Welcome back to your daily dossier talking AI, robotics, crypto and the future of tech. 👾

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

🧠 OpenAI launches Codex, a coding agent embedded in ChatGPT for software tasks.
🤖 xAI revamps Grok’s prompts to improve reasoning, style, and conversation context.
🕵️‍♂️ Scientists create AI that hides messages in images to bypass cybersecurity.
🌾 Centipede-style bot targets farm weeds while crawling through fields with precision.
💸 Coinbase confirms hackers accessed sensitive customer data through phishing.

AI

• OpenAI launches Codex, an AI coding agent, in ChatGPT

  • Codex enables ChatGPT to autonomously write, edit, and debug code, taking on full software engineering tasks end-to-end.

  • The agent uses a live file system, task queue, and review interface to mirror real-world developer workflows.

  • Codex is currently available in alpha to pro users, with broader rollout planned as capabilities improve.

• xAI's Grok system now runs on optimized internal prompts

  • xAI redesigned Grok’s prompt system to improve speed, context retention, and performance across chat experiences.

  • The update includes multi-stage prompting chains, enhanced reasoning, and personalized behavioral tuning.

  • xAI says the changes allow Grok to better emulate human logic while maintaining efficiency and style.

• Scientists use AI to encrypt secret messages invisible to cybersecurity systems

  • Researchers developed an AI method that hides data in images in ways undetectable by conventional security tools.

  • The system uses adversarial steganography, training AI to embed messages that evade machine and human detection.

  • This raises new possibilities—and risks—for espionage, secure communication, and AI-enabled cyber threats.

ROBOTICS

• Centipede-inspired bot developed to autonomously kill farm weeds

  • Engineers created a flexible, multi-legged robot that crawls through crops and selectively eliminates weeds with minimal disruption.

  • The bot mimics centipede locomotion, enabling precise movement and coverage across varied terrain.

  • Its creators aim to reduce pesticide use and improve sustainability in large-scale agriculture.

• Princeton engineers develop ‘metabot’ that is both a material and a robot

  • The metabot combines structure and function, moving autonomously without motors or external control.

  • It shifts shape and responds to environmental cues using internal reactions, like muscle-like contractions.

  • Scientists envision applications in soft robotics, self-healing materials, and dynamic smart infrastructure.

• Robot with animated face aims to improve customer service interactions

  • A new humanoid robot with expressive facial animation is being tested in retail and service settings.

  • Its creators believe emotional expressiveness boosts user trust, engagement, and clarity in communication.

  • Developers are training the robot to detect emotional cues and adjust responses in real-time.

CRYPTO

• Coinbase says cyber criminals stole account data from some customers

  • Coinbase disclosed that hackers accessed sensitive account data from a subset of users in a recent breach.

  • Attackers reportedly used social engineering to trick employees and gain unauthorized internal access.

  • The company is investigating and working with law enforcement while strengthening internal security protocols.

• World Liberty’s stablecoin now available on multiple networks through Chainlink

  • Chainlink’s interoperability protocol now supports World Liberty’s stablecoin across Ethereum, Solana, and other blockchains.

  • This integration enhances cross-chain liquidity and expands the stablecoin’s usability in DeFi and payments.

  • Developers say it marks a step forward for seamless digital asset movement between ecosystems.

• Nasdaq-listed healthcare firm plans $1 billion bitcoin acquisition

  • A public healthcare company revealed plans to acquire $1B in bitcoin, citing long-term value preservation.

  • The firm sees crypto as a hedge against fiat volatility and rising global inflation.

  • Analysts are watching closely as this signals growing institutional adoption beyond tech or finance.

CONTENT

• Startup Ideas You Can Now Build With AI

  • Y Combinator partners explore how AI makes previously impossible startup ideas—like full-stack law firms—suddenly viable.

  • Personalized education, recruiting, and vertical SaaS tools now benefit from scaled capabilities enabled by LLMs.

  • They emphasize second chances: many failed ideas now work due to better distribution, infra, and smarter AI.

• OpenAI Launches Codex: An Autonomous Programming Agent

  • Codex autonomously builds features, fixes bugs, and manages pull requests, acting like a junior engineer on command.

  • OpenAI envisions it as part of a broader super-assistant that integrates seamlessly into user workflows.

  • Codex uses parallel task execution and a hands-off design, encouraging an ‘abundance mindset’ for managing agents.

• Who’s Coding Now? AI and the Future of Software Development

  • a16z discusses how AI tools reshape programming, pushing coding into a high-level, prompt-based abstraction layer.

  • Developers still need deep understanding of logic and architecture to manage non-deterministic agent behavior.

  • Formal languages won’t disappear, but how and when we use them will shift as vibe coding becomes the norm.

AND MORE…

• AI video startup Moonvalley lands $53M, according to filing

  • Moonvalley, a stealthy AI video company, quietly raised $53 million in a previously unannounced funding round.

  • The startup is working on generative video tools and has ties to former Google and YouTube executives.

  • Investors include top venture firms betting on next-gen content creation powered by AI.

• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on his AI efforts and OpenAI partnership

  • Nadella emphasized Microsoft’s long-term vision of AI embedded across all products and workflows.

  • He reaffirmed support for OpenAI, viewing the partnership as a foundational pillar of Microsoft’s AI dominance.

  • Nadella acknowledged growing scrutiny, stressing the need for AI regulation and responsible development.

• Pope Leo XIV voices concerns over artificial intelligence

  • Pope Leo XIV warned that AI could deepen inequality and erode human dignity without careful moral oversight.

  • He called for global cooperation on ethical standards to guide the development of intelligent systems.

  • His message comes as the Vatican joins ongoing discussions around tech and human-centered design.

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