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Google’s Gemini demo is now getting accused of being ‘fake’

Onlookers praised the Gemini tech demo from Google upon its release last week but the tech firm admits some of it was jazzed up for “brevity.”

A “hands-on” tech demo of Google’s new artificial intelligence model Gemini has gone from being the talk of the town to being accused by critics of being “basically entirely fake.”

The six-minute video, which garnered 2.1 million views on YouTube since its release on Dec. 7, shows it seamlessly interacting with a human operator in seemingly real-time, including analyzing a duck drawing, hand gestures, and inventing a game called “Guess the Country” with just an image prompt of the world map. 

However, Oriol Vinyals, a Google Deepmind executive has since clarified that while the user prompts and outputs in the video are real, it has been “shortened for brevity.” In reality, Gemini’s interactions were text-based, not voiced, and took much longer than how it was represented in the video.

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Google’s Gemini demo accused of being ‘fake’

Onlookers praised the Gemini tech demo from Google upon its release on Dec. 7, but the tech firm admits some of it was jazzed up for “brevity.”

A “hands-on” tech demo of Google’s new artificial intelligence model Gemini has gone from being the talk of the town to being accused by critics of being “basically entirely fake.”

The six-minute video, which garnered 2.1 million views on YouTube since its release on Dec. 7, shows it seamlessly interacting with a human operator in seemingly real-time, including analyzing a duck drawing, hand gestures, and inventing a game called “Guess the Country” with just an image prompt of the world map. 

However, Google DeepMind executive Oriol Vinyals has since clarified that while the user prompts and outputs in the video are real, they have been “shortened for brevity.” In reality, Gemini’s interactions were text-based, not voiced, and took much longer than represented in the video.

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‘BitBoy Crypto’ intentionally misses court appearance to address alleged harassment

YouTuber and Crypto Twitter personality Ben Armstrong openly mocked a federal judge’s authority, tweeting pictures of himself on a beach during an ordered court appearance.

Ben Armstrong, also known as “BitBoy Crypto,” missed a court appearance ordered by a federal magistrate judge in response to the YouTuber’s alleged harassment of counsel in a lawsuit involving several crypto influencers.

Judge Melissa Damian had ordered Armstrong and his counsel to appear on April 20 to address the YouTuber’s “harassment towards plaintiffs’ counsel.” However, Armstrong openly mocked the order on social media, instead tweeting pictures of himself on a beach in the Bahamas.

According to various reports, Judge Damian warned Armstrong’s attorney — who was in attendance, as ordered — that she would issue a warrant for the YouTuber’s arrest if he failed to appear by April 24. The harassment case against Armstrong moved forward without him, with the judge reportedly referring the matter to the FBI.

Individuals affected by the collapse of FTX filed a class-action lawsuit against Armstrong and several other YouTubers in March for allegedly promoting fraud through the exchange “without disclosing compensation.” Moskowitz, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs in that case, claimed that Armstrong harassed the legal team with “endless phone calls, tweets and emails,” voicemails “full of vulgarities,” and social media posts suggesting threats.

Amid court proceedings on April 20, the YouTuber continued to mock the harassment case and Moskowitz. However, he said that he was “not flying by the seat of [his] pants,” hinting that his absence from court may have been with the advice of counsel. He reportedly offered through counsel to appear before the judge in May.

As part of the judge’s order on April 20, Armstrong will reportedly be barred from tweeting about Moskowitz and the plaintiffs in the case. He previously compared the lawyer to an ambulance chaser and a pig in addition to largely dismissing the basis of the lawsuit. Cointelegraph reached out to Moskowitz for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Related: Multiple Silvergate lawsuits over alleged FTX ties combined by judge

A crypto influencer with more than 1 million followers on Twitter and 1.4 million YouTube subscribers, Armstrong is no stranger to online controversy. He has insulted high-profile figures, including European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, in addition to others affecting policy in the space.

Magazine: Get your money back: The weird world of crypto litigation

Judge orders YouTuber ‘BitBoy Crypto’ to appear and address alleged harassment

Ben Armstrong was ordered to appear in a Florida court to address allegations he threatened and harassed lawyers behind a class-action lawsuit against him and other crypto influencers.

A federal magistrate judge has signed an order requiring BitBoy Crypto YouTuber Ben Armstrong to appear in Florida as part of a status conference related to a lawsuit involving several crypto influencers.

In an April 12 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Judge Melissa Damian ordered Armstrong and his counsel to appear on April 20 along with the legal team representing the influencers. According to the order, the conference was aimed at bringing awareness of “Armstrong’s harassment towards plaintiffs’ counsel.”

Armstrong, along with several other YouTubers, were named in a $1-billion lawsuit filed on March 15 for allegedly promoting “FTX crypto fraud without disclosing compensation.” Adam Moskowitz, representing plaintiff Edwin Garrison and others in the class-action lawsuit, has claimed that Armstrong harassed the legal team with “endless phone calls, tweets and emails,” voicemails “full of vulgarities,” and social media posts suggesting threats.

An April 5 filing showing cause for a hearing with Armstrong detailed “daily violent threats” by the YouTuber in addition to responses to emails with threats and insults before being served with process papers. The legal team also reported in a March 20 filing that one of Armstrong’s voicemails included the YouTuber allegedly threatening to surround Moskowitz’s home with protesters “24/7 day and night.”

“The scope of the attacks (including death threats), which examples are provided in those filings and which continue on a daily basis since, necessitated Undersigned Counsel to open an FBI investigation into Armstrong, as well as the investigation files by local police authorities for Plaintiffs’ counsel and their families,” said Moskowitz.

Twitter posts from Armstrong claimed the original lawsuit regarding disclosure of compensation from FTX had “absolutely no merit.” The crypto influencer is no stranger to online controversy, regularly insulting high-profile figures, including European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde and being generally dismissive of the class-action lawsuit.

Related: YouTube appoints Web3-friendly exec as new CEO

In August 2022, Armstrong filed a defamation suit against YouTuber Erling Mengshoel Jr. — also known as Atozy — in response to a video Mengshoel posted claiming that “This YouTuber scams his fans… Bitboy Crypto.” Armstrong dropped the lawsuit after Mengshoel raised more than $200,000 in a campaign for his defense in less than 24 hours.

Magazine: Get your money back: The weird world of crypto litigation

Jake Paul-endorsed SafeMoon gets hacked after introducing a bug in upgrade

A public burn function introduced in the latest upgrade allegedly allows users to burn tokens from other addresses.

SafeMoon, a project previously endorsed by celebrities and social influencers like Jake Paul and Soulja Boy, announced its liquidity pool (LP) had been compromised. Without revealing further details about the attack, SafeMoon confirmed it is undertaking steps “to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”

Like many other crypto projects in 2021, SafeMoon was backed by numerous celebrities. However, a lawsuit from February 2022 alleged that musicians such as Nick Carter, Soulja Boy, Lil Yachty, and YouTubers Jake Paul and Ben Phillips mimicked real-life Ponzi schemes by misleading investors to purchase SafeMoon (SAFEMOON) tokens under the pretext of unrealistic profits.

Jake Paul promoting SafeMoon token in 2021. Source: Twitter

Investigating the SafeMoon hack shows that the attacker made away with approximately 27,000 BNB (BNB), worth $8.9 million. SafeMoon has not yet responded to Cointelegraph’s request for comment. Moreover, users have been barred from posting comments on the announcement that revealed the LP compromise.

Blockchain investigator PeckShield narrowed the problem to a recent software upgrade as a potential culprit that introduced the bug. A public burn function introduced in the latest upgrade allegedly allows users to burn tokens from other addresses.

Community member “DeFi Mark” explained that the attacker used the vulnerability to remove SafeMoon tokens, causing an artificial spike in the token’s price. The attacker took advantage of the situation and sold off the tokens at an inflated price.

SafeMoon exploit overview. Source: PeckShield

The attacker left a note along with the transaction, as shown above, which said:

“Hey relax, we are accidently frontrun an attack against you, we would like to return the fund, setup secure communication channel , lets talk.”

Until SafeMoon officially announces a resolution, investors are advised against investing in the project to avoid possible loss of funds.

Related: New crypto litigation tracker highlights 300 cases from SafeMoon to Pepe the Frog

Following a recent security incident related to illicit access to hot wallets, Bitcoin (BTC) ATM manufacturer General Bytes plans to reimburse customers that lost funds.

As Cointelegraph reported, the hack caused a loss of 56 BTC and 21.82 Ether (ETH), cumulatively worth nearly $1.9 million.

Magazine: Huawei NFTs, Toyota’s hackathon, North Korea vs. Blockchain: Asia Express

FTX influencers face $1B class-action lawsuit over alleged crypto fraud promotion

The suit is led by Edwin Garrison and was filed against “FTX influencers,” primarily on YouTube.

A class-action suit led by Edwin Garrison has been filed against “FTX influencers,” mostly on YouTube, seeking $1 billion because they “promoted FTX crypto fraud without disclosing compensation.” The suit was filed on March 15 in the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division.

Kevin Paffrath, Graham Stephan, Andrei Jikh, Jaspreet Singh, Brian Jung, Jeremy Lefebvre, Tom Nash, Ben Armstrong, Erika Kullberg and Creators Agency LLC are named as respondents. The defendants are eight YouTubers, the talent management company that handled the promotion of FTX and the agency’s founder. According to the suit:

“Though FTX paid Defendants handsomely to push its brand and encourage their followers to invest, Defendants did not disclose the nature and scope of their sponsorships and/or endorsement deals, payments and compensation, nor conduct adequate (if any) due diligence.”

The suit describes the defendants as “influencers” who “present themselves as real-life consumers who share authentic and valuable information with their followers.”

The Moskowitz Law Firm is representing the plaintiffs. The seven plaintiffs named are from various countries and all “purchased an unregistered security from FTX in the form of a YBA [yield-bearing account].” The suit claims the plaintiffs suffered damages through purchasing the “unregistered security” and the defendants promoted it for the financial benefit of themselves and/or FTX. Global and national classes of plaintiffs were identified in the suit and represent “thousands, if not millions, of consumers globally, to whom FTX offered and/or sold YBAs,” it claims.

The defendants are demanding damages in “a sum exceeding $1,000,000,000.00.” 

Related: Binance.US, Alameda, Voyager Digital and the SEC — the ongoing court saga

The suit holds that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission warned in 2017 that if yield-bearing accounts are found to be securities, persons promoting them could be prosecuted for promoting an unregistered security or failing to properly disclose their payments and compensation. The question of whether that is the case has been “practically answered in the affirmative through various regulatory statements, guidance, and actions issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory entities,” the suit says. 

In addition, the suit claims the SEC has shown a “consistent approach to cryptocurrency” and goes on to discuss recent and ongoing cases involving SEC and the crypto industry, as well as the Howey and Reves tests.

The suit is a consolidation of several class-action suits, according to the law firm. Garrison’s suit was filed on Nov. 15, 2022 “and is the first-filed FTX-related class action filed in the country,” the firm said. Garrison is also a plaintiff in the class-action suit filed against alleged celebrity endorsers of FTX as well.

Why Senegal rejects the CFA and is warming to Bitcoin: Video

Why is there a groundswell toward Bitcoin adoption in Dakar? And could it influence neighboring countries and regions to explore magic internet money?

Cointelegraph goes to Senegal, West Africa. The mid-sized African nation recently hosted a Bitcoin (BTC) conference, and more and more merchants and customers are joining the Lightning Network.

Armed with a camera, a Lightning wallet and a microphone, reporter Joe Hall took to the streets of Senegal to peer under the surface of Bitcoin adoption in the capital city, Dakar.

As the Cointelegraph YouTube video highlights, Senegal has a young, digitally native population and, in recent years, it’s become second nature for people to send money via mobile phones rather than banks.

A mobile money provider called Wave, for example, began in 2017 in Senegal and has since expanded to other countries in West Africa. It now boasts millions of users. 

Much like Bitcoin, the mobile money revolution attempts to bank the unbanked and improve financial conditions for financially underserved populations. Its user experience is quite similar to sending money over Bitcoin’s Lightning Network in that you scan a QR code or send money to a number. However, mobile money charges anything from 1% to 3% and can take a few minutes to confirm. It’s therefore a useful tool, but too costly for microtransactions.

In the video, Hall sends Bitcoin over the Lightning Network to a manager at Wave, who showed interest and surprise at the Lightning Network’s efficacy. In fact, many Senegalese were interested in receiving, acquiring or learning how to custody Bitcoin.

Speakers at Senegal’s first major Bitcoin conference, DakarBtcDays.

The Dakar Bitcoin Days conference underscored the Senegalese’s interest in learning about and using Bitcoin. Founded by Nourou, Dakar Bitcoin Days is part of Bitcoin Senegal, another pocket of budding Bitcoin activity in West Africa.

However, the overarching reason which could lead to greater Bitcoin adoption in Senegal is breaking the monetary chains of its colonial past.

Related: ‘We don’t like our money’: The story of the CFA and Bitcoin in Africa

In 1994, the value of the local currency, the CFA, was sliced in half by a combination of efforts from France, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Senegalese fiat savings were decimated.

The scars of this monetary collapse and its residual regime remain in West Africa and Senegal. The CFA money is not sovereign and it disempowers and disenfranchises people.

That’s why people are looking for alternatives, and some are turning to Bitcoin.

YouTube appoints Web3-friendly exec as new CEO

YouTube’s new CEO Neal Mohan previously emphasized that NFTs could be an important tool for the platform’s content creators to develop additional revenue streams.

Google-owned YouTube has appointed Web3-friendly exec Neal Mohan as its new CEO following the departure of Susan Wojcicki this week.

Wojcicki stepped down from YouTube on Feb. 16 after nine years at the helm, outlining plans to start a “new chapter” focused on family, health and personal projects. During her tenure, she oversaw the pivotal introduction of the revenue-sharing model, among other things.

Moving forward, she will remain an advisor for Google’s parent company, Alphabet.

Before becoming the new CEO, Mohan served as YouTube’s chief product officer and oversaw the controversial removal of the video dislike button, the introduction of YouTube Shorts to compete with TikTok, and YouTube Music.

In terms of Web3, Mohan outlined tentative plans in February 2022 to integrate a host of new features, such as Metaverse-based content experiences and content tokenization via nonfungible tokens (NFTs), much to the dismay of the NFT-hating community at the time.

In particular, Mohan emphasized that NFTs could provide a new way for creators to engage with their audiences and develop additional revenue streams. He cited the potential for creators to tokenize their videos, photos, art and experiences as examples.

“Web3 also opens up new opportunities for creators. We believe new technologies like blockchain and NFTs can allow creators to build deeper relationships with their fans. Together, they’ll be able to collaborate on new projects and make money in ways not previously possible,” he wrote in a blog post on Feb. 10, 2022.

Related: Crypto Stories: How Altcoin Daily built a platform for millions of crypto enthusiasts

Despite being intended to potentially roll out last year, the Web 3-related plans are yet to materialize but could be set for another push in the near future, given that Mohan is now leading the firm.

Following the news of Mohan becoming the new CEO of YouTube, there has been a surprisingly limited amount of FUD from the feisty NFT skeptics on Twitter, who are usually quick to flame anything to do with reports of mainstream connections to the tech.


Paying the way for Bitcoin adoption in El Salvador: Video

What is Bitcoin adoption like on the ground as peer-to-peer cash in the home of Bitcoin worldwide? Cointelegraph visits El Salvador to find out!

The Bitcoin (BTC) white paper title describes Bitcoin as a “peer-to-peer electronic cash system.” So how is Bitcoin being used as a means of exchange, or electronic cash, in the first country to adopt Bitcoin? 

Reporter Joe Hall spent a few weeks in El Salvador attempting to live off Bitcoin and Bitcoin only. He documented his trials, tribulations, successes and satoshis (the smallest amount of a Bitcoin) in a video for Cointelegraph’s YouTube channel:

Headlines from El Salvador within the crypto community have been largely positive. Moreover, statistics emanating from the country have been abundantly positive; tourism is up 30%, crime and the murder rate in El Salvador have decreased dramatically, and the Bitcoin bonds project is underway in 2023.

Nonetheless, while Bitcoin is undoubtedly one of the best-known brands worldwide; and a marketing tool that appeals to a pool of ardent Bitcoin believers around the world, its use as a means of exchange is often questioned. In El Salvador, it’s no different, as Hall explains.

Some Salvadoran vendors are laser-eyed hodlers; others made their first Bitcoin payment with Hall and were keen to ask questions and learn more.

Tipping Henry the delivery guy in Bitcoin to his Chivo wallet at 2 am. Source: Cointelegraph

Hall was surprised, dismayed, entertained and ultimately enthused by his findings in the country. Adopting a new technology as novel and misunderstood as Bitcoin is a mammoth task, but Salvadorans are getting stuck into the new technology where possible.

Retailers like Walmart had the option to pay in Bitcoin — but the process was slow and inconvenient — while the likes of Texaco were staunchly anti-Bitcoin. At McDonald’s, the experience is smooth and fast; it’s even quicker than the McDonald’s branches that accept Bitcoin in Switzerland.

From the Adopting Bitcoin conference — a Lightning conference in San Salvador that gathered Bitcoiners from around the world — down to Bitcoin Beach and Surf City, across to the volcanoes of Santa Ana and on the streets of San Salvador, Hall mingled with locals to get a better sense of Bitcoin as a means of exchange.

Related: El Salvador’s Bitcoin strategy evolved with the bear market in 2022

Hall attended the “My First Bitcoin” educational graduation ceremony at a school in El Pacheco. The founder, John Dennehy, was recently interviewed by Cointelegraph. Dennehy explained the group’s plan to remedy Bitcoin education in El Salvador by teaching teenagers how to Bitcoin.

Indeed, the recent graduates Hall interviewed at the school grasped the fundamental tenets of Bitcoin and expressed their belief that Bitcoin represents hope for the future. Watch the video to find out more.

Cointelegraph Markets launches new YouTube channel

Stay up-to-date on what’s happening in crypto, digital asset markets and traditional markets by tuning in to Cointelegraph Markets and Research’s dedicated series of shows.

Cointelegraph is proud to announce the launch of the Cointelegraph Markets and Research YouTube channel, a place that will hopefully become every trader’s first stop for breaking markets news, insights and alpha from Cointelegraph’s team of experts and guest analysts from the crypto industry. 

The Cointelegraph Markets and Research channel features three unique shows — The Market Report, Market Talks and Macro Markets — which stream live weekly at 12:00 pm Eastern Time (5:00 pm UTC) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, respectively.

The Market Report 

Every Tuesday at 12:00 pm ET (5:00 pm UTC), Bitcoin (BTC) evangelist Joe Hall hosts The Market Report, a weekly market update and analysis livestream featuring two of Cointelegraph’s resident experts, analyst and writer Marcel Pechman and business editor Sam Bourgi. 

Each week, The Market Report team discusses the latest headlines and events in the crypto market, providing valuable insights, analysis and opinions in a way that is easy to understand and keeps viewers up-to-date about the most impactful happenings in the space.

Market Talks

Crypto advocates focused more on trading and the macroeconomic and crypto-specific forces impacting digital asset prices can tune in to Market Talks on Thursdays at 12:00 pm ET (5:00 pm UTC).

Market Talks, hosted by Cointelegraph head of markets Ray Salmond, is a live show where protocol builders, notable traders and professional analysts from the crypto and blockchain industry share their perspectives and analyses on emerging trends in the market.

Market Talks zooms in on the specific influences that shape the markets, the latest crypto news and price breakthroughs. Its primary focus is straightforward: no shilling, tough and inquisitive questions, and deep insights into trending markets-related topics.

Macro Markets

On Macro Markets, a prerecorded show that airs Fridays at 12:00 pm ET (5:00 pm UTC), Cointelegraph analyst Pechman takes a top-down view of traditional markets and explains why they matter to crypto. 

Many traders think the S&P 500, oil, gold, foreign currency or even real estate don’t matter because they’ve got “diamond hands,” but Pechman says traders should think otherwise.

Pechman uses his 17 years of experience in traditional finance to explain in simple terms the factors moving traditional markets and how they impact the crypto market. From central bank digital currencies and the U.S. Dollar Index to tech stocks, wars and international conflict, Pechman explains it all.

The best thing about the show: There’s no technical analysis nor high-level jargon that listeners need to know to keep up. For Pechman, markets are driven by simple cause and effect — i.e., what happens in the macro environment always impacts crypto.