Metaverse vs climate change

Today we are covering…

🌱 Metaverse can bolster fight against climate change: Study

🥽 Beta test of Meta’s VR world on mobile rolls out

💫 Snapchat introduces gen AI-powered Dreams

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Metaverse can bolster fight against climate change: Study [Link]

A new study from Cornell University points to the metaverse’s potential environmental benefit: reducing the global surface temperature by as much as 0.02 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.

Using AI-based modeling to analyze data from the energy, tech, environment, and other sectors, the team weighted the growth of metaverse usage and its impact on areas such as remote work, virtual traveling, and distance learning.

The findings?

• By 2050, the metaverse could potentially lower greenhouse gas emissions by 10 gigatons; lower atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration by 4.0 parts per million; and decrease effective radiative forcing by 0.035 watts per square meter.

• Within 30 years, the tech would be adopted by more than 90% of the population, the modeling suggested. The metaverse “is going to grow much quicker than what we expected,” the researchers noted.

• Limiting business travel would generate the largest environmental benefit, akin to the decarbonization of the transportation sector” as tech with human–machine interface in a 3D virtual world applies.

Beta test of Meta’s VR world on mobile rolls out [Link]

Meta has begun inviting people to apply to join Horizon Worlds’ beta test on mobile devices, another gateway into its VR social environment.

On mobile, Horizons World will work much like gaming apps, enabling users to control their avatar and interact with other VR players.

With this new development, Meta hopes to push next-level social interaction in its purported metaverse, with people engaging through their avatars in fresh new ways, undertaking more activities, and increasing their VR take-up.

The Horizon mobile app rollout coincides with the release of the next-level Quest 3 headset coming soon, hoped to cause an influx of VR gamers and mobile users, and eventually a broader adoption of the metaverse.

China Mobile’s proposed metaverse regulation draws flak [Link]

China Mobile has proposed global standards to the UN for metaverse regulation, including digital identity systems to ensure safety. Digital IDs would include user occupation and other identifiable information.

Key details of the proposal:

• The digital ID system would allow law enforcement agencies to track and arrest users in the real world for activities such as spreading misinformation or breaching rules within the metaverse.

• Critics have linked China's proposed metaverse and digital IDs with its social credit system, which gauges citizens' trustworthiness through data collection.

• China seeks to become a metaverse leader by setting global regulatory standards and engaging with international regulators through International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency.

• Experts suggest that China is pursuing a long-term strategy by courting global regulators to exert influence over metaverse regulations. This approach has faced criticism from industry stakeholders in the US and Europe.

Chinese provinces Nanjing, Beijing, and Shanghai have launched initiatives to enter the metaverse space, aiming to attract metaverse firms and foster industry growth.

Snapchat introduces gen AI-powered Dreams [Link]

Snapchat is set to launch Dreams, a new AI-powered feature that lets users explore imaginative scenarios and backgrounds. It follows the launch of My AI, a chatbot that responds with both text and Snaps.

Key highlights of Dreams:

• AI-generated imagery: Snapchat users will be able to upload or take selfies, which the app will then use to generate new images of users in the settings they envision. This concept is reminiscent of existing AI photo apps on the App Store.

• Fantastical places and scenarios: Its feature aims to place users in "fantastical places and scenarios," offering a unique twist compared to traditional headshot-oriented AI apps. Users will be guided to provide clear selfies to improve AI photo results.

• Dreams with friends: The company is developing a feature named Dreams with Friends, allowing users to grant their friends permission to create AI-generated dream images featuring both of them.

Quick Hits

🎮 Gaming

• Web3 virtual world and creator platform ZTX launches its Genesis Home Mint in partnership with OpenSea. (Link)

• The Sandbox opens up the Turkishverse for lovers of cultural traits, heritage, and artistry. (Link)

• Profile: Wreck League Majestic is a real time PvP competitive fighting game boasting spectacular battles, robust customization, and a competitive culture. (Link)

• Set against the backdrop of Gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany, web3 scalability protocol Saga showcases tech aimed at advancing gaming and entertainment. (Link)

• The Walking Dead: Empires introduces a blockchain-based zombie survival game in AMC’s universe, merging NFTs with MMORPG mechanics. (Link)

🕶 Fashion

• Accessories brand Claire’s collaborates with Super League to launch limited avatar wearables on Roblox, inspired by ShimmerVille pets characters. (Link)

• How the $15B “mystery box” niche is becoming fashion’s newest web3 phenomenon. (Link)

• Pakistani denim maker Soorty creates HumAIn Chapter 2, a denim capsule utilizing AI Stable Diffusion. (Link)

• Think tank Institute of Digital Fashion (IoDF) announces its new development board. (Link)

• Fashion Institute of Technology's (FIT) MFA in Fashion Design and wide-format printer manufacturer Mimaki introduce 15 talented students to the immense potential of digital textile printing. (Link)

• In India, here’s how luxury brands are wooing the new-age consumer. (Link)

🏀 Sports

• The 2023 US Open, not unlike other major tennis tournaments this year, will incorporate game-changing AI tech. (Link)

• In crimes, an Auckland Stirling Sports shop owner turns to AI after being targeted by thieves 6 times. (Link)

• Web3-savvy Porsche is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a myriad of brand collabs. (Link)

• STARZPLAY’s new sports NFT and interactive streaming platform arrived just in time for football fans to watch their favorite Italian teams play in the Serie A season. (Link)

• Not unlike crypto sponsorships in sports that have overstayed their welcome, Mastercard ends its prepaid crypto card partnership with Binance. (Link)

🎥 Media & Entertainment

• Fans can virtually hang out with K-Pop supergroup Blackpink on Roblox thanks to tech from metaverse studio Karta. (Link)

• AI is transforming the media and entertainment landscape with tailored services, automated scripts, custom content and interactive experiences. (Link)

• Spider-Verse fan art imagines Emma Stone as live-action Spider-Woman Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. (Link)

• Intigral has reshaped digital entertainment in Saudi Arabia and the MENA region via its pioneering Master Aggregator strategy. (Link)

• Unstoppable Messaging is an encrypted web3 messenger to connect, update, and build private decentralized communities. (Link)

🖼 Art

• In 2023, NFT investments are advancing digital art, VR, and blockchain, with Elvis Metaverse at the forefront. (Link)

• AI-generated digital art has seen a surge in popularity, leading to the creation of vibrant online art communities. (Link)

• Fan-made artwork pitches The Amazing Spider-Man's Andrew Garfield as Harvey Dent in The Batman Part II. (Link)

• The digital canvas: The metaverse empowers artists to defy the constraints of the physical world. (Link)

• DAAR Society hosts an art exhibition featuring 78 artists in various mediums, including painting, sculpture, installation, digital art, and photography. (Link)

• Karim Rashid, Beeple, and more artists collaborate to create Klydoclock, the world’s most beautiful “digital analog clock.” (Link)

🤖 AI

• EA unveils a patent for AI-driven transition animations for in-game characters, like those in FIFA. (Link)

• South Korean restaurants are using AI robots from China to manage labor shortages. (Link)

• The 4 main types of AI revealed. (Link)

• Over at MIT, researchers develop an AI technique enabling a robot to develop complex plans for manipulating an object using its entire hand. (Link)

• AI-lock screen platform Glance launches in Japan. (Link)

• Teachers are utilizing AI to plan lessons and personalize reading materials for students. (Link)

• Brush up on your ChatGPT vocabulary with this up-to-date AI glossary. (Link)

💸 Funding & Partnerships

• Saudi Telecom’s TAWAL secures $1.42B funding to acquire tower assets from Netherlands-based United Group, allowing for expansion into the European market. (Link)

• Xterio joins forces with Particle Network to accelerate the web3 gaming ecosystem. (Link)

• BHM Capital Financial Services and Tawasal SuperApp partner to provide access to local and international financial markets via the BHM Capital Financial Services platform. (Link)

• UAE AI startup Bedu is expecting to raise between $5M to $7M for a pre-seed funding round to enhance its AI Builder Tool. (Link)

• The UAE and Mastercard sign a MoU to increase AI capabilities and fight financial crime. (Link)

• Carbonbase, HBAR Foundation, and ImpactX partner to launch Global Climate Registry (GCR), the 1st digital-native Carbon Registry in the Asia-Pacific region. (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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