Iranian companies are increasingly using cryptocurrencies to keep overseas remittances and transactions going amid sanctions and financial isolation. Oil remains central to state finances, but digital assets have become a practical payment tool for day-to-day business. Rising regional tensions have coincided with moves in oil and bitcoin prices. Users convert rial deposits into crypto for transfers abroad, while mining has spread on low electricity costs, though it strains the power grid and enforcement.

Freelancers are creating job-specific task data for use in training ChatGPT, spanning roles from agriculture and livestock to music composition and civil aviation piloting, a report said. The work is known inside data-labeling startup Handshake AI as Project Stagecraft and involves about 3,000 to 4,000 freelancers. Guidelines instruct contractors to build job personas and write prompts reflecting real workflows. Reviews are conducted in three stages, including checks by industry experts and OpenAI.