Welcome back to The Now. I’m Matt Medved.

I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. If you were offline, touching grass and spending time with family like a well-adjusted human, you might be wondering why Crypto Twitter declared generative art dead while you were gone.

It all started with a seemingly innocent poll from collector Cozomo de’ Medici, asking why there hadn’t been much action lately. The post sparked a flurry of responses, from a measured take by Eli Scheinman to a sharper critique by Punk5185. OGs like 6529 and Nate Alex entered the fray, along with artists like Arsonic, and Beeple did what he does best: immortalizing the discourse in a provocative Everydays piece.

So is generative art dead? Clearly not. But the debate surfaced some uncomfortable truths about the frothy, unsustainable bubble that defined the 2021–2022 market boom. Supply clearly outpaced demand. Platforms flooded the market with new collections, many of which lacked originality or long-term vision. Narratives have shifted from generative art to AI. But a market correction doesn’t signal the end of a genre. Generative art existed before the NFT craze, and it will outlast the hype cycles that follow. That said, it doesn’t mean your bags are coming back.

Like most major narratives of the previous cycle, generative art is simply evolving. Moving beyond cookie-cutter drops and decoupling from VC-driven incentives is a healthy shift for the category, even if it no longer commands the same attention or liquidity. As our recent “Sculpting Time” event showed, a new wave of artists is pushing the medium beyond the screen and channeling it into dynamic live performances. Standouts include our recent Next Up artist Ben Heim and our very own Aaron Baker, both exploring how immersive and interactive generative works can come alive in front of an audience.

Watching it unfold in person made that shift abundantly clear. There were people in that room (some of them friends of mine!) who had never thought twice about generative art until they saw it move and react in real time. You could literally see the moment it clicked.

I could go on, but for now, let’s dive into this week’s top stories. Would you want to see more on this topic? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Right Now

Here are the top stories we’re following across crypto, culture, AI, and policy.

📈 Crypto

UAE denies TON golden visa claim.
Russia’s Rostec plans ruble-pegged stablecoin on TRON.
Bitcoin registers highest weekly close ever at $109,200.

🎨 Culture

Cheaper NFTs mean sales are surging, but trading volume is plummeting.
Raoul Pal ignites debate on digital art marketplaces.
Toledo Museum of Art’s “Infinite Images” gen art exhibit opens July 12.

🤖 AI

SEC sets July deadline for Solana ETF refilings, enabling pre-October approval.
Inside the coder village at the heart of China’s AI frenzy.
AI is turning utility analysts into rock stars.

⚖️ Policy

LLMs show signs of strategic intelligence.
Elon Musk says America Party will embrace Bitcoin as “fiat is hopeless.”
US Appeals Court allows Tornado Cash sanctions battle to end.

The Crypto Report Card: Grading the Trump Administration

Welcome back to In the Flow. Your weekly policy dispatch decoding power in the digital world. The Trump administration just got its first crypto report card, and let’s just say, it’s not straight A’s. Alejandro Navia breaks down the biggest wins, missed chances, and ethical landmines from the past five months in office.

From Bitcoin reserves to stalled legislation and shadowy family investments, this isn’t your typical policy recap. Is this the most pro-crypto administration in U.S. history, or just the most audacious? In the Flow is a members-only series, but we’ve unlocked this first edition for you. Upgrade here to avoid losing access.

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Exclusive: How Leap Is Using Crypto to Rethink Charitable Giving

Crypto philanthropy is evolving fast. Leap’s new platform, donate.gg, has already funneled over $360K to St. Jude, with deeper integrations on the way.

By embedding crypto-native giving tools into creator platforms like time.fun, Leap is laying the foundation for seamless, onchain generosity at scale. This mission runs deep. Inspired by his father’s cancer journey, Leap is channeling personal loss into purpose, proving that decentralized tools can move hearts, capital, and culture all at once.

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Next Up: m0dest Is Living Proof That Chaos Can Be Consistent

In a space obsessed with identity, m0dest built a following by hiding his. The anonymous artist has released a new piece every day for over 500 days, never the same style twice. From glitch storms to quiet vignettes, it’s chaos by design.

Now, with his “Nine Doors” project on the horizon, he’s blending generative memory, onchain permanence, and machine prompts into something stranger and maybe deeper than daily art. If you think consistency means repetition, think again.

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