Elon Musk’s TruthGPT bared

100M flocking to web3 gaming, the military’s AR advances, plus more metaverse stories today

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Echoing AI concerns he has raised in the past, Elon Musk reveals his desire to develop his own version of ChatGPT, calling it TruthGPT.

In an interview with Fox News' Tucker Carlson, Musk makes the following pronouncements:

  • AI should have a regulator, saying he’s used to regulated industries as he builds cars and rockets with Tesla and SpaceX.

  • Regulation comes with a "better chance of advanced AI being beneficial to humanity."

  • Musk is "starting late" in the AI game, but the plan is to build a “maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe."

  • In trying to understand the universe, his AI would know humans are an important part of the universe - and would unlikely try to annihilate them.

Just last month, Musk joined Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and hundreds of top researchers in signing an open letter that calls for a 6-month AI pause, cautioning against "profound risks to society and humanity."

Web3 gaming will onboard 100M gamers in the next 2 years, while 40% of web3 games underway will go live in the next 12-18 months - predictions that, if they come true, would signify “a massive wave of adoption” never before seen in decentralized gaming.

This is the fearless forecast of Robbie Ferguson, co-founder and president of web3 gaming firm Immutable, and Ryan Wyatt, president of layer-2 chain Polygon Labs - told to TechCrunch as the two giants recently teamed up to grow the scaling and adoption of the subsector.

The market potential is huge: $100B+ are spent by players annually on in-game items, “literally [money spent on] skins, Candy Crush coins and costumes.”

Yet as those assets aren’t ownable by players or belong in a gray marketplace, the golden opportunity lies in taking the asset class and making it “truly ownable” by players themselves rather than a major third-party company.

Giving credit where credit is due: the military was the OG innovator of the internet with its fancy inter-computer communication magic.

Yet with private-sector tech coming to the fore with Bitcoin, Google search, deep fakes, and ChatGPT, the cyber tech and AR/VR tech that the military constantly produces and tests have been relegated to the sidelines.

Yet it remains interesting how AR/VR - from the lens of military innovation - will transform modern life:

  • Soldiers get AR upgrades via Microsoft's Hololens IVAS, giving them battlefield vision. AR tech could also up the game for sports, RPGs, and battle royale.

  • AR/VR are revolutionizing combat and rescue training all while playing video games: Korean Military Academy is saving big money, firefighters are simulating danger without risk, and police can “unlearn” brutality.

  • AR/VR are no longer just for combat training - they're like virtual mechanics, ready to help when experts aren't around, such as a virtual technician fixing a broken conveyor belt at a Tesla plant while hundreds of miles away.

Dr. Pratik Desai, a Silicon Valley computer scientist, has gone viral on Twitter with his belief that humans could upload “consciousness” to digital services by year-end, urging users to compile memories of loved ones and claiming AI could make them live virtually forever.

However, backlash shortly ensues and Dr. Desai apologizes, denying intention to create such a product.

Despite this, companies like Somnium Space and DeepBrain AI are already looking to leverage AI and deep fake technology to keep loved ones "alive."

With tech experts like Musk and Bill Gates calling for a pause in the training of advanced AI models, the question remains: How many countries (with their regulators in hot pursuit of AI) are willing to trust AI systems?

🏃‍♂️ Quick Hits

🎮 Gaming

  • Metaverse-focused Gala Games airdrops version 2 tokens on May 15. (Link)

  • The Sandbox releases the Q2 update of LAND Roadmap, focused on empowerment and innovation among creators. (Link)

  • Roblox grows up, attracting an older audience. (Link)

  • Asia proves critical to web3 gaming success: In Japan, over 40% of survey respondents are aware of blockchain gaming, 57% of which view it positively. (Link)

  • Apple’s VR headset might run tweaked versions of iPad apps. (Link)

🕶 Fashion

  • Why is Gucci metaverse head Robert Triefus stepping down just 6 months after his appointment? (Link)

  • Discover Nike’s 1st .Swoosh NFT digital sneaker drop via the Our Force 1 collection. (Link)

  • AI Fashion Week hopes to pave the way for a new realm of creation. (Link)

  • Metaverse company Eikonikos showcases its 3,248-piece high fashion NFT collection. (Link)

  • In HK, NFTs are transforming fashion into an intangible asset for a whole new world of customer engagement among high-end brands. (Link)

🏀 Sports

  • During the NBA playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers are using AR to engage fans in the arena. (Link)

  • Brazil’s Santos FC token to enter gaming world: a new start for football fan tokens? (Link)

  • Will Adidas successfully build long-term brand loyalty with the ALT NFT drop, the 3rd phase of its Into the Metaverse venture? (Link)

  • Fantasy soccer with Sorare, with its stellar partnerships with MLB, NBA, Premier League, and La Liga. (Link)

  • Here’s a launchpad to support sports digital collectibles for the Name, Image Likeness market. (Link)

  • A web3-ready, no-code community’s bid to help sports teams launch their interactive platforms and tap into new digital revenue streams. (Link)

🎥 Media & Entertainment

  • Grimes will talk tech, AI, and VR at April's International Music Summit. (Link)

  • Robotic cat spreads word on interactive media; video game characters come alive to help promote the future of interactive internet. (Link)

  • Spotify relaxes podcast exclusivity. (Link)

  • Want to fight AI? Use fans - and supercharge them with web3. (Link)

  • Web3-powered film Shadow Song is in the works, with original music NFT to boot. (Link)

  • NAB Show 2023 demonstrates how web3 and other internet tech are transforming media and entertainment. (Link)

🖼 Art

  • Art marketplace and community platform HeartX kicks off its app product’s Close Beta Test. (Link)

  • Rolling Loud Thailand uses OKX NFTs to elevate the music festival experience. (Link)

  • Canon USA debuts its in-house NFT photography marketplace. (Link)

  • Starbucks' Odyssey program takes off with NFTs and a bunch of rewards. (Link)

  • The metaverse: Déjà vu of the internet hype in the late '90s. (Link)

  • Will the future of museums be in the metaverse? (Link)

🤖 AI

  • EU policymakers call for “safe” AI, while Google CEO cautions rapid development. (Link)

  • Crypto gets bumped to the back seat as AI investments accelerate. (Link)

  • Can AI save journalism from fake news? Not yet, but these tools can help. (Link)

  • UK financial regulator FCA runs a permanent digital sandbox to help financial services firms access synthetic data and fintech APIs in light of AI dominance. (Link)

  • Industry leader foresees AI revolutionizing Florida’s agriculture. (Link)

  • An AI teaching assistant increases engagement in online classes. (Link)

💸 Funding & Partnerships

  • Bitcoin fund inflow surpasses $100M in 7 days, where investors "flee to safety.” (Link)

  • Layer-1 privacy-enhancing blockchain Aleph Zero announces $50M ecosystem investment. (Link)

  • Bitcoin financial services firm Unchain Capital raises $60M in Series B funding. (Link)

  • Sandbox and LaMelo Ball partner to launch Meloverse, a virtual experience centered around the 21-year-old NBA sensation. (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.

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