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

In today’s edition we are tackling the following:

📉 Bitcoin rally fueled by Trump loses steam as year draws to close.
💼 Permira’s Brian Ruder on AI, Squarespace, and value of co-leadership.
📊 AgiBot unveils the largest humanoid dataset for daily tasks.
🌍 What are the global market expectations for 2025.
▶️ YouTube is testing a floating ‘Play something’ button.

AI

• US Treasury says China accessed government documents in ‘major’ cyberattack

  • The U.S. Treasury confirmed a "major cybersecurity incident" in December, attributed to Chinese state-sponsored hackers.

  • Hackers gained remote access to employee workstations via a compromised vendor key, accessing unclassified documents.

  • Treasury says there's no evidence of ongoing access, while China denies involvement, citing a lack of presented evidence.

• Permira’s Brian Ruder talks AI, Squarespace acquisition, and the value of co-leadership

  • Permira is heavily focusing on artificial intelligence, viewing it as a transformative force across industries.

  • The firm's purchase of Squarespace underscores its strategy to invest in high-growth technology platforms.

  • Brian Ruder emphasized that co-leadership fosters better decision-making and enhances organizational success.

• AI data centers could be ‘distorting’ the US power grid

  • The rapid growth of AI data centers is significantly increasing electricity demand, leading to potential strain on the U.S. power grid.

  • These facilities are often concentrated in specific regions, creating uneven power usage and destabilizing local energy infrastructures.

  • Experts are urging for regulatory measures to address the energy consumption of AI data centers.

ROBOTICS

• AgiBot unveils the largest humanoid dataset, advancing general-purpose robots for daily tasks

  • Robotics startup AgiBot has released the largest-ever humanoid manipulation dataset to enhance robotics research and development.

  • The dataset aims to accelerate the creation of robots capable of performing everyday tasks.

  • AgiBot invites global researchers to leverage the dataset for breakthroughs in robotics.

• In a first, surgical robots learned tasks by watching videos

  • Robots are being trained to perform surgical tasks using advanced AI, to enhance precision and reduce human error.

  • These robots leverage simulated environments to practice and perfect complex surgical techniques before real-world applications.

  • The technology emphasizes collaboration between robots and human surgeons, with robots assisting in intricate tasks while humans maintain overall control.

• Nvidia’s next move: powering humanoid robots

  • The chipmaking giant Nvidia is focusing on powering humanoid robots, unveiling Jetson Thor.

  • The company offers a ‘full-stack’ solution, including chips, software, and simulation tools.

  • While NVIDIA sees a growing robotics market, scaling, cost reduction, and accuracy remain key hurdles.

CRYPTO

• Bitcoin rally fueled by Trump loses steam as year draws to close

  • Bitcoin's rally, partly fueled by optimism surrounding former President Trump's policies, is losing momentum as 2024 comes to a close.

  • Market sentiment is being impacted by uncertainties around cryptocurrency regulations and broader economic pressures.

  • Analysts suggest profit-taking and investor caution are key factors in the cryptocurrency's recent performance dip.

• The Year in Ethereum: lawsuits, ETFs, technical upgrades and Trump

  • Ethereum's Dencun upgrade significantly reduced transaction costs, enhancing the network's efficiency.

  • The SEC lawsuit against Consensys over securities violations added uncertainty but was ultimately dismissed.

  • Approval of spot ETH exchange-traded funds marked a bright spot for Ethereum’s ecosystem.

• Bitget Token Hits All-time High after $5B Burn Announcement

  • Bitget's native token, BGB, reached a new all-time high following the company's announcement of a $5 billion token burn.

  • This strategic move aims to reduce the token's supply, potentially increasing its value.

  • The token burn is part of Bitget's broader strategy to enhance the platform's ecosystem and provide greater value to its users.

CONTENT

• This Physicist Says We’re Using Maths Entirely Wrong

  • Intuitionist mathematics views math as a human mental construct, not a discovery of eternal truths.

  • Physicist Nicolas Gisin argues this perspective explains why quantum mechanics feels so strange.

  • According to Gisin, the intuitive nature of math aligns with the puzzling behavior of quantum systems.

• AI Will Kill Us All — Liron Shapira on The Flares

  • Liron Shapira, a California-based entrepreneur and advocate of the rationalist movement, is deeply influenced by LessWrong and Eliezer Yudkowsky.

  • As the creator of the Doom Debates podcast, he explores existential risks from superintelligent AI.

  • Grounded in Bayesian reasoning, Liron estimates a 50% chance AI will cause humanity’s extinction by 2040.

• Why great AI products are all about the data

  • Shaun Clowes is the chief product officer at Confluent and former CPO at Salesforce’s MuleSoft and at Metromile.

  • He was also the first head of growth at Atlassian, where he led product for Jira Agile and built the first-ever B2B growth team.

  • The conversation explores improving PMs, the importance of data in AI products, evolving views on being data-driven, building B2B growth teams, and choosing the right career path.

AND MORE…

• YouTube is testing a floating ‘Play something’ button

  • YouTube is testing a new floating ‘Play Something’ button on its Android app that randomly selects videos for users.

  • This feature appears above the bottom bar and utilizes the portrait-oriented YouTube Shorts player to display content.

  • There is no official release date for the global rollout of the Play Something feature.

• DJI now makes a very powerful car charger for its big ass batteries

  • DJI has unveiled a 1000W alternator and charger, catering to high-power drone operations and professional use cases.

  • The device offers fast, efficient charging capabilities, enabling extended drone usage with reduced downtime.

  • Positioned at a premium price point, the alternator targets industrial and specialized markets rather than casual users.

• Musk’s Starlink to Provide Space-Based Mobile Service in Ukraine

  • Elon Musk’s Starlink plans to launch space-based mobile services in Ukraine, leveraging its satellite network for communication.

  • The service aims to enhance connectivity in remote and war-affected regions, providing infrastructure for both civilians and military use.

  • Starlink is collaborating with Ukrainian authorities and regulators to roll out its services amid ongoing geopolitical challenges.