In brief GPT Image 2 launched in late April with native reasoning and extremely good text accuracy in any script. Nano Banana 2 wins on anime illustration, aerial spatial composition, and structured information design. GPT Image 2 dominates on photorealism, typography, and signature calligraphy. OpenAI recently launched GPT Image 2 with the kind of understatement…
In brief The Academy bars AI-generated acting and screenplays from Oscar eligibility. International category expands to allow multiple entries via festival wins. Actors can now receive multiple nominations in the same category. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday ruled that AI-generated performances and screenplays will not qualify for Oscars, according to…
A16z has thrown its weight behind the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in a growing federal-state standoff over prediction markets, opposing state regulators that try to shut down platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket. The venture capital heavyweight submitted the letter on Thursday in response to the CFTC’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking on prediction markets….
In brief Apple CEO Tim Cook warned that Mac mini and Mac Studio could remain in short supply for “several months” after AI-driven demand far exceeded the company’s forecasts. OpenClaw—the open-source AI agent platform now backed by OpenAI—turned Apple’s unified memory architecture into the default hardware for running large local AI models. Apple’s M4 Ultra…
Riot Platforms posted $167.2 million in revenue for the first quarter of 2026, with its newly launched data center business contributing $33.2 million. The data center revenue helped offset a decline in Riot’s core Bitcoin mining business, which fell to $111.9 million from $142.9 million in Q1 2025, driven by lower average Bitcoin prices and…
The Ethereum Foundation has completed a third over-the-counter (OTC) sale of ETH to BitMine Immersion Technologies, offloading another 10,000 ETH at an average price of $2,292 per coin, worth roughly $22.9 million. “This sale funds the Ethereum Foundation’s core operations and activities, including protocol R&D, ecosystem development, community grant funding and more,” the Foundation wrote…
Bitcoin may not need a new story or catalyst to push back above the psychological $100,000 level, which it has not traded above in nearly five months, according to MN Trading Capital founder Michael van de Poppe. ‘“There doesn’t need to be a narrative that pushes the price upwards,” van de Poppe said in an…
Key takeaways: Bitcoin options markets price in low odds of BTC reaching $84,000 in May, while the monthly futures basis rate reflects weakness. Significant Bitcoin accumulation by listed companies and rising spot Bitcoin ETF inflows absorb mining supply, reducing the impact of potential selling. Bitcoin (BTC) reclaimed the $78,000 level amid broader risk-on sentiment, as…
The US CLARITY Act, which aims to provide the US crypto industry with more regulatory clarity, could now move closer to becoming law after new stablecoin yield provisions were published, according to Coinbase chief legal officer Faryar Shirzad. “It’s time to get CLARITY done,” Shirzad said in an X post on Friday, after US Senator…
Stablecoin issuer Tether (USDT) reported $1.04 billion in net profit for the first quarter of 2026, as its excess reserves rose to a record $8.23 billion, according to its latest attestation on Friday. The company said its reserves remain heavily concentrated in US Treasuries, with around $141 billion in direct and indirect exposure, while total…