FOM#019: AI Gold Rush and the Next Wave of Innovation

Greetings, esteemed pioneers of the digital realm and trailblazers of the technological frontier!

Welcome to the latest and greatest edition of Friends of the Metaverse, your ultimate source for the most cutting-edge and mind-blowing web3, metaverse, and AI content.

It's Friday, and we've saved the best for last.

We've got a powerhouse lineup for you, packed with the most awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping insights you've ever seen over the course of the week. So buckle up, grab your coffee, and get ready to ride the rocket ship of innovation straight to the moon!

Here’s what we have for you.

📰 Weekly Top Reads on Web3 and AI

• The New Tech That Will Take Us Beyond the Smartphone. Maybe.

• Stability AI looks to raise funds at $4B valuation as artificial intelligence captivates investors

• Chatbot Character.ai valued at $1bn in Andreessen-led funding round

• 'Snow Crash' Author Neal Stephenson Says Future of the Metaverse Won't Require Goggles

• Snoop Dogg revealed as co-founder of Web3-powered livestream platform Shiller

• SXSW XR EXPERIENCE WORLD Unveiled

• Rebel Girls announces $8 million Series A, metaverse expansion

• Meet the companies trying to keep up with ChatGPT

• Hermès Asks Court for Control Over MetaBirkin NFTs

• Amazon NFTs Will Be Tied to Real-world Assets, Token Possible

• Salesforce Announces Einstein GPT, the World’s First Generative AI for CRM

• Salesforce Ventures targets new $250M fund at generative AI startups

• Tensor raises $3M for Solana-focused NFT trading platform

• Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s bet big on A.I. is paying off as his core technology powers ChatGPT

• Overhaul, which taps AI to secure physical supply chains, raises $73M in equity and debt

• NTT DOCOMO Trials 6G XR Use Cases at MWC 2023

• Varjo, Finnish National Opera and Ballet Debut Immersive Opera

• Nike and Starbucks Show How Brands are Rethinking NFTs

• LifeForce becomes latest web3 gaming shop to lean into user-generated content

• Shopify and Thirdweb Launch Game-Changing Web3 Toolkit

• HyperPlay Ushers in a New Dawn for Web3 Gaming

• Esports Giant TSM Enters Into Web3 Gaming Partnership With Avalanche

• Web3 app Kresus raises $25M to bridge consumers to blockchain

• CoinDesk Launches Multi-Year, Multi-Tiered NFT Pass Package to Consensus

• Metaverse Trends 2023: Don’t Wait For Its Pokémon GO Moment

• Salaries of software engineers in Singapore hit record high; demand for AI skills to rise in tech sector

• Believer, a new approach to gaming, raises $55M from Lightspeed, a16z and more

• Coinbase launches wallet API to help integrate Web 2.0 devs into web3 world

• Ant veteran turns to NFT verification for SXSW festival VIP feast

• Lionel Messi Backs Web3 Soccer Game Startup Matchday in $21M Round

• The Home Depot Launches Virtual Kids Workshops on Roblox

• Planet Hollywood Inks Deal With Animoca Brands to Launch NFT Club in L.A.

• Tweed is a crypto wallet API to add a web3 flavor to any web service

• Puma is pushing further into web3 and fashion

• Startup by Ex-Apple Executives Raises $100 Million, Partners With OpenAI, Microsoft

• Yuga Labs' Otherside Metaverse to Launch 'Second Trip' on March 25

🌎️ Upcoming Web3 Events

Any events I missed? Let me know at [email protected] 💬

• 10-19 MARCH : SXSW Austin : Austin, Texas, USA

• 16-19 MARCH : RiseUp Summit ‘23 : Egypt (new)

• 20-23 MARCH : NFT LA : Los Angeles, CA, USA

• 20-24 MARCH : GDC : San Francisco, CA, USA

• 20-24 MARCH : PARIS BLOCKCHAIN WEEK : Paris, France

• 22 MARCH : AI Film Festival : San Francisco, CA, USA (new)

• 29-30 MARCH : American Metaverse Awards : Miami, Florida, USA

• 29-30 MARCH : WOW Summit Hong Kong : Hong Kong, China

• 29-30 MARCH : Prague Gaming & TECH Summit : Prague, Czechia

• 30-31 MARCH : ASEAN Web3 Summit : Singapore

• 12-14 APRIL : NFT.NYC : New York, New York, USA

• 26-28 APRIL : Consensus : Austin, Texas, USA

• 1-4 MAY : Web Summit Rio : Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• 17-18 MAY : Blockchain Expo North America : Santa Clara, CA, USA

• 18-20 MAY : VEECON : Indianapolis, IN, USA

• 30 MAY-4 JUNE : Tech Week 2023 : San Francisco, CA, USA

• 5-11 JUNE : Tech Week 2023 : Los Angeles, CA, USA

• 7-8 JUNE : Non Fungible Conference : Lisbon, Portugal (new)

• 12-13 JUNE : Metaverse Summit : Paris, France

• 28-30 JUNE : BlockChance 2023 : Hamburg, Germany

• 11-12 OCTOBER : Dubai Metaverse Assembly : Dubai, UAE

• 15-20 OCTOBER : VIEW Conference : Torino, Italy

• 16-22 OCTOBER : Tech Week 2023 : New York, NY, USA

• 13-16 NOVEMBER : Web Summit : Lisbon, Portugal

🚀 AI Tools (Our Top Picks)

The future of AI is here! Our database and it has now has reached over 600+ AI tools that can assist with writing, photography, images, sales, audio, music, and more! Here are some of these amazing AI tools that are revolutionizing work and saving countless hours. Explore the amazing power of AI and discover the potential of these incredible tools.

• Scribble Diffusion : Turn your digital sketch into a refined image.

• Paxo : AI-generated meeting notes for in-person conversations.

• Plan My Trip ASAP : Get a custom itinerary for your next trip.

• Get Chunky : Train your own smart assistant by simply using Google Sheets.

• LucidPic : Generate quality stock photos of people that don't exist, in seconds.

• Ariana : An AI assistant available 24/7 that integrates directly into WhatsApp.

• Luca : The AI-based pricing co-pilot for e-commerce businesses.

• Poe : AI Chat now available for the desktop.

• Flair : AI design tool for branded content.

• Summarize.tech : AI-powered video summaries.

• Deep Agency : Generates endless professional photos of you.

🖼️ AI Image of the Week: Blooming with AI

Prompt: flower infused house

🌱 Whenever you're ready, there are three ways I can help you:

#1: If you are a brand or a business looking to capitalize on the potential of Web3 and the Metaverse, sign up to get early access to The Web3 Engine. This digital course offers a strategic management framework to help you learn how to create, design, and develop a Web3 business environment tailored to your brand.

#2: Sponsor this newsletter and get your brand, product, or business seen by our growing audience!

#3: Follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn for daily web3 insights.

🎬 That’s a wrap!

I’ll be back next Friday with more awesome content. Don’t miss it! 🤩