Super Bowl Highlights and Bitcoin Tops $49,000 | Bloomberg Technology
13 Feb 2024 (10 months ago)
Cryptocurrency Market
- Bitcoin surpassed $49,000 for the first time in a month, despite market volatility.
- The SEC's approval of Bitcoin ETFs and involvement of traditional institutions like BlackRock and Fidelity have contributed to the recent surge.
- Other altcoins, such as Solana, have also experienced gains, indicating a broader recovery in the cryptocurrency market.
President Biden's Reelection Campaign
- President Biden joins TikTok to engage with younger voters, who heavily use the platform.
- The campaign aims to reach the key demographic of 18-29-year-olds, as 62% of U.S. adults in that age group use TikTok.
- Despite concerns about TikTok's ties to China, campaign officials are taking precautions to ensure the account's security.
Super Bowl 58
- The Kansas City Chiefs emerged as the winners of Super Bowl 58, becoming the first back-to-back champions in 19 years.
- The Super Bowl is expected to be the most-watched in history, with streaming numbers contributing to the overall viewership.
- Nickelodeon's production of the Super Bowl received positive feedback, offering a unique experience for kids.
- Paramount Global's streaming platform, Paramount Plus, showcased various ads, including those for Halo Season 2 and third-party products.
- Temu, an online discount platform, stood out with its catchy jingle and high engagement, while movies and non-US carmakers performed well in terms of emotional impact.
- Nielsen's measurement of Super Bowl viewership is complemented by insights into consumer behaviors and engagement with brands.
- The top-performing ads included movies, Volkswagen's return to the game after a decade, and a teaser for their upcoming all-electric VW bus.
- YouTube engagement data shows increased searches for "Deadpool" after the Super Bowl ad, indicating successful brand engagement.
- PopPi, a healthy soda brand, ranked high in engagement despite not investing in celebrity endorsements. Their ad highlighted product benefits and differences, resonating with viewers.
- Verizon's ad featuring Beyonce performed well but did not make it to the top 10. The analysis suggests that while the ad was entertaining, it may have diverted some engagement from the brand to the celebrity.
- Dunkin's ad, featuring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, performed well and engaged viewers through humor and nostalgia.
AI and Technology
- NVIDIA's performance is closely monitored, with its recent rise above $900 per share and downplaying of a journal report about its AI chip initiative.
- NVIDIA's CEO predicts advances in computing will reduce the high costs of developing artificial intelligence, but costs may still increase due to OpenAI's reported fundraising efforts.
- An AI firm is scaling back its presence in China and shifting focus to the United States and other Western markets.
- Elon Musk's Neuralink company has been reincorporated from Delaware to Nevada, following legal setbacks in Delaware related to Musk's compensation and Twitter acquisition.
- The image-generating platform Midjourney is considering banning users from creating political images, particularly pictures of Biden and Trump.
- Deepfakes, chatbots, and ransomware are potential threats related to generative AI in the context of elections.
- Large language model providers can implement guardrails to minimize election-related content by classifying it and applying policies.
- Generating signatures and profiles of deepfakes can enable tracking and logging of malicious content.
- Currently, threat actors have the upper hand in using large language models for malicious purposes, but countermeasures can be implemented by model hosting companies.
- Strict policies, multifactor authentication, privacy measures, and safety systems can be deployed to mitigate the risks associated with generative AI.
- AI investment and cost control are key topics of discussion among U.S. companies.
- UPS mentioned the need for efficiency and their focus on generative AI during their earnings call.
Starlink and Ukraine Conflict
- Ukraine accuses Russian military forces of using Starlink terminals on the front lines, raising questions about the company's knowledge and control over its technology.
- A mosque in Crimea reported that Starlink, a satellite internet service developed by SpaceX, was blocked from being turned on.
- Starlink, initially designed for civilian use, has become a crucial military technology due to its effectiveness in providing internet access in remote areas.
- SpaceX has been criticized for not taking responsibility for how Starlink is used in different jurisdictions.
- The exact details of Starlink's ability to control usage in specific regions are unclear, and it's possible that the devices in Crimea were captured or purchased through intermediaries.
- Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, has expressed views on foreign policy that are more sympathetic to Russia than the United States government, which adds complexity to Starlink's marketing efforts to military groups and U.S. allies.