We bring you the latest in the Web3 and AI industry, structured in bite-sized news that you can read in a minute!
Here’s what’s happening in Web3 and AI in 1 minute.
Web3
DEX Growth Continues Despite Hyperliquid Exploit
1️⃣ DEXs continue to gain market share from centralised counterparts despite a $6.2 million exploit on Hyperliquid. A cryptocurrency whale manipulated the platform’s liquidation mechanics, raising concerns about infrastructure vulnerabilities within DEXs.
MMA Star Joins Memecoin Craze with Token Launch
2️⃣ MMA star Conor McGregor launched the REAL token, branding the project as a game changer for the crypto ecosystem. While the memecoin “supercycle” is showing signs of fatigue, traders continue to remain active.
SEC Reassess Crypto Guidelines Amid Deregulation Push
3️⃣ Acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda ordered a comprehensive review of existing staff guidance on cryptocurrency regulation, in line with a push for deregulation. Documents under review include risk disclosures and guidance on Bitcoin futures.
OpenSea Reclaims NFT Market Share as Rivals Falter
4️⃣ OpenSea regained dominance of the Ethereum NFT marketplace volume, following a period of sharp decline. This resurgence is attributed more to a downturn in performance by competitor Blur than to OpenSea’s own growth.
PayPal Adds Chainlink and Solana to Crypto Line-Up
5️⃣ PayPal and Venmo expanded their cryptocurrency offerings to include LINK and SOL, and US users will soon be able to manage tokens within the platforms. This move forms part of PayPal’s broader strategy to deepen its involvement in digital assets.
Satoshi Nakamoto Turns 50 as BTC Achieves Reserve Status
6️⃣ Satoshi Nakamoto is believed to be 50 on 5 April 2025, coinciding with Bitcoin’s ascent to reserve asset status in the United States and increasing institutional adoption. Nakamoto’s anonymity remains central to Bitcoin’s decentralised ethos.
Solana TVL and DEX Activity Remain Robust
7️⃣ Solana’s on-chain fundamentals remain strong despite a 9% decline in its token price. The network’s TVL reached its highest point since June 2022. Meanwhile, DEX volumes on Solana continue to demonstrate resilience.
London Police Launch Civil Asset Recovery
8️⃣ The City of London Police partnered with a legal firm on a new civil asset recovery initiative targeting cryptocurrency fraud. Following a successful pilot that recovered assets for an elderly victim, the scheme will focus on cases where criminal prosecution may not be possible.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Trump’s Tariff Equation Mirrors ChatGPT Suggestions
1️⃣ Trump’s administration unveiled a new tariff formula based on the ratio of trade deficits to imports, a method economists criticised as simplistic. The same formula was proposed by AI chatbots , which led to accusations of overreliance on unverified AI outputs.
AI Jailbreaker Banned, Then Reinstated by OpenAI
2️⃣ Notorious AI jailbreaker Pliny, known for bypassing AI safety filters, had his ChatGPT account deactivated on 1 April 2025 for alleged violations related to “violent activity”. The suspension was seen by some as a response to his history of sharing jailbreak exploits.
AI Restores Speech to Stroke Survivor After 18 Years
3️⃣ Researchers at UC Berkeley and UCSF developed an AI-driven brain-computer interface that restored speech to a woman who lost the ability to speak after a stroke. The system translates her brain activity into speech in real time, using a synthetic voice recreated from her wedding video.
Peter Thiel-Backed Sentient Launches Open Deep Search
4️⃣ AI lab Sentient unveiled Open Deep Search (ODS), an open-source search framework they claim outperforms models such as GPT-4o and Perplexity. Built with an agentic approach, ODS scored highest for accuracy.
Meta’s Llama 4 Gives US Lead in Global AI Race, Says White House
5️⃣ David Sacks declared Meta’s launch of Llama 4 a significant advantage in the global AI race. The company introduced two models, Llama 4 Scout and Llama 4 Maverick, with 17 billion parameters. Meta claims it outperforms competitors including Google’s Gemini 2.0.
OpenAI Offers Free ChatGPT Plus to North American Students
6️⃣ OpenAI is providing free access to ChatGPT Plus for university students in the US and Canada. Students at accredited institutions can use the premium tool to assist with research, summarisation, and academic writing.
Altman Announces O3 and O4-Mini Ahead of GPT-5 Release
7️⃣ Sam Altman revealed that two new models, O3 and O4-Mini, will be launched in the coming weeks, with GPT-5 expected to follow later this year. The new timeline is intended to allow for better integration while preparing for GPT-5.
OpenAI’s $40B Funding Boosts AI Startups and Tokens
8️⃣ OpenAI’s $40 billion raise gave AI startups like CoreWeave a boost in stock price value, a few days after the company experienced a lethargic price value when it went public. The euphoria also extended to AI-related tokens like NEAR, ICP, and TAO.
