遇到棘手的醫學問題？你的醫生可能使用人工智能解决 (1/2)

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

Have a Thorny Medical Question? Your Doctor May Be Using A.I. for That (1/2)

OpenEvidence, a fast-growing start-up, is using artificial intelligence to help doctors find answers to clinical questions for diagnosis and treatment.

The NYT - By Steve Lohr - Steve Lohr has reported on the way technology is changing the work force for more than a decade.

June 8, 2026

Dr. Nicholas Gavin, an emergency medicine doctor at Mount Sinai in New York City, was working an overnight shift last summer when a patient came in with a puzzling set of symptoms. Within seconds, his three younger colleagues — two medical students and a resident — were consulting a free artificial-intelligence-powered app for physicians, OpenEvidence.

Dr. Gavin soon learned that they were far from outliers. A third of Mount Sinai’s 9,000 doctors were already regular OpenEvidence users, the health system’s executives found out in a meeting last year with the start-up’s leaders.

“That was an ‘aha’ moment for our leadership,” said Dr. Gavin, who is also the system’s chief clinical innovation officer.

OpenEvidence’s A.I. app, essentially a chatbot for medicine, has become a viral hit with physicians. Talk to a doctor and chances are he or she uses the app to ask specific medical questions or bounce ideas off it in a diagnostic dialogue.

More than half of the nation’s physicians are regular users. Last month, they used it for 30 million questions and consultations, nearly twice the volume from six months earlier, according to the start-up. A separate survey last year of 1,000 physicians found that 45 percent of them used the app, nearly triple the percentage who used ChatGPT, according to Offcall, a career information service for doctors.

That growth propelled the start-up to a $12 billion valuation in January, up from $3.5 billion last July.

But doctors’ quick adoption of the app since its introduction in 2024 — one of a handful of A.I.-enhanced programs on the market seeking to win over physicians — has heightened concerns about how and when the technology should be used in life-or-death situations. In a high-stakes field like medicine, health care systems are navigating thorny matters of patient privacy, safety and trust, as well as the limitations of the technology itself.

“It’s not an oracle, it’s a tool,” said Daniel Nadler, founder and chief executive of OpenEvidence. “Knowledge and knowledge workers still matter.”

The doctor’s office has been a target for computer-assisted decision making for decades, with very limited success until the recent advances of A.I.

The first wave of A.I. in medicine focused on easing the heavy burden of documentation that contributes to physician burnout with transcriptions and summaries of patient visits, called A.I. scribe software. The second wave, which is just getting underway, aims to use A.I. to assist doctors with reliable information and advice to guide diagnosis and treatment while at a patient’s bedside.

The competition has intensified in recent months. UpToDate, a popular legacy electronic reference for doctors, has given its service an A.I. makeover with a chatbot interface. Doximity, an online professional network for physicians, bought an A.I. start-up that mines medical literature and generates summaries. Abridge, a fast-growing A.I. scribe maker, is adding decision-support tools. And last month, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT for Clinicians.

OpenEvidence became a front-runner in part because it exclusively used medical journals and other high-quality research as data to train its A.I. models. Physicians can ask the app specific questions or enter the characteristics and symptoms of a patient and ask for potential explanations. The app is compliant with the federal law that protects patient health information, and physicians are told not to enter any personally identifying information.

OpenEvidence responds with a summary of most likely diagnoses, and then offers other “most important not to miss diagnoses.” Each has links to the research articles that inform the summaries.

“A.I. is solving some of the problems that have long plagued the practice of medicine,” said Dr. Raja-Elie Abdulnour, chief clinical innovation officer at NEJM Group, which publishes The New England Journal of Medicine. “These tools just didn’t exist before, and that’s why people are so excited about them now.”

Yet the early enthusiasm should be tempered with a large dose of caution, medical experts agree. The research so far into the benefits and shortcomings of A.I. in medicine is decidedly mixed.

A.I. has aced standard licensing exams and outperformed human doctors in diagnosing certain cases. But A.I. has also stumbled, failing to accurately summarize research papers or giving wrong answers to diagnostic questions. And it isn’t going to replace humans anytime soon.

“The potential for A.I. is great, but we’re not there yet,” said Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and an executive vice president at Scripps Research in San Diego. “It hasn’t really been tested and demonstrated in the messy, real world of medicine.”

(to be continued)

Translation

遇到棘手的醫學問題？你的醫生可能使用人工智能解决 (1/2)

OpenEvidence 是一家快速發展的新創公司，它正利用人工智能幫助醫生找到臨床診斷和治療問題的答案

去年夏天，紐約市西奈山醫院的急診醫生Nicholas Gavin值夜班時，一位有令人費解症狀的病人前來就診。幾秒鐘之內，他的三位年輕同事 - 兩名醫學生和一名住院醫師 - 就開始使用一款名為 OpenEvidence 的免費人工智能醫生應用程式去診斷。

Gavin醫生很快就發現，他們絕非異類。西奈山醫院的9,000名醫生中，有三分之一已經是 OpenEvidence 的經用使用者。去年，這醫療機構的管理層在與這家新創公司的領導人會面時得知了這一情況。

同時也是該智能系統的首席臨床創新官的 Gavin醫生說道:「這對我們的領導層來說是一個『頓悟』時刻」。

OpenEvidence 的人工智能應用程序，本質上是一個醫療聊天機器人，已在醫生群體中迅速走紅。随便問一個醫生，他們很可能都使用這款應用程式來諮詢特定的醫學問題，或在診斷對話中與它交流想法。

超過一半的美國醫生都是這款應用程式的經常用戶。據這家新創公司稱，上個月，他們使用該應用程式進行了 3,000 萬次諮詢和問詢，幾乎是六個月前的兩倍。去年一項針對 1,000 名醫生的獨立調查發現，45% 的醫生曾使用過這款應用程序，幾乎是 ChatGPT 用戶比例的三倍。這項調查的數據來自醫生職業資訊服務平台 Offcall。

這一成長推動這家新創公司在今年 1 月的估值達到 120 億美元，而去年 7 月的估值為 35 億美元。

但自2024年推出以來，醫生們對這款應用程式的快速接受度 - 它是市場上為數不多的幾款旨在贏得醫生青睞的人工智能增強型程式之一 - 加劇了人們對這項技術在生死攸關的情況下應該如何以及何時使用的擔憂。在醫療如此高風險的領域，醫療保健系統正在努力應對棘手的病患隱私、安全和信任問題，以及科技本身的限制。

OpenEvidence的創始人兼執行長 Daniel Nadler表示: 「它不是神諭，而是一種工具」; 「知識和知識工作者仍然至關重要」。

幾十年來，醫生辦公室一直是用電腦去輔助診症的目標場所，但直至人工智能最近取得大進展之前，其應用非常有限。

第一波人工智能在醫學領域的應用主要集中在減輕醫生因繁重的文件工作而導致的職業倦怠，其方式是透過轉錄和總結患者就診記錄，即所謂的人工智能記錄軟件。第二波浪潮剛興起，旨在利用人工智能為醫生提供可靠的資訊和建議，以指導他們在患者床邊進行診斷和治療。

近幾個月來，競爭日益激烈。廣受歡迎的傳統電子參考資料平台 UpToDate 為其服務進行了人工智能改造，新增了聊天機器人介面。向醫生提供線上專業網路的 Doximity 收購了一家人工智能新創公司，該公司挖掘醫學文獻並提供摘要。快速發展的人工智能醫療記錄工具 Abridge 正在添加決策支援工具。上個月，OpenAI 推出了臨床醫生的 ChatGPT。

OpenEvidence 之所以能成為領跑者，部分原因在於它完全使用醫學期刊和其他高品質研究作為資料來訓練其人工智能模型。醫生可以向該應用程式提出具體問題，也可以輸入患者的特徵和症狀，並尋求可能的解釋。這款應用程式符合保護患者健康資訊的聯邦法律，醫生被告知不得輸入任何個人識別資訊。

OpenEvidence 會提供最可能診斷的摘要，並提供其他「不容錯過的重要診斷」。每個摘要都附有相關研究文章的連結。

出版《新英格蘭醫學雜誌》的 NEJM Group 的首席臨床創新官 Raja-Elie Abdulnour 醫生表示:「人工智能正在解決一些長期困擾醫學實踐的問題」;「這些工具以前根本不存在，所以人們現在對它們如此興奮」。

然而，醫學專家一致認為，早期的熱情應該伴隨著大量的謹慎。目前關於研究人工智能在醫學領域的益處和不足的結果是明顯地參差。

人工智能已經順利通過了標準的執業資格考試，並在某些病例的診斷上超越了人類醫生。但人工智能也曾失手，例如無法準確總結研究論文，或對診斷問題給予錯誤答案。而且，它在短期內也不會取代人類。

Eric Topol博士是心臟科醫生，也是聖地亞哥Scripps研究所的執行副總裁説: 「人工智能的潛力巨大，但我們尚未達到目標」; 「它還沒有在紛繁複雜的真實醫學世界中經過實際考驗和證實」。

（待續）

隨著全球緊張局勢加劇，中國正在建構經濟堡壘（2/2）

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

China Builds an Economic Fortress as Global Tensions Rise (2/2)

Beijing says the changes are needed for national security, but they could complicate efforts by Chinese companies to find growth overseas.

The NYT - By Alexandra Stevenson and Murphy Zhao - Reporting from Hong Kong. Alexandra Stevenson is the Shanghai bureau chief for The Times, reporting on China’s economy and society.

Published June 5, 2026

Updated June 6, 2026

(continue)

Green Light, Red Light

What is new in the rules unveiled this week is the effort to slow the overseas expansion of Chinese companies.

The measures restrict the movement of certain talent in sectors deemed sensitive, though Beijing has not defined which sectors qualify. They also give officials broader authority to review the movement of capital, including the power to force investors to sell shares or halt investments if national security concerns arise.

The rules also lay the legal groundwork for regulators to bar foreign entities from investing or operating in China, including expelling them from the country, in retaliation for actions taken by their governments against Chinese investments.

To some experts, the most striking effect of these rules is that they could constrain the ambitions of Chinese companies when they are under intense pressure to find new markets and the country’s exports are reaching record levels.

“China has been encouraging companies to go overseas to set up production facilities, invest and bypass any constraints that may exist on manufacturing in China,” said Lester Ross, a longtime China expert and senior counsel at Wilmer Hale.

Yet these new rules could complicate that, he added.

Chinese officials are calling the new rules a “milestone” for outbound investment. But for many investors, the vague definition of what constitutes a national security concern has led to significant uncertainty.

Déjà Vu?

The idea that companies or individuals need approval to invest overseas may seem unusual. But China has long restricted money flowing out of the country and currently limits individuals to moving $50,000 abroad each year. That tool has become increasingly important as economic growth has slowed.

Nor is China the first country to screen outbound investment. The Biden administration in 2024 imposed restrictions on U.S. financing of Chinese semiconductor, quantum computing and artificial intelligence sectors.

The European Union has also urged its member states to review investments in those same sensitive sectors.

But unlike the United States and Europe, Beijing has defined national security far more broadly. And its rules are correspondingly more expansive.

For lawyers and trade advisers, the flurry of restrictions from multiple governments signals the end of an era.

The Chinese government cited “profound changes unseen in a century” as justification for the new State Council rules. The argument resonated with Zhou Yong, a lawyer with Junhe, a Chinese law firm.

“From a legal standpoint, the restructuring of international business rules has been brought about by great power competition and technological progress,” Mr. Zhou said.

“China,” he added, “hopes to have some tools of its own.”

Translation

隨著全球緊張局勢加劇，中國正在建構經濟堡壘（2/2）

北京方面稱，這些變革是為了國家安全，但可能會使中國企業在海外尋求成長的努力變得更加複雜

（繼續）

綠燈與紅燈

本周公佈的新規旨在減緩中國企業的海外擴張。

這些措施限制了某些被認為敏感產業的特定人才流動，但北京方面並未明確界定哪些產業屬於敏感產業。這些措施也賦予官員更大的權力來審查資本流動，包括在出現國家安全問題時強制投資者出售股票或停止投資的權力。

這些規則也為監管機構提供了法律依據，使其可以禁止外國實體在中國投資或經營，甚至將其驅逐出境，以報復其政府對中國投資的行動。

一些專家認為，這些規則最顯著的影響在於，它們可能會限制中國企業的雄心壯志，而此時中國企業正面臨著尋找新市場的巨大壓力，而中國出口額正創歷史新高。

長期研究中國問題、Wilmer Hale律師事務所高級顧問Lester Ross表示: 「中國一直鼓勵企業到海外設立生產基地、進行投資，以繞過中國製造業可能存在的各種限制」。

但他補充說，這些新規可能會使情況變得複雜。

中國官員稱這些新規是對外投資的「里程碑」。但對許多投資者而言，國家安全問題的模糊定義導致了極大的不確定性。

似曾相識？

企業或個人需要獲得批准才能進行海外投資的想法或許聽起來有些不尋常。但中國長期以來一直限制資金外流，目前規定個人每年向境外轉移資金不得超過5萬美元。隨著經濟成長放緩，這項措施的重要性日益凸顯。

中國並非第一個審查對外投資的國家。拜登政府在2024年對美國投資中國半導體、量子運算和人工智能領域的計劃實施了限制。

歐盟也敦促其成員國審查在這些敏感領域的投資。

但與美國和歐洲不同，北京對國家安全的定義遠較寬鬆，其相關規定也相應更為廣泛。

對律師和貿易顧問而言，多國政府接連的限制措施標誌著一個時代的終結。

中國政府以「百年未有之大變局」為由，為國務院的新規辯護。這項說法引起了中國Junhe律師事務所律師Zhou Yong的共鳴。

Zhou先生說： “從法律角度來看，國際商業規則的重組是由大國競爭和技術進步帶來的。”

他補充說：“中國希望擁有一些屬於自己的工具。”

So, China is erecting walls to prevent money, technology and companies from leaving the country.  China has announced new rules requiring national security screening for Chinese companies seeking to invest overseas. The move follows regulations introduced in April and taken together, it seems that China is building an economic fortress around its technology and supply chains. Apparently, these restrictions signal the end of globalization.

隨著全球緊張局勢加劇，中國正在建構經濟堡壘（1/2）

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

China Builds an Economic Fortress as Global Tensions Rise (1/2)

Beijing says the changes are needed for national security, but they could complicate efforts by Chinese companies to find growth overseas.

The NYT - By Alexandra Stevenson and Murphy Zhao - Reporting from Hong Kong. Alexandra Stevenson is the Shanghai bureau chief for The Times, reporting on China’s economy and society.

Published June 5, 2026

Updated June 6, 2026

China is erecting walls to prevent money, technology and companies from leaving the country.

This week, the State Council, China’s cabinet, announced new rules requiring national security screening for Chinese companies seeking to invest overseas. The move follows regulations introduced in April that allowed the authorities to intervene when foreign companies tried to relocate supply chains out of China.

Taken together, the measures amount to a new blueprint for the economic fortress China is building around its technology and supply chains amid rising tensions with Europe and the United States.

The rules are another sign that the economic principles of open markets and free trade, which have governed much of the world for decades and helped fuel China’s extraordinary rise, are giving way to a more fragmented era.

From Washington to Brussels, the world’s largest economies are choosing trade barriers over greater economic integration, driven in part by heightened concerns over China’s global dominance in raw materials, manufactured goods and technology, and a surge in Chinese products around the world.

“We’ve moved away from a world where laws made it easier to allow the flow of capital, people, technology and trade to go around,” said Ben Kostrzewa, a partner and trade expert at Hogan Lovells in Hong Kong.

“The Chimerica economy envisioned 20 years ago turned out to be chimerical,” he said, referring to the once-popular portmanteau of China and America.

Beijing has already offered a preview of what this new era could look like. It blocked Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of Manus, an artificial intelligence company founded by Chinese engineers. It told Chinese refineries sanctioned by the United States not to comply. And it ordered a state-backed security equipment company not to cooperate with European Union investigators.

With each action, Beijing edges closer to a confrontation with the United States and Europe.

A Focus on National Security

Chinese policymakers have been building a growing arsenal of export controls, countermeasures and trade penalties in response to tariffs and other restrictions imposed by foreign governments.

The new State Council rules extend that effort to the overseas activities of Chinese companies and outline how Beijing could retaliate against foreign companies and individuals when Chinese investments are restricted.

The rules also give the authorities new powers to scrutinize Chinese companies seeking opportunities abroad, subjecting them to national security reviews that place investments into one of three categories: encouraged, restricted or prohibited.

Part of the motivation for this, lawyers say, is to keep money, talent and intellectual property in fields where China has a competitive edge from leaving the country.

Foreign businesses in China worry the measure could be interpreted broadly enough to include data from Chinese operations, which they must provide to international regulators as part of investigations or investment reviews.

China also clamped down on outbound investment a decade ago, targeting what it called “irrational” deals by corporate giants seeking trophy assets like the Waldorf Astoria. But those interventions were aimed at reducing financial risks at home and largely involved banking regulators scrutinizing company balance sheets.

The new framework is different. Its focus is national security, and the effort is far more coordinated.

(to be continued)

Translation

隨著全球緊張局勢加劇，中國正在建構經濟堡壘（1/2）

北京方面稱，這些變革是為了國家安全，但這可能會使中國企業在海外尋求成長的努力變得更加複雜

中國正在築起高牆，以阻止資金、技術和企業流出中國。

本週，中國國務院宣佈了新的規定，要求對尋求海外投資的中國企業進行國家安全審查。此前，中國於4月出台了相關規定，容許當局在外國公司試圖將供應鏈遷出中國時進行幹預。

總而言之，這些措施構成了中國圍繞其技術和供應鏈構建經濟堡壘的新藍圖，而此時中美關係正日益緊張。

這些規則再次表明，數十年來主導世界大部分地區並助力中國崛起的開放市場和自由貿易的經濟原則，正在讓位給一個更加碎片化的時代。

從華盛頓到布魯塞爾，世界主要經濟體都在選擇設置貿易壁壘，而非加強經濟整合。這在一定程度上是由於人們日益擔憂中國在全球原材料、製成品和技術領域的主導地位，以及中國產品在全球市場的激增。

香港Hogan Lovells律師事務所合夥人兼貿易專家Ben Kostrzewa表示:「我們已經告別了那個法律允許資本、人員、技術和貿易更自由流動的世界」。

「20年前人們所設想的Chimerica經濟 最終被證明是虛幻的」，他指的是曾經流行的中美兩國的合成字。

北京已經提前展現了這新時代的可能面貌。它阻止了Meta以20億美元收購由中國工程師創立的人工智慧公司Manus。它告知受美國制裁的中國煉油廠無需遵守制裁規定。它還命令一家國有保安設備公司不得與歐盟調查人員合作。

北京的每一項舉措都使其與美國和歐洲的對抗更進一步。

聚焦國家安全

為因應外國政府徵收的關稅和其他限制，中國決策者一直在建構日益完善的出口管制、反制措施和貿易懲罰機制。

國務院新規將這項努力擴展到中國企業的海外活動，並概述了當中國投資受到限制時，北京可以如何對外國公司和個人進行報復。

這些規定也賦予當局新的權力，可以審查尋求海外投資機會的中國企業，並對其進行國家安全審查，將投資分為鼓勵、限製或禁止三類。

律師表示，此舉的部分動機是為了防止中國在具有競爭優勢的領域中的資金、人才和知識財產權流出。

在華外資企業擔心，這項措施的解讀可能過於廣義，甚至涵蓋其在中國的業務數據。這些企業必須向國際監管機構提供數據，作為調查或投資審查的一部分。

十年前，中國也曾收緊對外投資，打擊其所謂的「非理性」交易，這些交易通常由企業巨頭尋求收購Waldorf Astoria酒店等標誌性資產。但當時的干預措施旨在降低國內金融風險，主要涉及銀行監理機構對公司資產負債表的審查。

新的框架則有所不同。它的重點是國家安全，而且協調性更強。

（待續）

從行山到火鍋，中國孤獨的消費者催生了價值74億美元的陪伴經濟

Recently Reuter reported the following:

From hiking to hotpot, lonely consumers in China fuel a $7.4 billion companionship economy 

Reuters - By Sophie Yu and Casey Hall

June 1, 20265:03 PM PDTUpdated 6 hours ago

BEIJING, June 2 (Reuters) - On the stone steps leading up Mount Tai, one of China’s best-known peaks, hikers can book and ‌pay for “climbing buddies” to walk with them, carry bags and take photos for a few hundred yuan.

The increasingly popular service is part of a broader “companionship economy” emerging in China, which includes paid partners for running, sightseeing and even eating out at hotpot restaurants – a meal traditionally shared with friends.

Providers, often students or ​young gig workers, advertise on social media with promises of “emotional value”, conversation and practical help, turning what was once an ​experience or favour among friends into a bookable – and payable – service.

While there is no official data about ⁠the size of the companion economy, estimates cited by state media said it was worth around 50 billion yuan ($7.4 billion) in 2025.

The ​trend reflects broader shifts in China’s urban lifestyles and service economy. Researchers and state media have described growing demand for “emotional consumption” as young ​people live and work farther from family networks, face longer working hours and have a harder time maintaining traditional social ties.

China's prolonged youth unemployment has coincided with - and contributed to - a growing reliance on gig and flexible work among young people, as graduates and job seekers turn to delivery, ride‑hailing and ​other online platform work in the absence of stable jobs. Official data shows China has more than 200 million so-called flexible workers.

PAYING ​FOR COMPANY

After leaving the army in 2022, Chen Wenxin founded a hiking-companion company, with a focus on the eastern province of Shandong.

“I have always been ‌a hiker ⁠and have a lot of hiking experience," Chen said. "I noticed rising demand in the hiking escort service, then decided to try my hand in the field.”

His team has expanded from fewer than 10 workers to about 370 now. He said the company charges 800 yuan ($116) for daytime climbs on Mount Tai, the highest point in Shandong.

Psychotherapist Sami Wong, managing director of research firm 3Drips Psychology, said the appeal ​of paid companions is partly about ​certainty and control in a ⁠social environment that can otherwise feel like a lot of effort and high-risk.

Meeting people requires emotional labour and investment, she said, and “the outcome is very uncertain,” which creates anxiety. Paid companionship can help ​customers avoid the sting of rejection.

“When you pay for this service you always get a 'yes',” Wong ​said.

Tang Junxing, 24, a ⁠junior at a university in the southern Chinese city of Guilin, said he earns pocket money as a travel companion. The side gig started when a university professor asked him to be her driver on a week-long road trip.

“That’s when I realised you can actually make money ⁠by accompanying ​people on trips and driving for them,” he said. Tang says he typically ​earns 3,000 to 5,000 yuan a month.

“Most of my clients are women and their core need is emotional value, someone who makes them feel good and makes the ​trip easy,” he said.

Translation

從行山到火鍋，中國孤獨的消費者催生了價值74億美元的陪伴經濟

北京，6月2日（路透社）—在通往中國著名山峰之一泰山的石階上，行山者可以預訂並付費僱用「登山夥伴」陪同他們登山、幫手提包、拍照，費用僅需幾百元人民幣。

這項日益流行的服務是中國正在興起的更廣泛的「陪伴經濟」的一部分，該經濟還包括付費結伴跑步、觀光，甚至一起去火鍋店吃飯 - 火鍋是傳統上與朋友一起享用的。

這些服務提供者通常是學生或年輕的兼職人員，他們在社群交體上做廣告，承諾提供「情感價值」、聊天和實際幫助，將曾經是朋友間的一次體驗或人情上幫忙變成了一種可以預訂並付費的服務。

雖然目前尚無關於陪伴經濟規模的官方數據，但根據官方媒體引述的估計，到2025年，其規模約為500億元人民幣（74億美元）。

這一趨勢反映了中國城市生活方式和服務業的更廣泛轉變。研究人員和官方媒體指出，隨著年輕人遠離有家庭聯繫和支持的生活和工作，面臨更長的工作時間和更難維繫傳統的社會關係，人們對「情感消費」的需求日益增加。

中國長期存在的青年失業問題，恰逢年輕人越來越依賴散工和彈性就業，加劇了這一趨勢。由於缺乏穩定的工作，畢業生和求職者紛紛轉向送外賣、叫車和其他線上平台工作。官方數據顯示，中國擁有超過2億所謂的彈性就業者。

付費陪伴

Chen Wenxin於2022年從軍隊退伍後，創辦了一家遠足陪伴公司，主要業務集中在山東省。

Chen先生說: 「我一直是個行山愛好者，也累積了豐富的遠足經驗」;「我注意到遠足陪同服務的需求不斷增長，於是決定在這方面嘗試一下」。

他的團隊已經從最初的不到10人發展到現在的約370人。他說，公司提供在山東最高峰泰山進行日間攀登的服務，收費800元人民幣（約116美元）。

心理治療師、研究公司3Drips Psychology的總經理Sami Wong女士表示，付費陪同服務的吸引力部分在於，它能提供確定性和可控性，而這種確定性和可控性在社交環境中往往讓人感到費力且高風險。

她說，結識新朋友需要付出情緒勞動和投入，“結果卻非常不確定”，這會讓人感到焦慮。付費陪同服務可以幫助顧客避免被拒絕的痛苦。

Wong 女士說: “當你付費享受這項服務時，你總能得到一個 ‘可以’” 。

24歲的Tang Junxing是桂林一所大學的大三學生，他說自己靠當旅行伴侶賺零用錢。這份兼職始於一位大學教授邀請他當她一週自駕遊的司機。

他說:「那時我才意識到，原來陪別人旅行、開車也能賺錢」。Tang表示，他通常每個月能賺到3000到5000元。

他說:「我的客戶大多是女性，她們最主要的需求是情感上的慰藉，希望有人能讓她們感到舒適，讓旅程輕鬆愉快」。

So, recently the so called “companionship economy” is emerging in China. China's prolonged youth unemployment has coincided with - and contributed to - a growing reliance on flexible work among young people. Official data shows China has more than 200 million so-called flexible workers. Apparently, this will relieve the unemployment situation among young people in China.

中國藥物研發崛起令美國感到壓力（2/2）

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

China’s Rise in Drug Development Looms Over U.S. (2/2)

Clinical trials in China are getting attention at an international oncology gathering in Chicago. China’s surging biotechnology industry is fueling alarm that U.S. dominance in the field is waning.

The NYT - By Rebecca Robbins and Gina Kolata

May 30, 2026

Updated 11:21 a.m. ET

(continue)

China’s rising influence

In the last few years, the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies have been filling their pipelines by turning to China, where prices are low, regulatory hurdles are fewer, and development timelines are quick.

So far this year, about half of such major deals involved a drug from China, up from next to nothing in the 2010s, according to DealForma, which tracks drug industry transactions.

That trend will be on vivid display at ASCO. Beyond ivonescimab, other presentations feature experimental cancer drugs invented and tested in China that have been scooped up by big drugmakers like Pfizer, Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb.

In particular, the drug bought by Merck impressed the field with results, announced earlier this month, showing it slowed tumor progression in Chinese patients with advanced lung cancer.

A Chinese company typically retains the rights to sell its drug in China. The big drugmakers buy the U.S. rights, spurning offerings from American start-ups that are developing similar medicines.

Critics of China also point to an increasingly worrisome pattern. Chinese drug developers race to essentially copy U.S. inventions. As protection, some U.S. biotech start-ups have imposed new measures to maintain secrecy, like refusing to publish papers or present posters at conferences.

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health secretary, put it to lawmakers at a hearing in April: “China is eating our lunch.”

In March, Chris Klomp, one of Mr. Kennedy’s top lieutenants, described the current climate to those attending the Conservative Political Action Conference. “It’s not one of missiles and tanks,” he said. “It’s of laboratories and lifesaving medications. It’s a war right now with China on American innovation and biotechnology.”

For now, big multinational pharmaceutical companies are developing most drugs invented in China for introduction to the U.S. market. But some fear that if more Chinese companies assume a direct role, American patients could become dangerously reliant on the Chinese government for access to vital brand-name drugs.

There is a risk, Dr. Marks said, of “creating a new Strait of Hormuz.”

Representative John Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan, has called for prohibiting the F.D.A. from reviewing data from China and curbing the deal making between major U.S. drugmakers and Chinese companies. But his proposals have not gained much traction.

Dr. Richard Pazdur, who was the F.D.A.’s longtime top cancer drug regulator and briefly led its broader drug division late last year, was well-known for refusing to approve cancer drugs based on data collected only in China.

Now, “regulators must prepare for an environment in which some therapies with substantial patient benefit may be studied primarily, or even exclusively, in China,” Dr. Pazdur warned in an opinion piece in JAMA that he co-wrote in March.

Emily Hilliard, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the F.D.A. evaluates whether trials are “adequate and well-controlled, reliable and applicable to the U.S. patient population the drug is intended to address.”

ASCO’s global clout

Seven oncologists founded ASCO in the United States in 1964, and as the field has grown globally, so has the organization.

In the world of cancer research, there are few greater honors than winning one of four or five top-billed presentation slots at the annual conference. Oncologists around the world identify and select the most important, practice-shifting science.

ASCO’s chief executive, Dr. Clifford Hudis, said this was the first time the group could recall one of those spots going to a study that enrolled patients only in China. The closest precedent was in 2021, when one headliner involved a trial of an immunotherapy drug that was conducted mostly in China, with a few sites in Taiwan and Singapore.

Dr. Hudis said that his organization was “focused on results that can improve outcomes for patients, regardless of where they live.”

But this year’s unusual selection has been generating buzz in medical circles for weeks. Dr. Christoph Westphal, a biotech venture capital investor, called the top billing at the conference “a coming-of-age moment for China.”

China’s lung cancer drug

The moment of truth for the China-only study of ivonescimab comes on Sunday, when data will be presented.

The drug, given as an IV infusion, combines two attacks on a tumor. It unleashes the immune system with one strategy and deprives the tumor of a blood supply with another.

The study, involving more than 500 patients newly diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, looked at survival rates in a group that received the drug and in a group treated with a different immunotherapy. (Both groups also underwent chemotherapy.)

The drug used in the comparison group, Tevimbra, is not approved for lung cancer in the United States, where patients typically get the blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda along with chemotherapy.

Because the Chinese trial did not examine whether its drug extended lives longer than Keytruda did, U.S. oncologists will have to try to parse what the results mean for U.S. patients, said Dr. Roy Herbst, the incoming director of the Dartmouth Cancer Center.

Akeso, which funded the study, declined an interview request.

Summit has applied for F.D.A. approval of ivonescimab based on the results of a global study in the United States, Canada and Europe. The F.D.A. said it would decide by November whether to approve the drug.

In April, Summit disclosed early results from another key global study with American patients that sharpened questions about how well ivonescimab will work outside of China. The company said the drug failed to meet a statistical bar that, if successful, might have expedited regulatory approval.

The disappointing results sunk Summit’s stock. Now, the company will wait for the study’s final data, expected later this year.

Translation

中國藥物研發崛起令美國感到壓力（2/2）

在芝加哥舉行的國際腫瘤學大會上，中國的臨床試驗備受關注。中國蓬勃發展的生物技術產業引發了人們的擔憂，即美國在該領域的主導地位正在減弱

（繼續）

中國日益增長的影響力

近年來，全球最大的製藥公司紛紛轉向中國以充實其產品線。在中國，藥物價格低廉、監管關卡較少、研發週期短。

根據追蹤製藥業交易的DealForma統計，今年迄今，全球此類重大交易中約有一半涉及來自中國的藥物，而2010年代這一比例幾乎是零。

這一趨勢將在ASCO會議上充分展現。除了ivonescimab之外，其他報告還介紹了在中國研發和測試的實驗性抗癌藥物，這些藥物已被輝瑞、默克、及百時美施貴寶 (Bristol Myers Squibb) 等大型製藥公司收購。

尤其值得一提的是，默克收購的藥物在本月初公佈的試驗結果令業界矚目，結果顯示，藥物能夠延緩中國晚期肺癌患者的腫瘤演變。

中國公司通常保留其藥物在中國的銷售權。而大型製藥公司則購買美國市場的權利，拒絕美國新創公司所開發提供的類似藥物。

批評人士也指出，中國製藥企業競相複製美國發明，這種現象令人擔憂。為了保護自身利益，一些美國生技新創公司採取了新的保密措施，例如拒絕發表論文或在會議上展示海報。

正如美國衛生部長Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 在四月份的一次聽證會上對議員們所說： “中國正在搶走我們的飯碗。”

今年三月，Kennedy的得力助手之一Chris Klomp在保守派政治行動會議上向與會者描述了當前的情況。 他說:“「這不是關於飛彈和坦克的事情」;「這是關於實驗室和拯救生命的藥物。這是一場美國與中國之間在創新和生物技術方面的戰爭。」

目前，大多數在中國研發的藥物正在被大型跨國製藥公司開發並引進美國市場。但有人擔心，如果有更多中國公司直接參與其中，美國患者可能會危險地過度依賴中國政府才能獲得重要的品牌藥。

Marks博士說，這存在著「製造新的霍爾木茲海峽」的風險。

來自密西根州的共和黨眾議員John Moolenaar呼籲禁止美國食品藥物管理局（FDA）檢查和分析來自中國的數據，並限制美國大型製藥公司與中國公司之間的交易。但他的提議並未獲得太多支持。

Richard Pazdur博士曾長期擔任美國食品藥物管理局（FDA）癌症藥物監管部門負責人，並於去年底短暫領導該局範疇更大的藥物部門。他以拒絕僅基於中國收集的數據批准癌症藥物而聞名。

Pazdur博士在3月份與他人合著發表於《美國醫學會雜誌》（JAMA）的一篇評論文章中警告說：如今， “監管機構必須做好準備，應對這樣一種環境：一些對患者有顯著益處的療法可能主要甚至完全在中國進行研究。”

美國衛生與公眾服務部發言人Emily Hilliard表示，FDA會評估試驗是否「充分且良好地控制、可靠，並且該藥物的預計療効是適用於美國患者群體」。

ASCO的全球影響力

1964年，七位腫瘤學家在美國創立了ASCO。隨著腫瘤學領域的全球發展，該組織也隨之壯大。

在癌症研究領域，能贏得年度大會上四、五個重點報告位之其中一，無疑是莫大的榮譽。來自世界各地的腫瘤科醫師會從中遴選出最重要、最具實踐轉變意義的科學成就。

美國臨床腫瘤學會（ASCO）執行長Clifford Hudis博士表示，據該學會回憶，這是他們首次將重點報告位授予一項僅在中國招募患者的研究。先前最接近的先例是在2021年，當時的一項重點報告涉及一種免疫療法藥物的試驗，該試驗主要在中國進行，並在台灣和新加坡設有少量研究地點。

Hudis博士表示，他的機構「專注於能夠可以改善患者的治療效果，無論他們身在何處」。

但今年這項不同尋常的選擇已在醫學界引發數週熱議。生物技術創投家Christoph Westphal博士稱，此次大會的重點報告位是「標誌着中國走向成熟」。

中國的肺癌藥

僅在中國進行的 ivonescimab 研究的真相時刻將於週日來臨，屆時數據將會公佈出來。

該藥物透過靜脈輸注給藥，結合兩種策略攻擊腫瘤：一種策略激活免疫系統，另一種策略阻斷腫瘤的血液供應。

這項研究涉及500多名新確診的晚期肺癌患者，比較了接受該藥物治療組，和接受另一種免疫療法治療組的存活率。 （兩組患者也都接受了化療。）

對照組使用的藥物Tevimbra尚未允許在美國用於治療肺癌，在美國，肺癌患者通常會接受重磅免疫療法Keytruda加上化療。

達特茅斯癌症中心即將上任的主任Roy Herbst博士表示，由於這項中國試驗並未考察該藥物是否比Keytruda更能延長患者生存期，美國腫瘤學家將不得不努力解讀這些結果對美國患者的意義。

資助這項研究的Akeso公司拒絕了採訪要求。

Summit公司已根據一項在美國、加拿大和歐洲進行的全球研究結果，向美國食品藥物管理局（FDA）申請核准 ivonescimab。 FDA表示將在11月前決定是否批准該藥物。

今年4月，Summit公司公佈了另一項針對美國患者的關鍵全球研究的早期結果，這加深了人們對ivonescimab在中國以外地區療效的質疑。該公司表示，該藥物未能達到統計學標準，如果達到該標準，可能會加快監管部門的審批流程。

令人失望的結果導致Summit公司的股價下跌。目前，該公司將等待該研究的最終數據，預計今年稍後公佈。

So, many big multinational pharmaceutical companies are developing most drugs invented in China for introduction to the U.S. market. This development has caused fear in the US that if more Chinese companies assume a direct role, American patients could become dangerously reliant on the Chinese government for access to vital brand-name drugs. Many world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies are filling their stocks by turning to China, where prices are low, regulatory hurdles are fewer, and development timelines are quick. Critics of China also point out that Chinese drug developers race to essentially copy U.S. inventions and that there is a war right now with China on American innovation and biotechnology. Apparently, the US politicians will deal with this challenge from China.

中國藥物研發崛起令美國感到壓力（1/2）

Recently The New York Times reported the following:

China’s Rise in Drug Development Looms Over U.S. (1/2)

Clinical trials in China are getting attention at an international oncology gathering in Chicago. China’s surging biotechnology industry is fueling alarm that U.S. dominance in the field is waning.

The NYT - By Rebecca Robbins and Gina Kolata

May 30, 2026

Updated 11:21 a.m. ET

For decades, an annual gathering of oncologists has featured drug trials that were run mainly at American and European hospitals.

But at this year’s meeting, which is being held in Chicago this weekend, the signs are everywhere of China’s ascendance as a powerhouse in drug development — and of the threat that many believe it poses to American biotechnology.

The clearest sign: In what appears to be a first, one of the conference’s five coveted headliners will be a presentation of a clinical trial conducted only in China.

That milestone at the meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, or ASCO, reflects the dizzying growth of China’s biotechnology sector. In just a few years, it has transformed from a sleepy industry into a juggernaut rapidly inventing and testing cutting-edge medicines.

“This tells us that the Chinese biotech industry has arrived,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, a professor at Johns Hopkins who has attended the ASCO meeting every year since 1989.

But a growing contingent of U.S. officials, executives and doctors worry that the shift in drug innovation to China poses dangerous risks for research, American patients and biotech workers. They raise concerns about losing control over new medicines and about ceding America’s longstanding dominance in the field.

With Chinese companies churning out patents, papers in medical journals and new clinical trials, U.S. biotech start-ups say they are struggling to keep up and are facing deep disadvantages.

“I think the concerns are valid and very real,” said Dr. Robert Califf, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. “The U.S. is being seriously threatened.”

As tensions between Washington and Beijing have escalated, Democrats and Republicans have sounded the alarm about America’s reliance on China for generic drugs and raw materials.

Taking particular aim at China, President Trump signed legislation that barred government agencies from contracting with certain foreign biotech service providers in adversarial countries. China’s surge into cutting-edge drug development introduces a new dimension of risk, critics say.

There is another worry. Will drugs work as well in American patients as they do in Chinese patients?

For reasons that researchers do not fully understand, Asian patients with lung cancer tend to live longer and respond better to immunotherapies than people of other ethnicities, according to some studies.

Yet China has a very high rate of smoking, and former smokers tend to fare worse when they get lung cancer. Further complicating the picture is differences in treatment — the cancer drugs typically used in China are often not the same as in the United States.

“In general, things look better in China,” said Dr. Peter Marks, who was a longtime F.D.A. official before resigning last year. “It’s a fraught area right now. I think many of us have real concerns.”

Dr. Marks, who has since joined Eli Lilly as an executive overseeing its work on infectious diseases, stressed that he was not speaking for Lilly.

On the other side of the debate are those who warn that throttling competition from China would deprive Americans of new medicines. Ultimately, they say, the best data, no matter where it comes from, should win out.

In clinical trials, “patients either do well or they don’t, at the end of the day,” said Bob Duggan, a co-chief executive of Summit Therapeutics, based in Miami.

Summit bought the rights to the experimental drug from China, ivonescimab, that will get top billing at ASCO. The company is testing the drug in separate studies in American patients, and is seeking to bring it to market in the United States and other parts of the world. The Chinese company that invented the drug, Akeso Biopharma, already sells it in China.

(to be continued)

Translation

中國藥物研發崛起令美國感到壓力（1/2）

在芝加哥舉行的國際腫瘤學大會上，中國的臨床試驗備受關注。中國蓬勃發展的生物技術產業引發了人們的擔憂，即美國在該領域的主導地位正在減弱

幾十年來，一年一度的腫瘤學家大會一直的特色是以在美國和歐洲醫院進行的藥物試驗為主。

但在今年於芝加哥舉行的會議上，處處都反映著中國作為藥物研發強國的崛起 - 以及許多人認為它是對美國生物技術的威脅。

最明顯的跡像是：本次大會五大重頭戲之一，將首次展示一項完全在中國進行的臨床試驗。

中國在美國臨床腫瘤學會（ASCO）年會上取得的這一里程碑式成就，反映了它的生物技術產業的驚人成長。短短幾年內，中國生技產業就從一個沉寂的產業蛻變為一個快速研發和測試尖端藥物的巨頭。

自1989年以來每年都參加ASCO年會的約翰霍普金斯大學教授Otis Brawley博士說道:「這顯示中國生物技術產業已經崛起」。

然而，越來越多的美國官員、企業高層和醫生擔心，藥物創新向中國的轉移會對研究、美國患者和生物技術從業人員帶來危險的風險。他們擔憂會失去對新藥的控制權，並放讓出美國在該領域長期以來的主導地位。

隨著中國企業不斷申請專利、在醫學期刊上發表論文並進行新的臨床試驗，美國生技新創公司表示，他們難以跟上步伐，面臨嚴重的不利局面。

美國食品藥物管理局前局長Robert Califf博士說:“我認為這些擔憂是合理且非常現實的”，“美國正面臨嚴重的威脅。”

隨著華盛頓和北京之間的緊張局勢升級，民主黨和共和黨都對美國依賴中國提供仿製藥和原料發出警告。

特朗普總統尤其針對中國，簽署了一項法案，禁止政府機構與敵對國家的某些外國生物技術服務提供者去簽訂合約。批評人士稱，中國在尖端藥物研發領域的崛起帶來了風險的新層面。

還有另一個令人擔憂的問題：藥物對美國患者的療效是否與對中國患者有一樣好的療效？

一些研究表明，因一些研究人員尚未完全了解的原因，亞裔肺癌患者的存活期往往比其他種族患者更長，對免疫療法的反應也更好。

然而，中國的吸煙率非常高，而曾經吸煙的人罹患肺癌之後的情况往往更差。治療方案的差異進一步加劇了問題的複雜性 - 中國通用的抗癌藥物常常與美國通用的藥物不同。

曾長期擔任美國食品藥物管理局（FDA），並已去年辭職的Peter Marks博士說: 「總的來說，中國的情況看起來更好」; 「目前這是一個充滿爭議的領域。我認為我們有很多人都對此深感擔憂」。

Marks博士目前已加入Eli Lilly公司，擔任傳染病業務主管。他強調，他的發言並不代表Eli Lilly公司的立場。

另一方面，也有人警告說，限制來自中國的競爭將使美國人無法獲得新藥。他們認為，最終，無論數據來自何處，都應該以最佳數據為準。

總部位於邁阿密的Summit Therapeutics公司聯合首席執行官Bob Duggan表示，在臨床試驗中，“最終結果要么是患者療效顯著，要么是療效不佳。”

Summit公司從中國購得了實驗性藥物ivonescimab的專利權，該藥物將在ASCO年會上成為焦點。該公司正在美國患者中進行該藥物的獨立研究，並尋求將其推向美國及世界其他市場。該藥物的中國研發公司 - Akeso Biopharma已在中國銷售該藥物。

（待續）

AI Model Mythos: Companies Using It Describe It as Having "Game-Changing Potential"

Recently NHK News on-line reported the following:

AIモデル ミュトス 利用企業 “ゲームチェンジ起こす能力”

2026年5月30日15:42

生成AI・人工知能

性能が非常に高くサイバー攻撃への悪用も懸念されるAIモデル、「クロード・ミュトス」の提供を受けたアメリカの企業がNHKのインタビューに応じ、その性能について「ゲームチェンジを起こす能力だ」と証言しました。そのうえで、「防御側の手にあり、攻撃側の手に渡っていない今この瞬間が重要だ」として悪用される前に対策が必要だと訴えました。

アメリカの新興AI企業、アンソロピックが開発したAIモデル「ミュトス」は、ソフトウエアのぜい弱性を発見する能力が極めて高いとされ、会社はサイバー攻撃に悪用されるおそれもあるとして公開を見送った一方、先月からIT大手や金融機関などおよそ50の企業や組織に提供してサイバー攻撃に備えるプロジェクトを始めています。

このプロジェクトに参加して「ミュトス」の提供を受けたアメリカ企業「モジラ」でウェブブラウザーの技術責任者を務めるボビー・ホーリー氏が今月下旬、NHKのインタビューに応じました。

この中でホーリー氏は、「ミュトス」の性能について、「1つの欠陥を見つけるために動ける一流の研究者は限られている一方で、AIなら数百、あるいは数千もの分析を並行して実行できる。これはセキュリティーの世界において、ゲームチェンジを起こす能力だ」と述べ、衝撃を受けたと証言しました。

また、ホーリー氏は、「ミュトス」の活用などによってこの会社が4月にウェブブラウザーのぜい弱性を修正した件数は平均的な1か月間の修正件数のおよそ20倍に増加したと明らかにしました。

そのうえで、「今これらの最先端の能力は防御側の手にある。攻撃側の手に渡っていない今この瞬間を活用し、私たち全員が依存しているインターネットのインフラを強化することが極めて重要だ」と述べ、悪用される前に対策が必要だと訴えました。

Translation

AI Model Mythos: Companies Using It Describe It as Having "Game-Changing Potential"

May 30, 2026, 15:42

Generative AI/Artificial Intelligence

An American company that received the AI ​​model "Claude Mythos," which boasted extremely high performance and raised concerns about its potential misuse in cyberattacks, gave an interview to NHK, testifying that its performance "has the potential to change the game." Furthermore, they emphasized that " at this very moment, the crucial thing is that it's in the hands of the defenders and not yet in the hands of the attackers,” appealing for countermeasures before being misused.

The AI ​​model "Mythos," developed by the American startup AI company Anthropic, was said to have an extremely high ability to detect software vulnerabilities. While the company withheld its public release due to concerns about its potential misuse in cyberattacks, it began a project last month to provide it to approximately 50 companies and organizations, including major IT companies and financial institutions, to prepare for cyberattacks.

Bobby Hawley, the Chief Technology Officer for web browsers at Mozilla as an American company that received "Mythos" as part of this project, gave an interview to NHK late this month.

In his remarks, Mr. Hawley described the capabilities of "Mythos," stated that "While only a limited number of top-tier researchers can work to find a single software vulnerability, AI can perform hundreds, or even thousands, of analyses in parallel. This is a game-changing capability in the world of security," and testified that he was shocked by this.

Mr. Hawley also revealed that, thanks to the use of "Mythos," the company's number of web browser vulnerabilities fixed in April increased to approximately 20 times the average number of fixes in a single month.

On top of that he said, "These cutting-edge capabilities are now in the hands of the defenders. It is crucial to made use of the present moment to strengthen the internet infrastructure on which we all depend on, before they fall into the hands of attackers”, urging that countermeasures were needed before someone used it with an ill intention.

So, an American company’s AI model "Claude Mythos," which is said to have extremely high performance, could be a game changer. Apparently, it is crucial that this AI model will not go into the hands of someone who may use it with ill intent.