Artificial intelligence pioneer Andrew Ng wants to make manufacturing smarter with his newest company.

Foxconn, the Taiwan-based contract manufacturer of iPhones, is buying the financially troubled Japanese electronics brand.

Foxconn has established an in-house university in efforts to retain workers.

For the past two years, Apple has allowed independent inspectors to examine factory conditions for the Chinese workers who make iPads, iPhones, and the company's other iconic products. Today, the Fair Labor Association released its final report on three factories run by the Apple supplier Foxconn.

Apple and Samsung both reported quarterly earnings last week. Today we hear from the company that makes many of the gadgets they sell -- Taiwanese tech giant Hon Hai, or as we know it, Foxconn.

Workers at the major Apple supplier in China will soon have a new union that represents them. Formerly, the union was controlled by management.

The report on supplier responsibility from Apple indicates progress on working conditions and excessive overtime requirements at the tech giant's Chinese suppliers, including its largest supplier, Foxconn. But the report also revealed one supplier was employing child workers.

With all this information technology at our disposal, it's striking how getting to the truth of a matter can still be so tough. Two tech stories from opposite sides of the world today remind us how even in 2012 the flow of information is still tightly controlled.