OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is creating a new artificial intelligence model called Strawberry. It will help AI tools reach the level of human intelligence through extended thinking. Strawberry will efficiently crawl the internet offline and reliably perform what OpenAI calls ‘deep research’, which will allow it to solve more complex real-world problems at scale. While we are waiting for the new development from OpenAI, other companies have already presented their latest innovations to the market.

Skild AI to Build ‘Robot Brains’

Earlier this week, Skild AI, an artificial intelligence company, announced the successful closing of a $300 million Series A funding round with the participation of Jeff Bezos and Softbank. Skild AI is a Carnegie Mellon University startup focused on creating an artificial intelligence system that can be embedded in various machines and robotic devices, the so-called ‘general-purpose brain’.

According to the company, the $1.5 billion investment was raised by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue, SoftBank Group, and Jeff Bezos. Felicis Ventures, Sequoia, Amazon, SV Angel, Carnegie Mellon University, and more also participated in the project.

Skild AI is a newcomer to the AI field to develop ‘artificial general intelligence’ (AGI), joining OpenAI, Anthropic AI, xAI, and countless other organizations working to create human-level AI. According to the blog post, Skild AI’s long-term goal is to develop a modular artificial brain that can be upgraded to be used in any enclosure that meets its power and connectivity requirements. So far, there are few details on how this product/service will be developed.

“The large-scale model we are building demonstrates unparalleled generalization and emergent capabilities across robots and tasks, providing significant potential for automation within real-world environments. We believe Skild AI represents a step change in how robotics will be scaled and has the potential to change the entire physical economy.” Deepak Pathak, CEO and co-founder of Skild AI, said in a statement.

Tether Hires Chainalysis’ Chief Economist

Tether is planning to increase the transparency of the use of stablecoins, and for this purpose, they have hired a new specialist. According to a July 15 publication, Philip Gradwell, former chief economist at Chainalysis, has been appointed head of the company’s economics department. He will be responsible for quantifying and informing regulators and stakeholders about the use of Tether USDT.

“Many people still view digital assets as a mystery, partly due to the industry’s focus on technology rather than practical use cases,” Gradwell said in a statement, adding that his goal at Tether is “to shift this conversation toward understanding how digital assets are used in the real economy, and how USDT is supporting dollar hegemony.”

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino commented on Gradwell’s appointment, noting that his experience “will enable Tether to bring even further understanding to our indispensable role in supporting the dollar.”

European Blockchain Convention to be Held in Barcelona in September

The tenth European Blockchain Convention will take place in Barcelona in September. According to the press release, the event will bring together visionaries, industry leaders, policymakers, developers, and startup executives to discuss ways to shape the future of the industry.

EBC10 aims to cover a wide range of topics, from digital assets to the progressive Web3 ecosystem. In particular, attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about tokenization, decentralized finance (DeFi), industry regulation, data privacy and security, and artificial intelligence.

According to the organizers, the event will be attended by representatives of well-known crypto projects, including experts from Polygon, Kraken, Blockchain.com, The Sandbox, 1inch Network, Animoca Brands, and other companies. In addition, representatives from Hilbert Capital, Algoquant, Bitwise Asset Management, Fabric Ventures, Societe Generale-FORGE, B2C2, and other organizations will present their insights.

*“We are thrilled to see such a diverse mix of voices represented at this year’s convention. From Web3 innovators to representatives of traditional banks, our mission has always been to create a platform that bridges gaps and fosters meaningful dialogue. The industry moves forward when we engage in hard conversations and challenge our own beliefs”*says Victoria Gago, co-founder of EBC.

Such events play a significant role in the popularisation of cryptocurrencies in general. This year has already been full of such large-scale and high-profile events. For example, Paris Blockchain Week, where participants were able to learn more about macro trends and investments in open finance, artificial intelligence, NFT games the meta space, and much more. They also listened to speeches from leading industry experts such as Algorand founder Silvio Micali, Stellar Development Foundation CEO and Executive Director Denell Dixon, and Polygon co-founder Mihailo Bjelic.

So did the global crypto conference TOKEN2049 in Dubai, which brought together founders and CEOs of leading Web3 companies and projects to discuss global developments, opportunities, and ideas for the Web3 space. In addition to a variety of workshops, hackathons, and networking events, TOKEN2049 featured over 200 industry leaders, including Pavel Durov, CEO of Telegram, Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, and Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX.

Moreover, WhiteBIT CUP 2024 was recently held in Barcelona, bringing together WhiteBIT partners, influential industry representatives, VIP clients, and crypto enthusiasts. The participants of the event had the opportunity to talk to the famous FC Barcelona footballer Juliano Belletti, as well as to ride the club bus and try on a special personalized uniform.

Uniswap Labs Presents Browser Extension with Support for 11 Blockchains

After over half a year of waiting, Uniswap Labs has opened public access to its wallet browser extension on Google Chrome. The tool was first announced in February, and more than 793,000 users joined the waiting list.

From now on, users can add the extension to their browser via the Google Chrome Web Store and then create a new Uniswap wallet or import an existing one. The solution works with the Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, Blast, ZKsync, Zora Network, BNB Chain, Avalanche, and Celo blockchain networks.

*“The Uniswap Extension lives in your browser’s sidebar, staying with you no matter where you are on the web. No more pop-ups or easy-to-lose transaction windows. Swap, sign transactions, and send or receive crypto right from the sidebar,”*Uniswap Labs wrote in a release.

Former Tesla, OpenAI Exec Founds Educational Startup Eureka Labs

According to a post on social media platform X, Andrej Karpathy, head of AI at Tesla and co-founder of OpenAI, is launching Eureka Labs, a startup aimed at creating a new type of school using artificial intelligence.

Eureka will create virtual assistants powered by generative AI to provide access to the best courses for more students without sacrificing the personalized interaction of face-to-face learning. The startup’s ultimate goal is to provide access to elite teachers and courses for students around the world, regardless of geographical and language barriers.

“Unfortunately, subject matter experts who are deeply passionate, great at teaching, infinitely patient, and fluent in all of the world’s languages are also very scarce and cannot personally tutor all 8 billion of us on demand. However, with recent progress in generative AI, this learning experience feels tractable.”, Karpathy said.

Eureka’s first project will be an undergraduate course in artificial intelligence called LLM101n. Students will learn with the help of artificial intelligence, similar to a teaching assistant. The materials will be available online, but will also include digital and physical cohorts, allowing participants to take the course in small groups.

“The teacher still designs the course materials, but they are supported, leveraged, and scaled with an AI Teaching Assistant who is optimized to help guide the students through them,” Karpathy explained.