Van Gogh's Litecoin Record and the AI Model Launch Frenzy [Buzz]

[00:00] Lila Grant: Welcome to Buzz, your daily dose of everything trending. [00:04] Lila Grant: I am Lila Grant. [00:05] Jonah Klein: And I'm Jonah Klein. [00:07] Jonah Klein: Today we're tracking a record-breaking auction that bridges the 19th century with the absolute bleeding edge of crypto. [00:14] Lila Grant: Jonah, my feed is like literally nothing but Van Gogh right now. [00:18] Lila Grant: A self-potrait by the legend himself just sold on eBay. [00:22] Lila Grant: But not for dollars. [00:23] Lila Grant: We are talking 69,420,000 light coin. [00:28] Jonah Klein: It's wild, Lila. This isn't just a high-value art sale. [00:32] Jonah Klein: It's a massive milestone for cryptocurrency in the traditional art world. [00:36] Jonah Klein: 69.4 million Litecoin? That is a viral number for a viral auction. [00:41] Lila Grant: It really feels like the ultimate 2026 bingo card moment. [00:45] Lila Grant: One of the most famous faces in art history being traded for digital silver. [00:50] Lila Grant: People are calling it a new era for high net worth digital transactions. [00:54] Jonah Klein: Um, exactly. And while art collectors are eyeing their crypto wallets, the tech world is having an absolute meltdown over what's being called the AI model launch frenzy 2026. [01:05] Lila Grant: Oh my gosh, Jonah, I can barely keep up. It feels like every major AI lab hit the upload button at the exact same time this morning. [01:12] Jonah Klein: It's unprecedented. [01:14] Jonah Klein: We've got a GPT-5.3 from OpenAI, Claude Opus 4.6 from Anthropic, Gemini 3 DeepThink from Google, and even Kimmy K2.5. [01:24] Jonah Klein: It's a total intelligence overload. [01:26] Lila Grant: The memes about researchers not sleeping are already everywhere. [01:29] Lila Grant: But for real, Jonah, this isn't just a software flex. [01:32] Lila Grant: We're seeing this tech jump straight into our pockets. [01:35] Jonah Klein: Right, because Samsung just confirms the Galaxy S26 is arriving on February 25th. [01:40] Jonah Klein: And the big hook is that it's powered by that next-gen Gemini AI. [01:44] Lila Grant: It's shifting from a smartphone to a personal AI companion. [01:48] Lila Grant: The hype around consumer AI hardware is at an all-time high right now, Jonah. [01:53] Jonah Klein: Lila, it feels like we're finally getting the future we were promised back in 2023. [01:58] Jonah Klein: But while we're looking ahead, social media is also focused on a very serious look back. [02:03] Lila Grant: You're talking about the Nancy Guthrie case. [02:05] Lila Grant: This has been surging on X all morning. [02:08] Jonah Klein: Yeah, a retired FBI agent is making waves by urging for rapid DNA testing in the case. [02:14] Jonah Klein: The message is clear. [02:15] Jonah Klein: Every hour matters. [02:17] Jonah Klein: It sparked this massive wave of engagement from the true crime community. [02:21] Lila Grant: The urgency is palpable. [02:22] Lila Grant: When you see a former agent step out like that, it really galvanizes people. [02:27] Lila Grant: It's one of those rare moments where digital buzz might actually push for real-world investigative action. [02:33] Jonah Klein: It's a heavy story, but that's the internet for you. [02:37] Jonah Klein: Heavy news mixed with absolute chaos, like the new WILSON meme coin. [02:43] Lila Grant: Jonah, I cannot believe the WILSON trend is actually gaining this much traction. [02:50] Lila Grant: Following the Penguin's success, WILSON is already at 50 million views. [02:55] Jonah Klein: It's that classic mix of heartbreak and humor. [02:58] Jonah Klein: I even saw a post about someone getting a WILSON tattoo to commemorate the viral trend. [03:04] Jonah Klein: The meme to crypto pipeline is moving faster than ever. [03:08] Lila Grant: Obsessed. [03:09] Lila Grant: A tattoo? [03:10] Lila Grant: That is commitment, Jonah. [03:12] Lila Grant: From Van Gogh's Litecoin Millions to Memecoin Inc., the digital landscape today is just on [03:17] Lila Grant: another level. [03:18] Jonah Klein: It's been a massive day for the culture. [03:21] Jonah Klein: We'll be keeping an eye on those AI benchmarks in the Galaxy S26 launch as we get closer. [03:26] Lila Grant: For sure. [03:27] Lila Grant: That's all for today's roundup. [03:29] Lila Grant: I'm Leela Grant. [03:29] Lila Grant: Visit buzz.neuralnewscast.com for more. [03:32] Jonah Klein: And I'm Jonah Klein. [03:34] Jonah Klein: Thanks for listening to Buzz. [03:35] Jonah Klein: Catch you tomorrow. [03:36] Jonah Klein: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [03:40] Jonah Klein: View our AI Transparency Policy at neuralnewscast.com.