China unveils upgraded version of world's first AGI agent

China on Saturday launched the 2.0 version of "Tong Tong," the world's first artificial general intelligence (AGI) agent, featuring a young girl AI capable of autonomous learning, reflection, and growth, marking a significant milestone in AI technology development.

Developed by the Beijing Institute for General Artificial Intelligence (BIGAI), the new version of "Tong Tong" was revealed during the Artificial Intelligence Theme Day at the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum.

The upgraded AI can dynamically update its knowledge base, value functions, and skills through autonomous learning, with the ability to reflect and grow in a human-like manner.

At the launch event, Chen Hao, executive director of the Advanced Technology Center at BIGAI, highlighted Tong Tong 2.0's capabilities.

"Tong Tong 2.0 achieves consistency between language and embodied actions, or what we commonly refer to as 'walking the talk.' In terms of cognition, Tong Tong 2.0 is capable of parallel task planning. By the end of the year, we will open Tong Tong 2.0's interactive channel to the public. We also plan to integrate its brain with an embodied robot, enhancing its ability to interact with the physical world, thereby improving the robot's intelligence and giving it a 'heart,'"Chen said.

The unveiling of Tong Tong 2.0 was a highlight of the Artificial Intelligence Theme Day at the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum, underscoring AI's expanding role.

For instance, AI was used to produce promotional videos and warm-up content for the event. QR codes placed throughout the venue linked to the forum's AI assistant, "Xiao Guan," which helped attendees navigate schedules and locations.

The Theme Day was filled with sessions, including three simultaneous forums focused on embodied intelligence and general AI. Both the number and scale of these discussions have grown significantly compared to last year.

"Over 50 major innovative achievements were released on Theme Day. It provided an excellent platform for communication and collaboration among participants," said Tang Chao, deputy director of the Zhongguancun Science City Management Committee.

The 2025 Zhongguancun Forum, themed "New Quality Productive Forces and Global Technology Cooperation," commenced on Thursday in Beijing, drawing participants from more than 100 countries and regions.

Featuring 128 events across five major sections, the forum covers a broad range of topics -- from technology trading to frontier competitions -- and will run through Monday.

China unveils upgraded version of world's first AGI agent

China unveils upgraded version of world's first AGI agent

Russia and Ukraine have expressed their willingness to hold peace talks for a ceasefire agreement, but each has a different premise, according to officials of the two countries.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin supports the conclusion of a long-term ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but a series of detailed issues need to be resolved before that.

Russia has confirmed its willingness to negotiate directly with Ukraine without any preconditions, but Ukraine did not explicitly indicate whether it was ready for this, Peskov said.

Russia needs to reach a peace agreement with Ukraine rather than the United States, and Ukraine should be the other party promoting the peace process, he said.

Peskov reaffirmed that Russia still prioritizes achieving the goals of the special military operation, but it would be even better if they could be achieved peacefully.

On the same day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media that Ukraine is ready to engage in peace talks in any form as soon as it sees that Russia is ready to embark on a "difficult path to peace".

Sybiha said Russia could demonstrate its willingness for peace talks by agreeing to a "genuine ceasefire" of at least 30 days.

Ukraine will do the same if Russia is prepared to implement a 60-day or even 90-day ceasefire, he said.

Russia, Ukraine willing to hold peace talks but with different premises