How AI shapes your Facebook & Instagram feeds

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✨ Today in the Metaproof Daily

📱 How AI influences your Facebook & Instagram feeds: Meta

💲 Asset management giant BlackRock bullish on AI

🛍️ Microsoft powers Bing, Edge with new AI shopping tools

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How AI influences your Facebook & Instagram feeds: Meta [Link]

In an attempt to demystify the algorithms as part of its “wider ethos of openness, transparency, and accountability,” Meta rolls out information on how AI shapes the way Instagram and Facebook users see content on the platforms.

The finer details:

• Most of the info is contained within 22 “system cards” covering the Feed, Stories, and Reels, to name a few, influencing how users discover and consume content. The system cards detail how AI ranks and recommends content on these features.

• Here’s the 3-step process behind the AI recommendation engine: Gather Inventory (collects public Instagram content that abides by company standards), Leverage Signals (AI considers user engagement with similar content or interests), and Rank Content (ranks the content from step 2, producing content predicted to be of higher interest to the user to a greater position on Explore).

• Signals help identify harmful content, which Meta then removes upon awareness, it says on the blog post.

Saying it believes in an open approach to research and innovation, Meta adds it has released 1,000+ AI models, libraries, and data sets for researchers over the last decade to tap into the Meta’s computing power and pursue research openly and safely - thus not “leaving the know-how in the hands of a small number of big tech companies.”

Asset management giant BlackRock bullish on AI [Link]

In a mid-year outlook report in late June, BlackRock calls AI a “mega force,” “digital disruption,” and a major economic shift that new investment opportunities can help leverage.

Key observations from BlackRock on AI tech:

• The latest round of earning calls mentioned AI 14,000 times, according to BlackRock’s charts.

• As S&P 500 gains focus on a few tech stocks today, the trends dictate that AI along with other “mega forces” can deliver returns even as the macro environment lacks opportunities.

• BlackRock points to growth areas, such as in semiconductor production, which taps into AI development.

BlackRock recently applied for a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), potentially hosting a fund that will become the first ETF of its kind in the US.

Microsoft powers Bing, Edge with new AI shopping tools [Link]

Microsoft has unveiled a set of new AI-powered shopping tools for its Bing search engine and the Bing AI chatbot in the Edge sidebar, designed to provide a more efficient and useful shopping experience for users.

The notable features include:

• Automated Buying Guides: Bing's GPT-powered AI capabilities can now create buying guides for "college supplies" queries, featuring product specs, purchase info, and Microsoft's affiliate fee.

• AI-Generated Review Summaries: Users can ask Bing Chat in Edge to summarize online product reviews. The AI will quickly generate an overview of what people are saying about a particular item, making it easier for shoppers to make informed decisions.

• Price Match Tool: This allows users to request a price match from a retailer even after the price has dropped. The feature works with select US retailers with existing price match policies, and Microsoft plans to add more retailers over time.

Is Roblox shedding its metaverse persona? [Link]

Roblox just might be shifting its focus from being labeled as a “metaverse” to positioning itself as a long-term platform for sports brands, offering partnerships through user-generated content (UGC) and an ad program. It provides creative tools to forge social connections.

Tian Pei, the head of sport at Roblox, emphasizes the importance of proving the link between digital experiences on Roblox and real-world benefits. Brands seek to engage with new audiences through the platform, and Roblox is exploring ways to bridge the gap between online activities and real-world consumer decisions.

While Roblox doesn't integrate blockchain and cannot provide tokens or NFTs, it recognizes the significance of AI and web3 tech and is prioritizing investments in these areas.

Quick Hits

🎮 Gaming

• Ubisoft’s Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, quietly revealed late last week, is an original PC game described as a player-versus-player (PvP) tactical role-playing game (RPG) experience. (Link)

• This Milan-based company challenges Zuckerberg and Gates on the metaverse and games. (Link)

• Rush Royale, a leading tower defense strategy genre game from MY.GAMES, surpasses 63M installs and $230M in revenue since its 2020 launch. (Link)

• Nakamoto Games rolls out the Progressive Web App (PWA), a step in realizing its comprehensive web3 mobile app. (Link)

• SuperDuper, the studio behind NFT collection Cold Blooded Creepz, partners with Immutable on the upcoming blockchain-based real-time strategy (RTS) game Overlord. (Link)

🕶 Fashion

• Dior embraces Ethereum for its B33 sneakers as part of its Men’s Fall 2023 collection. (Link)

• Meanwhile, Barbie-foot heels are all the rage right now. (Link)

• Fashion is increasingly embracing holography, a cutting-edge tech that uses light to create 3D images. (Link)

• Digital catwalk? A new Klarna and Dynata survey reveals a majority of consumers in Europe, US, and Australia think that fashion shows should go fully virtual. (Link)

• Here’s what the classic favorite Teletubbies looks like in the fashion metaverse. (Link)

🏀 Sports

• In the 1st-ever boxing “clash in the metaverse,” Roy Jones Jr. scores a bizarre 7th-round stoppage victory over professional bodybuilder NDO Champ. (Link)

• Candy Digital merges with web3 production company Palm NFT Studio to build digital experiences for sports, culture, and entertainment. (Link)

• AI might take on players’ substitutions in the near future, potentially replacing managers, coaches, and game-tracking video analysts. (Link)

• Anticipating match highlight videos to play a pivotal role in growing its audience, Spanish soccer league La Liga enlists WSC Sports in automating match highlights’ creation and distribution through AI. (Link)

• "While 2022 has presented one of the most challenging markets in decades, we've been emboldened to remain patient, optimize resources, and focus diligently on our fastest path to scaled revenue and profitability," said Matt Bailey, CEO of GameOn, a fantasy sports platform partnered with sports leagues to launch, operate, and monetize web3 games. (Link)

🎥 Media & Entertainment

• Beyoncé collaborates with Amazon Music for a tour merch collection. (Link)

• Unleashing blockchain’s potential to solve the entertainment industry’s toughest challenges. (Link)

• Twitter restricts the number of posts a user can read in a day in a move to tamp down on the use of the site's data by AI firms. (Link)

• Bang & Olufsen’s website enables music lovers to discover their own interactive avatars based on their individual tastes in music. (Link)

• Netflix’s Pokémon Concierge looks like it’s well worth the visit. (Link)

• Shibui Labs redefines storytelling in the digital age with the launch of Shibui Cinematic Universe. (Link)

🖼 Art

• With a new exhibition called For The Culture, decentralization-fueled entities Artpoint, NFT Factory, and Punk6529 enlist a slew of artists to erect a monument to web3 and NFT art and culture. (Link)

• Visual artist Shuk Orani explores the intersection of art and AI. (Link)

• 9GAG’s Memeland Captainz NFT might be the next PEPE. (Link)

• In 2022, NFT sales declined in Q3, down by 60% compared to Q2. (Link)

• Siggraph 2023 celebrates its 50th year with the Art Gallery and Art Papers programs, exploring the intersection of art, tech, and societal issues. (Link)

• AzukiDAO votes to recover 20K ETH from the founder of the blue-chip NFT brand Zagabond. (Link)

• Could this be lessons from the catastrophic failure of the metaverse? (Link)

🤖 AI

• Humane, a secretive startup founded by ex-Apple execs, is set to release an AI wearable. (Link)

• People are spinning up low-effort content farms using AI. (Link)

• Design Army wants to know if AI is a fad or the future, so it employs an AI to design an entire campaign for a longtime client. (Link)

• Vietnam calls for tech giants to use AI to remove “anti-state” content. (Link)

• Despite the hype, AI remains inferior to the human brain. (Link)

• In Jakarta, AI in the traffic lights system at 20 intersections helps tackle traffic jams. (Link)

💸 Funding & Partnerships

• Pixelynx partners with Reveel to redefine revenue sharing for the AI music co-creation revolution. (Link)

• Amazon Web Services invests $100M in a new program called the Generative AI Innovation Center. (Link)

• India-focused VC firm Good Capital invests $50M in tech startups leveraging AI for distribution, personalization, and business operations. (Link)

• Metaverse projects dominate web3 investment amid drastic dip in funding. (Link)

• Realtime Robotics secures an additional $9.5M to meet increased demand for manufacturing-transforming tech. (Link)

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All content on this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not aim to serve as or replace expert investment advice.

📈 If you are a startup building in the metaverse / web3 ecosystem and are raising capital, please reach out to Sfermion. Sfermion is an investment firm focused on accelerating the emergence of the metaverse 📈

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