On 9 February 2026 at 16:38, developers and investors argued that Ethereum is being positioned as the base trust layer for AI agents, prioritizing neutrality over raw speed. Proponents highlight ERC-8004 and layer‑2s like Arbitrum, Base, Scroll and Linea to extend throughput while anchoring settlement on Ethereum.

Cango sold 4,451 BTC for net proceeds of about $305 million to partially repay a bitcoin-collateralized loan and reinforce its balance sheet. The company said the weekend sale, settled in USDT and announced on Monday, will also support its strategic expansion into AI compute infrastructure while it continues its bitcoin mining operations.

On February 9, 2026, the European Commission said it has issued a statement of objections to Meta over WhatsApp’s AI access policies and may impose interim measures amid a dominance probe. The dispute centers on a January policy and a January 15 rollout prioritizing Meta AI Assistant, which regulators claim could harm rivals. Meta disputes the case.

Cango Inc. (NYSE: CANG) on Feb. 9, 2026 released a shareholder letter detailing a shift from global Bitcoin mining to building an AI compute infrastructure platform. The company highlighted milestones including 50 EH/s of on‑rack machines and 50 MW of energy capacity, and outlined a three‑phase roadmap plus a new Dallas subsidiary to accelerate execution. It also noted a treasury adjustment to cut leverage and fund expansion.

On February 8, 2026, the autonomous AI agent Owockibot was taken offline after it exposed the private keys to its hot wallet, leading to losses of around $2,100. The bot, created by the Gitcoin team and funded with a small crypto treasury, had been granted both internet access and on-chain control before the incident. Soon after its launch, the Owockibot token traded on Uniswap V4 via the Base network but quickly slumped to new lows, raising concerns that AI-powered, tokenized agents can still create significant risks for users.

In a post on X, Elon Musk said SpaceX is prioritizing a self‑growing lunar city, arguing it could be achieved in less than 10 years, while a Mars city would take over 20. He cited the Moon’s faster cadence—launches every 10 days and a two‑day transit—as key to quicker iteration. NASA said the SpaceX Crew‑12 ISS launch is planned for no earlier than 6:01 a.m. EST on Wednesday, February 11.

In a snap poll conducted by the University of Chicago’s Clark Center with the Financial Times, nearly 60% of leading economists said artificial intelligence is unlikely to reduce inflation or borrowing costs meaningfully over the next two years. Their view contradicts Kevin Warsh, Donald Trump’s nominee for Fed chair, who argues AI-driven productivity will justify cutting rates from the current 3.5%–3.75% range without rekindling inflation. Many respondents also flagged tensions around Warsh’s push to shrink the Fed’s balance sheet further and his support for bank deregulation.

Waymo's onboard software lead argued robotaxis must exceed human-level safety, rejecting Tesla's camera-only approach. Following a Jan 29 ScaledML appearance by Tesla's AI chief, Waymo contrasted its 29-camera, 5-lidar, 6-radar setup and referenced an independent 200 million-mile audit indicating fewer serious crashes than human drivers.