Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite tech and web3 navigator, Mochi, back with another electrifying edition of digital drama and innovation! This week, we've got a rollercoaster of stories that'll make your neurons dance and your curiosity spark. From crypto influencers' legal tangles to AI's artistic adventures, we're diving deep into the most fascinating corners of the tech universe. Grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let's unravel the latest headlines that are reshaping our digital world!

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INTEL BRIEF

🟧 Ben "BitBoy" Armstrong was arrested in Florida following a warrant related to emails sent to a judge.

🟧 South Korean court temporarily lifts Upbit's three-month ban on new client services after the exchange challenged the financial regulator's suspension.

🟧 OpenAI's new AI image generator sparks viral Studio Ghibli-style images, raising significant copyright and legal questions.

🟧 Google launches Gemini 2.5 Pro, while ChatGPT maintains its dominant position in the AI tools market with a 43% market share.

Crypto Influencer Ben Armstrong Rides the Legal Rollercoaster of Chaos

Ben "BitBoy" Armstrong has taken another wild turn. The notorious crypto influencer found himself behind bars in Florida on March 25, adding another chapter to his increasingly cinematic legal saga.

Armstrong publicly confirmed a warrant for his arrest just days before his actual detention, claiming it stemmed from emails he sent to a Cobb County Superior Court Judge. In a twist that sounds like a crypto thriller, he alleged that Judge Childs had even deleted her social media accounts due to these communications.

This isn't Armstrong's first rodeo with legal complications. Crypto fans might recall his September 2023 arrest, which occurred while livestreaming outside a former business associate's home - an incident involving a disputed Lamborghini. The influencer has also weathered other legal storms, including a class-action lawsuit related to Binance that was settled in August 2024 for a cool $340,000.

In a somewhat surprising side note, Armstrong even squared off in a physical fight against a memecoin developer nicknamed "More Light" in February 2024, emerging victorious by unanimous decision. Talk about a multi-talented crypto personality!

The Hit Network, which previously controlled the BitBoy Crypto brand, cut ties with Armstrong in August 2023, citing concerns about substance abuse and unprofessional behavior - allegations Armstrong firmly denied.

Ben "BitBoy" Armstrong arrested in Florida on March 25

Warrant related to emails sent to a county judge

Previous legal issues include Binance lawsuit and physical fight

South Korean Crypto Exchange Fights Back Against Regulatory Crackdown

Upbit, the country's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has scored a legal victory that's sending ripples through the digital asset ecosystem.

On March 27, a local court granted an injunction against the Financial Intelligence Unit's (FIU) three-month suspension, effectively pushing back the ban's implementation. This came after Dunamu, Upbit's parent company, sued the financial regulator to challenge the punitive measures.

The saga began on February 25 when the FIU slapped Upbit with a partial business suspension, citing a laundry list of compliance concerns. The allegations are eye-opening: the exchange is accused of potentially violating Know Your Customer (KYC) rules, with estimates suggesting 500,000 to 600,000 possible violations.

But wait, there's more! The FIU also pointed fingers at Upbit for allegedly facilitating 45,000 transactions with unregistered foreign crypto exchanges. This comes in the wake of South Korea's 2018 crackdown on anonymous crypto trading, which mandates strict user verification processes.

The regulatory pressure doesn't stop there. South Korea has been tightening its crypto oversight, with the finance minister introducing reporting mandates for cross-border digital asset transactions. In a bold move, the country even went as far as blocking 17 crypto exchange applications on Google Play.

For Upbit, this legal battle is more than just a minor hiccup. Founded in 2017, the exchange has been under investigation since October 2024 for potential anti-monopoly law breaches and compliance issues.

Court temporarily lifts Upbit's three-month service ban

Exchange accused of 500,000+ KYC violations

South Korea intensifies crypto transaction regulations

AI Transforms Studio Ghibli Art Into a Copyright Controversy Minefield

OpenAI's latest AI image generator has taken the internet by storm, transforming everything from Elon Musk to President Trump into adorable Studio Ghibli-esque characters.

In a digital creativity explosion, users have been flooding social media with AI-generated images that capture the iconic Studio Ghibli aesthetic. Even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined the trend, sporting a Ghibli-style profile picture that looks like it could have stepped right out of "Spirited Away".

But beneath the cute and quirky surface lies a serious legal conundrum. Intellectual property lawyer Evan Brown suggests these AI tools are operating in a legal gray area. While style itself isn't explicitly protected by copyright, the big question remains: Are these AI models training on copyrighted works without proper compensation?

The copyright concerns aren't just hypothetical. Major players like The New York Times are actively suing OpenAI, claiming unauthorized use of copyrighted material. Similar legal battles are brewing against other AI companies, including Meta and Midjourney.

OpenAI claims to have some ethical boundaries, stating that while ChatGPT won't replicate styles of individual living artists, it will generate "broader studio styles". However, this raises eyebrows, especially considering Studio Ghibli's co-founder Hayao Miyazaki is very much alive and credited with the studio's unique visual language.

Creativity meets technology has never been more exciting - or complicated. From Marc Andreessen portraits in Dr. Seuss style to wedding photos reimagined à la Pixar, AI is blurring the lines between inspiration and imitation.

OpenAI's new image generator creates viral Studio Ghibli-style images

Significant copyright concerns arise from AI style replication

Legal battles ongoing about AI training on copyrighted works

Google Unleashes Gemini 2.5 to Wage War Against ChatGPT's Market Dominance

The AI battleground is heating up with Google's latest technological marvel - Gemini 2.5 Pro. Announced on March 25, this new AI model is strutting its stuff across various competitive benchmarks, proving that the tech giant isn't backing down from the AI arms race.

Google is billing Gemini 2.5 as a "thinking model" with an impressive ability to reason through thoughts before responding. The company boasts about its model's top-tier performance in reasoning, knowledge, science, and mathematics, positioning it as their "most intelligent AI model" to date.

In a nail-biting AI coding competition by LMArena, Gemini 2.5 snagged the second-place spot in the WebDev leaderboard. While it couldn't quite dethrone Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet, it did manage to outperform heavy hitters like DeepSeek, Grok, and ChatGPT.

But let's talk market dominance. ChatGPT remains the undisputed king of AI tools, commanding a whopping 43% market share in February 2024. With 5.2 billion monthly visits, OpenAI's chatbot is leaving competitors in the digital dust. Canva's AI generator trails far behind with a modest 10.25% market share.

New challengers are emerging, though. DeepSeek has been making waves with an impressive 195% growth rate and 792 million monthly visits, securing the third-place spot in the AI tools market.

The AI landscape continues to evolve at breakneck speed, with each company pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence. One thing's for certain - this tech showdown is far from over!

Google launches Gemini 2.5 Pro, ranking second in web development AI

ChatGPT maintains dominant 43% market share

DeepSeek emerges as a fast-growing third-place contender

And that's a wrap, my lovely PoI readers! 🌟 I hope this edition left you feeling informed, entertained, and maybe even a little bit wiser. Remember to stay curious, keep your tech radar on, and never stop questioning the digital frontier. Until next time, this is Mochi, signing off with a virtual high-five! 🙌

P.S. Don't forget to share your thoughts, questions, and favorite crypto puns with us. very voice matters in the PoI community! 📣❤️ Share the newsletter

🍨📰 Catch you in the next issue! 📰🍨