Key facts
- Coinbase issued an AI-generated news alert falsely stating Norway had beaten Brazil 3-2 in a World Cup match before it started.
- The alert incorrectly claimed Erling Haaland had scored twice.
- At the time of the alert, Coinbase's own prediction market listed the game as weather-delayed.
- Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong investigated the error, and the company confirmed updates were made to prevent future inaccuracies.
- Norway ultimately defeated Brazil 2-1 in the actual match, with Haaland scoring twice.
Coinbase sent users a false breaking news alert claiming Norway's soccer team had beaten Brazil 3-2 in a World Cup match before the game had even begun. The alert, which stated Erling Haaland scored twice, was posted on Sunday, while the match was scheduled to start later that afternoon. Screenshots of the notification were shared on X, prompting an investigation by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Max Branzburg, the company's head of consumer and business products, later confirmed the error was fixed and that updates were implemented to prevent similar inaccuracies in the future. The actual match concluded with Norway defeating Brazil 2-1, and Haaland did score twice. This incident occurred as Coinbase expands its prediction markets and other features like AI advisers, aiming to become an 'everything exchange.'