Signals & Shifts: AI and Web3 This Week

The week’s most important moves in AI and Web3 — from hardware and scientific foundation models to stablecoins, tokenization, and regulatory alignment. Less hype, more signal, with clear implications for leaders, builders, and decision-makers.

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Tesseract Academy
January 30, 2026

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AI Snippets

Davos: leaders move from “human in the loop” to “human in the lead

At Davos, Accenture CEO Julie Sweet argues AI strategy is shifting from basic oversight to empowering teams to deploy and govern AI at scale. An Accenture survey suggests ~3/4 of leaders now see AI’s bigger promise as revenue growth (not just efficiency), and most expect investment to continue even if the hype cools.

Meta says its new AI team has shipped first key models internally

Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth told Reuters the company’s new AI team has delivered its first key models internally this month. He emphasised how much work happens “post-training” to make models usable for internal product teams and consumers—another signal that advantage increasingly lives in evaluation, deployment, and product integration (not just training runs).

OpenAI + Gates Foundation launch “Horizon 1000” for primary healthcare

OpenAI says it’s committing $50m (funding + technology + technical support) with the Gates Foundation to help deploy AI tools in primary care—starting in Rwanda—with a goal of reaching 1,000 clinics and surrounding communities by 2028. The focus is practical: help frontline health workers navigate guidelines and reduce admin so they spend more time on care.

Microsoft moves to reduce data-centre backlash on power + water

Microsoft unveiled a U.S. initiative to curb water usage at its data centres and limit the impact of AI-driven power costs on consumers. Reuters reports Microsoft says it will pay utility rates high enough to cover its own power costs, publish water-use data by data-centre region, and replenish more water than it consumes—plus invest in training and AI literacy in local communities.

UK government seeks a “reset” on AI and copyright rules

Britain’s tech minister said the government wants a reset after backlash over a proposed approach that would have allowed AI developers to train on material they can lawfully access unless creators opt out. A review is due in March, aiming to protect creators’ reward + control while still unlocking AI’s economic potential.

Web3 Snippets

US senators unveil draft “market structure” crypto bill

A U.S. Senate draft aims to clarify when tokens are securities vs commodities, and would give the CFTC authority to police spot crypto markets—something the industry has pushed for to get legal clarity. It also tackles stablecoin “interest” vs “rewards,” trying to address bank concerns about deposit flight while still allowing certain customer incentives and disclosures.

Crypto bill debate delayed after Coinbase pushes back

Reuters reports the Senate Banking Committee postponed its planned debate on the crypto “Clarity Act” just hours after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said Coinbase can’t support the bill in its current form. His objections included concerns it could erode the CFTC’s authority and effectively kill stablecoin rewards—showing how fragile the path to “clear rules” still is.

Barclays makes its first stablecoin-related investment (Ubyx)

Barclays took a stake in U.S. startup Ubyx, which runs a clearing system intended to help settlement between stablecoins from different issuers. It’s another sign that banks are treating regulated stablecoin rails and tokenised deposits as financial infrastructure (not just speculative “crypto assets”), with institutions exploring interoperability and settlement inside the regulatory perimeter.

Polygon buys Coinme + Sequence to build a stablecoin “open money stack

Polygon Labs announced $250m+ in acquisitions of Coinme (an on/off-ramp) and Sequence (wallet + developer platform), doubling down on stablecoin payments plus developer tooling. The bet: seamless on-ramps + embedded wallets make stablecoin checkout feel like fintech (simple), rather than DeFi (complex).

Fireblocks acquires TRES Finance for crypto accounting + reporting

Fireblocks says it acquired TRES Finance, a platform focused on crypto tax and financial reporting. As stablecoin + tokenised treasury flows grow, this kind of compliance layer (reconciliations, audit trails, reporting) is quickly becoming mandatory for any team that wants “bank-grade” operations.

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