This week, the tech industry saw Google reveal its top searches of 2023 (led by “Barbie” and “The Roman Empire”) and The New York Times sue OpenAI as well as Microsoft on grounds of copyright infringement.
In the crypto sphere, data revealed that hackers stole $2 billion USD in cryptocurrency throughout 2023. Rounding out the week was Bandai Namco’s sustainability initiative, which seeks to input Gundams IRL.
Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top tech stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.
Hackers Stole $2B USD in Crypto in 2023, According to Data
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Per data from cryptocurrency portfolio tracker and security firm De.Fi, hackers made away with $2 billion USD in cryptocurrency in 2023.
“This amount, though dispersed across various incidents, underscores the persistent vulnerabilities and challenges within the DeFi ecosystem,” De.Fi wrote in its report, per TechCrunch. “2023 stood as a testament to both the ongoing vulnerabilities and the strides made in addressing them, even as interest in the space was relatively muted by the ongoing bear market in the first half of the year.”
The New York Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft for Copyright Infringement
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The New York Times has sued OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, claiming the artificial intelligence creators are responsible for “billions of dollars in statutory and actual damages” as well as “unlawful copying and use of The Times’s uniquely valuable works.”
As The Times put it: “These tools were built with and continue to use independent journalism and content that is only available because we and our peers reported, edited, and fact-checked it at high cost and with considerable expertise.”
Bandai Namco Wants to Make Gundams Real With New Initiative
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Bandai Namco has expanded upon its sustainability initiative – dubbed “Gundam Universal Century Development Action” – announced back in June of 2021, which aims to address population and environmental concerns through Gundam-franchise technology. Bandai Namco has now launched four “sub-projects” entitled “TEAM SPACE LIFE Project,” “Prototyping of a new pilot robot for social implementation of mobile suits,” “Green Colony Project,” and the “Beam Saber ~ Plasma Agriculture Project.”
The projects will bring the world of Gundam to life, with each team creating space colonies, experimental environments, a functional mobile suit, and agricultural usages for plasma.
“Barbie” and “The Roman Empire” Lead Google’s Top Search Terms of 2023
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Google revealed this year’s most-searched terms, which spanned pop culture moments and pivotal zeitgeist figures as well as global current events and internet memes.
The most-searched story of the year was the Israel-Hamas War, with OceanGate taking the second spot. The stats have also appeared to settle this summer’s Barbenheimer debate, with Barbie landing this year’s spot as 2023’s most-Googled movie and Oppenheimer taking spot number two
Other standouts from the list? The Grimace Shake, “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” by Ice Spice and PinkPantheress and Kevin James.
