A segment by a news outlet in Japan revived rumors that Vladimir Putin uses body doubles for public appearances, and generative AI is supposedly being used to make photos of those doubles look more like the real Russian president. The persistent and unsubstantiated claim has circulated for months and resurfaced in Japan, according a Daily Mail report. Although it was promptly…
If an artificial intelligence-created replica of a real person is called a deepfake, is the inverse a “deepreal”? Arnold Schwarzenegger—former governor of California, blockbuster action movie star, professional bodybuilder, and author—provided sage advice and, ultimately, a celebrity encounter to unsuspecting patrons at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California. It was a poetic scenario for the one-time “Terminator” star, as he once…
The guilty verdict in the criminal trial of Sam Bankman-Fried—delivered by a jury shortly before 8 p.m. ET in New York—triggered a torrent of reactions across the still vibrant crypto community on Twitter. The overall mood was closer to smug schadenfreude than jubilant, but there were hot takes across the spectrum. “Should let the SBF trial be a clear warning…
Former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried has been found guilty of all of the seven charges in his criminal trial by a jury in New York. Bankman-Fried was found guilty of two counts of wire fraud and two counts of wire fraud conspiracy along with one count of securities fraud, one count of commodities fraud conspiracy and one count of money…
Visa completes e-HKD CBDC trial with HSBC and Hang Seng Hong Kong is one step closer to a central bank digital currency (CBDC) with the release of its successful e-HKD phase 1 results in collaboration with Visa, HSBC, and Hang Seng Bank. According to the November 1 announcement, Visa said that it achieved “near real-time” finality with transfers involving tokenized…
A jury of nine women and three men found FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried guilty of seven fraud and conspiracy charges on Thursday, according to courtroom reporter Matthew Russell of Inner City Press, reaching a unanimous decision in the former crypto mogul’s high-profile criminal case. Although the jury delivered its verdict today, it could be some time before U.S. District Judge…
Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase narrowed its net loss to $2 million in the third quarter, as notched a year-on-year increase in revenue despite lower trading volumes. The firm’s net loss in Q3 was trimmed from a $545 million net loss in the prior year period, according to a Nov. 2 earnings statement. Total revenue increased 14.2% year-on-year to $674.1 million, though…
An Ethereum NFT trading card based on NBA rookie star Victor Wembanyama sold for over $110,000 Thursday, apparently topping the record sale for one of his physical trading cards. Released by Sorare NBA, an officially licensed fantasy basketball game, the single-edition “Unique” digital trading card of San Antonio Spurs player Wembanyama—this year’s first pick in the NBA draft—ultimately sold for…
MicroStrategy co-founder and Executive Chairman Michael Saylor doubled down on his enthusiasm for Bitcoin on Thursday, telling CNBC that he believes the cryptocurrency is soon going to experience a price boost previously unheard of in modern financial history. Saylor’s confidence in the coin stems from the confluence of a number of Bitcoin-related events that are anticipated to occur over the…
Marathon Digital has begun mining Bitcoin (BTC) using power generated from methane gas siphoned off a landfill. The 280-kW off-grid pilot project is operating in Utah. Marathon teamed up with Nodal Power on the project. Nodal Power was launched in November 2022 and produces energy from landfill gas in the southeastern United States and Texas. It raised $13 million in…
