領域過度支出的擔憂引發全球股市拋售，上海股市也隨之下跌。兩家國有投資基金 - 中國改革控股和中國誠通控股 - 隨即宣佈斥資90億美元購買中國股票，並表達了對市場的信心。

這種日益國家主導的體系與先前美國投資基金和創投公司蜂擁而至的時代形成了鮮明對比。在2010年代，去早期支持電商巨頭阿里巴巴、TikTok母公司字節跳動以及一度被譽為中國版Uber的滴滴出行是美國投資者。

如今，隨著北京鼓勵國內投資人投資本土科技公司，外國資本在投資格局中成為不太受歡迎的一部分

地緣政治因素也促成了這個趨勢。美國企業越來越擔心被捲入中美貿易和技術爭端的漩渦。外國創投在華大幅下降，許多公司縮減了投資規模或徹底撤離。

例如，Sequoia Capital兩年前就剝離了其中國業務。結果成立了 HSG (HongShan Capital Group) （其中文名稱「紅杉」意為「紅杉」）為 Unitree 提供了支持，並持有該公司 7% 的股份，該公司目前市值約 35 億美元。

投資人工智能技術的對沖基金Interconnected Capital創始人Kevin Xu表示對中國企業而言，“海外融資受到積極阻礙”，“Manus 事件就是最明顯的例子。”

Manus 是一家由三位工程師在中國武漢創立的人工智能公司，其開發出来的人工智能代理引起了 Meta 公司的注意。去年年底，Meta 同意以 20 億美元收購 Manus。但今年 4 月，中國政府介入並要求取消該交易。

Manus在這之前 已將總部遷至新加坡，但北京方面仍將其視為受其管轄的中國公司。本月，取消收購程序完成，Manus 宣佈恢復作為獨立公司運作。

So, two stock market debuts (CXMT and Unitree Robotics) in Shanghai in recent weeks have underscored a pair of China’s intertwined ambitions: harnessing investor enthusiasm for homegrown companies and reducing dependence on American technology and finance. Beijing is not only steering companies toward domestic markets; it is also willing to step in to support those markets when they come under pressure. Apparently, the government’s role is becoming more like a referee and champion of Chinese capital markets, and it may get involved directly on occasion, acting like a venture capitalist.

Note:

1. HSG (HongShan Capital Group, 红杉中国) is directly descended from Sequoia Capital’s China operation, but since 2023 it is no longer the same company as the U.S./European Sequoia Capital. (ChatGPT)

中國希望本土科技龍頭企業在國內融資（1/2）

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

China Wants Its Tech Champions to Raise Money at Home (1/2)

Blockbuster market debuts by two technology companies show how Beijing is turning to local investors to finance its A.I. ambitions and reduce reliance on Wall Street.

The NYT - By Steve Lohr and Xinyun Wu - Steve Lohr reported from Seoul and Xinyun Wu from Taipei, Taiwan. Meaghan Tobin contributed reporting from New York.

Published Aug. 18, 2026

Updated Aug. 19, 2026, 4:02 p.m. ET

Two explosive stock market debuts in Shanghai in recent weeks have underscored a pair of China’s intertwined ambitions: harnessing investor enthusiasm for homegrown companies riding the artificial intelligence boom and reducing dependence on American technology and finance.

The companies — CXMT, China’s leading memory chip maker, and Unitree Robotics, a Chinese maker of humanoid robots — both chose Shanghai to list their shares. Their offerings were encouraged by government policies aimed at steering promising tech companies toward domestic financial markets rather than relying on state subsidies or foreign capital.

They were departures from years past, when the path for successful Chinese tech start-ups so often ran through Silicon Valley and Wall Street.

“The flow of global tech capital was essentially a one-way street looking westward,” the Chinese Communist Party-controlled Global Times said in an editorial last week, citing the CXMT and Unitree initial public offerings in Shanghai as signals of a change. “Today, however, the world is shifting its gaze from West to East.”

Under Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, Beijing has pursued self-reliance across industries, including critical materials, food and many others, seeking to reduce the leverage that countries can wield over it. Nowhere is that national strategy more evident than in technology, where developing A.I. and advanced semiconductors requires staggering amounts of capital.

Increasingly, the government wants that capital to come from China. The extraordinary reception for CXMT and Unitree suggests that Chinese investors are willing to provide it.

First came CXMT, short for ChangXin Memory Technologies. Late last month, its shares soared 470 percent on the first day of trading and have climbed further since, giving the chipmaker a market value of around $545 billion and pushing it past Tencent as China’s most valuable publicly traded company.

CXMT has benefited from A.I. technology’s insatiable demand for high-speed memory chips, which are essential for storing and moving vast quantities of data. Its main domestic rival, Yangtze Memory Technologies Company, is also preparing to go public.

Then came Unitree. Its shares began trading on Wednesday in Shanghai, and surged 460 percent on its debut. At one point, the stock was up 629 percent before pulling back.

Unitree occupies a more speculative frontier of the A.I. boom. There are still doubts about how quickly a large commercial market will develop for machines that look and move like humans. But videos showcasing the feats of Unitree’s humanoid robots have attracted millions of views online: performing kung fu routines, scaling walls, doing backflips, running races and boxing. In China, the company has become a symbol of the country’s high-tech ambitions.

The blockbuster offerings point to China’s push for technological and financial self-reliance in tandem.

The Global Times, which often espouses nationalist views, argued that stronger domestic capital markets could provide Chinese technology companies with an alternative to American financing. “As technological autonomy becomes a reality,” it stated, “the domestic capital market gains a basis for reasonably valuing these companies, no longer needing to rely on ‘validation’ from overseas exchanges.”

China experts say the growing emphasis on local capital markets is an evolution in the country’s industrial policy. Beijing is seeking to rely less heavily on state subsidies, which have often proved costly and inefficient, instead leaning more on investors to decide which companies deserve capital.

Subsidies can work well in established industries, where the product is understood and the technological path relatively clear. For cutting-edge technologies, they can be less effective.

“They work badly at the frontier, where nobody knows which approach wins and they tend to prop up firms that should fail,” said Gerard DiPippo, a director at the Eurasia Group, a research group in Washington.

Domestic capital markets and investors, Mr. DiPippo said, will increasingly be relied on as “a better way to discipline growing tech firms.”

The government’s role is becoming more like a referee and champion of Chinese capital markets. But it still gets involved directly on occasion, acting like a venture capitalist.

(to be continued)

Translation

中國希望本土科技龍頭企業在國內融資（1/2）

兩家科技公司在股市的驚人亮相表明，北京正轉向本土投資者，為其人工智能雄心壯志提供資金，並減少對華爾街的依賴。

近幾週，上海兩家公司在股市的爆炸性上市凸顯了中國兩項相互交織的雄心：一方面，利用投資者對本土人工智能公司蓬勃發展的熱情；另一方面，減少對美國技術和金融的依賴。

這兩家公司 - 分別是中國領先的記憶體晶片製造商長信儲存 (CXMT) 和中國人形機器人製造商宇樹科技（Unitree Robotics）- 都選擇在上海上市。政府政策鼓勵它們的上市旨在使科技公司向國內金融市場融資，而不是依賴國家補貼或外資。

這與過去幾年截然不同，過去中國科技新創企業的成功之路往往要經過矽谷和華爾街。

中共控制的《環球時報》上週在一篇社論中指出:「全球科技資本的流動基本上是一條單行道，流向西方」; 「然而，今天世界正將目光從西方轉向東方」。並現以上海CXMT和Unitree的首次公開募股為例，認為這是轉變的信號。

在中國最高領導人習近平的領導下，北京在包括關鍵材料、食品等在內的各行業推行自力更生，力求減少其他國家對中國的影響力。這項國家策略在科技領域體現得尤為明顯，人工智能和先進半導體的研發需要龐大資金。

政府越來越希望這些資金來自中國。長信儲存 (CXMT) 和宇樹科技 (Unitree) 的上市反應異常熱烈，顯示中國投資者願意為其提供資金支持。

首先是長信儲存，全名為長信儲存技術有限公司。上月底，該公司股票在上市首日飆升 470%，此後股價持續攀升，使其市值達到約 5,450 億美元，超越騰訊，成為中國市值最高的上市公司。

長信儲存受益於人工智能技術對高速儲存晶片的巨大需求，這些晶片對於儲存和傳輸大量資料至關重要。其主要國內競爭對手長江儲存技術有限公司 也正準備上市。

隨後是宇樹科技。該公司股票於週三在上海上市，首日股價飆漲 460%。股價一度上漲 629%，之後又有所回落。

宇樹科技在人工智能熱潮中佔據了更具投機性的前端地位。人們仍然懷疑外形和動作都與人類相似的機器能否迅速發展出龐大的商業市場。但展示宇樹科技人形機器人精彩表演的影片已在網絡上吸引了數百萬的點擊量：它們表演功夫、攀爬牆壁、後空翻、賽跑和拳擊。在中國，該公司已成為國家高科技野心的象徵。

這些轟動一時的產品表明，中國正致力於同時實現技術和金融的自力更生。

經常發表民族主義觀點的《環球時報》認為，更強大的國內資本市場可以為中國科技公司提供美國融資以外的另一種選擇。該報指出：“隨著技術自主成為現實，國內資本市場將擁有合理評估這些公司價值的基礎，不再需要依賴海外交易所的‘認可’。”

中國問題專家表示，對本土資本市場的日益重視是中國產業政策演變的體現。北京正尋求減少對國家補貼的依賴，因為補貼往往成本高且效率低下，現在轉而更依賴投資者來決定哪些公司值得獲得資金。

補貼在成熟產業中可能效果顯著，因為這些產業的產品已被充分理解，技術發展路徑也相對清晰。但對於開創技術而言，補貼的效果可能較差。。

華盛頓研究機構歐亞集團 的董事 Gerard DiPippo 表示:「在開創技術領域，補貼的作用很差，因為沒有人知道哪種方法最終會勝出，而且補貼往往會扶持那些本應失敗的公司」。

DiPippo先生指出，國內資本市場和投資者將日益成為「去規範發展中科技公司的更有效途徑」。

政府的角色正變得越來越像中國資本市場的裁判和領導者。但它仍然會不時直接介入，扮演創投家的角色。

 （待續）

Shigeru Mizuki and Iwo Jima: Now we question the burden of life (2/2)

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

水木しげると硫黄島 命の重みをいまに問う(2/2)

2026年8月16日 11:30

NHKスペシャル

(continue)

そこに、もう1つの視点を与えてくれることになったのが、アニメ化にあたって脚本を担当した吉田玲子さんだった。

「戦争ドキュメンタリーを見る敷居を下げたい」という私たちの要望に対し、吉田さんは視聴者が共感できる第3のキャラクターを提案した。

それが、湊（みなと）水兵だ。軍隊の精神に順応しながらも、幼い頃に聞かされた妖怪の姿を島でもつい空想をしてしまう青年である。そんな湊は、2人の中尉のぶつかり合いを目の当たりにして、揺れ動く。

詳しくは番組に譲るが、湊は命令を受けて、結局硫黄島を脱出することになる。それは、当時としては許されない行為であり、島を離れる湊の目から涙がこぼれ落ちる。

吉田さんの脚本は、アニメの監督をつとめた佐藤千春さんの手によって絵コンテとなり、２人の中尉や湊水兵に、新たな形で命が吹き込まれた。

絵の力に圧倒されながら、私たちはこの話が「実話かどうか」に関心を惹かれていた。一方で、こんな声が上がった。 

「湊水兵は、その後の人生をどう生きたんですかね。生還した人たちのその後を取材したい」

こうして出会ったのが、冒頭に紹介した秋草鶴次さんだった。

背負った宿命

秋草さんは戦後、電気設備の管理の仕事をしながら、一男二女を育てた。家族には戦争の話をしなかったが、遺品のノートには、硫黄島での体験が日付単位で詳細に書きつけてあった。

2006年に、NHKの取材をきっかけに体験を公にしてからは、自衛隊員や地元の中高生に証言するようになった。その訳を尋ねられた際に、こう述べている。

「（戦死者が忘れられるのは）耐えられないですよね。生きた時代、過ごした時代は何だったかということになるのだからね。その間はじゃあ『空』だったのか」

硫黄島の戦いは、全くの非対称の戦いであった。兵力はアメリカ軍の6万人に対し、日本軍は2万人あまり。海からは艦砲射撃、空からは爆撃、陸上ではロケット弾、戦車、火炎放射器を浴びせられた。

それでも、アメリカ軍に対して開戦以来最大の損害を与えたのは、総延長18キロメートルに及ぶ地下ごうから、神出鬼没のゲリラ戦を繰り広げたからだ。捕虜になることを禁じられ、「死を急ぐな」と命じられた兵士たちは、命のある限り戦い続けるしかなかった。

その苦しさを、秋草さんはこう証言している。

「（所属していた）通信科は火を点けて総攻撃に出たんですよ。そこに残った炭を食べた。本当に涙が出てくる。そういうのをね、思い出すと涙が出てくる。本当に、食べるものが無い。無いんだから、（口に）入るものが。（中略）でも頑張るんだと。このことを誰が言うんだと、いうことでね。だから、生きなくちゃなんないんだと、そういう気持ちです」

今回見つかったビデオには、遺骨すらのこらなかった戦友たちのことを、涙ながらに子供たちに伝える秋草さんの姿が映っていた。

「次から次へと砲弾が降ってくるので、骨がみんな砂になるんです。人間の骨の形をしていないんです。この人たちの骨は日本へ永遠に帰れないんです。（中略）風化させないために語り継ぐんです。これが、生かされている自分の使命であり、宿命だと思っています」

戦友に伝えた言葉

硫黄島での体験を伝える秋草さんが、もう1つ続けていたことがある。亡くなった戦友の故郷を訪ねての慰霊だ。息子の茂之さんは、父が遺した御朱印帳を広げながら「本当に全国に行っているね」と、戦友への思いの深さに改めて驚いていた。

秋草さんは毎年、靖国神社にも通っていたが、茂之さんは何度か同行し、九段の社を一緒にくぐった。手を合わせる父が、必ず口にしていた言葉があった。

“秋草さんの息子 茂之さん

「この当時は（戦後）60年だから、『60年間、戦争をしなかったぞ』 って、報告を含めてお参りをしていた。口癖だから」”

戦争をしないことー。

それが、秋草さんにとって、戦友に対する最大の供養だったのだ。

ロケの終わり、茂之さんは家から10分ほどの神社に、取材班を案内した。ここに、父が通っていた地元の戦没者の慰霊碑があるという。茂之さんは、父の思いを受け継ぎ、月に一度は訪れている。

父を思い、こみ上げてくるものがあったのか、手を合わせる茂之さんの肩は、小刻みに震えていた。茂之さんの傍では、鶴次さんのひ孫にあたる那緒ちゃんがその小さな手を合わせていた。

玉砕の島で秋草さんが保った命は、その思いとともに、今につながれている。

Translation

Shigeru Mizuki and Iwo Jima: Now we question the burden of life (2/2)

August 16, 2026, 11:30 AM

NHK Special

(continue)

It is Reiko Yoshida (吉田玲子), who writes the script for the anime adaptation, provides another perspective.

In response to our request to "lower the barrier in watching war documentaries," Ms. Yoshida proposes a third character that viewers could empathize with.

That character is Sailor Minato (湊). While adapting to the military's spirit, he was a young man who, even on the island, couldn't help but fantasize about the yokai (妖怪) (supernatural beings) he heard about as a child. Minato was swayed when he witnessed a clash between two lieutenants.

While the details are left to the program, Minato received orders and ultimately escaped from Iwo Jima. This was an unforgivable act at the time, and tears streamed down from Minato's face as he left the island.

Yoshida's (吉田) script is transformed into storyboards by animation director Chiharu Sato (佐藤千春), new life is breath into the two lieutenants and Sailor Minato.

While overwhelmed by the power of the animation, we are intrigued by the question of whether this story was "true or not." Meanwhile, this question arises:

"What did Sailor Minato do with his life afterward? I want to interview those who survived."

This is how we meet Tsuruji Akikusa, introduced at the beginning.

A borne destiny

After the war, Akikusa raised one son and two daughters while taking up an electrical equipment management post. He never spoke of the war to his family, but his notebook, among his belongings, contained detailed, date-by-date accounts of his experiences on Iwo Jima.

In 2006, after an NHK interview prompted him to make his experiences public, he began testifying to Self-Defense Forces personnel and local junior and senior high school students. When asked for the reason, he said the following:

"It's unbearable to think that those who died in battle will be forgotten. It would mean that the era they lived in, the era they experienced, was meaningless. Was that time just 'emptiness'?"

The Battle of Iwo Jima was a completely asymmetrical battle. The American forces numbered 60,000, while the Japanese had just over 20,000. They were subjected to naval bombardment from the sea, bombing from the air, and rockets, tanks, and flamethrowers on land.

Nevertheless, the greatest losses inflicted on the American forces since the start of the war came from the elusive guerrilla warfare waged from underground bunkers stretching 18 kilometers in total. Forbidden from surrendering and ordered "do not rush to your death," the soldiers had no choice but to continue fighting as long as they lived.

Akikusa testified to that suffering as follows:

"The communications unit (to which I belonged) set fire and launched a full-scale attack. We ate the charcoal that was left behind. It really brings tears to my eyes. When I remember things like that, tears well up. There really was nothing to eat. There was nothing to put into our mouths. (omitted) But we had to persevere. Who would tell that? So, yeah. Therefore, I say I have to stay alive, that's the feeling.”

The video recently discovered showed Mr. Akikusa, with tears in his eyes, telling children about his comrades, comrades who didn't even leave behind their remains.

"As shells rained down one after another, all the bones turned to sand. They no longer resembled human bones. These people's bones would never return to Japan. (omitted) We must pass on these stories so that they are not forgotten. I believe this is my mission and destiny, that I am still alive."

Words conveyed to his comrades

Mr. Akikusa, who recounted his experiences on Iwo Jima, was continuing to doing one more thing: visiting the hometowns of his fallen comrades to pay his respects. As his son, Shigeyuki, opened the stamp book that his father had left behind, exclaimed, "He really went all over the country!" He was once again amazed by the depth of his father's feelings for his comrades.

Every year, Mr. Akikusa visited Yasukuni Shrine, and Shigeyuki accompanied him several times, passing through the torii gate at Kudan together. There was a phrase his father always uttered as he prayed.

"Shigeyuki, Akikusa's son:

"At that time, it had been 60 years since the end of the war, so we would visit the shrine to report, 'We haven't fought a war for 60 years.' It was just a habit of ours."

Never wage war again—

For Akikusa, that was the greatest way to honor his fallen comrades.

After the filming, Shigeyuki led the crew to a shrine about 10 minutes from his house. There, he said, was a memorial for local war dead that his father used to frequent. Shigeyuki, carrying on his father's legacy, visited once a month.

Perhaps overwhelmed by the thought of his father, Shigeyuki's shoulders trembled slightly as he clasped his hands together. Beside him, Nao-chan, Tsuruji's great-grandchild, clasped the small hands together.

The life that Akikusa-san managed to keep on the island where Japanese forces had honorable death, along with her feelings, continues to this day.

              So, more than 80 years after the war, as traditional program production centered on interviews with war survivors becomes difficult, to focus on the appeal of animation become a new way of conveying the story. While searching for source material, Mizuki’s "The White Flag" gets the attention of NHK’s film director Yu Miyajima. He works on a dialogue drama in which two lieutenants debated about life and death. This work also highlights how Akikusa has testified to the public on the suffering of Japanese soldiers in the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Note:

1. A stamp book (御朱印帳) contains the seal stamp (御朱印 goshuin) given to worshippers and visitors visiting shrines and temples.

Shigeru Mizuki and Iwo Jima: Now we question the burden of life (1/2)

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

水木しげると硫黄島 命の重みをいまに問う(1/2)

2026年8月16日 11:30

NHKスペシャル

戦後81年となることし、NHKは漫画家・水木しげるさんの戦記「白い旗」をアニメ化する。

舞台は硫黄島。降伏を禁じられ、死ぬまで戦うことを求められた日本軍で、部下の命を救おうと死を覚悟して白旗を掲げた1人の海軍士官の物語だ。

硫黄島から生還した将兵は、全体のわずか4％ほど。生還者の取材から見えてきた、失われた命と、つながれた命の重みとはー。

（社会番組部ディレクター 宮島優 / 社会番組部プロデューサー 横井秀信）

(報道局社会番組部ディレクター 宮島優2012年NHK入局 戦争、安全保障などのテーマを中心に番組を制作

報道局チーフ・プロデューサー 横井秀信 1999年NHKに入局 太平洋戦争に関する番組を中心に制作)

NHKスペシャル「白い旗 水木しげると硫黄島」

硫黄島の戦いを経験した人の言葉

「硫黄島作戦」と題されたノートに挟まれていた小さなメモ用紙の言葉に、取材班の目は吸い寄せられた。

「生きるというのは権利ではない。義務なのだ。生きているのではなく、生かされている。今の人生を精一杯生きよう」

記したのは、硫黄島の戦いを経験した秋草鶴次さん。

20年前、NHKの取材を受けたことをきっかけに戦争体験を語り始め、2018年に90歳で亡くなるまで、地元の小中学生に体験を伝え続けた。

「1週間、10日くらい、長く見たら20日くらい、飲まず食わずじゃなかったかと。あるいはそれ以上かも。耐久試験だこれは、人間の。そういう思いだったね」

アメリカ軍は、ガソリンを混ぜた海水を日本軍が潜伏する壕に注入し、火をつけた。腕と足を負傷していた秋草さんは、気を失って水に浮かんでいた時に拘束され、捕虜となった。

大本営は「（硫黄島から）『全員壮烈なる総攻撃を敢行す』との打電あり」と発表し、新聞は「玉砕」と報じた。秋草さんが終戦後の1946年に帰国した時、ちょうど地元の小学校で、町主催の合同慰霊祭が執り行われている最中だったという。

「家族には（戦争の話は）言わない。そこは徹底していたね」と、息子の茂之さん（67）は語る。

そのそばを、鶴次さんのひ孫にあたる那緒ちゃん（7）が離れない。鶴次さんが硫黄島から生還したからこそ、命が茂之さん、そして那緒ちゃんへとつながれたことになる。その重みを、思わずにはいられなかった。

水木しげるが描いた硫黄島

今回、硫黄島の戦いを取材するきっかけとなったのは、水木しげるさんの戦記「白い旗」との出会いだった。

戦後80年を超え、戦争体験者への取材に軸足を置いた従来の番組作りが困難となる中で、新たな伝え方としてアニメーションの訴求力に注目していた。その原作を探していた時に、水木さんの「白い旗」を知ったのだった。

この作品は、硫黄島で総攻撃が行われた後、部下とともに生き残った2人の中尉が、生と死をめぐって激論を繰り広げる対話劇だ。

「死んでいったやつも生きたかったんだ（中略）そうした何万という英霊に対して戦友として死んでやるのが軍人の道ではないのか」

「現在の状態で部下を殺すことが、そんなに勇敢なことだろうか。部下を生かすことこそ勇敢ではないのか」　(水木しげる「白い旗」より)

現代においては、ほとんどの人が後者の言葉に共感するだろう。しかし、当時の戦場では、いや戦場ばかりではなく一般社会においても、天皇や国のために死ぬことは当然のこととされ、多くの人に内面化されていた。

徴兵された水木さん自身も、所属していた分隊が全滅、上官に「皆が死んだんだから、お前も死ね」と言われたという経験を明かしている。

その水木さんが、硫黄島を舞台に描いたのは、部下に「各人生きのびる権利があると思う」と語りかけ、白旗を振る士官の姿であった。しかも、士官は実在したと読者に提示している。

それは本当なのか。水木さんはこの作品で、何を伝えようとしたのか。そんな関心がムクムクと湧き上がり、私たちは「白い旗」に惹かれていった。

(to be continued)

Shigeru Mizuki and Iwo Jima: Now we question the burden of life (1/2)

August 16, 2026, 11:30 AM

NHK Special

This year marks 81 years since the end of the war, NHK is adapting manga artist Shigeru Mizuki's (水木しげる) war memoir, "The White Flag," into an anime.

The story is set on Iwo Jima. In the Japanese army, where surrender was forbidden and soldiers were ordered to fight to the death, a story was told about a naval officer who, prepared to die, raised the white flag to save the lives of his subordinates.

Only about 4% of the soldiers returned from Iwo Jima. From interviews with survivors, we can see the weight of lives lost and lives that were saved.

(Yu Miyajima(宮島優), Director, Social Programs Department / Hidenobu Yokoi (横井秀信), Producer, Social Programs Department)

(Yu Miyajima(宮島優), Director, Social Programs Department, News Division: Joined NHK in 2012. Produces programs primarily on themes such as war and security.)

(Hidenobu Yokoi (横井秀信), Chief Producer, News Division: Joined NHK in 1999. Primarily produces programs related to the Pacific War.)

NHK Special "The White Flag: Shigeru Mizuki (水木しげる) and Iwo Jima"

Words of someone who experienced the Battle of Iwo Jima

The reporter's eyes are drawn to the words on a small memo slip tucked inside a notebook titled "The Iwo Jima Operation."

"Living is not a right. It is a duty. We are not living; we are being allowed to live. Let's live this life to the fullest."

These words were written by Tsuruji Akikusa (秋草鶴次), who experienced the Battle of Iwo Jima.

Prompted by an NHK interview 20 years ago, he began sharing his wartime experiences, and continued to do so with local elementary and junior high school students until his death in 2018 at the age of 90.

"I think I was without food or water for about one week, about ten days, or at most about twenty days. Or it might be even longer. It was a test of endurance, a test for humans. That's what I felt."

The American forces poured seawater mixed with gasoline into the bunkers where the Japanese were hiding and set them on fire. Mr. Akikusa (秋草), who had been injured in his arms and legs, was captured while floating unconscious in the water and became a prisoner of war.

The Imperial General Headquarters announced that "a telegram has been received (from Iwo Jima) stating that 'all men will launch a heroic general attack,'" and newspapers reported it as "honorable death「玉砕」." When Mr. Akikusa returned to Japan in 1946 after the end of the war, it was said that a joint memorial service hosted by the town was underway precisely at his local elementary school.

His son, Shigeyuki (茂之) (67) said "He never talked (about the war) with his family. He was very insistent about that."

Seven-year-old Nao (那緒), Tsurugi-san's great-grandchild, stayed right by the side. It was because Tsuruji-san survived Iwo Jima that his life was passed on to Shigeyuki-san, and then to Nao-chan. It couldn't help but felt the burden.

Iwo Jima as depicted by Mizuki Shigeru

The impetus for this coverage of the Battle of Iwo Jima comes from encountering Mizuki Shigeru's war memoir, "The White Flag."

More than 80 years after the war, as traditional program production centering on interviews with war survivors become difficult, to focus on the appeal of animation became a new way of conveying the story. While searching for source material, Mizuki’s "The White Flag" gets the attention.

This work is a dialogue drama in which two lieutenants who survived the general attack on Iwo Jima, along with their subordinates, engaged in a heated debate about life and death.

"Those who died wanted to live too... Isn't it the duty of a soldier to give his life as a fellow soldier, for those tens of thousands of fallen comrades?”

"Is it really so brave to kill your subordinates in the current situation? Isn't it braver to save your subordinates?" (From Shigeru Mizuki's "The White Flag")

In modern times, most people would resonate with the latter statement. However, on the battlefield at that time, and not just on the battlefield but also in the society in general, dying for the Emperor and the country was considered natural and internalized by many.

Mizuki himself, who was drafted, revealed the experience that his squad was wiped out, and his superior officer told him, "Everyone else is dead, so you should die too."

What Mizuki depicted on Iwo Jima was an officer telling his subordinates, "I believe each of you has the right to survive," and waving a white flag. Furthermore, he presented to the reader that this officer had actually existed.

Is that really true? What is Mizuki trying to convey with this work? Such curiosity wells up within us, and we become drawn to the "White flag."

(to be continued)

為何紅黃藍白都尊重的朱鎔基

Recently Jacky Fung Chi Ching（馮智政）, a current affairs commentator on YouTube, posted the following article on Facebook:

為何紅黃藍白都尊重的朱鎔基

Jacky FUNG 馮智政

16 Aug 2026

 Books｜讀Brahm 的《朱鎔基傳：朱鎔基與現代中國的轉型》

朱鎔基逝世之後，中港都有不少文章去總結他在中國改革開放的功績。有些根據官樣文章，也有從語錄Soundbite去寫其思想，兩者敍事多是藉朱鎔基推動作者的政治主張。對於朱鎔基的經濟功績及其思路，我推薦美國學者龍安志（Laurence J. Brahm）所著的《朱鎔基傳：朱鎔基與現代中國的轉型》。龍安志曾定居中國，長年涉足國際社運、國際危機調停與政治經濟研究的工作。

雖然同樣寫朱鎔基如何處理三角債、通貨膨脹、亞洲金融危機等一連串經濟問題，不過Brahm在書裡試圖為他規劃中國從封閉經濟走向開放轉型的角色，找出理論及歷史的位置。讀畢全書，最大的感受不是人物的生平故事，也不是政策的制定過程，而是一種久違的、對歷史人物複雜性的重新認識。

坊間對朱鎔基的評價，向來存在矛盾。一方面，他是在一九八九年民運期間已經身居上海市委書記要職、其後在總理任內也打壓過民主自由。另一方面，他在國企改革、落實市場經濟規則等關鍵角色，令中國慢慢走向開放。

這種矛盾之所以難以調和，是因為今天social media的政治論述，習慣以一種二元的框架去理解歷史人物：不是民主派，就是專權者；不是改革英雄，就是體制幫兇。這種框架簡單易用，卻往往解釋不到歷史的複雜，也捕捉不到歷史的拐點。

這樣的人物，歷史上並非孤例，近如李登輝、戈爾巴喬夫、辛德勒、拉貝⋯⋯今天的網上世界，習慣了在冷氣房裡看「勇者鬥惡龍」，卻失去了對時空背景Context應有的賞析與判斷。朱鎔基之所以能在前social media時代生活過的人心目中，跨越紅黃藍白被欣賞，或許正正在於此。

❚ ❚ 一個危機四伏的年代

要理解朱鎔基的處境，必須先理解他接手的爛攤子。八九六四之後，鄧小平為了證明自己改革開放的功績，加速推動經濟轉型，並放任金融企業尋租、違規行為。在工業起飛的背後，是規模龐大的債務與過度投資泡沫：國有企業之間互相拖欠、形成「三角債」，通貨膨脹一度飆升至百分之二十一；地方政府為追增長指標，重複投資，令劣質商品堆積如山。這場危機的清理工作，最終落在朱鎔基肩上。

泡沫還泡沫，但有錢賺、有工返，只要不在自己任內爆，大可以領功之後將爛攤子推給下屆。拉丁美洲如是，英國今日政治更是如是。朱鎔基卻選擇了Take hard mode：收水、減產、解散國企、地方稅改。得罪國有企業、得罪地方官員、也令工人下崗再找工作，為的就是將中國經濟推向市場規則。

這種吃力不討好的改革，在中國的政治生態裡格外危險。《朱鎔基傳》記載，一九九二年國企化債陷入困局時，「八大元老」之一、前經濟沙皇薄一波（其子正是後來因貪腐案下台的薄熙來）曾私下發出批評條子，標題是〈問題出在政策還是政策的執行者〉，劍指朱鎔基。無論朱鎔基自己頂，還是交出屬下能幹的經濟師去頂，最終都會令政策不彰、改革不成功，為政敵遞刀子，惹來更大的危機。最終他選擇自己頂，讓石萬鵬、李劍閣、樓繼偉、王岐山這班當時圍繞在他身邊的經濟班子，繼續深化改革。

或許正是這種近乎執拗的市場信仰與改革熱誠，早在一九五八年已經令他在「反右」運動中被打成右派，被下放農村勞動五年之久。歷史往往吊詭：令他吃盡苦頭的性格，正是二十年後令他成就一番事業的性格。

❚ ❚ 信號經濟學

Brahm在《朱鎔基傳》裡以信號經濟學總結朱鎔基的成功。不只於他宣布過甚麼政策，而在於他如何Anticipate民眾理解他的政策及決心，為市場造成什麼Expectation。作者龍安志反覆點出，朱政策宣示前，都意識市場與民間會如何解讀，而這種解讀又將如何反過來影響政策成效。

「我們不再叫它三角債，誰花錢誰還錢！」「誰投資，誰付錢。不然就倒閉！」「誰的孩子誰抱走。」這些短促而近乎命令式的宣言，是精心設計的訊號，目的是向所有相關的市場參與者，國企經理、地方官員、外資銀行，傳遞一個清晰而不容誤讀的預期。98年廣信破產後，他親自在全國人大閉幕記者會上略略提到：北京不會為未經政府擔保的金融企業債務埋單。這不是一句隨口談，而是一次刻意的預期管理，重新校準市場對「政府是否包底」以及「市場規則能否依靠」的預期。

書中亦提到一個微妙的細節：在公開場合，朱鎔基總是恰如其分地提到「以江澤民為核心的」集體領導決策制，又處處談到「共產黨」是政策底氣。看似又八股又擦鞋，但書裡談到匯率、化債及市場管理的決策時，他會多透露，他的「宏觀調控」重點並不在於調控政策，而在於他如何製造市場期待，而這種期待背後有政治力量及過去政績作為擔保，配合市場「短期所要的回報」、「正面對的困難」。

同樣是共產黨政權，但他管治市場的手法不同。他不是靠槍桿子逼人就範，落個行政指令叫新東方執笠、地產商爆雷，而是像格林斯潘管理美國經濟一樣，透過清晰的規則、可預期的懲罰、以及不容妥協的底線，令市場自己選擇跟隨。

❚ ❚ 對全球化與債務，專家以外的判斷

一九九七年亞洲金融危機爆發，國際貨幣基金組織與世界銀行開出的藥方，是要求區內貨幣跟隨貶值，以刺激出口。時任世界銀行首席經濟師Joseph E. Stiglitz（他有另一本書叫《全球化的許諾與失落》又值得分享）向朱鎔基提出「擴大人民幣交易波動幅度」的建議，表面溫和，實質是要引導出貶值不可避免的局面。

他的判斷建基於中國經濟結構的具體現實：中國出口有近半原料依賴進口，貶值只會推高進口成本；出口商品中，又有近半由外資企業生產，貶值等同增加外資企業的還款負擔。在香港，港元與人民幣事實上互相盯住，一旦人民幣貶值，剛剛主權移交的香港，側面衝擊聯繫匯率。但說到底，他核心關注的是，如果再靠出口依賴、廉價貨幣，中國最終會成為全球化下的依賴國。

於是，當泰國、印尼、韓國、俄羅斯的貨幣相繼崩潰，中國寧願出口減弱，都要支撐人民幣。二〇〇〇年，朱鎔基在布魯塞爾歐盟總部向歐洲工業領袖總結這場戰役：中國之所以能夠克服危機，全靠「積極的財政擴張政策、穩健的貨幣政策和產業重組政策」。這句話背後，是正式宣佈中國背棄「華盛頓共識」教條、及「宏觀調控」成功解決經濟危機。

❚ ❚ 結語

作為一個自由經濟的信徒，當然對於朱鎔基的經濟政策有不滿的地方。尤其是，對於中國加入世貿，是否欺詐資本主義國家以自肥？從書中，他對「國家經濟復興」的執着，我相信他是有意利用世貿規則漏洞，配合中國重商主義去發展。

不過，整體而言朱鎔基在他任內10年能夠拆彈，制定發展方向，理順市場參與者重新重視規則，再對比今日各國的領袖，他的功績及歷史重要性是不容忽視。經歷過朱鎔基年代的人，無論政治立場紅黃藍白，都不約而同地懷念這位國務院總理。二元的政治框架，或許永遠無法完整地安放這樣一個人物；但歷史本身，往往正正是由這些難以歸類的人所書寫的。

(Source: https://www.patreon.com/jackyfungcc/posts/books-wei-he-lan-166817130)

              So, regarding Zhu Rongji's economic achievements and his approach, Jacky Fung highly recommend the book Zhu Rongji and the Transformation of Modern China written by American scholar Laurence J. Brahm. Although the book also covers how Zhu managed a series of economic issues—such as "triangle debt" (三角債), inflation, and the Asian financial crisis, Brahm attempts to define Zhu's role in planning China's transition from a closed economy to an open market, mapping out his theoretical and historical positioning. Jacky Fung suggests that the strongest takeaway of the book is not the subject's life story, nor the policy-making process, but rather a long-absent, renewed appreciation for the complexity of historical figures. I agree with Jacky Fung’s point of view about the complexity historical figures.

Note:

1. 《朱鎔基傳：朱鎔基與現代中國的轉型》一書的英文原名：Zhu Rongji and the Transformation of Modern China。作者是美國人 Laurence J. Brahm，中文名通常譯作 “龍安志” 。中文由丁力翻譯。香港中和出版有限公司在 2012 年出版中文版，約 360 頁，ISBN 是 9789881588104。後來這本書有第二版（2020），以及 2023 年精裝典藏版。(ChatGPT)

2.  Jacky Fung Chi Ching（馮智政）經常在網上談論香港、中國、國際政治及移民議題, 是一名研究員、政策評論員和節目主持。他生於1985年，是香港中文大學物理系畢業，後來在香港大學取得國際關係碩士。他曾經在 “香港政策研究所（Hong Kong Policy Research Institute）” 工作，主要研究中國、教育及公共政策。香港大學也曾邀請他作為講者，講談中國與世界的關係。他亦曾擔任 “DBC 數碼電台、now TV、商業電台《光明頂》” 等節目主持或評論員。他現在有自己的 Patreon，以 Jacky FUNG 馮智政的名字製作影片評論。(ChatGPT)

俄羅斯空襲烏克蘭鋼鐵廠致7人死亡，基輔稱莫斯科使用了北韓飛彈

Recently Reuters reported the following:

Russian strike kills seven at Ukraine steel plant, Kyiv says Moscow used North Korean missiles

By Reuters - Reporting by Ron Popeski and Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Timothy Heritage

August 10, 20263:10 PM PDT Updated 6 hours ago

Aug 11 (Reuters) - Seven workers were killed at a Ukrainian steel plant on Tuesday during a Russian attack on the southeastern ‌city of Zaporizhzhia in which President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Moscow used North Korean ballistic missiles.

The Zaporizhstal plant was forced to suspend production after being hit as Russia pummelled Zaporizhzhia with Zircon hypersonic missiles, guided aerial bombs and ballistic missiles supplied by Pyongyang.

"The ballistic missile strike hit as employees were making their ​way to a shelter immediately after the air-raid alert was sounded," parent company Metinvest Group said in a statement ​that put the death toll at seven.

The attack brought production at the plant to a complete halt, ⁠and other damaged sites were operating at reduced capacity, the company said.

Regional governor Ivan Fedorov posted photos of buildings and vehicles ablaze ​after the strike, which also damaged four residential buildings. At least 24 people were injured. No damage was reported at the Zaporizhzhia ​nuclear power plant.

Russia's defence ministry said Russian forces had struck a metallurgical plant in Zaporizhzhia that produces flat-rolled steel which it said was used by the Ukrainian military.

The ministry also said Russian forces had struck the Nova Poshta sorting complex in Kyiv, which it described as used to distribute dual-use goods, ​including components for drones and electronic warfare equipment.

The attacks followed a Ukrainian drone strike that Russian authorities said on Monday had killed ​at least 13 people and wounded 39 in Nizhnekamsk, one of the heaviest civilian tolls in Russia in months. Ukraine said it had hit the ‌city's TANECO ⁠oil refinery.

Another Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and injured two overnight in Russia's Voronezh region, and caused fires at warehouse facilities, the regional governor said. Russian online retailer Wildberries, whose warehouses have frequently been targeted by Ukraine, said it had evacuated its logistics facilities in the Voronezh region for safety reasons.

Six people were also killed overnight in the Ukrainian regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk, Ukrainian officials said earlier ​on Tuesday.

INCREASED ATTACKS

Russia, which began its ​full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February ⁠2022, has increased ballistic missile attacks in recent months, trying to exploit Ukraine's shortage of high-end air defences.

Moscow did not immediately say whether it had used North Korean missiles in the attack on ​Zaporizhzhia. There was no comment from Pyongyang.

A Ukrainian military intelligence official said last week that a North ​Korean missile unit ⁠had begun deploying to western Russia and could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes on Ukraine.

Russia has fired scores of North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine since late 2023, but the deployment of North Korean missile forces would be an expansion of ⁠the already ​extensive military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Zelenskiy said on Saturday that "a decision has ​been made for 30,000 to 50,000 North Koreans to be deployed on the territory of Russia" to fight for Moscow.

Zelenskiy called on allies to respond without hesitation, saying "all ​of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation."

Translation

俄羅斯空襲烏克蘭鋼鐵廠致7人死亡，基輔稱莫斯科使用了北韓飛彈

8月11日（路透社）— 在週二，俄羅斯空襲烏克蘭東南部城市扎波羅熱，造成烏克蘭鋼鐵廠7名工人死亡。烏克蘭總統澤連斯基稱，莫斯科使用了北韓提供的彈道飛彈。

俄羅斯使用「鋯石」高超音速飛彈、導引航空炸彈和北韓提供的彈道飛彈猛烈轟炸札波羅熱，導致札波羅熱鋼鐵廠被迫停產。

母公司Metinvest集團表示死亡人數為7人，聲明稱：「彈道飛彈攻擊發生時，員工們正在空襲警報響起後立即前往防空洞」。

襲擊導致該工廠生產完全停止，該公司表示，其他受損廠房也只能以較低的產能運作。

地區州長Ivan Fedorov在社交媒體上發佈了襲擊後建築物和車輛燃燒的照片，襲擊還導致四棟居民樓受損。至少24人受傷。扎波羅熱核電廠未報告任何損失。

俄羅斯國防部稱，俄軍襲擊了位於扎波羅熱的一家冶金廠，該廠生產扁軋鋼材，據稱烏克蘭軍方使用了這些鋼材。

國防部還表示，俄軍襲擊了位於基輔的「新郵政」分類中心，該中心用於分發包括無人機零件和電子戰設備在內的兩用物項。

此前，烏克蘭無人機襲擊了Nizhnekamsk，造成至少13人死亡、39人受傷。俄羅斯當局週一表示，這是俄羅斯數月來平民傷亡最慘重的事件之一。烏克蘭方面稱，他們襲擊了該市的TANECO煉油廠。

俄羅斯Voronezh州長表示，另一單烏克蘭無人機攻擊事件發生在昨夜，造成一人死亡、兩人受傷，並引發倉庫設施起火。俄羅斯線上零售商Wildberries表示，出於安全考慮，已疏散了其在Voronezh州的物流設施。 Wildberries的倉庫經常成為烏克蘭的攻擊目標。

烏克蘭官員週二稍早表示，烏克蘭Dnipropetrovsk州和Donetsk州也發生了襲擊事件，造成六人死亡。

襲擊事件增多

俄羅斯在2022年2月開始全面入侵烏克蘭，近幾個月來，俄羅斯加強了彈道飛彈攻擊力度，試圖利用烏克蘭高端防空武器短缺的弱點。

莫斯科方面尚未就襲擊札波羅熱是否使用了北韓飛彈作出回應。平壤方面也未對此發表評論。

上週，一名烏克蘭軍事情報官員表示，一支北韓飛彈部隊已開始向俄羅斯西部部署，可能配備120枚彈道飛彈和6套發射裝置，用於打擊烏克蘭。

自2023年底以來，俄羅斯已向烏克蘭發射了數十枚北韓彈道飛彈，但北韓飛彈部隊的部署將進一步擴大莫斯科和平壤之間本已十分廣泛的軍事合作。

澤連斯基週六表示，一個“向俄羅斯境內部署3萬至5萬名朝鮮士兵”，為莫斯科作戰的決定已被作實了。

澤連斯基呼籲盟友毫不猶豫地做出回應，並表示「所有這一切都表明，莫斯科準備的不是和平，而是局勢升級」。

So, Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February ⁠2022, has increased ballistic missile attacks in recent months, exploiting Ukraine's shortage of high-end air defenses. Zelenskiy says that North Korea will send 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine. Apparently, Moscow needs more outside assistance in the war with Ukraine.

人工智能並非網絡安全的最大難題。最大的問題是人 (2/2)

Recently CNN reported the following:

AI isn’t the biggest cybersecurity problem. People are (2/2)

BUSINESS TECH

CNN - By Lisa Eadicicco

AUG 9, 2026

(continue)

How hackers are using AI

AI isn’t acting autonomously to come up with new attacks, experts say. Instead, it’s helping cyber criminals implement existing techniques much faster while being more efficient and effective.

That can include things like using AI to analyze a company’s website to figure out who to target or deploying an AI agent to handle initial negotiation talks with a cyber extortion victim. AI agents can mimic human conversations through both text and even specific voices. Hackers with little expertise can now leverage AI to pull off advanced schemes.

“They’re using (AI) to enhance the cyberattack methodology, essentially, in all the different stages, but it’s still kind of being run by the human,” said Jud Dressler, head of the risk operations center at cyber insurance firm Resilience.

Bad actors used to hastily scrap together basic scripts – instructions for automating tasks – to achieve their goals, according to Meyers. But now they’re able to churn out higher quality work that looks like it would have taken three times as long to produce.

They’re also using AI for behind-the-scenes work like generating the infrastructure needed to put up malicious websites.

“With AI, they could automate that buildout, and so the cost of rebuilding became very small and that changes the game,” said Rob Lefferts, corporate vice president of threat protection at Microsoft.

The bigger threat

For Etzioni, the recent incidents are a “canary in the coal mine” moment for AI and cybersecurity. And he’s not alone; Nobel prize-winning computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, known popularly as the “godfather of AI,” recently warned that more rogue AI attacks are likely to come.

The rogue AI reports underscore the importance of implementing strong cybersecurity practices, such as patching vulnerabilities, monitoring AI agents in the workplace and being wary of social engineering and phishing scams, experts say.

But as advanced as AI is becoming, it’s still a program being orchestrated by a human. And those humans are the bigger concern because they’re the ones making the decisions, like conducting espionage or scamming users out of huge sums of cash, says Meyers.

Tech giants are racing to make AI as intelligent as humans, a theoretical milestone known as “artificial general intelligence.” The recent incidents, however, have heightened calls for a slowdown.

More than 1,200 workers at top AI companies, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, recently signed an open letter calling for the government to help pace AI development. The White House met with major AI companies last week to discuss a framework that would allow the government to review certain AI models before they’re released.

Cybersecurity researchers have likely considered the threats of AGI because those in the field tend to be paranoid, said IBM’s Fussell. But we’re still far from a reality in which AI agents are as smart as humans, he says.

“It’s like asking someone, ‘What would it be like to live on a different planet?’” he said. “You can sort of imagine, but it’s so beyond our ability to really make a plan for.”

Translation

人工智能並非網絡安全的最大難題。最大的問題是人 (2/2)

 （繼續）

 駭客如何利用人工智能

 專家表示，人工智能並不會自主地發動新的攻擊。相反，它能幫助網絡犯罪分子更快實施現有技術，同時提高效率和效果。

 這包括利用人工智能分析公司網站，確定攻擊目標；或部署人工智能代理來處理與網路勒索受害者的初步談判。人工智能代理可以透過文字甚至特定語音來模仿人類對話。如今，經驗不足的駭客也能利用人工智能實施高難度計劃。

 網絡保險公司 Resilience 的風險營運中心負責人 Jud Dressler 說:「他們基本上是在利用人工智能來增強網路攻擊方法的各個階段，但最終還是由人來操控」。

 據Meyers稱，過去，惡意攻擊者會匆忙拼湊一些簡單的腳本 - 即自動化任務的指令 - 來達到目的。但現在，他們能夠快速生成更高品質的作品，看起來就像是需要花費三倍的時間才能完成的。

他們也利用人工智能進行幕後工作，例如產生搭建惡意網站所需的基礎設施。

微軟的威脅防護企業副總裁 Rob Lefferts 說:「有了人工智能，他們可以自動化建造這些基礎設施，因此重建的成本變得非常低，這改變了遊戲規則」。

更大的威脅

對 Etzioni 來說，最近發生的事件是人工智能和網絡安全領域的「警示時刻」。而且這並非是孤例；被譽為「人工智能之父」的諾貝爾獎得主、電腦科學家 Geoffrey Hinton 最近也警告說，未來可能會出現更多惡意人工智能攻擊。

專家表示，人工智能失控事件凸顯了實施強有力的網路安全措施的重要性，例如修補漏洞、監控工作場所中的人工智能代理，以及警覺社交工程和網絡釣魚詐騙。

但 Meyers 指出，儘管人工智能技術日益先進，但它仍然是由人類操控的程式。而人類才是更令人擔憂的對象，因為正是他們做出決策，例如進行間諜活動或詐騙用戶巨額資金。

科技巨頭們正競相使人工智能達到與人類相同的智能水平，這一理論里程碑被稱為「通用人工智能」(“artificial general intelligence.”)。然而，近期發生的事件加劇了人們對放緩人工智能發展步伐的呼聲。

包括 Anthropic 執行長 Dario Amodei 在內的1,200多名頂尖人工智能公司員工近期簽署了一封公開信，呼籲政府協助調整人工智能的發展速度。上週，白宮與多家大型人工智能公司會面，討論一項框架，該框架將允許政府在某些人工智能模型發佈前對其進行審查。

IBM 的 Fussell 表示，網絡安全研究人員之所以會考慮通用人工智能（AGI）的威脅，可能是因為該領域的從業人員往往比較執着。但他又指出，人工智能代理可以達到人類水準的現實還是很遙遠。

他說道:“這就像問別人‘生活在另一個星球上會是什麼感覺？’”; “你可以大致想像一下，但這完全超出了我們為這制定計劃的能力範圍。”

So, cases of AI escaping the lab, infiltrating other companies and trying to deceive people have all made headlines in recent weeks. AI isn’t the mastermind behind today’s most widespread cyber threats; it’s people who use AI to do bad things. More than 1,200 workers at top AI companies recently sign an open letter calling for the government to help pace AI development. For some AI experts, the recent incidents are  wakeup calls for AI and cybersecurity. Apparently, more rogue AI attacks are likely to appear.