Artificial intelligence firm Anthropic has launched the latest generations of its chatbots amid criticism of a testing environment behaviour that could report some users to authorities.

Anthropic unveiled Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4 on May 22, claiming that Claude Opus 4 is its most powerful model yet, “and the world’s best coding model,” while Claude Sonnet 4 is a significant upgrade from its predecessor, “delivering superior coding and reasoning.”

The firm added that both upgrades are hybrid models offering two modes — “near-instant responses and extended thinking for deeper reasoning.”

Both AI models can also alternate between reasoning, research and tool use, like web search, to improve responses, it said. 

Anthropic added that Claude Opus 4 outperforms competitors in agentic coding benchmarks. It is also capable of working continuously for hours on complex, long-running tasks, “significantly expanding what AI agents can do.” 

Anthropic claims the chatbot has achieved a 72.5% score on a rigorous software engineering benchmark, outperforming OpenAI’s GPT-4.1, which scored 54.6% after its April launch. 

Claude v4 benchmarks. Source: Anthropic 

Related: OpenAI ignored experts when it released overly agreeable ChatGPT

The AI industry’s major players have pivoted toward “reasoning models” in 2025, which will work through problems methodically before responding. 

OpenAI initiated the shift in December with its “o” series, followed by Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro with its experimental “Deep Think” capability.

Claude rats on misuse in testing

Anthropic’s first developer conference on May 22 was overshadowed by controversy and backlash over a feature of Claude 4 Opus.

Developers and users reacted strongly to revelations that the model may autonomously report users to authorities if it detects “egregiously immoral” behavior, according to VentureBeat. 

The report cited Anthropic AI alignment researcher Sam Bowman, who wrote on X that the chatbot will “use command-line tools to contact the press, contact regulators, try to lock you out of the relevant systems, or all of the above.” 

However, Bowman later stated that he “deleted the earlier tweet on whistleblowing as it was being pulled out of context.”

He clarified that the feature only happened in “testing environments where we give it unusually free access to tools and very unusual instructions.”

Source: Sam Bowman

The CEO of Stability AI, Emad Mostaque, said to the Anthropic team, “This is completely wrong behaviour and you need to turn this off — it is a massive betrayal of trust and a slippery slope.”

Magazine: AI cures blindness, ‘good’ propaganda bots, OpenAI doomsday bunker: AI Eye

Cybercriminals are using fake Ledger Live apps to drain macOS users’ crypto through malware that steals seed phrases, a cybersecurity firm warns. 

The malware replaces the legitimate Ledger Live app on victims’ devices and then prompts the user to input their seed phrase through a phony pop-up message, a team from Moonlock said in a May 22 report.

“Initially, attackers could use the clone to steal passwords, notes, and wallet details to get a glimpse of the wallet’s assets, but they had no way to extract the funds,” the Moonlock team said.

“Now, within a year, they have learned to steal seed phrases and empty the wallets of their victims,” it added. 

One way the scammers replace the real Ledger Live app with a clone is through the Atomic macOS Stealer, designed to steal sensitive data, which Moonlock said it has found lurking on at least 2,800 hacked websites.

Source: Moonlock 

After infecting a device, Atomic macOS steals personal data, passwords, notes and wallet details and replaces the real Ledger Live app with a phony. 

“The fake app then displays a convincing alert about suspicious activity, prompting the user to enter their seed phrase,” the Moonlock team said.

“Once entered, the seed phrase is sent to an attacker-controlled server, exposing the user’s assets in seconds.”

Malware campaign active since August 

Moonlock has been tracking malware that’s distributing a malicious clone of Ledger Live since August, with at least four active campaigns, and they think hackers are “only getting smarter.” 

Threat actors on the dark web are offering malware with “anti-Ledger” features. However, one of the examples examined by Moonlock did not feature the full anti-Ledger phishing functionality advertised. The firm speculates those features could “still be in development or is forthcoming in future updates.” 

Moonlock says hackers are offering malware for would-be thieves to steal from Ledger users. Source: Moonlock

“This isn’t just a theft. It’s a high-stakes effort to outsmart one of the most trusted tools in the crypto world. And the thieves are not backing down,” Moonlock said. 

“On dark web forums, chatter around anti-Ledger schemes is growing. The next wave is already taking shape. Hackers will continue to exploit the trust crypto owners place in Ledger Live.” 

Related: Ledger secures Discord after hacker bot tried to steal seed phrases

To avoid falling prey to similar malware scams, the cybersecurity firm recommends being wary of any page that warns of a critical error and asks for a 24-word recovery phrase.

At the same time, never share a seed phrase with anyone or input it on any website, no matter how legitimate it looks, and only download Ledger Live from its official source. 

Ledger didn’t immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment. 

Magazine: ChatGPT a ‘schizophrenia-seeking missile,’ AI scientists prep for 50% deaths

Bitcoin futures open interest (OI) has hit record levels on crypto derivatives exchanges as traders anticipate the cryptocurrency will continue and reach new all-time highs. 

Bitcoin (BTC) futures open interest reached a peak of just over $80 billion on May 23, according to CoinGlass. It’s an increase of 30% since the start of May as derivatives speculators load up on leverage in anticipation of higher Bitcoin prices.

Open interest is the total number of outstanding futures contracts that allow traders to bet on the future price of Bitcoin, which have not been settled or closed, showing the total amount of current market speculation.

Total Bitcoin futures OI. Source: Coinglass

When OI surges, it indicates massive leveraged positions are built up in the market, with lots of traders holding large positions with borrowed money. 

If Bitcoin’s price moves against these over-leveraged positions, traders get forcibly liquidated, and the flushout can create selling pressure on Bitcoin, which can cause a rapid drop in prices and high volatility.

However, analysts suggest the surge in spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows, which have seen more than $2.5 billion this week, can counter some of that extended leverage.

Related: Crypto perp futures coming ‘very soon,’ says CFTC’s Mersinger

Bitcoin options markets show a similar pattern with open interest over $1.5 billion at the $110,000 and $120,000 strike prices on the Deribit exchange. There is also more than $1 billion in OI at strike prices of $115,000, $125,000, and $130,000.

Around $2.76 billion worth of notional value contracts are due to expire on May 23 with a put/call ratio of 1.2%, meaning there are more short (put) sellers than longs (call), and a max pain point of $103,000, where most losses will be made on expiry, according to Deribit. 

Bitcoin options OI by strike price. Source: Deribit Bitcoin slips below $111,000

Meanwhile, Bitcoin has slightly lost its recent gains and briefly slipped below $111,000 on Coinbase,  according to TradingView. 

The asset has now gained almost 20% since the beginning of the year and almost 50% since its crash to $75,000 on April 7 following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs. 

Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $112,000 on May 22 and had mostly traded just above $111,000 over the last 24 hours, but had again slipped below the level at 4:15 am UTC on May 23.

Magazine: Crypto scam hub expose stunt goes viral, Kakao detects 70K scam apps: Asia Express

Bitcoin futures open interest (OI) has hit record levels on crypto derivatives exchanges as traders anticipate the cryptocurrency will continue and reach new all-time highs. 

Bitcoin (BTC) futures open interest reached a peak of just over $80 billion on May 23, according to CoinGlass. It’s an increase of 30% since the start of May as derivatives speculators load up on leverage in anticipation of higher Bitcoin prices.

Open interest is the total number of outstanding futures contracts that allow traders to bet on the future price of Bitcoin, which have not been settled or closed, showing the total amount of current market speculation.

Total Bitcoin futures OI. Source: Coinglass

When OI surges, it indicates massive leveraged positions are built up in the market, with lots of traders holding large positions with borrowed money. 

If Bitcoin’s price moves against these over-leveraged positions, traders get forcibly liquidated, and the flushout can create selling pressure on Bitcoin, which can cause a rapid drop in prices and high volatility.

However, analysts suggest the surge in spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows, which have seen more than $2.5 billion this week, can counter some of that extended leverage.

Related: Crypto perp futures coming ‘very soon,’ says CFTC’s Mersinger

Bitcoin options markets show a similar pattern with open interest over $1.5 billion at the $110,000 and $120,000 strike prices on the Deribit exchange. There is also more than $1 billion in OI at strike prices of $115,000, $125,000, and $130,000.

Around $2.76 billion worth of notional value contracts are due to expire on May 23 with a put/call ratio of 1.2%, meaning there are more short (put) sellers than longs (call), and a max pain point of $103,000, where most losses will be made on expiry, according to Deribit. 

Bitcoin options OI by strike price. Source: Deribit Bitcoin slips below $111,000

Meanwhile, Bitcoin has slightly lost its recent gains and briefly slipped below $111,000 on Coinbase,  according to TradingView. 

The asset has now gained almost 20% since the beginning of the year and almost 50% since its crash to $75,000 on April 7 following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs. 

Bitcoin hit an all-time high of $112,000 on May 22 and had mostly traded just above $111,000 over the last 24 hours, but had again slipped below the level at 4:15 am UTC on May 23.

Magazine: Crypto scam hub expose stunt goes viral, Kakao detects 70K scam apps: Asia Express

Shares in Swedish health tech company H100 Group AB rose 37% after it said it purchased Bitcoin for the first time as part of a new strategy, while China’s Jiuzi Holdings revealed its plan to stack 1,000 Bitcoin over the next year.

H100 said on May 22 that it spent 5 million Norwegian krone ($490,830) buying 4.39 Bitcoin (BTC) at an average purchasing price of around $111,785.

The company’s shares closed May 22 trading up 37% to 1.22 Swedish krona ($0.13) on the Nordic Growth Market following its disclosure of its Bitcoin purchase, Bloomberg data shows. 

Source: H100

The strong trading day recovered some losses from the past two months, during which the firm’s shares have fallen by over 46%.

H100’s change in share price so far in 2025. Source: Bloomberg

The firm’s CEO, Sander Andersen, said he believes “the values of individual sovereignty highly present in the Bitcoin community aligns well with, and will appeal to, the customers and communities we are building the H100 platform for.”

H100 sells health tools for individuals who don’t want to rely on the “reactive health system,” Andersen said in a separate X post.

Andersen marked the first Bitcoin announcement and purchase as “Phase 1,” hinting at further buys.

China’s Jiuzi Holdings to stack 1,000 Bitcoin

Meanwhile, on May 22, the Nasdaq-listed Chinese electric vehicle retailer Jiuzi Holdings said its board approved a plan to buy 1,000 Bitcoin over the next year through additional stock issuance and cash purchases.

Related: Bitcoin continues rally to surpass $110K for the first time

The company’s CEO, Tao Li, acknowledged the volatility that comes with investing in Bitcoin but is hopeful the move will strengthen the firm’s asset structure, risk resistance and profitability.

Jiuzi (JZXN) rose 7.3% to $3.09 on May 22, Google Finance data shows — a comparatively minor rise compared to other public companies that have recently announced Bitcoin buys.

Adopting Bitcoin as a treasury asset has become an increasingly popular trend of late, with 109 public firms now holding the cryptocurrency on their balance sheets, according to BitcoinTreasuries.NET data.

Magazine: Crypto fans are obsessed with longevity and biohacking: Here’s why

Shares in Swedish health tech company H100 Group AB rose 37% after it said it purchased Bitcoin for the first time as part of a new strategy, while China’s Jiuzi Holdings revealed its plan to stack 1,000 Bitcoin over the next year.

H100 said on May 22 that it spent 5 million Norwegian krone ($490,830) buying 4.39 Bitcoin (BTC) at an average purchasing price of around $111,785.

The company’s shares closed May 22 trading up 37% to 1.22 Swedish krona ($0.13) on the Nordic Growth Market following its disclosure of its Bitcoin purchase, Bloomberg data shows. 

Source: H100

The strong trading day recovered some losses from the past two months, during which the firm’s shares have fallen by over 46%.

H100’s change in share price so far in 2025. Source: Bloomberg

The firm’s CEO, Sander Andersen, said he believes “the values of individual sovereignty highly present in the Bitcoin community aligns well with, and will appeal to, the customers and communities we are building the H100 platform for.”

H100 sells health tools for individuals who don’t want to rely on the “reactive health system,” Andersen said in a separate X post.

Andersen marked the first Bitcoin announcement and purchase as “Phase 1,” hinting at further buys.

China’s Jiuzi Holdings to stack 1,000 Bitcoin

Meanwhile, on May 22, the Nasdaq-listed Chinese electric vehicle retailer Jiuzi Holdings said its board approved a plan to buy 1,000 Bitcoin over the next year through additional stock issuance and cash purchases.

Related: Bitcoin continues rally to surpass $110K for the first time

The company’s CEO, Tao Li, acknowledged the volatility that comes with investing in Bitcoin but is hopeful the move will strengthen the firm’s asset structure, risk resistance and profitability.

Jiuzi (JZXN) rose 7.3% to $3.09 on May 22, Google Finance data shows — a comparatively minor rise compared to other public companies that have recently announced Bitcoin buys.

Adopting Bitcoin as a treasury asset has become an increasingly popular trend of late, with 109 public firms now holding the cryptocurrency on their balance sheets, according to BitcoinTreasuries.NET data.

Magazine: Crypto fans are obsessed with longevity and biohacking: Here’s why

Crypto perpetual futures contracts could receive regulatory approval in the US “very soon,” says outgoing Commodities and Futures Trading Commission Commissioner Summer Mersinger.

Perpetual crypto futures “can come to market now,” Mersinger told Bloomberg TV on May 22. 

“We’re seeing some applications, and I believe we’ll see some of those products trading live very soon,” she said, adding it would be “great to get that trading back onshore in the United States.” 

Mersinger, who will leave the CFTC at the end of May, said having crypto derivatives trading and regulated in the US would be a “really good thing for these markets and would be really beneficial to the industry broadly.”

Crypto perpetual futures are derivative contracts that allow traders to speculate on the price of cryptocurrencies without actually owning them. Unlike traditional futures contracts that have expiration dates, perpetual futures can be held indefinitely. They can also be traded with high leverage.

Summer Mersinger on Bloomberg TV. Source: YouTube

Crypto perpetuals are not currently permitted in the US and are traded on large offshore centralized exchanges, such as Binance, OKX, and Bybit. 

Binance is the largest with almost $95 billion in perpetual trading volume per day, according to CoinGecko. It offers over 500 crypto perpetual pairs with up to 125x leverage.

Related: BitMEX CEO explains how perpetual swaps test altcoin value

Mersinger said that the recent procedural vote to move forward the GENIUS stablecoin bill signifies “this asset class is clearly here to stay.” 

“We really are going to make the United States the forefront of economic power that we can see from these tokens and this asset class.” 

Mersinger leaving the CFTC

At the end of May, Mersinger will leave the CFTC to work at the Blockchain Association, a trade group with over 100 members that represents the crypto industry and economy. 

On May 14, the Blockchain Association announced that its current CEO, Kristin Smith, would step down and Mersinger would assume the role on June 2. 

“We have a very strong incoming [CFTC] chairman who has a great voice for the crypto industry and will be a real advocate for the industry and the agency at large,” she said, adding that she hopes to contribute more to the crypto industry through her new position. 

Magazine: Crypto scam hub expose stunt goes viral, Kakao detects 70K scam apps: Asia Express

Michigan lawmakers have introduced four crypto-related bills covering crypto mining, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and crypto in state retirement funds.

Republican state Representative Bill Schuette introduced House Bill 4510 on May 21, which would amend Michigan’s Public Employee Retirement System Investment Act to allow the state treasurer, currently Rachael Eubanks, to invest in cryptocurrencies that have averaged a market cap above $250 million over the last calendar year.

Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) are the only cryptocurrencies that currently meet that threshold. The bill adds that any cryptocurrencies must be held in the form of an exchange-traded product issued by a registered investment company.

A similar bill was introduced in February, permitting the state treasurer to allocate up to 10% of Michigan’s Budget Stabilization Fund into crypto.

Republican Representative Bryan Posthumus led the introduction of the second bipartisan crypto bill on May 21, HB 4511, which would prohibit Michigan from banning crypto or imposing licensing requirements on crypto holders. It would also prohibit state officials from advocating or supporting a proposed CBDC from the federal government.

The bill defines advocating or supporting a CBDC to involve issuing a memorandum or official statement endorsing a CBDC proposal related to its testing, adoption or implementation.

Source: Bitcoin LawsMichigan to consider two crypto mining bills

HB 4512, the third crypto bill introduced by a bipartisan group led by Democratic Representative Mike McFall, would create a Bitcoin mining program allowing operators to set up at abandoned oil and gas sites. 

A supervisor would be assigned to determine how much oil or gas could reasonably be expected to be produced from the site, who the last operator of the site was and how long it has been left unused.

Related: US Senate moves forward with GENIUS stablecoin bill

Those seeking to participate in the program would need to submit legal documents outlining their organizational structure, demonstrate their ability to operate as a Bitcoin mining entity and provide estimates of the breakeven price for a profitable venture.

The fourth bill, HB 4513 — also filed by a McFall-led bipartisan group — would amend Michigan’s income tax laws to include income obtained from the proposed Bitcoin mining program.

Magazine: Crypto wanted to overthrow banks, now it’s becoming them in stablecoin fight 

An American tourist in the United Kingdom was reportedly drugged by an individual posing as a taxi driver, who stole the tourist’s $123,000 in Bitcoin (BTC) stored on a cell phone.

According to a report from My London, Jacob Irwin-Cline went out to a London bar and had several drinks before calling an Uber to take him home.

Cline said that he did not thoroughly check the details of the Uber ride on his phone and left with a random private cab driver resembling the Uber driver at first glance, but driving a different vehicle — a detail Cline would only discover after the incident.

Once inside the vehicle, the US tourist said the driver offered him a cigarette, which Cline said was likely laced with a rare and potent sedative drug called scopolamine. Cline added that the cigarette made him feel extremely docile and tired, causing him to pass out for around 30 minutes before regaining consciousness.

Shortly after Cline woke up, the driver ordered him out of the vehicle. As Cline exited, the driver suddenly sped off, striking him with the car and fleeing with his cellphone, which contained his private keys and access to his crypto accounts.

The unfortunate incident comes amid a recent spate of kidnappings, extortion incidents, armed robberies, and ransom attempts directed at crypto industry executives, investors, and their families.

Related: Chainalysis CEO offers a clue into recent spate of Paris crypto attacks

Crypto community members become the targets of violent crime

Several kidnapping incidents involving crypto investors, industry executives, and their families have occurred in May.

On May 3, the father of an unnamed crypto exchange owner was freed by French police after law enforcement officials raided the property where the individual was being held captive by organized criminals demanding a ransom for his release.

Shortly after that incident, the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, the CEO of the Paymium crypto exchange, were the targets of an attempted kidnapping in Paris.

The incident occurred in broad daylight when the assailants attacked the family and attempted to force them into a parked vehicle. However, Noizat’s daughter and another individual were able to fight off the masked attackers.

The rise in violent attacks against crypto investors and professionals has prompted an increase in personal security, including requests for bodyguards and private security measures for those likely to be victimized.

Magazine: China’s ‘point running’ crypto scams, pig butchers kidnap kids: Asia Express

An American tourist in the United Kingdom was reportedly drugged by an individual posing as a taxi driver, who stole the tourist’s $123,000 in Bitcoin stored on a cell phone.

According to a report from My London, Jacob Irwin-Cline went out to a London bar and had several drinks before calling an Uber to take him home.

Cline said that he did not thoroughly check the details of the Uber ride on his phone and left with a random private cab driver resembling the Uber driver at first glance, but driving a different vehicle — a detail Cline would only discover after the incident.

Once inside the vehicle, the US tourist said the driver offered him a cigarette, which Cline said was likely laced with a rare and potent sedative drug called scopolamine. Cline added that the cigarette made him feel extremely docile and tired, causing him to pass out for around 30 minutes before regaining consciousness.

Shortly after Cline woke up, the driver ordered him out of the vehicle. As Cline exited, the driver suddenly sped off, striking him with the car and fleeing with his cellphone, which contained his private keys and access to his crypto accounts.

The unfortunate incident comes amid a recent spate of kidnappings, extortion incidents, armed robberies, and ransom attempts directed at crypto industry executives, investors, and their families.

Related: Chainalysis CEO offers a clue into recent spate of Paris crypto attacks

Crypto community members become the targets of violent crime

Several kidnapping incidents involving crypto investors, industry executives, and their families have occurred in May.

On May 3, the father of an unnamed crypto exchange owner was freed by French police after law enforcement officials raided the property where the individual was being held captive by organized criminals demanding a ransom for his release.

Shortly after that incident, the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, the CEO of the Paymium crypto exchange, were the targets of an attempted kidnapping in Paris.

The incident occurred in broad daylight when the assailants attacked the family and attempted to force them into a parked vehicle. However, Noizat’s daughter and another individual were able to fight off the masked attackers.

The rise in violent attacks against crypto investors and professionals has prompted an increase in personal security, including requests for bodyguards and private security measures for those likely to be victimized.

Magazine: China’s ‘point running’ crypto scams, pig butchers kidnap kids: Asia Express