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First Move with Julia Chatterley

Two Bodies Recovered From Bridge Collapse; Officials Gives Update On Baltimore Bridge Collapse; U.S. Businesses Leaders Meet President Xi in Beijing; Netanyahu Agreeing To Reschedule Delegation; Microsoft's A.I. Moment In Asia; Microsoft's A.I. Revolution; Dachshunds Under Threat. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired March 27, 2024 - 18:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[18:00:00]

COL. ROLAND L. BUTLER JR., MARYLAND STATE POLICE: Their family members were notified just over an hour ago in person by Maryland State Police personnel

with Crisis Intervention personnel present. Knowing the gravity of this, we've provided them with a list of resources that they can refer to and

refer their friends and family to.

At this point, based upon the conditions, we're now moving from a recovery mode to a salvage operation because of the superstructure surrounding the

vehicle -- what we believe are the vehicles and the amount of concrete and debris divers are no longer able to safely navigate or operate around that.

We have exhausted all search efforts in the areas around this wreckage. And based on sonar scans, we firmly believe that the vehicles are encased in

the superstructure and concrete that we tragically saw come down.

At this point, as this moves to a salvage recovery effort, the Maryland State Police will continue to support the unified command as the salvage

assessment phase takes place and the U.S. Coast Guard will brief you additional information regarding what (INAUDIBLE) possibly how long this

could take. But I'll tell you now, there's no definitive timeline on this. Please be patient. Please keep the family members in mind.

In coordination with our FBI partners, we've determined the countries of origin of those that are presumed deceased to be Mexico, Guatemala, El

Salvador, and Honduras. The notifications to these individuals family members and loved ones outside of the United States is being handled by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation in accordance with their established protocols.

Again, I encourage you all to think about these people and those that they love and they lost. They're going to need your love and support. Now, I'll

hand it off to the admiral.

REAR ADMIRAL SHANNON GILREATH, COAST GUARD: Good evening. My name is Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath.

First, I want to say our deepest condolences go out to the -- and sympathy go out to the families of the impacted individuals. I also want to announce

that the Coast Guard along with our federal and state and local agency partners have stood up a unified command.

Our number one priority in that unified command is to reopen the waterway so that we can safely move commerce in and out of the Port of Baltimore.

That's our number one priority. We're going to do that as soon as possible and as safely as possible. So, that's what we're doing from a unified

command perspective. Thank you very much.

PAUL WIEDEFELD, SECRETARY OF THE MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION: Good evening. I'm Paul Wiedefeld, Secretary of Transportation.

The entire departments are broken to have lost these individuals on one of our facilities. I did want to update you on the efforts that we're doing to

move forward with the reconstruction of the bridge.

As was mentioned earlier by the governor, we have applied for the dollars, the federal dollars that are available for this type of purpose. I sent a

letter earlier this morning. I just got off a phone call with the Federal Highway Administrator on the step of the process that we moved forward. We

intend to receive some additional federal dollars very quickly to start that process. And then we will come up with a design for the replacement of

that bridge as quickly as possible to get the port back up and the community back up and running. Thank you.

SEN. BEN CARDIN (D-MD): Senator Ben Cardin. First, let me express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this horrible

tragedy, and I also want to personally thank all the first responders.

I had a chance to see firsthand some of the diving activities, and it was extremely challenging, to say the least, and we know that the quick action

of our first responders saved lives by keeping vehicles off the bridge before it collapsed. So, I really want to congratulate our first

responders.

When you have a catastrophic event like this that affects transportation infrastructure that's critically important to our community and to our

region, the federal government comes to your help, and we are asking the federal government to help us through this crisis.

President Biden has responded in a very direct way. We are very confident that we will get the immediate attention that we need thanks to the Biden

administration and our federal partners.

[18:05:00]

We also will need the help of the Congress. Senator Van Hollen (INAUDIBLE) working with our entire congressional delegation to make sure that we

provide the necessary authorization, support, and resources to make this recovery complete and that, we can move as quickly as possible.

Make no mistake about it our top priority is to get the shipping lane open. We recognize that every day it's closed the impact it has not just on

Baltimore, in our economy, in the state of economy, but in our country and it affects the global supply chain, and we recognize that we have to move

with dispatch in regards to opening the channel.

We are also working today on a replacement bridge so that we can also have those plans in place and have the tools and resources is available so that

we can reconstruct the bridge as quickly as possible.

First priority, open the shipping lanes. Let us replace the bridge. And we appreciate the fact that the federal government will be there every step of

the way. Senator Van Hollen.

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): I want to start where the governor and Senator Cardin and others did by saying to the families of six that were

lost in this tragic accident that our hearts go out to you. And we, as the Maryland family, will do everything we can to provide you with the

resources that you need in this very difficult time.

It's also a solemn reminder of both the contributions and the sacrifices that our immigrant families make in our community and around the country.

And I also want to thank the first responders for, first of all, the search and rescue operation and now the recovery operation. Thank you all for the

hard work that you're doing.

As others have said, we have two priorities. The most urgent priority is to open up the Port of Baltimore. Because as the governor laid out, it is

essential to the livelihoods of people here in Baltimore and Maryland, and in fact, the economies of the region and will impact people around the

country and around of world.

The Port of Baltimore is that important and it is -- the 8,000 people who are working there directly, the tens of thousands of people whose economic

livelihood is tied up with the port. So, I want to thank the president of the United States, who called many of us yesterday and then spoke to the

nation, is already delivering on his promise, which he has ordered the Army Corps of Engineer to do everything necessary to clear the channel so that

we can reopen those shipping lanes.

If we have to open one first and over a period of time, I think we're going to do whatever we can to make sure that we've have ships passing through as

soon as possible. The Army Corps of Engineer, the federal government, will pick up the costs for that. And those funds are available. I saw

preliminary estimates between $40 and $50 million, but they are very preliminary. But the bottom line is the Army Corps will pick up the costs.

I want to commend the governor and his team for their fast action in putting forward the notice that they're going to apply for the Federal

Emergency Relief Fund, part of the Federal Department of Transportation's program, the federal highway administration.

We will be working very closely with the Governor, Secretary Wiedefeld, and others and their team as you process that. Just to give you all a sense of

what that means for -- you can draw down funds immediately for some of the costs of diverting traffic and other immediate costs to adjust to what

happened in the short-term. And then going forward, that relief fund provides a strong federal match. We believe it will be 90/10 in terms of

the federal share.

For the 10 percent remainder, Senator Cardin and I will be working very closely with the president and our colleagues in the Congress to make sure

that we meet President Biden's pledge to do as much as possible to make that the federal government picks up the costs.

Some have asked about the ship owners themselves. Obviously, as the NTSB conducts its review, we'll have a better idea of exactly what happened. And

if anybody is liable for negligence or wrongdoing, you can be assured that we will be pursuing those funds as part of the cost share.

[18:10:00]

From the congressional point of view, we will be pursuing, as I say, what we hope will be about 10 percent of the total costs through the legislative

process. We will push to increase -- make any increases necessary in that emergency federal fund, and again, put forward legislation.

Senator Cardin and I are in the process right now of reaching out, putting a phone call into Speaker Johnson because we think that this is something

where Americans should come together. This should not be a question of Republicans or Democrats. This is an American challenge. We are a great

American city here in Baltimore, and we're hoping that all of our colleagues will come together and join us in making sure we rebuild the

bridge because, as the governor said, we do this together, and we hope that will also be true in the United States Congress.

So, thank you to everybody who's been part of this. I'm now going to turn it over to the mayor of this -- I'm sorry, to Tom Perez, another great

Marylander who is now at the White House doing wonderful work with the president. Tom Perez.

TOM PEREZ, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you so much. Good evening. My name's Tom Perez. And I have the privilege of serving as a

senior advisor to President Biden.

And President Biden, like the nation, grieves for these victims, and he is no stranger to tragedy in his own family.

And Governor, thank you so much for your leadership throughout this challenging situation. It's been steadfast and it has been remarkable.

We are all in this together. When President Biden first heard about this yesterday morning, he summoned everyone who had a relevant stake in the

game to come together to make sure that every federal resource was put to bear.

So, we see the Coast Guard. We see the Army Corps. We see the National Transportation Safety Board. We see the Department of Labor. The president

directed us to make sure that we are doing everything possible. Success occurs when everybody is working together, and that's exactly what is

happening here.

I met with the families earlier today, and it is really, really tragic. And we will get through this. We have no doubt about it. And the president has

directed us to move heaven and earth, those aren't my words, those are his words, to make sure we are helping the remarkable people of the great State

of Maryland to move forward.

And we will indeed, Governor, I can inform you with confidence, that we will process your request promptly, because the situation calls for prompt

action.

We will continue this work, whether it's the Department of Labor, whether it's the -- our colleagues who are here today, we will do that together

because that is what teamwork is about.

Thank you for being the captain of the team, Governor, and we will continue to move forward.

And speaking of other members of the team, it's an honor to present to you the mayor of the great city of Baltimore, Brandon Scott.

JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: OK. You've been watching a press conference in Baltimore County in the U.S. State of Maryland. It follows

Tuesday's disastrous bridge collapse. Just moments ago, we heard and authorities revealed that they found two victims.

Just to give you a sense of some of the information, just shortly before 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time Wednesday, Colonel Butler of the State Police said

that they found in 25 foot of water a red pickup truck and two of the victims, a 35-year-old man and a 26-year-old man, were found. Their

families, of course, have been notified. Rescue efforts, they also said, at the bridge have now turned to recovery and to salvage.

Heartbreaking news too, for the families of the four other construction workers that remain unaccounted for. We're also learning more about some of

those men who were on the bridge when it was struck by that container ship.

[18:15:00]

Maria Santana spoke with the brother of Maynor Suarez Sandoval, a father of two who came to the United States from Honduras.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARLOS SUAZA SANDOVAL, BROTHER OF MAYNOR SUAZA SANDOVAL (through translator): We still have hope till this moment. God grant the miracle. It

would be beautiful. For us and the family in Honduras, we still have hope. I know time is our worst enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: And divers continue the dangerous work of trying to find victims and provide some closure of course for the remaining families.

In the meantime, the collapse has shut down one of America's busiest ports, and you heard them reiterating that in that press conference. U.S.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that rebuilding the bridge won't be easy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE BUTTIGIEG, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We are committed to delivering every federal resource needed, every federal resource needed to

help Maryland get back to normal, and we're going to work with them every step of the way to rebuild this bridge. It is not going to be simple.

Rebuilding will not be quick or easy or cheap, but we will get it done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: And Pete Muntean is in Baltimore and joins us now on this. Pete, I know you were listening to that press conference too, and a lot of

the discussion there was on the 8,000 workers that are now impacted by the damage to the bridge, that the challenges of the recovery and the salvage

operations, but I think the most important part is for two now of the friends and families. They have some degree of closure. Four, though,

families and friends still unaccounted for at this moment.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is such a human story, Julia, and the fact that a 25- and 26-year-old man were found buried, trapped in this red

pickup truck that was apparently submerged 25 feet under the superstructure of this truss bridge here in the Patapsco River is really just tragic

according to officials who just spoke about this.

The round robin there was very clear. They made it clear that this will have to be done slowly and very carefully that this recovery operation has

really transitioned now into more of a salvage operation. They had divers in the water, according to Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, at 6:00 a.m.

this morning.

And just to give you a sense of the conditions here, it is very wet. It has been raining off and on all day. At some points, very heavy rain. It is

cold. This is very much a spring Maryland day. The water temperature is very cold. It's been about 48 degrees. And the visibility underwater is

incredibly limiting. It is a very murky, brackish water here in the Patapsco River that leads to Chesapeake Bay and then out to the Atlantic

Ocean. The risk to divers is extreme.

And we heard from a diving expert earlier on CNN who said that a jagged piece of bridge structure, that steel and concrete, underwater could easily

puncture a suit, easily puncture an airline, and could make this disaster so much worse.

This is also happening as the investigation is really now hitting its stride. And we now know from the National Transportation Safety Board that

they have recovered the voyage data recorder from on board the MV Dali. That will contain really key clues about what was happening on the bridge

of the ship, at the frantic final moments before this collision here in the very early morning hours of Tuesday local time here on the East Coast.

There was an alarm going off on the bridge, according to one of the Maryland congressmen who was briefed on this by the Coast Guard. The Coast

Guard, though, says this is very much a salvage operation and across agencies have really banded together to try and make it so that they can

make this happen swiftly and smoothly.

Remember, there are 8,000 people, as you mentioned, whose lives rely on the Port of Baltimore. This is one of the busiest ports on the East Coast. Now,

boats are being diverted to places like Norfolk, Virginia, Newark, New Jersey.

This is a place where a lot of cars come in -- a lot of cars come out, rather, and imported are a lot of commodities like salt and sugar. This is

the home of Domino Sugar here in Baltimore, Maryland. And so, they want to get that open again and get the lifeblood of this city open again.

11 ships, we have just confirmed, are now trapped behind this broken bridge blocking off this massive sea lane. They're working on getting money from

the federal government so they can clear the bridge, design a new one and put a new one in quickly, but it sounds like that process will take a very

long time.

[18:20:00]

CHATTERLEY: Yes, and we certainly got that from the press conference too. Governor Wes Moore saying it is a Maryland crisis, but it's also a global

crisis, to your point. And actually, $80 billion worth of foreign cargo was handled last year, the biggest in the nation, in fact. So, Pete, they did

reiterate not just the challenges of trying to remove the debris from here, but the cost and the interim of waiting to do that.

One of the lines that was this, they're working on a replacement bridge and getting that waterway open, but they simply can't give a time scale or a

cost at this moment to early days. Pete, great to have you with us. Thank you so much for that report there.

More "First Move" after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHATTERLEY: All right. Welcome back to "First Move" with a look at today's "Money Move." And finally, some green on the screen. U.S. stocks breaking a

three-session losing streak with the S&P 500 hitting fresh records.

Another Trump stock bump to the former U.S. president's media holdings rising for a second straight session after Monday's strong market debut up

another 14 percent. I make that 30 percent in two days. Wowsers.

Disney ending the session in line with the S&P after reaching a settlement with the U.S. State of Florida in their long running dispute over who

controls the Disney World Tax District.

And meanwhile across Asia, Chinese stocks in the red despite new data showing a rebound in industrial profits. We can also see their Japanese

stocks on the advance. But far and away the biggest market news there was another steep drop in the value of the yen versus the U.S. dollar to a 34-

year low. Investors anticipating Japanese government intervention soon aimed at providing support to the sagging currency.

And Chinese President Xi Jinping holding a rare and powerful meeting Wednesday with a number of major U.S. business leaders. The gathering took

place in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, the CEO of Qualcomm, the President of FedEx, and Blackstone founder and CEO Stephen Schwarzman were

among the attendees.

President Xi discussing current economic challenges while also hoping to persuade U.S. firms that China remains an investment opportunity even as it

struggles to contain a deep property sector crisis and boost post-pandemic growth.

The context for indirect investment in China fell 8 percent last year overall. Xi and other Chinese officials saying at the meeting that China's

economy is "sound and sustainable." They promised more policy support too and insisted that U.S. firms would be treated fairly.

[18:25:00]

That said, companies have been wary of Chinese expansion due to strained relations between China and Washington. Points of tension also include

Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property, police raids on businesses, and steep corporate fines. And that's before I even mention TikTok. So, I

won't.

Now, a warning today too from Israel to Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. Earlier, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that

Israel will "copy and paste" Gaza onto Lebanon if tensions with Hezbollah escalate. Violence has been increasing lately with Israel and Hezbollah

trading strikes across Lebanon's border.

Meanwhile, just days after cancelling a planned trip to the United States, it appears an Israeli delegation will travel to Washington soon. Melissa

Bell has more.

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Julia, the White House has confirmed that that high level Israeli delegation will now head

to Washington, the very one that had been canceled by Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week, a delegation that's been requested to come to D.C. by

American officials who are keen to talk about Rafah and what happens next, indeed, to try and convince Israel of avoiding the full out assault on the

southern parts of Gaza that it is threatening to prepare.

It comes, as we've been hearing from Benjamin Netanyahu, more about his hope that American bipartisan support for Israeli efforts in Gaza will

remain strong. Not only, he told a meeting of bipartisan congressional leaders here in Jerusalem today because of what's been achieved so far

against Hamas, but also, he said, because he believes that the end is in sight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We've killed many senior leaders, including number four in Hamas, number three in Hamas. We'll get

number two and number one. That's victory. Victory is within reach. It's a few weeks away.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: That message coming, as that delegation will now come to Washington. Continues discussions that began with Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense

minister, these last couple of days, the United States urging Israel to find other ways about going -- about taking on those last remaining Hamas

battalions using more targeted strikes, building up the border between Gaza and Egypt to prevent terrorists from fleeing, for instance.

So far, Israeli officials have said that they are on listening mode. They're willing for those conversations to continue. But there is no

suggestion yet that they're willing to back down, Julia, from the idea of an all-out assault on Rafah and on the city itself.

In fact, as we heard Yoav Gallant leave Washington this Wednesday, it was the night before on Tuesday, that he told journalists that this is twofold.

First of all, of course, it is about, he said, getting rid of Hamas, dismantling it entirely, but also about the hostage negotiations and the

importance of sending an important message to Hamas about what might follow should a deal not be found. Julia.

CHATTERLEY: Thanks to Melissa Bell there. Plenty more to come. Stay with "First Move."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:31:24]

CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." And a look at more of the international headlines this hour. Former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman of

Connecticut has died at age 82 following complications from a fall. He was America's first Orthodox Jewish senator as well as the first Jewish vice-

presidential nominee of a major party running alongside Al Gore back in 2000. He later left the Democratic Party, winning re-election to the Senate

as an independent.

Thailand's lower house of parliament passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. The vote Wednesday was overwhelmingly in favor, 400 to 10 in

fact. It brings the nation one step closer to marriage equality. Both the Thai Senate and the king still need to approve the bill. If they do,

Thailand would become the third territory in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage.

Argentina is accusing Venezuela of cutting power to its embassy in Caracas after the diplomatic mission hosted a meeting with Venezuelan opposition

leaders. Venezuela's opposition says President Nicolas Maduro is stifling free and fair campaigning ahead of July's presidential election. The

leftist, Maduro, has also been harsh critic of Argentina's President Javier Milei.

And officials in Maryland giving an update just minutes ago about the Key Bridge in Baltimore. A cargo ship rammed into the bridge early Tuesday

morning. Officials say two victims were found earlier on Wednesday.

The families of Alejandro Fuentes, originally of Mexico, and Dorian Castillo Cabrera, originally of Guatemala, have now been notified. Four

others that remain missing are presumed dead.

Two people had been rescued around the time of the collapse. This has left one of top ports of East Coast of the United States fully out of

commission. Authorities say there are now 11 ships stuck inside the port in addition to the Dali.

When the Francis Scott Key Bridge was built in the late 1970s, container ships like the Dali, they didn't exist. Well, now these vast cargo vessels

are essential to feed global supply chains. Ivan Watson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behemoths of the sea. International trade depends on mammoth vessels like this,

container ships, the kind that brought down Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge in an instant.

WATSON: Up close, you realize just how huge these ships really are. This container ship here, it's a bit larger than the Dali. That is the

Singaporean-owned container ship that brought down the bridge in Baltimore this week.

WATSON (voice-over): The Dali was built in 2015 and is 300 meters or 984 feet long, capable of carrying up to 10,000 20-foot shipping containers for

a dizzying variety of commercial interests.

SAL MERCOGLIANO, MARITIME HISTORIAN, CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY: When you look at international shipping, this is kind of the typical case. Here's a

Singapore flag vessel with a Singapore company leasing the vessel to a Danish company. The insurance for the cargo is British. The classification

society that observes the vessels is Japanese.

WATSON (voice-over): There have been three deadly incidents recorded aboard ships managed by the Dali's operator Synergy Maritime in the last six

years. An accident with a ship elevator killed a crew member in Australia in 2018. In 2019 an officer went missing after having likely fallen

overboard in Singapore. And last year, a collision between a Synergy Maritime tanker and a dredging ship killed at least one sailor.

[18:35:00]

Meanwhile, in June of 2023, Chilean authorities briefly held the Dali, reporting a deficiency for unreadable pressure gauges related to propulsion

and auxiliary machinery.

MERCOGLIANO: This is what you want. You want, you know, inspectors to go on board and find issues. And are they corrected? Now, the bigger issue here

is going to be, did this ship have certain violations that were causing it to, you know, indicate a kind of a habitual problem.

WATSON (voice-over): Synergy says it's cooperating with U.S. investigators. And a spokesman tells CNN, it would be inappropriate to discuss any

previous incidents at this time.

Singaporean transport officials say the Dali's crew reported a momentary loss of propulsion shortly before it slammed into the bridge in Baltimore.

WATSON: Look at the size of this container ship next to Hong Kong's stone cutter bridge. At the time that Francis Scott Key Bridge was constructed in

the late '70s, container ships like this simply didn't exist. They were not being built at that size and scale in those days.

WATSON (voice-over): Just last month, China witnessed a deadly cargo ship collision with a bridge on the Pearl River in the City of Guangzhou. At

least five people died as vehicles plunged off the stretch of collapsed bridge. Authorities initially blamed the crew for the accident.

Global supply chains rely on these enormous ships to move goods around the world. The Baltimore Bridge disaster may force some to reconsider the size

of these ships and the potential damage they can do when things go wrong.

Ivan Watson, CNN, in the Port of Hong Kong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHATTERLEY: Fascinating report. OK. Still ahead, Microsoft's moment in Asia. How artificial intelligence is fueling sales in Greater China, Japan,

India and other major growth centers. Microsoft's president in Asia will be along to discuss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHATTERLEY: Welcome back to "First Move." Asia quickly embracing the promise and potential of artificial intelligence with China, South Korea,

and Singapore quickly adopting the technology in various guises.

One of the tech giants well placed to capitalize on Asia's A.I. push is Microsoft. It has some 40,000 employees in the region, including Greater

China, Japan, South Korea, and India.

[18:40:00]

At its analyst day in Singapore last month, Microsoft said a growing number of businesses are boosting spending on A.I. solutions, banks, retailers,

and healthcare providers, among those enticed by the technology's ability to improve productivity and of course the consumer experience.

Now, Microsoft says it's in the process of integrating A.I. into virtually all of its global products like its Azure Cloud Computing platform and the

Bing search engine. As regular viewers will know, that's also that $13 billion investment in OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT.

Microsoft stock is up over 50 percent over the past year, making it the world's most valuable company with a market cap of over $3 trillion. And

Ahmed Mazhari is the president of Microsoft Asia, and he joins us now.

Ahmed, that was a lot of me talking. Now, it's your turn. Welcome to the show. You've talked about this speed of diffusion of A.I. technology in

particular being something that we haven't seen for decades, perhaps even ever.

Talk to me about the speed of adoption and embracing that's happening across Asia and how it compares to what's going on in the West.

AHMED MAZHARI, PRESIDENT, MICROSOFT ASIA: Thank you for having me. Probably three points I'd like to make. This technology is super different. It's a

natural language. So, you do not have to be a software engineer to use A.I.

The second is the rate of diffusion that you just described is unprecedented. From when the transformer models were first launched, in

about six weeks, we had a rural farmer in India access a messaging app in a local vernacular language to determine the best proceeds that they could

get from the government for agriculture and agricultural productivity. That's the pace of diffusion.

And thirdly, it is pretty left to right in where it can create impact from a student in Southeast Asia learning maths and science using co-pilot to a

doctor in sub-Saharan Africa looking at pregnant women and getting them better advice to an energy development board working with Microsoft to find

a low lithium battery.

Why this becomes critical for us, Julia, is because if you think about the infrastructure requirements for any technology to develop, look at the

railways. When the railways came into being, the U.K. was investing 10 percent of GDP. Microsoft is making a similar commitment to investing. We

announced a $5 billion investment in Australia to further A.I. in the market. We have skilled 80 million people over the last four years with a

commitment to skilling 10 more million on A.I. in underprivileged world.

And finally, because we're a company that has been in existence for almost 50 years, we are able to enable our partner network to create examples of

the best. I'll probably give you a few that might be relevant to the Asian audience.

Let's start in Vietnam. VinBrain is working with doctors and A.I. technologists to identify cancer screening with about 95 percent accuracy.

Now, remind ourselves, this technology is about 18 months old in the hands of people.

In India, there is an organization, a start-up called Karia (ph), which is actually enabling women in villages to create new roles on language prompts

in languages that are not ubiquitous and have a small following. So, these are some examples of why we describe this as one of the fastest diffusion

technologies that the world may have experienced.

CHATTERLEY: Yes, it's so powerful, isn't it, particularly in nations where there are multiple dialects to be able to be such a power of connection in

that way in particular.

OK. There's a million ways I could take this conversation. Let's talk about India specifically, because I know you've also said you're going to train,

what, 100,000 developers. One of the comments that you made actually was that it could, by 2026, clip (ph) the United States.

What is it specifically about, India, that in terms of potential for perhaps development and adoption? I think of the kind of tools that you're

talking about.

MAZHARI: Julia, that's a great question. India has been at the forefront of being a technology talent generator and IP creator over the last two and a

half decades, beginning from the Y2K. And we see this as an economy where real-life implementation is happening.

From airlines, we work with the two largest airlines in India that is helping consumers have a much better experience and a much quicker

experience of booking tickets and having a better and safer journey.

[18:45:00]

I shared with you the example of language modeling. We're working with a technology platform in India called Sarvam, which is looking at Indic

languages so as to create more tokens, i.e., creating a platform for its application such that we create more inclusive technology.

And your point about India is fascinating. We believe that by 2027, GitHub will have more developers in India than the United States. And even today,

one in four A.I. projects in the world are happening out of India.

CHATTERLEY: Wow. Do you think the pay gap between employing people in India versus in the U.S., for example, if we're going to make this comparison,

will also narrow over that time? I'm sort of fascinated about the impact of given the importance and the weight and the heft that we are putting behind

this technology, whether it's an equalizing force into some degree globally for talent, too.

MAZHARI: We believe that A.I. will help enable our mission more successfully and more quickly than ever before of empowering every person

and every organization to achieve more. I shared with you the example of Karia (ph).

This is a woman that I actually met very recently on my trip to India, actually just in February, who is in a rural village in Nashik and is able

to earn five times the minimum wage by contributing content in her language.

CHATTERLEY: I see. I love that. And I love it you have an example of where it's working as well. You know, one of the other beauties of Microsoft, and

I want to expand the area, is that you do have clients, you have projects, the United States is a great example. We have your president, Brad Smith,

on a lot talking about some of the work that they do tied to government. You also have clients and provide services in China, for example, too.

If we take the example of A.I. specifically and the experiences that you have, do you think in particular these two nations, but all the biggest

nations, including leadership in India, for example, can come together to regulate this effectively and ensure we benefit maximally from the upsides

and limit the potential downsides of A.I.?

MAZHARI: Julia, that's a great question. And you referenced Brad Smith, who's been at the forefront of leading our efforts on a safer technology,

and we're excited about that. The world will be in a better place if we are able to govern and create convergence between public and private

partnerships.

You might have come across a platform that we signed up for election empowerment. As you might know, 56 percent of the world's adult population

goes to vote this year in about 50 countries. And it's our responsibility, amongst 19 other companies that we have signed up with, to provide every

citizen with the most consistent, the most accurate, and the most contemporary information such that they can make the right decisions around

technology. And that will enable us progress more effectively.

CHATTERLEY: I have about a minute left, Ahmed. But when I was just recently in Hong Kong, I saw that the University of Hongkong initially banned

ChatGPT and then they turned round and were like, actually, hang on a second. Now, we get it. Now, we think actually it can be a great tool for

our educators and for students too.

Do you expect more of that, particularly in education going forward?

MAZHARI: This technology will probably create the most ubiquitous inclusive growth of the future from health care to education.

CHATTERLEY: Oh, that was a quick answer.

MAZHARI: And as we look at education -- yes. As we look at education -- sorry. As we look at education, I think in Hong Kong, we've partnered with

eight universities in the government to help enable teachers to be more effective with lesson plans and students to be more effective with course

content and creating learning effectiveness.

CHATTERLEY: Amazing. Ahmed, I said to you in the break, we could probably talk for an hour and I was correct, but I have to let you go. We'll speak

again soon. Ahmed Mazhari there, the president of Microsoft Asia. Sir, thank you for your time.

MAZHARI: Thank you.

CHATTERLEY: All right. Coming up next -- thank you. A favorite among artists and emperors throughout history, but could the beloved Dachshund

dog breed come under threat in the modern era? We will explain. Look at that jumper. That's lovely.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:51:44]

CHATTERLEY: We've spoken on this show many times about the impact of climate change, and now it could be affecting the way we measure time.

That's according to a study from the University of California, San Diego.

It says the Earth's rotation is slowing as polar ice melts and the water ends up towards the equator. That could delay the need to remove a leap

second in coming years, a leap second. Just to be clear, leap seconds are used now and then to make up for a divergence between atomic clocks and the

rotation of the Earth. Removing one has the potential to cause havoc on susceptible computing systems. Interesting.

Now, to a brewing canine controversy in Germany. The nation's beloved Dachshund breed is also known as the sausage dog, could be under threat. A

draft bill is being considered as part of the Animal Protection Act, which could restrict the breeding of dogs that are prone to certain health

conditions.

Fred Pleitgen has more from Berlin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Many Germans are up in arms as one of the most popular dogs here in this country and really a

staple of German culture, the sausage dog, they believe could be under threat and maybe in the future could disappear and not be bred anymore here

in this country.

Now, all this comes down to a draft law which was put forward by the German Agriculture Ministry which is in charge of animal protection here in this

country. And that law seeks to end what Germans call torture breeding. That in effect means breeding animals with what the Germans call skeletal

abnormalities and some of those abnormalities include very long spines and very short legs, which of course, tend to be features of the German sausage

dog.

Now, the ministry itself, we've gotten in touch with them, they say that they have absolutely no plan to end breeding of sausage dogs here in this

country. They say they simply want to protect animals and end what they call torture breeding which essentially, they say, means breeding animals

in a way that makes their life essentially unlivable because of their bodily features.

Now, the German Kennel Club doesn't buy any of this. They say while some of the provisions in this draft law are good like, for instance, combating the

illegal puppy trade, they say that some of the rules set out for the breeding could in fact ban breeding of German sausage dogs.

We also got in touch with a breeder of German sausage dogs who says that the dogs are not inbred and the vast majority of them are very healthy and

also that German sausage dogs actually live quite long. Their longevity is apparently very good.

Now, the German Kennel Club and the breeder both say that they are very suspicious of this new law. They do believe that it could mean the end of

breeding of German sausage dogs. And not just that, they also fear that it could mean the end of breeding of things like, for instance, German

shepherds or schnauzers which are also, of course, staples of German cultures and a lot of people here in this country have these types of dogs.

So, there is a lot of concern out there.

This law however is still in very early stages of being drafted, it would still have to go through various stages in German Parliament to actually

become law.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

[18:55:00]

CHATTERLEY: Yes, long-ish body, little legs, just don't overfeed them, as I know well with Romeo.

And finally, on "First Move," an escape that had the authorities in a total flap. This four-year-old male ostrich managed to escape from a zoo in South

Korea. It's actually quite huge. But not for long. After spending about an hour, though, running in and out of traffic, his bid for freedom ended

dramatically when police and firefighters used an enormous net to catch him.

The zoo owner says the ostrich has been returned. And, in case you're worried, he is safe and sound, no harm. So, no need to get into a flap.

Boom. Yes.

Just about wrapping up the show there. Thanks for joining us. I'll see you tomorrow.

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END