The largest cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase found itself at the center of an awkward incident involving the use of artificial intelligence. A user under the nickname jay_drainjr reported on X that they received a push notification from the platform with the result of a football match between Norway and Brazil, even though the game had not yet started.
According to the notification, Norway crushed Brazil 3:2 in a World Cup playoff match, and Erling Haaland scored a brace. The problem is that the match had not yet taken place at that time. The user rightly called the situation "dangerous and irresponsible," emphasizing that such errors undermine trust in the platform.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong quickly responded, promising to look into the situation with the team. The very next day, the exchange's head of consumer and business products, Max Branzburg, confirmed that the error had been fixed and the systems updated to avoid similar inaccuracies in the future.
Interestingly, the actual outcome of the match turned out to be different: Norway did win, but with a score of 2:1. At the same time, Haaland indeed scored two goals, matching the AI's "prediction." Branzburg humorously commented on this: "The AI may have known something we didn't."
The false notification appeared in the "Trends" section, where AI generates news summaries based on Kalshi prediction markets. Coinbase recently integrated data from this platform as part of its Everything Exchange strategy, aiming to create a universal trading ecosystem.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Coinbase has faced issues with AI implementation. In May, the exchange announced a 14% staff reduction, citing the need to optimize costs and more actively develop artificial intelligence. In June, the company launched Coinbase for Agents, a service for connecting digital assistants to user accounts, and is also participating in an Amazon initiative to launch payments for AI agents.
Expert opinion: This incident is a vivid example of how hasty AI implementation without proper data validation can lead to reputational losses. For a platform managing billions in assets, such errors are unacceptable. Coinbase needs to strengthen control over the quality of generated content, especially in the field of financial and sports predictions, where accuracy is critical.