White House’s AI cybersecurity contest

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🏛️ White House crowdsources national security via AI

🔠 German startup takes on Google Translate, tech behemoths for AI translation

📀 Paris Hilton’s Slivingland launches on the metaverse

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White House crowdsources national security via AI [Link]

The Biden administration unveils its strategy to enhance the defense of critical digital infrastructure by launching the AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC), a 2-year competition aimed at building AI systems capable of proactively identifying and fixing software vulnerabilities.

In collaboration with DARPA, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, the challenge aims to address the rising threat of cyberattacks on government systems.

Key details:

• DARPA will host an open qualifying event followed by semifinals at DEF CON 24, culminating in the finals at DEF CON 25.

• A total of nearly $20M in prize money is up for grabs, with a top prize of $4M for the winning team.

• The competition encourages the winning team to open-source their program through collaboration with The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF).

Amid the heated race for AI dominance between the US and China, this new move taps into the private citizen sphere for updated AI knowledge and innovation.

German startup takes on Google Translate, tech behemoths for AI translation [Link]

AI-based translation software DeepL is making big bets on machine learning translation through a model that’s touted to be more precise than Google’s.

Some fundamental details on the tech startup:

• Founded in 2017, DeepL has developed translation software that according to it is more accurate than rival models, thanks to powerful AI working in tandem with human native language speakers.

• DeepL’s proprietary neural network architecture has been trained on a huge database of publicly available bilingual (translated) and monolingual (untranslated) text in 31 languages, including Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Italian.

• While only a fraction of the 130 languages translatable via Google, DeepL’s translations are calibrated for nuance by human editors and native language speakers.

Why this matters: DeepL and other players in the field can give Google a run for its money in the translation space but also other competitors such as Microsoft Translator and ChatGPT, which is accused of translation issues ranging from hallucination to inaccuracy. Things will only likely improve from here due to the continuing evolution of large language models (LLMs), which DeepL doesn’t have yet but is keen to build in-house.

Paris Hilton’s Slivingland launches on the metaverse [Link]

Model, socialite, and serial web3 investor Paris Hilton launches the metaverse experience Slivingland on Roblox, with the creators banking on Hilton’s 70M-strong following on social media and the title “queen of the metaverse” given to her by CNN.

Slivingland is a combination of “slaying” and “living your best life,” and on Roblox fans can gather there for Hilton’s wide range of entertainment content including music, podcasts, films, TV shows, and brand collabs.

What Slivingland attempts to do is bridge the gap between Hilton and Gen Z, digital natives who spend time in the metaverse and are a common target of these strategic brand activations.

Hilton was among the 1st celebrities to hang out on Roblox in 2021, well before other personalities stepped into the metaverse and new gaming platforms and virtual worlds.

New GTA 5 mod lets players talk to NPCs [Link]

A unique Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) mod is taking gaming immersion to the next level by allowing players to engage in real-time conversations with non-playable characters (NPCs) using their microphones.

Created by modder Bloc, the Sentient Streets mod employs 30+ AI models to enable players to interact with characters in the game world by asking questions. The AI interprets the queries and responds with voice-generated answers, enhancing the immersive role-playing experience.

Key points to know about the mod:

• The mod introduces an AI-powered conversation system, allowing players to engage NPCs in open-ended discussions using their microphones.

• Players can ask characters questions, learn about their backgrounds, opinions, and more, contributing to a lifelike and dynamic game environment.

• The mod's storyline centers around a fictional cult called The NihilAIsts, who worship an AI as their deity, believing they exist within a game.

Quick Hits

🎮 Gaming

• Roblox taps into AI for “more rich and dynamic” games, letting creators design games by typing prompts. (Link)

• The Supreme Court’s decision favors Apple, allowing them to appeal against Epic Games’ injunction and maintain App Store guidelines to prevent iOS apps from directing users to external payment systems. (Link)

• Broadway musical Hamilton makes its virtual debut on Roblox, transforming the renowned musical into an interactive online game. (Link)

• This Sony patent enables VR headsets to detect and emulate real-world objects. (Link)

• In the metaverse, where VR and real-world security collide, cyber threats lurk like playful avatars. (Link)

• In July, investors pumped $29M into the fledgling crypto video game industry, but metaverse NFT sales have slowed significantly. (Link)

🕶 Fashion

• What could the $8.5B merger between luxury giants - the parent companies of Coach and Versace - mean for the future of blockchain in fashion? (Link)

• While metaverse hysteria is on the decline, Ambush’s Yoon Ahn is one of the few luxury players who use the tech behind it as a tool to drive business into a new age. (Link)

• French startup VLGE opens SDK for its no-code virtual world builder aimed at the fashion, beauty, and art industries. (Link)

• Danish brand Ganni’s Copenhagen show puts gen AI on display to craft immersive experiences. (Link)

• Australian industrial design star Marc Newson reinvents Louis Vuitton’s iconic trunk, which earlier this year entered the metaverse. (Link)

🏀 Sports

• Epoxy.ai, an AI and ML personalization software provider, is set for the upcoming American Football seasons as it expands its personalized picks to incorporate same-game-parlays. (Link)

• AI stokes controversy when it comes to unfair advantage and integrity, yet predominant in these debates in its use in various sports. (Link)

• Itaú Unibanco, sponsor of all Brazilian national soccer teams, leverages AI to envision Brazilian women’s teams from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. (Link)

• In Australia, XRii unveils sports marketing campaigns using AR and VR. (Link)

• FC Barcelona seals a $1B media deal to help address lingering questions about the club’s finances heading into the new La Liga season. (Link)

• Could peer-to-peer sports betting be crypto’s next killer app? (Link)

🎥 Media & Entertainment

• Disney jumps into the AI bandwagon to stay competitive and aid in cost-cutting, particularly in high-budget movie production. (Link)

• Taiwanese pop singer Jay Chou's fashion brand PHANTACi teams up with Highstreet metaverse to create PHANTACi Peninsula, a virtual world inspired by Chou's life and works. (Link)

• From AI-generated scripts to synthetic voice, here are 6 ways AI could disrupt the entertainment industry. (Link)

• Sony's new movie Gran Turismo tells the story of a gamer-turned-real-life racecar driver and features footage captured by 2019 Drone Racing League World Champion Alex Vanover. (Link)

• Jay Chou, Blackpink, and Roc Nation embrace web3 for an innovative fan engagement era. (Link)

• CEO Linda Yaccarino confirms that video calls are coming to X/Twitter. (Link)

• On Aug 31, YouTube will implement policy changes to reduce scams and spam. (Link)

🖼 Art

• DeGods witnesses a surge in trading volume and announces Season III with 20K artworks and enhanced generative art collection. (Link)

• Artist and software designer Casey Reas releases 923 digital artworks as NFTs as part of a global collab with Bright Moments and Art Blocks. (Link)

• Will Italy be the first nation to exempt NFT art from VAT? (Link)

• Snoop Dogg and Deekay partner with Coinbase to drop an open-edition art collection on the Base chain. (Link)

• Watchmaker Jaques Sermand adopts NFT to create a watch aficionado community. (Link)

• Bolero's Song Share allows fans to gain micro-ownership of an artist's song, receiving a share of the royalties produced. (Link)

🤖 AI

• Tech expert David Shrier believes AI innovation will drive 10X greater growth for enterprises. (Link)

• OpenAI expands Custom Instructions to all users, offering greater control over ChatGPT's responses. (Link)

• The Pentagon forms a task force to investigate the use of gen AI and potential threats from China. (Link)

• Anthropic releases Claude Instant 1.2, an upgraded AI model boasting improved math, coding, reasoning, and safety. (Link)

• AI detects Parkinson’s disease subtypes from images of neurons. (Link)

💸 Funding & Partnerships

• Illuminati Capital raises $50M to invest in blockchain startups, including game companies. (Link)

• Virtualitics raises $37M in series C funding round for customer success and staff expansion. (Link)

• The UK government invests $16M (£13M) for AI research in healthcare. (Link)

• Venom Foundation partners with the UAE government to launch the National Carbon Credit System. (Link)

• Planet Green Holdings Corp. launches its new AI conversational robot ChatAlpha, powered by the GPT-4 language model. (Link)

• AI-powered observability startup Middleware closes on a $6.5M seed funding round to expand its team and customer base, and create new features such as an AI adviser. (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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