Taiwan’s leading messaging app introduces AI assistant to chats

Taiwan’s leading messaging app introduces AI assistant to chats

2026-10-13

A top messaging app in Taiwan is adding an AI assistant to its chats. The company has dubbed the assistant as a “powerful” tool that connects users with every day services. In its initial rollout, the AI assistant will focus on dining, entertainment and shopping. For instance, it can compare prices when shopping for daily essentials and provide personalized recommendations when buying gifts for friends and family.

- You tell it what kind of gift you want to buy them, and the assistant will recommend which presents are good options and why.

Roger Chen
Messaging app Taiwan CEO
It’s kind of like having a person you can consult, and who can help you sort out options, recommend you items and get everything ready for you to make the final decision. The spirit of agentic AI is to help people complete tasks. It takes care of everything to simplify everything down to one decision. We believe this is a great application for the technology.

With AI applications becoming increasingly widespread, the messaging platform is turning AI into an all-in-one lifestyle assistant. The expansion is even taking things further, integrating four of its e-commerce services to help users find products and content, and even make restaurant reservations. Business accounts can also customize the AI’s role and integrate common service scenarios to respond to customers.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#ai #restaurant #messaging #tech #platform

AI入聊天室助消費! "訂餐廳.比價購物.讀外語新聞"一站搞定

2026-10-13

知名通訊軟體今天(13)宣布，聊天室將出現超強的AI小幫手，串聯生活服務，首波鎖定「吃、玩、買」三大面向，不論想買日常用品，還是送禮給親人朋友，動動手指，AI助理會報價給你，還會根據送禮對象的喜好需求，量身推薦。

-聊一下，我大概想要送什麼禮物，那我們可以看到這個助手可以推薦他適合的禮物，也跟他講為什麼適合這份禮物。

[[通訊軟體台灣董事長暨執行長陳立人]]
“就像是有一個人可以跟他商量，幫他整理、幫他推薦，然後甚至於幫他把東西，都準備好之後，他來做最後的一個判斷。代理式AI的精神，就是AI可以幫助人完成任務，那這個完成任務的話，其實讓人間做一個簡單的決定，而AI幫忙完成任務，我們認為這是一個非常合適的一個運用的方式。”

看準AI應用越來越普及，通訊軟體把AI變成全能生活管家，整合旗下四大電商服務，讓用戶能更快找到感興趣的商品與內容，也能幫忙訂餐廳；而店家也能直接幫AI設定扮演的角色、導入常見服務情境，更精準貼近客戶需求。

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Locals band to help military as howitzer tire blows out

Earlier Tuesday, military trucks were rumbling down a road in Huatan Township in Changhua when one of them towing a howitzer was forced to come to a stop on the side of the road. Soldiers quickly got down from the truck, leading bystanders to believe a war was breaking out. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case. The Army truck was heading to Tianzhong Township for a handover mission when the misfortune struck and a tire on the towed howitzer blew out. Enthusiastic locals stepped up to the occasion and helped out using a forklift.

Four military trucks were making their way down a road in Changhua County, when the last truck unexpectedly malfunctioned.

Around 8 on Tuesday morning, a howitzer being towed along Zhongshan Road in Huatan Township, rolled to a stop on the side of the road, leaving locals perplexed about the cause. As the soldiers in the military truck got down to inspect the damage, they discovered the back tires were punctured.

Member of public
Saw the truck stop
A large truck was towing a cannon, it stopped just here on the side of the road, I thought it was a drill.

Member of public
Awestruck by cannon
I saw many soldiers getting down then I realized they were looking at the punctured tire. I was excited; it was my first time seeing big cannons. At first, I thought a war was breaking out.

The tire of the howitzer coincidentally blew out along the road where the campaign headquarters of Yeh Chi-yuan, the DPP candidate for Huatan Township mayor are situated. It stopped at the front doors startling the staff that came to open the building in the morning.

Yeh Chi-yuan
Huatan Township Mayoral Candidate (DPP)
On the one hand, we saw that the Army recovered quickly, and on the other hand, we felt relieved. We thought the National Army came to protect Huatan. The cannon is huge, it could make you famous overnight!

The military truck belonged to the Artillery Battalion of the 234th Mechanized Infantry Brigade under the 10 Army Corps. They were heading to Tianzhong Township carrying a 155mm howitzer for a combat readiness handover mission when a sharp object on the road rendered them stranded on the roadside. Fortunately, local residents swooped in for the rescue and deployed a forklift to help the soldiers who changed the tire within half an hour. This heartwarming incident shows the support that runs deep among the military and civilians.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#taiwanmilitary #howitzer #taiwanartillery #armycorps #nationalarmy #changhua

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Taiwan Space Agency chief urges firms to enter the space industry

Wu Jong-shinn, the director general of the Taiwan Space Agency, has long had a passion for Taiwan to build its own rockets that can launch satellites into space. In a recent exclusive interview with FTV, he pointed to the importance of the space industry to Taiwan’s economy and national security and said Taiwan’s private sector could not afford to neglect this sector. Let’s find out more.

- My eyes light up whenever the topic turns to space or rockets.

Wu Jong-shinn, the director general of the Taiwan Space Agency, has announced a goal to launch a Taiwanese satellite into orbit using a Taiwanese rocket by 2034. However, this project could actually have been achieved sooner.

Wu Jong-shinn
Taiwan Space Agency director general
There was a project called the “Hapith” plan. Back then, the idea was for the space center to lead it and the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology to manufacture the rockets. I had set up a team for it—around a dozen professors. It was ultimately canceled, primarily due to the change of administration in 2008 when former President Ma Ying-jeou took office. His perspective was different, as rockets—especially orbital ones—are a highly sensitive technology, especially in the US. If Taiwan were to build them, the US would ask: “What are you planning to do with them?” Because they could easily become intercontinental ballistic missiles when no one’s looking. I was quite disappointed at the time, so I went back to the university.

Despite his past disappointments, there was never any talk of giving up. The US is poised to pass the Taiwan and American Space Assistance Act of 2025, which would institutionalize space cooperation between the two nations for the first time. Wu stresses this marks a crucial step forward.

Wu Jong-shinn
Taiwan Space Agency director general
Over the past five years, space has become a crucial component of national security infrastructure. Let me cite two examples: the US operation to apprehend the Venezuelan president and the bombing of a nuclear facility in Iran. Neither of these actions could have been carried out without space-based support.

Beyond national security, from a commercial perspective, the global space industry is projected to reach US$1.2 trillion by 2030, making it a fiercely contested market among nations.

Wu Jong-shinn
Taiwan Space Agency director general
The leading players in the electronics sector need to adopt a more visionary, long-term perspective and move quickly to invest in the space sector. If they are too slow to invest—considering that our Earth-based economy is primarily driven by OEM manufacturing—are we really going to limit ourselves to just being OEMs in space as well?

Driven by sheer tenacity and professionalism, Wu is pursuing his rocketry dream, striving to secure autonomous space capabilities and carve out a place in the cosmos.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Taiwanspaceagency #spacerace #TASA #Taiwansecurity #Taiwansatellite

2026-10-13

Red wine stain on NT$930k Hermes bag devolves into public showdown

A pricey Hermès handbag and a few drops of red wine have created a bitter war of words for all to see online. A woman surnamed Miao has been in a months-long feud with a high-end yakiniku restaurant in Taipei. She claims that a waiter at the restaurant spilled wine on her bag, which has a price tag of almost NT$1 million. The problem is, there is a hole in her story, as she didn’t actually see the moment that the stain occurred. The restaurant has shot back at her accusations online, releasing CCTV footage showing that Ms. Miao was in the restroom at the time the alleged accident happened. And while she was powdering her nose, no waiters entered the private room where she was enjoying a meal with her friends.

Premium Wagyu beef sizzles on the grill at this well-known yakiniku restaurant under the Fujin Tree Group. The chain specializes in high-end Japanese barbecue inspired by Tokyo’s upscale Ginza District. Foodies love it, but not a diner surnamed Miao, who left the restaurant anything but happy.

Ms. Miao claims a waiter spilled two or three drops of red wine on her luxury Hermès handbag, which she says has a value of NT$930,000. According to her, the restaurant offered to handle the issue, but four months later, her texts and phone calls remain unanswered. She says the problem is not the money she’d be getting from compensation, but the mishandling of the situation. But a major twist to the feud took place on Monday night, when the restaurant took to social media to shoot down her story.

Staff:
Were you there when the waiter
spilled wine on your bag?
Or were you in the restroom?

Ms. Miao:
I wasn’t there. I was in the restroom.
It’s when I got back to the table
that I saw the red wine stain
on my handbag.
Everyone was sitting there.
We were a group of four,
and the other three saw it.

Staff:
They saw our waiter spilling wine on your bag?

Ms. Miao:
No. They didn’t see it.

Staff:
I see.

Ms. Miao:
My bag got a red wine stain.

The restaurant released a recording of a conversation with Ms. Miao, and even posted CCTV screen captures to set the record straight. Ms. Miao was in the restroom for 3 minutes before returning to her seat. During her absence, no waiters entered the private dining room her party was in.

Staff:
May I ask what outcome
you are hoping for?
What are you thinking?

Ms. Miao:
I think you should refund me the cost of the bag.

Staff:
How much did the bag cost
when you bought it?

Ms. Miao:
NT$930,000.

Fujin Tree has released a statement explaining that there are no surveillance cameras in the private dining room, making it impossible to establish for certain how the stain occurred. It added a lawyer had been appointed to handle the case. With both sides standing by their own accounts, the dispute may very well end up in court.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#hermes #luxury #redwine #handbag

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Experts skeptical of scam after customer finds steel-like balls inside crab

A Chiayi resident recently brought home a crab to steam. After cracking it open, they discovered 14 shiny objects inside that looked like steel balls. They posted photos online, drawing suspicion that the vendor purposefully added them to increase the weight. But both fishers and experts said that a crab would die if it were stuffed with steel, making the scam near impossible to pull off.

Autumn is the season for enjoying plump, delicious crab, straight from the market. But one crab lover recently found something strange inside their purchase.

After bringing it home to steam, they discovered 14 round objects around the gills and shell resembling small steel balls. The photos drew heated discussion online.

- No, I’ve never seen anything like it. My first thought was that it must be fake.

Hsu Shih-chien
Fisherman
I’ve been fishing for over 60 years. For there to be beads that large inside, they would have had to grow along with the crab. Its mouth is too small. If someone tried to force them in, the crab would have died.

This experienced fisherman noted that it’s anatomically impossible for a crab to swallow steel beads of this size. After seeing the photos, another expert said they could be a natural foreign body, which has been documented in scientific literature.

Hsu Mao-chieh
Dongshi Fish Market merchant
There have been extremely similar cases in the literature, although I’ve never actually seen one in person. Crustaceans have hemocyanin, which contains copper atoms. When the copper atoms are exposed, they can form that grayish-blue color. Still, it’s only something I’ve read about. I’ve never seen an actual specimen. To claim they’re steel balls is impossible.

Although some were suspicious that it was a trick by the vendor to add weight, the low success rate and likelihood of it killing the crab make it unlikely. The debate rages on whether this anomaly is the result of a rare biological mutation or human tampering.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Father designs pinwheels for Puma Shen at daughter’s request

A pinwheel maker in Changhua recently made 1,000 pinwheels to support Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen. Following his daughter’s request, Lee Chung-shih designed the custom pinwheels for Shen’s campaign, with an orange-and-white striped pattern and the campaign slogan in English and Chinese. Even though his daughter lives in Abu Dhabi, this doting father followed her wishes.

Pinwheel makers from Changhua show off their newest design: orange-and-white striped pinwheels with the Chinese “yang liu” and the English “young stream.”

- This means young, and this means stream. My daughter thought of it.
- Young stream.
- Yeah.

The pinwheel design was his daughter’s idea. She works as a music teacher in Abu Dhabi, but remains invested in politics back home and is supporting Puma Shen for Taipei mayor. She asked her father to make custom pinwheels for Shen, and he quickly agreed.

Lee Chung-shih
Pinwheel maker
She really admires Puma Shen. She said to me, “Dad, you can make pinwheels, that’s your specialty. You could make some and donate them as campaign merchandise.”

Lee Chung-shih’s wife
Pinwheel maker
Puma Shen really dotes on his daughter, and my husband is the same. He really adores her. Whatever requests she has, he’ll make sure it gets done. He really dotes on his daughter.

Puma Shen famously dotes on his daughter, and according to his wife, Lee is the same. The two often talk on the phone, staying close despite the distance.

- I listened to you and made your dream come true.
- Wow, that’s amazing.

Voice of Lee Hsin-ju
Lee Chung-shih’s daughter
I think our perspectives are really similar, especially regarding politics. We tend to judge people the same way. I’m very grateful to my dad for making this campaign merchandise for Puma Shen.

Puma Shen
Taipei mayoral candidate (DPP)
I’m really grateful to everyone for following this election.

Shen said he would accept the pinwheels as campaign merchandise in accordance with the Political Donations Act. One thousand of Lee Chung-shih’s pinwheels will spin around Taiwan, spreading support for Shen.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#pinwheel #politics #PumaShen #TaipeiMayor #youngstream #father #daughter #campaign

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Taiwan allies Paraguay and Belize face sanctions from China

On Monday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions against politicians from two of Taiwan’s allies, Belize and Paraguay. Believing them to be “anti-China politicians,” their assets in China will be frozen and they will be prohibited from entering the country. Paraguay and Belize reiterated their support for Taiwan; with some officials even saying that these sanctions were “to be expected.” Taiwan has condemned such actions, as China has no right to interfere in sovereign nation’s internal affairs.

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung poses for a photo with a local government official in Poland. He’s visiting the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association to inspect the planned site for a technology park.

As Taiwan continues to build relations and cooperate with various countries, China is amping up its suppression tactics.

On Monday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions against Paraguay’s Minister of Information, Gustavo Villate, and Belizean Foreign Minister, Francis Fonseca, labeling them as “anti-China politicians.” The two maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, thereby against China’s interests. Their assets in China will be frozen and they will be banned from entering the country. Taiwan condemns this.

Cho Jung-tai
Premier
The People’s Republic of China has no right to interfere with the internal affairs of any sovereign state in the world, including Taiwan, and we will continue to work more strongly with our friendly nations and democratic allies.

Chen Ming-chi
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Taiwan’s global visibility is growing and I think such reactions will tire them. Will they impose sanctions on the whole world?

Paraguay and Belize both state that this “does not affect diplomatic relations with Taiwan.”During March, this year, Villate visited Taiwan to attend the Yushan Forum and even posed for photos with Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim. He said that Taiwan and Paraguay are promoting digital cooperation and the sanctions “were to be expected.”

Fan Yun
Lawmaker (DPP)
International relations are built on mutual respect and not political threats.
Imposing sanctions on politicians of these nations is essentially a form of transnational repression.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reassured that they would assist allies in dealing with suppression from China.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#chinasanctions #suppressions #taiwan #taiwanallies #paraguay #belize

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