Asian trading is mixed as worries about AI-related issues grow

Asian shares were trading mixed early Friday, as concerns about the future of artificial intelligence grew after Alphabet's stock decline impacted U.S. markets. The benchmark Nikkei 225 in Japan fell 2.6% to 62,960.60. The Bank of Japan concluded a two-day monetary policy meeting without taking any action, after raising its benchmark rate to 1.25% the previous month.

The U.S. Dollar weakened against the Japanese Yen, with the exchange rate dropping to 157.50 yen from 157.65 yen. The Euro increased to $1.1197 from $1.1181. The S&P 500 on Wall Street experienced its first loss in four days, falling 0.3%. Alphabet's Class A shares suffered a 12.6% decline, marking the worst day since its initial public offering over 20 years ago.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.2% to 23,225.69, while South Korea's Kospi declined 5.4% to 5,618.76, with shares in SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics falling. Energy prices also saw an increase, with U.S. crude gaining 2.80% to $104.86 per barrel.