Meta’s new VR game studio

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🎮 Meta’s mounts new VR game studio to revive metaverse plans

💰 Animoca invests $30M in web3 financial app

✅ Frontier AI coalition, Netflix’s $900K AI job, and more in a big week for AI

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Meta mounts new VR game studio to revive metaverse plans [Link]

Meta’s metaverse platform Horizon Worlds sees a fresh revamp in the form of the new in-house VR game studio Ouro Interactive.

In the wake of the tech giant’s metaverse losses of $3.7B in Q2 and a cooling interest among consumers in its virtual worlds, Meta is keen to reboot the lagging Horizon Worlds platform through the VR game studio, which will be instrumental in producing 1st-party titles such as Super Rumble.

Touted to be using advanced tech to create “much better-looking and immersive experiences,” Ouro Interactive reflects Meta’s promise of “visual complexity, interactivity and fun gameplay” in Horizon, which is also being brought to app stores soon. The mobile version, according to Meta, integrates cross-platform play to bridge the gap between VR and those who currently don’t own a VR headset.

This is rather big news signaling Horizon World’s “next generation,” as established in the last year by its support for more complex games, enabling devs to import assets from the use of 3rd-party tools, and investment in gen-AI tools to build in its world.

Animoca invests $30M in web3 financial app [Link]

Metaverse gaming giant Animoca Brands is pouring a $30M investment into the web3 financial app hi, intent on fortifying the NFT utility in the sector.

The investment is hoped to enhance the hi product range and support the development of new ones, along with harnessing the potential to open up corporate accounts and venture into new markets such as in Latin America, where Animoca is already well-positioned.

The super app hi previously partnered with Mastercard to provide debit cards tailored with NFT collections such as CryptoPunks and Bored Apes - promoted as a world-1st, the cards to be shipped later this quarter.

The web3 neobank says brands within the Animoca portfolio are up next, enabling hi users to directly transact with tokens from the Animoca ecosystem such as SAND, EDU, and APE as well as others through hi Debit Cards.

Frontier AI coalition, Netflix’s $900K AI job, and more in a big week for AI

Amid deafening calls worldwide for AI regulatory oversight, OpenAI, Microsoft, Google and Anthropic have come together to launch Frontier Model Forum, a coalition keen to promote the “safe and responsible development” of “frontier AI” models. The new forum’s self-stated goals include:

• Advancing AI safety research

• Identifying best practices for the responsible development and deployment of frontier models

• Collaborating with policymakers, the private sector, and academics for knowledge sharing and mitigating trust and safety risks

• Supporting efforts to develop applications to meet society’s challenges, such as climate change, cancer, and cyber threats

Yet despite these fresh commitments for safety and safeguarding users’ interest, a new study highlights workarounds to evade chatbot AI safety rules, warning it’s “in fact possible to automatically construct adversarial attacks” on the chatbots to “cause the system to obey user commands even if it produces harmful content.”

Findings from the Carnegie Mellon University research warn that unlike traditional jailbreaks, the process is now entirely automated such that there can be a practically unlimited amount of attacks possible.

Amid the months-long Hollywood writers' strike as they vie for increased wages, higher residuals from streaming giants, and more AI regulation in the field, Netflix has posted a product manager position with a salary range of $300K to $900K. Netflix is also hiring a technical director in its Game Studio, focused on AI/machine learning, with a $650K starting salary.

What Tech Big 7’s pledge for AI safety to White House promises [Link]

If you’re wondering what “voluntary commitment" the 7 tech giants - namely Google, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, Amazon, Anthropic, and Inflection - made to the Biden administration last July 21, it revolves around “safety, security, and trust” in AI development.

The finer details:

• Safety: “[T]esting the safety and capabilities of their AI systems, subjecting them to external testing, assessing their potential biological, cybersecurity, and societal risks and making the results of those assessments public."

• Security: Protect AI products "against cyber and insider threats" and share "best practices and standards to prevent misuse, reduce risks to society, and protect national security."

• Trust: Enable the public to tell whether images are original or generated/altered by AI, which they will also ensure doesn't promote bias or discrimination or bias, or harm children. They also resolve to use AI to solve challenges such as climate change and cancer.

Read the voluntary agreement here between the tech companies and the Biden administration, which is also developing an executive order and aiming for bipartisan legislation "to keep Americans safe" from AI.

Quick Hits

🎮 Gaming

• Meta’s Super Rumble game redefines VR experiences in Horizon Worlds. (Link)

• Roblox is now available on Meta’s Quest 2 VR headset in open beta, allowing users to enjoy cross-platform VR experiences. (Link)

• Polkastream taps the booming entertainment market with a new OTT streaming and metaverse gaming platform. (Link)

• Modder Akven releases an AI-upscaled HD texture pack for Blood 2: The Chosen with elevated classic FPS graphics. (Link)

• SOFTSWISS showcases iGaming domains where AI outperforms humans. (Link)

🕶 Fashion

• Prada introduces AI-powered beauty innovations. (Link)

• AI-powered shopping assistant Merchat AI bids for a personalized online experience. (Link)

• Second Life celebrates 20 years as a fashion-forward metaverse with lasting impact. (Link)

• DressX and Tiago PZK unveil the Asqueroso collection for accessories in energetic street style in digital fashion. (Link)

• Xseed Games and Marvelous reveal Fashion Dreamer, a fashion influencer simulation game on Nintendo Switch. (Link)

• In India, AI Skin Pro is an AI skin analyzer deemed helpful for clearing, lightening, and tightening skin. (Link)

🏀 Sports

• AI commentators are making progress in the field of sports broadcasting, fueling concerns around job security. (Link)

• NBA shifts resources to embrace digital growth in the AI age resulting in workforce layoffs. (Link)

• Fox Sports brings AI-powered “catch up with highlights” for enhanced viewing. (Link)

• A new AI platform is said to spearhead safety advancements for NFL players. (Link)

• Gym class VR becomes a sensation with NBA partnerships and star backing. (Link)

🎥 Media & Entertainment

• This CEO envisions the fusion of animation and AI in Hollywood’s future. (Link)

• Paris Hilton-backed Everyrealm in the metaverse settles sexual harassment lawsuits. (Link)

• AI text-to-speech voices by Snoop Dogg and Gwyneth Paltrow join News app Artifact. (Link)

• Twitter’s X platform rolls out a global ad revenue sharing program for creators, aiming to distribute $5M in 1st-round payouts. (Link)

• Tomorrowland and BMW partner to unleash an AI music experience in the anticipated music festival. (Link)

🖼 Art

• Reddit makes a comeback to NFTs and crypto, following Twitter’s footsteps. (Link)

• The British Museum teams up with The Sandbox for NFTs. (Link)

• Proof reveals Grails IV for a diverse art exhibition by 20 anonymous artists in a compact NFT minting event. (Link)

• AI artists revive Greg Rutkowski after temporary removal from Stable Diffusion. (Link)

• Boutique dispensary Gotham hosts NFT art gallery in collaboration with Bright Moments. (Link)

• The Beatport.io marketplace enables web3 sharing of music and art in collectible formats. (Link)

🤖 AI

• LinkedIn is working on a new AI coach to maximize job application impact and career growth. (Link)

• AI can spot signs of disease in MRI scans that doctors might miss, giving new hope against metabolic ailments like diabetes and obesity. (Link)

• From DALL-E 2 to Midjourney to Dream Studio, here are AI art generators to explore. (Link)

• Groundbreaking AI brain surgery enables a quadriplegic man in NY to regain movement. (Link)

• Here’s BTS’s Jungkook’s take on AI vocal covers. (Link)

• More than just email drafting: How to make ChatGPT your productivity powerhouse in 2023. (Link)

💸 Funding & Partnerships

• SOlink completes a $60M Series C funding round to accelerate growth of AI-driven video analytics platform. (Link)

• Jungle NFT marketplace raises $16M to revolutionize NFT trading with AI-driven deal hunting. (Link)

• Hasbro teams up with Xplored to develop innovative hybrid games with AI-driven mechanics. (Link)

• Tractable’s AI appraisal app raises funds to advance insurance claim automation. (Link)

• JPMorgan collaborates with TIFIN to explore AI’s potential in financial services. (Link)

• Tractable’s AI appraisal app secures funding for further development and feature expansion. (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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