Luxe powerhouse Kering’s AI personal shopper

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✨ Top Picks

The Future, today. In just 3 minutes.

1/ Leading luxury goods group Kering launches first AI personal shopper

Kering, the second-largest luxury goods group worldwide after LVMH, has launched an experimental “cutting-edge fashion space” KNXT, a space for “curating innovative content and testing new ideas.”

What's groundbreaking about KNXT?

• It integrates both AI and NFT tech.

• It features a personal shopper chatbot named ‘/madeline‘, powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT, to help users shop a variety of the group's brands including Gucci, Bottega Venetia, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, and more. It can be as simple as asking for recommendations on what to buy.

• It accepts ETH simply by connecting a wallet, although right now it only ships to eligible states in the US.

• For the first 100 visitors to purchase using a web3 wallet, it is airdropping NFTs from its La Première collection, featuring illustrated owl characters wearing luxury clothing.

Kering’s AI personal shopper launch trails recent news of Gucci and Yuga Labs’ metaverse partnership featuring the KodaPendant.

2/ PROOF announces its next art venture ‘Moonbirds: Diamond Exhibition’

After the success of Grails: Season III, Digital art powerhouse PROOF is all set to release its newest offering, the Moonbirds: Diamond Exhibition, and we have the details:

• A 10,000-piece digital art collection features works from some of the most exceptional talents in the web3 space led by Beeple.

• Other artists include Dirty Robot, Gossamer Rozen, Justin Mezzell, Linda Dounia, Michael Sidofsky, 0xdgb, Summer Wagner, Terrell Jones, and tiffatron.

To celebrate the drop, PROOF has planned two IRL experiences:

• Beeple LIVE Everyday NFT NYC Party on April 13, where Moonbirds members get to witness the creation of a Beeple Everydays piece for the Diamond Exhibition and meet the artist.

• An in-person gallery exhibition featuring all 22 artists involved in the project for early summer. Attendees get to view the art up close and interact with the creative minds behind the pieces.

All these are accessible only among those who have reached Diamond Nest status through PROOF’s staking offering, so those who aren’t Moonbirds holders yet are urged to get cracking.

3/ Bitget launches $100M web3 fund for crypto projects in Asia

As East Asian countries make strides in crypto - HK easing its crypto rules and Japan OK’ing a white paper for web3 development - Seychelles-based crypto exchange Bitget starts a $100M fund targeting web3 startups in Asia.

Amid the bear run, Bitget commits to develop the web3 environment with a focus on BUIDL, with the launch of Bitget Web3 Fund “a continuation of our ongoing efforts to drive the adoption of crypto and web3.”

Bitget’s activities in the space include acquiring decentralized multi-chain wallet BitKeep for $30M, as well as launching a $200M fund during last year’s bear market to protect users’ assets and restore investors’ confidence.

4/ Japan approves web3 white paper to promote industry growth in the country

Japan is on a mission to become the world’s crypto capital, and it's not afraid to take risks.

While other countries are busy wringing their hands over regulation, Japan is forging ahead with plans to make the environment friendlier for crypto companies, with the ruling political party’s web3 project team speeding up regulatory proposals for everything from NFTs to DAOs.

The team's white paper lays out some bold recommendations for growing the industry:

• Set up a DAO law and issuing crypto visas to skilled worker

• Demonstrate leadership at the upcoming G7 summit, where crypto will be discussed

• Propose public-private partnerships (PPPs) to formulate guidelines for increased transparency for token issuers

The team also recognizes urgent issues that need to be addressed, such as the lack of accounting standards for web3 companies. As Secretary-General Akihisa Shiozaki puts it: "The cryptocurrency industry has been driven by early adopters, but it will shift to mass adoption from now on."

Meanwhile, amid global country-wide bans (take the example of Italy and warnings from Canada, Germany, and Sweden), Japan shows support for OpenAI, saying it’s contemplating incorporating AI tech like ChatGPT into government systems provided privacy and cybersecurity issues are addressed.

🏃‍♂️ Quick Hits

🎮 Gaming

• Fortnite vs. Roblox: Which one will emerge as the YouTube of user-built games? (Link)

• Polygon is the 2nd largest blockchain gaming network in unique active wallets (UAWs), which hit 138,081 in March - a 53% climb from February. (Link)

• How are 3D NFTs and the metaverse transforming the gaming scene? (Link)

• Super Mario Bros. producer: “The impact of AI to our culture, our way of life, has massively more potential than the impact of the metaverse.” (Link)

• Cosmos-based GameFi blockchain Bluzelle launches NFT marketplace Capella to facilitate web3 games. (Link)

🕶 Fashion

• Ralph Lauren to distribute NFTs to Poolsuite community members. (Link)

• Metaverse analytics firm GEEIQ says MFW 2023, featuring brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Balmain, Coach, and Tommy Hilfiger, garnered >9,000 unique visitors, a staggering 92% drop from 2022. (Link)

• “It’s unsettling”: AI agencies threaten to make fashion models obsolete. (Link)

• Retailers in South Korea utilize AI for tailored consumer services. (Link)

• Metaverse experiences remain cost-prohibitive for brands, and often end in less of an ROI than big physical activations. (Link)

🏀 Sports

• Tennis League VR launches on Quest headsets on April 20, targeting “aspiring pros, fitness fanatics, and casual joes.” (Link)

• Pioneering data analyst George Wells David is changing football recruitment with AI. (Link)

• The Japanese gov’t is bent on promoting NFTs in sports - yet its strict anti-gambling laws could be a stumbling block. (Link)

• A 1st look at the fresh branding for EA Sports FC, the new name for EA's best-selling FIFA series. (Link)

• T-Mobile customers get free MLB.TV until 2028, as the mobile carrier extends its deal with Major League Baseball. (Link)

🎥 Media & Entertainment

• The entertainment industry gets an AI makeover. (Link)

• Brands must reimagine digital experiences and product innovation for an emerging metaverse. (Link)

• David Bowie is back to life with new musical NFTs. (Link)

• From virtual concerts to immersive games, here are 5 sources of metaverse entertainment. (Link)

• Marty: from virtual girl group MAVE: named as brand ambassador for Kakao Webtoon Indonesia. (Link)

• How Script Network plans to dominate web3 streaming. (Link)

🖼 Art

• “Man will prevail": Baroque meets the metaverse in this new exhibition in Rome. (Link)

• Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signs the country’s first NFT in support of its military. (Link)

• Less than a year after it launched, Meta sunsets Instagram’s Digital Collectibles, which lets users connect a 3rd party wallet to share their NFTs as a special post format. (Link)

• The Smurfs hop into the NFT arena with 12,500 unique 3D-rendered Smurfs and new characters legendary collection. (Link)

• NFTs in web3 can help provide digital identity for different parties. (Link)

🤖 AI

• OpenAI CEO considers setting up shop in Japan as the government eyes adoption. (Link)

• Alibaba is inviting companies to test its Tongyi Qianwen AI chatbot. (Link)

• Seoul National University Bundang Hospital develops AI-powered X-ray analysis to diagnose sleep apnea. (Link)

• A Thai man uses AI to defy the odds and win the lottery. (Link)

• Aircall launches new AI features to increase productivity. (Link)

💸 Funding & Partnerships

• The DeFi sector in Q1 2023 closes with a 37.44% increase compared to the previous quarter, with a total value locked of $83.3B. (Link)

• China Pacific Insurance and Waterdrip Capital launch two digital asset-focused funds in Hong Kong. (Link)

• Singapore’s Safeheron secures pre-A+ round led by HashKey Capital and Bixin Ventures for web3 initiatives. (Link)

• Singapore’s Raffles College of Higher Education and 1FAME Pte. Ltd. partner to support Raffles fashion and jewelry designers in the fashion metaverse. (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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