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AI For Good: Tencent Cloud Empowers Youths to Build What Matters at the “AI Coding Challenge” in Singapore

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By leveraging zero-code AI tools, students and young developers across Southeast Asia are transforming impactful ideas into AI-driven solutions

SINGAPORE, May 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global technology company Tencent, successfully concluded the 2026 “AI Coding Challenge” Singapore Station on May 9, held at the de Suantio Gallery, Singapore Management University (SMU).

The 40-day competition, themed “AI for Good — Build What Matters,” was hosted by Tencent Cloud in collaboration with the Gather Growth NPO and local universities. As part of Tencent Cloud’s “AI CAN DO IT” Global Hackathon, the challenge invited students and developers from across Southeast Asia to move beyond technical complexity and focus on solving real-world problems in social impact, environmental sustainability, and human-centered design.

AI-Native Solutions: Protecting the Vulnerable

The true potential of the “AI-Native” generation was on full display during the final roadshow of 2026 “AI Coding Challenge” Singapore Station. First-prize winner Elena Xiao, an AI product specialist based in Singapore, showcased Auntie AI, a multimodal AI safety co-pilot designed specifically for seniors.

Auntie AI addresses the rising threat of digital scams. The tool reads phone screens to identify phishing SMS and suspicious links, explaining risks in plain language and triggering dialect-based warnings. “I wanted to help the elderly reduce the risk and cost of being scammed,” Elena explained. Regarding her experience with Tencent’s AI tools, she added: “CodeBuddy is highly efficient at writing and debugging code—it acts like an agent that handles the heavy lifting for you.”

Further demonstrating the spirit of “AI for Good,” second-prize winners Joshua Chew Jay Han and Yoong Jing Yi from the University of Malaya presented EyeDentify. Their project combines low-cost hardware with AI to provide a wearable visual aid for the visually impaired. “Our goal was to turn complex AI into a simple wearable tool to help them navigate daily challenges,” the team shared. “Using CodeBuddy significantly reduced our development time; it’s a product that even beginners can master in just a few days.”

Beyond Engineering: A New Era of Creation

The competition was judged by a panel of industry heavyweights, including Michael Xu, Chief Architect of Tencent Cloud, Feida Zhu, the Associate Dean of SMU’s School of Computing and Information Systems, and Terence, an engineer from AI Singapore. Projects were evaluated not just on technical execution, but on human-centered design, AI interaction, and feasibility.

“Many companies want to solve problems with AI but lack the capability to build models from scratch,” said Michael Xu, Chief Architect and Senior Technical Trainer at Tencent Cloud. “Tencent Cloud’s AI SaaS solutions—like OCR and Text-to-Speech—help these ideas land quickly. CodeBuddy, in particular, is a creative tool for the public, allowing everyone to build their own AI.”

Terence, an AI Engineer at AI Singapore, noted the inclusivity of the event: “AI has become more accessible. Even youth with limited technical backgrounds can now create the projects they dream of. Seeing students and even teachers start to build their own AI applications shows that AI has truly entered every industry.”

Sparking Cross-Border Innovation on a Global Stage

The Singapore hackathon featured participants from around the world, with teams like NaviCore, comprised of students from Malaysia, Canada, China, and India. Their AI-driven platform for maritime navigation highlighted Singapore’s role as a global hub for cross-border collaboration.

Earlier in April, Tencent Cloud also announced the launch of its 2026 “AI CAN DO IT” Game Development Hackathon during the “Tencent AI Campus Tour” at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). Hosted by Tencent Cloud, the global competition spans five major regions: Hong Kong and Macau SAR, East China, North China, South China, and Southeast Asia. Following rigorous campus selections and regional pitches, the winning teams will be invited to the global finals at the 2026 Tencent Global Digital Ecosystem Summit in September, where they will compete for a massive token prize pool valued in the millions of HKD.

By providing a premier technical platform and tools like CodeBuddy, Tencent Cloud continues its mission to lower the threshold for innovation, empowering the next generation of creators to build a smarter, more inclusive future.

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About Tencent Cloud:

Tencent Cloud, one of the world’s leading cloud companies, is committed to creating innovative solutions to resolve real-world issues and enabling digital transformation for smart industries. Through our extensive global infrastructure, Tencent Cloud provides businesses across the globe with stable and secure industry-leading cloud products and services, leveraging technological advancements such as cloud computing, Big Data analytics, AI, IoT, and network security. It is our constant mission to meet the needs of industries across the board, including the fields of gaming, media and entertainment, finance, healthcare, property, retail, travel, and transportation.

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SOURCE Tencent Cloud

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1 in 5 Small Businesses Will Hit a Cash Crunch in the Next 90 Days, New Clockwork.ai Data Finds

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The first forward-looking analysis of 3,000+ real small businesses reveals a wave of cash shortfalls forming this quarter, and most owners don’t see it coming

CHICAGO, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — One in five U.S. small and medium businesses is on track to run short on cash within the next 90 days, according to new data released today by Clockwork.ai, the AI-native financial planning and analysis (FP&A) platform. The finding comes from an analysis of anonymized, aggregated forecasts across more than 3,000 businesses, a rare forward-looking view of small and medium sized business finances at a moment when most warning signs only appear after the money is already gone.

The analysis found that 20% of small and medium sized businesses that make less than $30M in annual revenue are projected to dip below a safe operating cash threshold in Q4, many of them profitable on paper.

“Most small businesses don’t fail because they’re unprofitable. They fail because they run out of cash while waiting for the profit to show up,” said Fady Hawatmeh, Founder/CEO, Clockwork.ai. “The scary part isn’t the shortfall, it’s that owners typically can’t see it until it’s weeks away and confirms the stat that 82% of business failures are due to simply running out of cash. Our data lets us see it forming months ahead.”

What the data shows
Most of the businesses heading for a cash crunch are profitable right now.

Clockwork’s analysis found that 72% of the at-risk businesses are currently profitable, proof that a healthy income statement is no guarantee of survival. These owners are watching a strong P&L while their cash quietly drains toward zero, which is exactly why the shortfall blindsides them.

The headline finding holds beneath it: 1 in 5 businesses are projected to hit a cash crunch within 90 days, defined as cash balance projected to fall below one payroll cycle’s worth of expenses.

Why owners can’t see it coming
Traditional accounting tells businesses what already happened. By the time a cash problem shows up in the books, the runway to fix it has often disappeared. Clockwork’s data is built the other way around: it forecasts forward from a company’s own transactional data, projecting where cash is heading rather than reporting where it’s been.

That forward view is the same engine behind Mira, Clockwork’s agentic FP&A analyst launched earlier this month, which runs forecasts, builds scenarios, and explains the story behind every number straight from a business’s accounting and payroll data. Where the study shows the problem at scale, Mira gives an individual business owner a CFO-level answer to “what happens to my cash next quarter?” in plain language, in minutes.

“The businesses that make it through a cash crunch are the ones that saw it early enough to act,” said Hawatmeh. “That’s the entire reason we built Mira, to put that foresight in the hands of owners who could never afford a CFO.”

Methodology
Findings are based on anonymized, aggregated forecast data from more than 3,000 small and medium sized businesses using the Clockwork.ai platform, analyzed in July 2026 for a period covering 2026. Typical companies using the Clockwork platform have 5-50 employees with $1M to $30M in gross revenue. Cash crunch is defined as cash balance projected to fall below one payroll cycle’s worth of expenses.

About Clockwork.ai
Founded in 2018, Clockwork pioneered AI forecasting for small and medium-sized businesses. The AI-native FP&A platform delivers real-time forecasting, weekly cash flow projections, and AI-powered scenario modeling, and is the official FP&A partner of Thomson Reuters. Clockwork supports more than 3,000 businesses. Learn more at clockwork.ai.

Instagram: @clockwork.ai  |  LinkedIn: /company/clockworkai

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SOURCE Clockwork.ai

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Building Communities Strong in British Columbia with 54 new infrastructure projects

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VICTORIA, BC, July 30, 2026 /CNW/ — More than $152 million is being invested in 54 new infrastructure projects across British Columbia through the Strategic Priorities Fund. This federally funded program supports infrastructure projects that are beyond the financial capacity of a single local government, under the Build Communities Strong Fund (BCSF) Community stream in B.C.

This was announced by Will Greaves, Member of Parliament for Victoria; Darlene Rotchford, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Esquimalt-Colwood; Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) First Vice President Jenna Stoner; and Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith, Board Chair of the Capital Regional District.

The Capital Regional District (CRD) has received $7 million towards an innovative project to transform biosolids leftover from wastewater treatment into biochar using new carbonization technology. This project is the first of its kind in Canada and will help lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the volume of material, destroying contaminants of concern, and permanently storing carbon, while also creating a valuable, carbon-rich product with potential applications across construction, industrial, agriculture and forestry sectors.

In addition, 53 other projects have been funded across British Columbia including a new fire hall in Metchosin, a new turf multi-sport field in Prince George and over a dozen water and wastewater projects. A portion of the funding is being used in capacity-building projects that will strengthen the ability of local governments to make long term infrastructure plans, integrated community sustainability planning and improve asset management practices.

The BCSF Community stream is a transfer-based program that provides $2.5 billion per year in funding to communities across Canada. The Province of British Columbia will receive over $326 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year, which is administered by the UBCM and distributed to local governments through the Community Works Fund, Strategic Priorities Fund, and Metro Vancouver Regional Fund.

Quotes

“For local governments across British Columbia, the right investment can support housing, foster connection and build strong communities. These projects will make a lasting impact and reinforce our commitment to building bold, building strong, and building together.”

The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada

“Strong communities depend on strong infrastructure. As British Columbia grows, our government’s priority is helping municipalities plan for the future and meet changing needs. Thanks to partnerships with the Government of Canada, UBCM and local governments, these 55 projects will help communities build the infrastructure they need to deliver reliable services and create a more resilient future.”

The Honourable Christine Boyle, B.C. Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs 

“On behalf of the CRD, I would like to thank the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia and UBCM for their commitment to building stronger, more resilient communities through investments in innovative infrastructure. This biochar project will position the CRD as a national leader in biosolids management, carbon reduction and resource recovery. We are proud to advance an initiative that will provide lasting environmental and community benefits while further establishing our region as a leader in sustainable wastewater management.”

Cliff McNeil-Smith, Capital Regional District Chair

“The Build Communities Strong Fund is improving the quality of life across British Columbia by investing directly into communities. UBCM is pleased to administer this fund that empowers local governments to address critical infrastructure priorities and refine asset management. We are grateful for the long-term commitment that Canada and BC have provided for this program.”

Jenna Stoner, First Vice President, Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM)

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The full list of projects can be found on the Union of British Columbia Municipalities’ Strategic Priorities Fund website

Quick Facts

British Columbia’s 2026-27 allocation under the Build Communities Strong Fund Community stream is over $326 million.The total federal contribution towards the 54 projects is $152,313,226.The 29 capital projects are receiving a total of $145,945,502.The 25 capacity building projects are receiving a total of $6,367,764.The funding provided for these projects comes through the UBCM’s application-based Strategic Priorities Fund.The Build Communities Strong Fund Community stream provides predictable, long-term and stable funding to local governments for investment in infrastructure and capacity-building projects. This program is funded by the Government of Canada and administered in British Columbia by the UBCM.

Associated Links

Build Communities Strong FundCommunity Stream in British ColumbiaUnion of British Columbia Municipalities’ Strategic Priorities Fund

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Web: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

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Filevine Launches LOIS Explore: Professional-Grade Legal AI Now Free to Use

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SALT LAKE CITY, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Filevine has announced the launch of LOIS Explore, a new way for legal teams to access its Legal Operating Intelligence System. LOIS is now free to use with no credit card and no commitment, allowing firms to be up and running in just 10-15 minutes.

LOIS Explore handles the massive legal documents that generic AI tools cannot, processing files up to 5 GB and 15,000 pages while providing verified citations for every answer. Built on structured legal data from 40 million matters, LOIS functions as an active operator for the legal team, verifying citations against case law, analyzing case files, and flagging privilege issues.

This free access provides a secure environment for legal research, drafting, and semantic search across uploaded materials. Filevine maintains strict data protocols for LOIS Explore: it does not train AI models on uploaded documents, and accounts, uploaded documents, and chat history will be permanently deleted at the end of each free access period.

“We know many legal professionals are trying out multiple legal AI tools; often in parallel,” said Michael Anderson, Chief Product Officer of Filevine. “We want them to take the LOIS challenge and see what it is capable of when it comes to rich source verification and legal research that includes novel citator analysis. It’s a practical, secure way to experience AI purpose-built for the scale and complexity of legal work.”

To get started, users select a tailored practice track — litigation, transactional, or advisory — to align the experience with their specific needs. Free access requires full, verifiable contact information from a law firm or legal business.

To move beyond the trial’s sandboxed environment — including connecting LOIS to live case data, enabling team collaboration, and accessing firm-saved prompts — firms are directed to contact a Filevine sales representative. Get started today at filevine.com/lois.

About Filevine

Filevine is the system of record for the modern law firm. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Filevine connects contracts, matters, documents, and workflows into a unified platform. Thousands of organizations rely on Filevine to manage complex legal work with precision and control. Recognized as a leader in Legal AI, Filevine has been honored by the LegalTech Breakthrough Awards, the SaaS Awards, Deloitte Technology Fast 500, and the Business Intelligence AI Excellence Award.

 

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SOURCE Filevine

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