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joint forces for a better, greener web3 world, ChatGPT in your earbuds and more

high hopes ♨️

April 26, 2024 • Read time: 10 minutes

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gm gm,

Welcome back to another week — this time around, web3 is shaking things up to make Bitcoin greener, Stripe is staging a comeback, and Consensys is taking on the SEC to defend the Ethereum ecosystem.

AI is being integrated into earbuds, Apple is jumping on the open-source trend, and chatbots are becoming even more integrated.

As always, we’re using this space to provide you with the latest product updates and relevant industry news in the shortest form possible.

Let’s go!

INSIGHTS
What’s happening on-chain these days?

Thanks to QuickNode and Artemis' recent detailed report on what's happening in Web3 during Q1, we're getting a clearer picture of where crypto is headed with blockchain tech.

We did our homework to present you the key takeaways you should keep in mind.

The most popular narratives in Q1 were:

👉 Stablecoins experienced an impressive 42% surge in user activity QoQ, driven largely by the approval of the spot Bitcoin ETF, last week's halving event, and the resurgence of DeFi.

👉 DeFi saw a significant 291% increase in user activity QoQ, hinting at a potential continuation of the DeFi summer trend, despite ongoing regulatory efforts by the SEC.

👉 Web3 gaming has made a comeback with a substantial 155% increase in active addresses QoQ. This resurgence aims to redefine gaming experiences by harnessing blockchain technology, particularly focusing on financial incentives and ownership.

👉 Layer 2 solutions are expanding rapidly, with platforms like Arbitrum and Base experiencing significant growth in TVL. This indicates that there is still ample room for further expansion of on-chain liquidity.

👉 DeSo has seen a surge in activity, experiencing a 425% QoQ growth in Daily Active Addresses (DAA). This demonstrates users' growing interest in new social media alternatives that offer control over data and a stake in the platform's success, as seen with platforms like Warpcast.

From the venture capitalists' POV 💸 the report indicates a 36% increase in web3 deals, signaling a rise in investments for the first time in over a year. This suggests a positive change in VC attitudes towards web3. Notably, AI and gaming have seen the strongest resurgence in venture capital interest among the different categories.

We've got three more quarters to make 2024 a success, as long as they keep up the good vibes from the first three months in the web3 world. Things are looking up for sure!

For further insights, detailed charts, and comprehensive learning, access the complete report here.

A cool guide to current-generation humanoid robots

WEB3
Fresh money for a greener Bitcoin

  • Web3 startups raised ~$1.9B in Q1 2024

    According to Crunchbase, 346 funding deals secured nearly $1.9 billion in the first quarter, marking a 58% increase from the previous quarter. Notable funding rounds include Exohood Labs' $112 million seed round, Freechat's $80 million Series A, and EigenLabs' $100 million Series B.

  • Stripe is bouncing back into crypto

    After a 6-year hiatus, Stripe is set to resume support for global stablecoin payments this summer. According to reports, the initiative will kick off with USDC stablecoins on the Solana, Ethereum, and Polygon blockchains. Additionally, Stripe, currently valued at $65 billion, remains one of the largest payment providers globally, processing over $1 trillion in transactions in 2023.

  • PayPal rewards Bitcoin miners for adopting clean energy

    By teaming up with Energy Web and DMG Blockchain Solutions, PayPal has introduced an incentive program to promote eco-friendly Bitcoin mining. This initiative offers cryptoeconomic incentives and provides miners using clean energy with low-carbon accreditation.

  • Telegram now supports Tether's USDT

    This move allows users to send USDT to their Telegram contacts for free and removes the fee for USDT withdrawals to external wallets on the Ton network until the end of June. It's another big move toward more people using crypto, making transactions easier through an app like Telegram.

  • Dorsey’s Block company is building an open Bitcoin mining system

    In addition to announcing the completion of the three-nanometer (nm) bitcoin mining chip's development, the company has stated that it's beginning the development of a full bitcoin mining system. This system aims to address challenges within the mining community, making mining more distributed, efficient, and accessible.

  • The Shiba Inu project raised $12 million to launch a new L3 blockchain

    The memecoin project raised funds to launch the L3 blockchain on Shibarium (L2 for Ethereum) by selling the yet-to-be-released TREAT token to venture investors, none of whom are based in the US. The testnet is scheduled to launch in Q3. Notable investors include Animoca Brands, Polygon Ventures, and Mechanism Capital.

  • Only1 raised $1.3M to build OnlyFans on Solana

    The membership-based social media platform that enables creators to earn and engage with fans intimately with its native $LIKE currency raised a total capital of $4.7 to build a web3 version of OnlyFans on Solana. The upcoming features include CRM toolings, gasless transactions, referral links and an OpenAI-powered content discovery and moderation system.

AI
ChatGPT in your ears?

  • Apple announces OpenELM

    The project includes four models of different sizes, ranging from 270 million to 3 billion parameters, and it's available on Hugging Face's model library. These models are made to work well on Apple devices and are trained using datasets that are available to the public.

  • Microsoft announces its tiny but mighty Phi-3 SLM

    The Phi-3 is the inaugural member of a new family of potent small language models, now accessible to the public. It stands out as the most capable and cost-effective model, surpassing others of its size and the next size up across numerous benchmarks. With 3.8 billion parameters, the Phi-3 is readily available through the Microsoft Azure AI Model Catalog, Hugging Face, and NVIDIA NIM microservice, featuring a standard API interface for deployment anywhere.

  • Adobe Photoshop incorporates AI enhancements

    The latest additions to Photoshop (currently in beta) boast several AI-powered features, including text-to-image, background generation from similar images, reference image tools, and more. These enhancements aim to provide creators with greater control and equip them with additional capabilities to craft remarkable work.

  • Microsoft Research Asia showcases VASA-1, bringing human headshots to life

    The model transforms a single still image and a recorded speech clip into lifelike talking faces with attractive visual expressions, including facial nuances, head movements, and lip-syncing. Currently, there are no plans to release the product, demo, or API for VASA-1 until proper regulations are established.

  • The IOC names Intel as its official AI Platform Partner

    The International Olympic Committee (IOC) introduced the Olympic AI Agenda, a plan to use AI in sports, including talent spotting, customized training, and better judging. Teaming up with Intel as the Official AI Platform Partner, they've unveiled technology to spot new talents by analyzing various metrics and data.

  • Nothing integrates ChatGPT with its new earbuds

    The electronics company is releasing a novel pair of earbuds featuring integrated ChatGPT functionality, pioneering a unique fusion of consumer tech and AI. Designed with a pinch-to-speak feature, these earbuds are already on the market, priced at $99 and $149.

EVENTS
What’s happening in web3 and AI in May?

Check out the events connecting AI and crypto folks around the world 🌎

FROM THE REPOSITORY
5 tools to add to your maker’s arsenal

*Shipping amazing products or services in AI or web3? Reach out and get featured for free to your community of over 1k readers.

SCOOPS OF THE WEEK

And that’s it for the week - not so short but sweet.

Keep on building!

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joint forces for a better, greener web3 world, ChatGPT in your earbuds and more

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