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JPMorgan’s Dimon says he will allow clients to buy Bitcoin
Crypto Trends

JPMorgan’s Dimon says he will allow clients to buy Bitcoin

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Jamie Dimon, the chief executive officer of JPMorgan, has said that the bank will allow its clients to buy Bitcoin.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, a longtime crypto skeptic who has previously labelled Bitcoin (BTC) as worthless, now says the bank’s customers can buy the benchmark digital asset. Dimon announced the move during a speech at the banking giant’s annual investor day on May 19, 2025.

However, while JPMorgan bids to join other leading banks and financial institutions, including Morgan Stanley, in bringing BTC to their clients, Dimon remains skeptical. He also noted that while JPMorgan will allow its customers to buy Bitcoin, the bank will not custody it.

On his personal view about Bitcoin, Dimon has said:

“I don’t think you should smoke, but I defend your right to smoke. I defend your right to buy Bitcoin.”

After calling Bitcoin worthless in 2021, Dimon reiterated the take during a Senate hearing in 2023 and again in 2024 at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Earlier this year, Dimon likened Bitcoin to a “fraud.”

In his remarks about crypto and the ecosystem to lawmakers, the JPMorgan chief said he has always been “opposed to crypto, Bitcoin.” He noted that the only true use case of cryptocurrencies remains by criminals, money laundering, and tax evasion.

He has previously said he would shut Bitcoin down if it was all down to him.

“If I was the government, I’d close it down,” he noted in remarks in December 2023.

While Dimon has maintained a negative view of BTC and crypto, the broader banking ecosysem has increasingly warmed up to it. 

Banks such as Morgan Stanley have shown greater ambition in tapping into the crypto market for their clients.

This has come as the launch of Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds continues to shine a spotlight on institutional demand. Also taking a more upward trajectory is the tokenized assets market, with players such as BlackRock key cogs.

Notable shifts in regulatory approach by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, banking regulators and others are also pushing crypto into widespread adoption across the globe. This positive outlook has gathered pace under President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance.



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MSI Crosshair and MSI Claw
Gaming Gear

MSI brings AMD-based AMD gaming handheld, updated mid-range gaming laptops to Computex

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MSI brought its first gaming handheld with an AMD chip inside, the Claw A8 BZ2EM, to Computex. The company also used Taipei tradeshow to launch the latest versions of its Crosshair and Cyborg laptops.

MSI’s previous gaming handhelds, like its Claw 8 AI+, used Intel’s Core Ultra processors — the only mainstream gaming company to do so. It doesn’t seem that MSI is abandoning Intel, but is now making systems with chips from both partners.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM

Processor

AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme

Graphics

AMD Radeon (integrated)

Display

8-inch, 1920- x 1200, 120 Hz, VRR, IPS-level

RAM

Up to 24GB LPDDR5x-8000

Storage

1x NVMe M.2 2280 SSD

Battery

80 WHr

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Beyond using AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, the Claw A8 will have other new features. The system, which is very green, has an Xbox-style controller layout, placing the right thumbstick below the A/B/X/Y buttons. MSI is using Hall Effect joysticks, which should help prevent stick drift. The Claw A8 also has Hall Effect sensors in the LT and RT triggers.

The company has rounded the corners and put in bigger grips, which should increase comfort over previous Claw systems.


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The option for up to 24GB of RAM is impressive (especially fast LPDDR5x-8000 memory), but MSI hasn’t said anything about what configurations will go to which markets, so we’ll see how systems launch with that much memory. Asus used 24GB of memory in the ROG Ally X, one of the best PC Gaming Handhelds, which benefitted because the CPU and GPU share memory.

(Image credit: MSI)

The 80 WHr battery on the Claw is also identical in capacity to the Ally X, which lasted far longer than the original ROG Ally with a smaller 40 WHr battery.

The top of the system features plenty of ports, including a headphone jack, microSD card reader, two USB 4 Type-C ports, as well as a volume rocker and a power button with a built-in fingerprint reader. While the microSD card reader is expected at this point, MSI is also using a standard M.2 2280 SSD, so in theory you could easily crack the system open and replace it with a standard-sized M.2 drive.

MSI has refreshed its MSI Center software to be accessible via Xbox Game Bar. This should take up less space and allow for extra customization, but it’s still building on top of Windows 11, which hasn’t proven to be the most intuitive operating system for gaming handhelds.

MSI hasn’t announced pricing or a release date for the Claw A8.

Gaming Laptops

Like Acer and Asus, MSI brought its mid-range gaming notebooks to Computex, upgrading them to Nvidia’s new RTX 5060 and the RTX 5070.

(Image credit: MSI)

The new Crosshairs will come in 16, 17, and 18-inch sizes. Confusingly enough, using the 18-inchers as examples, the Intel models are styled Crosshair 18 HX AI, while the AMD versions are Crosshair A18HX. So AI means Intel Core Ultra 200 HX chips here, while the A-series systems use AMD Ryzen 8000.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

MSI Crosshair 18HX AI

MSI Crosshair A18 HXX

MSI Crosshair 16/17 HX AI

MSI Crosshair A16/A17 HX

CPU

Intel Core Ultra 200 HX

AMD Ryzen 8000

Intel Core Ultra 200 HX

AMD Ryzen 8000

GPU

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070/5060 “and below”

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070/5060 “and below”

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070/5060 “and below”

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070/5060 “and below”

RAM

DDR5-6400 (2 slots, max 96GB)

DDR5-5200 (2 slots, max 96GB)

DDR5-6400 (2 slots, max 96GB)

DDR5-5200 (2 slots, max 96GB)

Storage

1x PCIe Gen 4 x 4 and 1x PCIe Gen 5 x 4

1x PCIe Gen 4 x 4 and 1x PCIe Gen 5 x 4

1x PCIe Gen 4 x 4 and 1x PCIe Gen 5 x 4

2x PCIe Gen 4 x 4

Display

18-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz, IPS-level

18-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz, IPS-level

16 or 17-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz, IPS-level

16 or 17-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz, IPS-level

Battery

90 WHr

90 WHr

90 WHr

90 WHr

Webcam

720p

720p

720p

720p

Wireless

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3

Other than that, the systems have a ton of commonalities. They all use Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 or RTX 5060 GPUs “and below” (whether that means an upcoming RTX 5050 or older generation chips remains to be seen) and go up to 115W on the GPU and 170W on the CPU. All of the systems have 90 WHr batteries, Wi-Fi 6E, and 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz screens.

MSI only sent along configurations for the Crosshair 18HX AI, which will start at $1,699 at Costco and features a Core Ultra 9 275HX, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. For $2,049, you’ll be able to get 64GB of RAM.

MSI hasn’t detailed full specifications, so while we know Intel will have slightly faster RAM, we don’t know how much RAM many of these systems will ship with. We do know that they have a MUX switch on the motherboard, new crosshair logos on the hinge and touchpad, and, on the 18-inchers, a 24-zone RGB keyboard. MSI didn’t provide pricing or release information for these systems.

(Image credit: MSI)

There’s also a refresh to the Cyborg line, which comes in 15 and 17-inch sizes. These systems use translucent plastic on the edges but still have a metal lid. The Cyborg 15 and Cyborg 17 will use Intel Core 200H chips and RTX 5060, 5070, “and below” graphics cards, while the Cyborg A15 AI and A17 AI (yes, here AI stands for AMD), will opt for Ryzen 200 series processors.

The 15-inch screens come in either 1080p at 144 Hz or 1440p at 165 Hz. if you opt for 17 inches, MSI has gone for a 1080p/144 Hz screen or a 1440p, 240 Hz option.

Again, we only have partial pricing here, and no availability. The Cyborg A15 AI will start at $1,149 at Costco with a Ryzen 7 260, RTX 5050 (which we were surprised to see in a sheet sent to press), 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. For $1,399 at Best Buy, you can go up to a Ryzen 9 270 and RTX 5060. The 17-inch AMD model will be $1,549 at Costco with the Ryzen 9 270, RTX 5060, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage.

MSI’s other Computex announcements include some productivity laptops, including a new Stealth A16 AI+ and Prestige 16 AI+ notebook that further MSI’s partnership with AMG Motorsport. Additionally, there’s a new Prestige 13 AI+ “Ukiyuo-e Edition,” a limited edition showcasing “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” that will be individually crafted by artists.



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Stocks flat as Moody’s downgrades U.S. credit, S&P 500 rally stalls
GameFi Guides

Stocks flat as Moody’s downgrades U.S. credit, S&P 500 rally stalls

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U.S. stocks were little changed Monday as investors reacted to Moody’s Ratings stripping the U.S. of its last triple-A credit grade and lawmakers advancing a tax bill expected to add significantly to federal deficits.

The S&P 500, coming off a five-day winning streak, rose slightly, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.01%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.3%, with support from a rebound in UnitedHealth Group shares.

Moody’s late Friday downgraded U.S. debt to AA1, citing “persistent, large fiscal deficits” and higher interest costs. 

The move came as the House Budget Committee approved a tax-and-spending plan from President Trump that would extend cuts and boost spending, raising deficit projections.

The 10-year Treasury yield briefly spiked to 4.56%, its highest level in over a month, before pulling back to 4.46%. Yields on 30-year Treasurys touched 5% before settling near 4.95%. The dollar index fell 0.7%, while gold jumped 1.5% to $3,235 an ounce.

Tech stocks, which led recent gains, traded mixed. Tesla dropped 2% following last week’s 17% rally. Apple slipped 1.5%, while Nvidia, Alphabet, and Meta also declined. Microsoft and Amazon edged higher.

Bitcoin is surging 

Bitcoin (BTC) surged to $105,400, lifting shares of Strategy 3%. Palantir, AMD, and Super Micro Computer each fell over 2%.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warned that the full economic impact of tariffs had yet to be felt, while Fed officials signaled no immediate changes to interest rates amid ongoing uncertainty.

Global markets were mixed. European stocks rose slightly, while Asia saw losses. The European Union cut its growth outlook, and Diageo forecast a $150 million hit from tariffs.



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The Last Of Us Cut A Segment From The Museum, But HBO Shot It
Game Updates

The Last Of Us Cut A Segment From The Museum, But HBO Shot It

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Image: HBO

One of the best scenes in The Last of Us’ second season came in this week’s sixth episode, with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) taking a trip to an abandoned museum. It’s a beautiful moment that is ripped right out of the Last of Us Part II video game, and the show does it justice. But fans who have played the game will know that this segment had a bit more to it originally. It’s only natural that the TV show, with its shorter run time, would have to cut some scenes down, but the wild thing is that it looks like HBO actually shot the rest of the segment and just didn’t use it in the final edit.

Nintendo Switch 2 Price Is Set at $450 for Now, But Could Go Higher

This section of the game depicts Ellie’s 16th birthday. Joel knows she has a fixation on space and dinosaurs, so what better way to make her big day one to remember than by taking her to a museum that spotlights both? In the game you find a huge dinosaur exhibit on the bottom floor, and after you’ve explored that one, there’s another section dedicated to space travel waiting for you upstairs. Ellie is ecstatic exploring both floors, with the highlight being when she enters a spacecraft and listens to a recording of a pre-apocalyptic NASA launch so she can imagine what it might’ve been like to get off this ruined rock. It’s an incredibly sweet moment sandwiched between a lot of violence and heartache.

The show, meanwhile, only has one of these floors. We see Joel and Ellie mess around with a solar system diorama and pretend to be astronauts, but we miss the section where Ellie spouts off cool dinosaur facts and puts a hat on their skeletons. Ultimately, if you have to pick one or the other, the spaceship is the more important moment and the one worth showing the TV audience. But, wildly enough, it looks like Pascal and Ramsey shot scenes on a recreation of the dinosaur floor that never made their way into the episode. In the behind-the-scenes featurette for the episode, we can see footage of the actors and crew on the dinosaur floor, complete with all the overgrowth, grit, and grime you’d expect in a place that has been mostly abandoned for decades.

Fans are sad to see the set but none of the scenes that took place in it. Maybe we’ll see some deleted scenes in the special features whenever the season two box set is released. Who among us doesn’t want to see Ramsey putting a cowboy hat on Pascal as he grimaces and lightly protests? Don’t deny me this, HBO.

The Last of Us has one more episode this season, but it won’t be the end of the show’s take on The Last of Us Part II’s story, as HBO is stretching it out across multiple seasons.

 



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Crucial T710
Product Reviews

Crucial announces T710 SSD with 14.9 GB/s of performance, X10 portable SSD up to 8TB

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Crucial launched its new T710 SSD here in Taipei, Taiwan, at Computex 2025, touting speeds of up to a blistering 14.9 GB/s and 2.2 million IOPS over the PCIe 5.0 interface. The T710 has numerous advantages over the prior-gen model, the T705, which we found to be the fastest SSD on the market at the time and a go-to recommendation on our list of Best SSDs.  Crucial also announced the X10 series of portable SSDs that offer up to 8TB of storage in a slim, attractive form factor. The company also teased a USB4 portable SSD prototype that delivers up to 4 GB/s of throughput. 

The Crucial T710 is the focal point, though. Crucial has upped the performance ante on its fastest SSD while cramming it into a slimmer form factor suitable for laptops and lowering power consumption and heat.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

The Crucial T710 will be available with and without a heatsink. The bare SSDs will be available on June 1, and the heatsink-equipped models will arrive later in the quarter. Crucial hasn’t yet shared pricing. Notably, the SSD has a single-sided form factor that enables use in laptops, a huge advantage over the prior-gen model that will foment broader support from OEMs. 


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Crucial has also slimmed down the thickness (Z-height) of the heatsink-equipped model from 21mm to 11mm, making for a slimmer design courtesy of the new circular air channels (you can see a side-by-side comparison with the prior-gen T705 in the album below). The company also built an LED activity light into the T710’s PCB, and a diffuser on the top of the heatsink glows white when the drive is chewing through workloads. 

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Speed is the word of the day, though. The T710 provides up to 2.2 million IOPS of random read performance, a 28% gen-on-gen improvement, and 1.8 million IOPS of random write performance, a 42% improvement. Perhaps more impressively, the drive reduces power by 67% and 80% during random read/write workloads, respectively. 

The Crucial T710 comes in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. Peak sequential read/write bandwidth weighs in at 14.9 / 13.8 GB/s, with performance varying by the capacity of the drive. The drive also offers between 600 and 2,400 TB of write endurance (TBW), again varying by capacity. The SSD is also optimized for the game-boosting DirectStorage tech.

Crucial uses the SMI SM2508 SSD controller with the drive, a notable shift from the Phison SSD controller it used with the T705. This controller has much lower power consumption, which helps with power efficiency and cooling. Micron pairs the controller with its 276-Layer G9 TLC NAND running at a blistering 3,600 MT/s. The drive comes with a DRAM cache, but Crucial hasn’t shared the capacity.

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Crucial also announced it is shipping its X10 portable SSD with read speeds of up to 2,100 MB/s, doubling the prior-gen model’s speed. Crucial doesn’t share write performance ratings for its non-Pro X-series models. 

This drive communicates over a USB Gen 3.3 x2 interface and comes in a wide range of capacities: 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8TB. The 6TB capacity point is an interesting one that we don’t usually see with portable SSDs, but it makes a lot of sense to provide a mid-range price point between the sharp jump between the 4TB and 8TB models. 

The X10 is powered by the SM2322 controller. The drive is IP65-rated for dust and water resistance, a notable improvement over the prior-gen model, and is drop-resistant for up to 9.8 feet. The drive is slim and attractive, and has a nice weight in the hand. The X10 is available at retail today. 

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(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

Crucial also demoed a working prototype USB4 SSD at the show, with the caveat that the company isn’t yet committing to productizing this tech demonstrator. The drive delivers up to 4,000 / 3,700 MB/s of sequential read/write throughput in Crystal Disk benchmark, an impressive feat for a portable drive in such a small form factor. Hopefully, Crucial brings this drive to market, as nagging compatibility issues with the USB Gen 3.2 x2 interface, due to often wishy-washy support from motherboard makers and not the SSDs themselves, remain a sore point. 

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Here’s a look at the broad portfolio of Crucial devices we saw at the company’s office in Taipei. 

The Crucial T710 without the heatsink arrives on July 1, and you can expect that we’ll have a review in that timeframe. The heatsink-equipped model arrives this summer. Finally, you can snag a Crucial X10 portable SSD at retail today. 



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Fortnite In Legal Trouble After Adding AI Darth Vader
Game Reviews

Fortnite In Legal Trouble After Adding AI Darth Vader

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Screenshot: Epic / Lucasfilm / Kotaku

SAG-AFTRA, the massive actors and media union with over 160,000 members, has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Epic Games over its inclusion of an AI-powered Darth Vader in a recent Fortnite update.

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You might have heard about the AI-powered Darth Vader that was added to Epic’s popular battle royale game last week as part of an ongoing Star Wars-themed season. Players could talk to this AI-powered Vader and ask him questions. The AI character’s voice was designed to mimic that of the late James Earl Jones and was done with his and his estate’s permission. Pretty quickly after he was added to the game, players got him to say slurs, swears, and other questionable stuff. Epic patched him up and seems to have gotten the Sith Lord under control. But now the developer is in hot water with one of the largest media unions in the country because it included this AI-powered Vader without first communicating or bargaining with SAG-AFTRA.

On May 19, as reported by Eurogamer, SAG-AFTRA announced that it had filed an unfair labor practice charge against Epic Games and its subsidiary, Llama Productions.

“We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies to allow new generations to share in the enjoyment of those legacies and renowned roles,” said SAG-AFTRA in a statement.

“However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone in video games.”

SAG-AFTRA says that Epic and Llama Productions “chose to replace the work of human performers with A.I.” and did so without “providing any notice of their intent to do this” and without allowing the union to bargain over fair terms.

SAG-AFTRA voice actors are currently on strike against large video game companies including EA and Activision over various issues. The strike started in 2024. One of the big ones is more protection against AI copies, like Darth Vader in Fortnite.

  .



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Decrypt logo
NFT Gaming

Spain Dives Into AI-Generated Movies While Hollywood Battles Over Its Soul

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In brief

  • Spain is embracing AI in filmmaking, debuting its first fully AI-generated feature, The Great Reset, at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival.
  • New legislation aligns with the EU AI Act, mandating clear labelling of AI-generated content and imposing fines for misuse.
  • Spanish-developed tools like Magnific are already in use in Hollywood, signaling broader adoption of the country’s AI tech.

Spain is beginning to integrate artificial intelligence into its film and television industries, attempting to position itself as a pioneer in both the creation and regulation of AI content.

The shift includes notable projects like “The Great Reset,” an AI-generated feature film presented at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2025.

The sci-fi thriller, directed by Daniel H. Torrado, uses AI for image synthesis, animation, and post-production, eliminating the need for on-screen actors or physical locations.

Produced by Virtual World Pictures, Canary Film Factory, and EPC Media, the film follows an AI from a renegade hacker’s mind that’s planning to destroy humanity, with the protagonist racing to prevent global collapse.

Despite its technological innovations, human involvement remains crucial, with the script, artistic direction, and narrative supervised by a creative team led by Torrado. Real actors served as references for interpretation and dubbing in key scenes.

“AI allowed us to simulate complex decisions early on and experiment without the budgetary risk that often paralyzes many independent creators,” Torrado told the Hollywood Reporter. “Human oversight was constant. Every artistic, narrative, and emotional decision went through my hands. AI was a powerful tool, not a substitute for the creator.”

Spain’s push into AI-generated content comes amid heated global debates about AI’s role in filmmaking—and all art in general.

The controversy centers on concerns about authenticity, transparency, and ethical use, with audiences and creators worried about AI-generated content being mistaken for human work.

Recent examples illustrate those tensions.

The film “The Brutalist” faced significant backlash after its editor revealed that AI was used to enhance the Hungarian accents of lead actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones.

Director Brady Corbet defended the use, stating it was a meticulous, manual process, but the controversy highlighted sensitivity around AI’s role in performances.

Even huge studios from Lucasfilm to Marvel Studios have been in the bullseye, from small things like using AI to create posters to more influential decisions like incorporating AI into the final creation.

Spain’s boost for an AI-friendly industry

In March 2025, Spain approved a draft law to regulate AI, aligning with the European Union’s AI Act.

This law focuses on ethical, inclusive, and beneficial use, including strict labeling requirements for AI-generated content and significant fines for non-compliance.

Mislabeling AI content could result in penalties up to €35 million (US$39.3 million), aiming to ensure transparency and prevent misuse like deepfakes.

But Hollywood has already begun incorporating Spanish AI technologies into mainstream productions.

A case in point is the film “Here,” directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, which utilized AI tools to enhance visual effects.

VFX supervisor Kevin Baillie recently revealed that the team used an AI-powered upscaler called Magnific for numerous scenes in the film.

“Magnific was used to enhance 20+ scenes in here,” Baillie said in an interview shared by Javier Lopez, Magnific’s co-founder.

⚡ Magnific on the big screen!

I CAN FINALLY TALK ABOUT THIS!

The VFX team of Here (directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Robin Wright & Tom Hanks) used Magnific for their FX 🤯

To break it all down (+more), I interviewed VFX supervisor Kevin Baillie! 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/EVhZCP0jlh

— Javi Lopez ⛩️ (@javilopen) February 18, 2025

Baillie explained how the tool transformed their workflow: “Instead of spending 20% of the time focusing on the creative aspects of a shot and 80% on the details, Magnific helped us spend 20% on the details and 80% on the creativity! It’s putting what artists do best at the forefront, which I absolutely love.”

The film also employed face-swapping technology for de-aging, with 53 minutes of complete face replacement to bring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and other actors back to their younger years.

The team used real-time face swap models during filming, allowing actors and crew to see the de-aged versions immediately on set.

Besides generative upscaling and filtering, there are already a lot of interesting ideas being developed in the Spanish industry.

Speaking with Decrypt, Freepik CEO Joaquin Cuenca explained that beyond simple (and uncontrolled) AI generations, they are working on true workflows and AI-powered video editing suites.

“We are working on video editors,” he told Decrypt. “Today, you can generate small clips, but we are working on something that allows users to compile them on-site, add audio, and do all the composition to end up with a fully functional long clip.”

Spain’s television sector shows signs of exploration, though less documented than film.

From using generative AI in text and charts to leveraging AI tools to enhance the cataloging of its historical archive, TV stations are no strangers to adapting their workflows to incorporate AI.

And there have been some performative experiments with purely generative video among enthusiasts—at least on a short scale, non professional level.

One example is the experimental news show “Telediario” set in the year 2088, created by the Human XR Lab at the Universidad del Atlántico Medio.

The short video is part of a virtual reality experience at the Museo Élder in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

While not intended as commercial content, it reflects Spain’s growing appetite for innovation in pursuit of a more creative future.

“Artificial intelligence doesn’t replace artistic vision or human creativity,” Torrado said earlier this year. “[It] allows filmmakers to focus on what truly matters: telling stories that move and connect with the audience.”

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair and Andrew Hayward

Generally Intelligent Newsletter

A weekly AI journey narrated by Gen, a generative AI model.





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Jesse Hamilton
Crypto Trends

Senate Dems Gear Up Resistance as Stablecoin Bill Meets Test Most Think Will Succeed

by admin



A key crypto bill has opened a rift among Senate Democrats as another big test approaches for the viability of legislation to regulate stablecoin issuers. Most expect the bill to clear a significant procedural vote on Monday night, but Democrats are split.

The Senate’s most prominent crypto critic, Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, is leading a faction trying to dig in their heels on the bill, raising objections that include national security threats, consumer hazards and the corruption of a White House that’s conflicted because of President Donald Trump’s own digital assets business interests.

The other group, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, one of the bill’s primary backers, has argued that presidential conflicts are already illegal under the U.S. Constitution, and the bill doesn’t need to have specific constraints added to clarify that point. That side also praises a number of changes to the legislation to improve consumer protections and to partially address worries that large corporations will issue stablecoins — the steady, typically dollar-based tokens that underpin so much of the crypto markets’ transaction activity.

The bill is set for what’s known as a cloture vote on Monday night, which will decide whether it advances into a formal and time-limited period of debate before final consideration. Cloture tends to be the most difficult test for Senate legislation, because it requires 60 votes — much more than a simple majority. A previous version of the bill failed such a vote once before, when Democrats demanded more time to make changes.

The stablecoin bill is one of two highly significant U.S. legislative efforts that will finally establish a set of rules and system of oversight for crypto in the U.S., and many in the industry believe it’ll usher in a flood of interest from investors who’ve waited on the sidelines until the sector is completely regulated. The supporters of the stablecoin legislation have set it up for this vote, suggesting they were able to wrangle enough backers to triumph.

The current Senate bill — known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act — is worse than doing nothing, according to the arguments from the camp led by Warren, who is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee. “A strong bill would ensure that consumers enjoy the same consumer protections when using stablecoins as they do when using other payment systems, close loopholes that enable the illicit use of stablecoins by cartels, terrorists, and criminals, and reduce the risk that stablecoins take down our financial system,” according to a sheet issued on Monday by the committee’s Democratic staff. “The GENIUS Act does not meet those minimum standards.”

Gillibrand, however, said the bill has been written in a “truly bipartisan effort.”

“Stablecoins are already playing an important role in the global economy, and it is essential that the U.S. enact legislation that protects consumers, while also enabling responsible innovations,” the New York Democrat said in a statement last week.

Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, also explained his view in choosing to support the bill. “It sets high standards for issuers, limits big tech overreach and creates a safer, more transparent framework for digital assets,” he said in a statement. “It’s not perfect, but it’s far better than the status quo.”

Read More: U.S. Stablecoin Bill Could Clear Senate Next Week, Proponents Say

In the hours before the planned Monday vote, a coalition of 46 consumer, labor and advocacy groups continued objecting to the legislation, which has been overhauled repeatedly.

“A vote for this legislation would enable and condone cryptobusiness activities by the Trump administration, organization, and family that raise unprecedented concerns about presidential conflicts of interest, corruption, and the abuse of public office for private gain,” they wrote in a letter to the Senate leadership.

The crypto industry itself has come together to support the legislation, with various lobbyist groups publishing statements arguing lawmakers should advance the legislation. Stand With Crypto, a Coinbase-backed group focused on getting voters to support crypto issues, warned lawmakers in a statement Monday that their votes would go into its sometimes arbitrary assignment of grades for politicians’ crypto sentiment.

While the stablecoin bill has drawn some political heat, it’s widely expected to be the easier of the two crypto efforts on Capitol Hill. The legislation to establish U.S. market rules for crypto is much more complex. For both bills, the House of Representatives is also working on parallel efforts.

If the bill clears cloture, it could speed toward Senate passage in a matter of days. Jaret Seiberg, a policy analyst with TD Cowen, expects it to clear the Senate this week

“That means it could become law by summer as we see the House moving quickly on the bill,” he wrote in a note to clients.

Warren wrote her own letter on Monday to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Justice, pressing for answers about what’s being done about North Korean hackers who stole more than a billion dollars in assets from exchange Bybit earlier this year.

“These stolen assets have helped keep the regime afloat and supported continued investments in its nuclear and conventional weapons programs,” Warren and Senator Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, wrote to the Treasury secretary and attorney general. “Reports suggest there are potentially thousands of North Korean-affiliated crypto hackers around the globe.”



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Bond or Batman? Why the Galaxy S25 Edge is a phone for cool characters
Gaming Gear

Bond or Batman? Why the Galaxy S25 Edge is a phone for cool characters

by admin



“I call it the James Bond phone,” Samsung’s Annika Bizon, vice president of mobile product and marketing in the U.K. and Ireland, told Digital Trends during a conversation about the new Galaxy S25 Edge shortly after its announcement. 

“I call it the Bruce Wayne phone.” Samsung’s smartphone specialist product manager Kadesh Beckford said later in the same call.

Why did these names come up, and how do they relate to the new, slimline smartphone? It turns out, understanding why the comparisons were drawn is key to understanding the Galaxy S25 Edge itself, and Samsung’s daring plan with it. 

A statement maker

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I really wanted to understand who Samsung has made the Galaxy S25 Edge — a 5.8mm, 163 gram flagship smartphone — for, and spoke at length about it with Bizon and Beckford during an online conversation soon after the phone’s announcement. 

“Samsung has seen people want lightness, slimness, and to know they have the very best technology in their device,” Bizon explained. “The S25 Edge is for people who want to make a statement, and it blows my mind how we’ve managed to fit so much into such a small space. I call it the James Bond of phones. He would only have the coolest of phones.”

While the comparison with a cool character makes sense, what she said next showed while Bond would be a great fit for the S25 Edge, the phone has been positioned and pitched quite differently to other Samsung mobile devices.

“We’ve looked at the younger market,” Bizon said, “but we don’t know who else it will be for yet, and that’s exciting. We’ve done the research to find there’s demand, so we’ve got the foundations, but we’ve got to learn who’s buying it, what they’re using it for, and how they’re enjoying it.”

A phone with presence

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The more we talked about the Galaxy S25 Edge, the more delightfully experimental it sounded. Not in terms of its technology, but how it fits into Samsung’s range of devices, and the people the company expects it to appeal to. It’s how Batman entered the conversation. 

“I call it the Bruce Wayne phone,” Beckford laughed, “In Jet Black it’d match up with the Batmobile really well.” 

Beckford continued to say what the phone means to him, and his own reference to a well-known character related more to the S25 Edge’s presence than its coolness. “It allows me to make a statement. You put an S25 Edge down on the table, and it means something.”

Beckford gave some deep insight into how the Galaxy S25 Edge enters new territory for Samsung:

“Our Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 6 phones are called ‘Life Maximizers,” he said, “while the base Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and FE phones are ‘Social Expressers. What’s happening is we’re seeing people who want a bit of both. They want to express themselves, but they also want the power and performance from a Life Maximizer phone brings. The S25 Edge is a device that fits into both these areas.” 

Internal innovation

Samsung

It was becoming clear the S25 Edge is more than just a new entry into the S25 series, and understanding some of the engineering that went into making it sees it shift closer to the Z Fold series for innovation. Beckford talked about some of the challenges faced by the team making the phone:

“The camera module was a challenge,” he said. “The 200-megapixel main sensor is quite thick, but we reduced it in size by 18% to fit. It means the phone is well balanced. In a confined space you usually lose performance from the processor if there’s no heat dissipation. We’ve used special cooling and a vapor chamber to ensure the phone runs at its highest performance without overheating. These are challenges that come from making a phone this slim, but we solved them.”

Why doesn’t the S25 Edge have a telephoto camera? After all, the Galaxy S25 Plus has one. It goes back to the phone appealing to two usually separate groups of buyers. The main and wide-angle cameras are key on the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and the S25 Edge is as much a part of that family as it is the S Series. Beckford pointed out that although there are only two cameras, you still get a macro mode and a 2x optical quality zoom alongside them. 

A new direction for Samsung

The Galaxy S25 Edge has elements of the technical innovation we love from Samsung’s ongoing range of folding devices, blended with the mainstream appeal of its S series phones. What differentiates it is the incredible slim, lightweight body and design. Bizon ended our conversation by telling me how this has shaped her personal opinion of the S25 Edge.

“I think it’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s a statement about you, I like that it’s a conversation starter, and I see it stepping more into fashion and style.” She added, “You have to be playful and quirky and do things differently to attract people.” I felt this likely best described what Samsung is hoping to achieve with the Galaxy S25 Edge. 

Playful, quirky, interesting, cool, fashionable, and stylish. When was the last time all of these words could be used together to describe a single mobile device? It’s certainly not recently, and the fact we’re using them to talk about a new Samsung — a brand few would consider daring when it comes to design — smartphone is a particular surprise. 

There was an air of excitement during my conversation with Bizon and Beckford. Like it was the start of something new and exciting, but also ever-so-slightly mysterious and experimental too. After playing it safe with the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung has let itself go wild with the Galaxy S25 Edge and in the best way possible it’s not entirely sure where it’s going to lead, which makes us like this incredibly slim phone even more.





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darth vader in fortnite
Esports

Fortnite sued over Darth Vader AI for unfair labor practice

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Fortnite’s latest Star Wars update brought an AI-powered Darth Vader and a legal complaint from actors’ union SAG-AFTRA.

On May 16, 2025, Fortnite introduced a new Darth Vader as part of Chapter 6: Galactic Battle. This version wasn’t just a boss fight – he actually talked back. Players could use voice chat to interact with him in real time. The voice, modeled after prolific actor James Earl Jones, came from AI tools developed by Google and ElevenLabs.

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Epic Games secured permission from Jones’s estate, who supported the project. They stated the goal was to preserve Vader’s voice for future generations. Epic emphasized that player data wasn’t stored or used to train the AI.

But within hours of launch, some players pushed the AI to spout harmful or offensive speech. Viral clips quickly spread across social media. Epic deployed a fix within 30 minutes and locked the feature behind parental controls. Still, the incident raised concerns about using generative AI for iconic characters, especially in games with younger audiences.

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Darth Vader’s voice sparks union lawsuit over AI use in Fortnite

Now, SAG-AFTRA has filed a formal labor complaint against the game. The union alleges that Epic and Llama Productions, a signatory company for Fortnite, replaced union-covered voice work without proper notice or negotiation.

Epic Games

Their claim centers on labor practices, not permissions. While they support the rights of estates like Jones’s, SAG-AFTRA argues that using AI to replace human performers without union involvement violates labor rules.

The union sees this as part of a larger trend in the entertainment industry. AI is increasingly used to replicate performances, often without clear agreements in place.

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The concern isn’t just about one game, it’s about protecting working conditions for voice actors across the industry.

The outcome of this case could set new standards for how AI is introduced into games. If the NLRB finds in SAG-AFTRA’s favor, companies may be required to negotiate AI usage more transparently moving forward.

Meanwhile, Fortnite is still navigating legal fallout from another front. Despite winning its case against Apple, the game remains unavailable on the iOS App Store. The courtroom victory hasn’t yet restored access for mobile players, which is just another unresolved chapter in Fortnite’s evolving future.

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