Bitcoin's confirmed transactions are exploding, but it's not because people are buying cappuccinos in Dubai with satoshis.
Why it matters: New experiments are running on the world's oldest blockchain. From the perspective of some, it's bringing new functionality — to others, it's a stress test enabling Bitcoin to experiment with how to handle outsize real demand, if such demand ever comes.
The future of money will be increasingly virtual, though a new research report suggests digital currencies are likely to remain bit players in the journey over the next decade.
Why it matters: A report out today from Moody's Investor Service underscores how the world has clearly embraced digital technologies in money — but money backed by central banks, and the systems in which it is entrenched, will continue to thrive.
Twitter is no longer requiring verified government organizations or publicly owned services to pay for backend access to its interface. That access allows public service companies to be able to send automated alerts.
The big picture: The move marks a big reversal for CEO Elon Musk, who has a record of making big changes and then reversing course amid outcry.
New evidence suggests that generative AI may not be very good at one of the first jobs the industry has given it — answering search queries.
Driving the news: Four publicly available search engines that use AI-generated chat to respond to users' questions build a “facade of trustworthiness" without adequately documenting their answers, a new paper from Stanford University researchers concludes.
Meta has flagged more than 1,000 domains since March that are distributing malware-laced, ChatGPT-themed tools, according to a report released Wednesday morning.
Why it matters: Online scammers are hitching a ride on the hype around ChatGPT and other AI tools to target unwary users who want to try out the new technology.
The White House will host leaders of AI's top companies Thursday for a meeting with administration officials, Axios has confirmed.
Details: Vice President Kamala Harris and other senior administration officials will meet with the CEOs of Alphabet/Google, Anthropic, Microsoft and OpenAI, per an invitation obtained by Axios.
IBM's CEO is setting his sights on using artificial intelligence to eliminate thousands of jobs in one of the first acknowledgments by a major company that it plans to reduce its workforce with AI.
Why it matters: AI has the potential to fundamentally reshape the workforce, much like the industrial revolution and the digital age caused enormous opportunity, upheaval and uncertainty throughout the economy.
Iran's state-backed hackers are expanding their cyber playbook to include disinformation campaigns, Microsoft warned in a reportTuesday.
Driving the news: Microsoft estimates that the Iranian government was behind 24 "cyber-enabled influence operations" throughout 2022, including 17 since mid-June.
The likelihood of cybercriminals investing energy and money into incorporating artificial intelligence into their schemes anytime soon is vastly overblown.
The big picture: If anything, cyber defenders will see the more immediate benefits of AI — it can help them block the run-of-the-mill security holes that criminals keep exploiting.
Big trades can move any market, but this is especially true in the still relatively small asset classes of cryptocurrencies.
Driving the news: Tristero, a crypto startup, announced Tuesday that it's raising $4.8 million to build a trustless dark pool, designed to facilitate large trades without alerting the market and moving prices dramatically.
The "godfather of AI" quit Google and joined a growing chorus of experts warning that the rush to deploy artificial intelligence could lead to disaster.
Why it matters: When some of the smartest people building a technology warn it could turn on humans and shred our institutions, it's worth listening.
The Writers Guild of America is on strike for the first time in 15 years after negotiations for a labor deal with Hollywood studios broke down ahead of the current deal's expiration on Monday.
Why it matters: A work stoppage threatens to cripple Hollywood's already-messy transition to the streaming era.
A coalition of technology and educational organizations are teaming up to support TeachAI, a Code.org-led effort to help educators both use artificial intelligence in the classroom and explain to their students how the technology works.
Why it matters: Adoption of AI is exploding, creating a huge need for people to understand the technology's power and limits. At the same time, educators are struggling to adapt to the sudden arrival of tools that could significantly upend the ways students are taught and evaluated.
The adult content website Pornhub blocked access in Utah on Monday due to new state laws requiring websites with adult content to verify users' ages before allowing them to access the platforms.
Driving the news: Pornhub.com now opens on devices in Utah with a message that states the company has "made the difficult decision to completely disable access to our website in Utah."
After years of letting users store and share online documents, Box is adding a feature that allows customers to use AI to ask questions based on the contents of those files.
Why it matters: CEO Aaron Levie tells Axios that AI represents the biggest opportunity yet for the company to expand beyond its roots as a provider of storage.
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