AI Agents Rise, Crypto Rules Tighten

ChatGPT begins testing ads, OpenAI launches enterprise AI agents, and GPT-5.3-Codex accelerates real-world automation. Meanwhile, the UK and US move forward on stablecoin and crypto regulation — signalling a shift from hype to execution and compliance in 2026.

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Tesseract Academy
February 13, 2026

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AI SNIPPETS

OpenAI starts testing ads in ChatGPT

OpenAI has begun an ad test inside ChatGPT aimed at supporting free access while keeping answers independent.

Why it matters: if ChatGPT is part of your daily workflow, ad literacy + “trust vs verify” become even more important.

OpenAI Frontier: enterprise platform to build/deploy/manage AI agents

Frontier is positioned as an end-to-end way to operationalise “AI coworkers” with shared context, onboarding, evaluation, and permission boundaries.

Why it matters: this is the direction of travel for serious teams — agents that can run across systems, not just chat in a tab.

GPT‑5.3‑Codex launches (agentic coding + “professional work on a computer”)

OpenAI says GPT‑5.3‑Codex is faster and more capable for long-running tasks involving research, tool-use, and complex execution.

Why it matters: “vibe coding” is evolving into real agentic delivery — expect faster prototyping and faster shipping cycles.

Anthropic ships Claude Opus 4.6 (1M token context window in beta)

Anthropic is upgrading Claude’s flagship model, pushing agentic/coding reliability and a much larger context window.

Why it matters: bigger context = fewer “glue steps” (less retrieval wrangling, more end-to-end reasoning in one session).

“Ads are coming to AI (but not to Claude)” — the OpenAI vs Anthropic marketing war goes mainstream

Anthropic ran Super Bowl ads calling out ad-supported AI; OpenAI leadership publicly pushed back.

Why it matters: monetisation models are becoming product strategy — and they will influence UX, trust, and pricing.

WEB3 / CRYPTO SNIPPETS

FCA: “stablecoin payments” are a 2026 priority (sandbox + experimentation)

The FCA is explicitly signalling support for UK-issued stablecoins for payments, including enabling firms to experiment via its regulatory sandbox.

UK firms: FCA crypto consultation deadline

The FCA’s consultation package on the future UK crypto regime (CP25/40, CP25/41, CP25/42) closes 12 Feb 2026.

Why it matters: if you touch exchanges, intermediaries, staking, DeFi, disclosures, or prudential requirements — this is your window to influence the rulebook.

UK Cryptoassets Regulations 2026 published (SI 2026/102) — the regime backbone is taking shape

The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2026 were made/published and set the legal scaffolding for regulated cryptoasset activities.

Bank of England stablecoin consultation closed

The BoE consultation on regulating sterling-denominated systemic stablecoins closed 10 Feb 2026.

Why it matters: the “systemic stablecoin” regime is being designed now — and it will shape payments + banking risk discussions across 2026.

US: White House meeting fails to resolve crypto legislation stalemate (stablecoin rewards = key sticking point)

A White House meeting intended to break the deadlock reportedly ended without agreement, with stablecoin interest/rewards still divisive between banks and crypto firms.

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