OpenAI said on Aug. 7 it has halted some work related to its upcoming AI model Astra after internal assessments found it could not rule out the possibility the system has cyberattack capabilities rated “critical.” It said Astra has made major gains in coding and cybersecurity and is nearing the “critical” threshold defined by its Preparedness Framework. OpenAI will continue evaluating Astra while stopping internal work that fails to meet strengthened security requirements and introducing tighter monitoring and testing.

Cryptocurrency firms are seeking to expand demand by drawing AI agents in as new users of wallets, stablecoins and payment networks. CNBC reported that Kraken, Coinbase and Circle are accelerating efforts to build infrastructure targeting AI software activity. The industry sees AI agents, designed to operate online, as naturally needing digital wallets, programmable money and 24-hour payment networks. Executives say stablecoins and smart contracts can automate payments and settlement without human oversight.