We Landed on the Moon. Despite the current AI-centric tech landscape, let’s take a moment to celebrate the Odysseus lunar lander, marking the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in half a century.
Google Halts Gemini AI’s Image Generation Feature. The highly acclaimed Gemini AI model from Google faced challenges in accurately interpreting instructions, particularly struggling with racial context when generating images. In response, Google announced a temporary pause on the generation of images featuring individuals until an enhanced version is ready for release.
In Brussels, Belgium, a smartphone prominently displays the NVIDIA Corporation stock, with the NVIDIA logo clearly visible in the background on February 22, 2024.
Nvidia Exceeds Expectations Amid AI Advancements. Emerging as a primary beneficiary of the AI wave, Nvidia experienced a substantial market value surge of $273 billion within a single day.
OpenAI’s Sora Makes Waves. Introduced through a recent blog post, Sora, a text-to-video generative AI model developed by the creator of Dall-E, has garnered significant attention. Capable of producing sixty-second videos based on simple text prompts, Sora has sparked both excitement over its creative potential and concerns about the blurring lines between reality and generated content.
In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, movie producer Thomas Tull, the CEO of Legendary Pictures and a part owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, observes a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on October 2, 2016.
AI Company Lambda Secures $320 Million Investment. Led by billionaire movie producer and sports team owner Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology venture fund, Lambda aims to expand its AI cloud business. With a strong presence since its establishment in 2012, Lambda’s hardware and private cloud services cater to a diverse clientele, including the U.S. government, with support from B Capital, SK Telecom, and other strategic partners.
Flower Labs
Flower Labs Raises $20 Million. Flower Labs specializes in facilitating AI training through “federated learning,” a method that enables training AI models without centralizing all the data—a significant step in addressing security concerns. The funding round was spearheaded by Felicis Ventures.
The surge in virtual land sales within the Bored Ape Yacht Club in 2022 led to a crash of the Ethereum blockchain, resulting in transaction fees exceeding $5,000.
BAYC
Yuga Labs Acquires PROOF. Yuga Labs, the creative force behind Bored Ape Yacht Club, Otherside, TwelveFold, Meebits, and CryptoPunks, has acquired Kevin Rose’s PROOF, an esteemed digital art platform and art collector community. This acquisition includes the PROOF Collective, Moonbirds, Oddities, Mythics, and Grails exhibition series, integrating Moonbirds into Otherside to foster a collaborative environment for content creators, communities, and brands in the realm of web3.
In a photo illustration from Ukraine on February 21, 2024, the OpenAI Sora logo is prominently displayed on a smartphone screen.
OpenAI Community Forum. OpenAI offers an exclusive forum for users who contribute valuable insights, granting them early access to innovative developments within the AI realm.
A meeting in Hubs was considered quite rudimentary by contemporary standards.
Hubs
The Demise of Hubs. Initially introduced in 2018 as a pioneering WebXR platform for social and business interactions, Hubs failed to sustain development momentum and was eventually discontinued by Mozilla in 2020, marking the end of its journey.
The Neuralink logo is showcased on a smartphone screen in Athens, Greece, on January 2, 2024.
Musk Reveals Neuralink Breakthrough in Mind Control. Neuralink, a leading Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) company, unveiled its groundbreaking product “Telepathy,” enabling users to control devices through mere thoughts. Elon Musk shared insights on this development, emphasizing its potential to empower individuals with limited mobility, envisioning capabilities beyond conventional communication methods.
An illustration featuring the Intel logo alongside binary code captured in Krakow, Poland, on February 21, 2024.
Microsoft and Intel Forge Lucrative Custom Chip Partnership. Intel secures a significant deal with Microsoft, a strategic collaboration poised to yield substantial benefits as Intel strives to regain its prominent position in chip manufacturing.
Fidelity’s presence in Roblox prompts questions on Forbes’ preference for Sandbox.
Roblox
Roblox Stock Surges 26% Post Fourth-Quarter Earnings Report. Reporting a user base of 68.4 million daily active users across 190 countries, Roblox boasts 852K paying users engaging with 3,500 experiences generating over 1 million hours of interaction.
During the 2023 Forbes Healthcare Summit in New York City, Mike Federle delivers a speech.
Forbes Expands into Sandbox Metaverse. Forbes’ strategic move into Sandbox, a once-prominent virtual world endorsed by celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton, signifies a deeper engagement with the Web3 space. Despite Sandbox’s diminished stature compared to platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, Forbes aims to leverage interactive experiences and events to foster meaningful interactions within the metaverse.
AI-driven floorplan visualization.
Digs
Digs Revolutionizes Home Construction with AI Integration. Digs introduces AI technology to streamline processes in the home construction sector, bridging the gap between builders and homeowners through an innovative app designed to enhance home management and customization. The company’s collaboration with renowned industry figure Jeff Rowe further solidifies its position in the construction realm.
Renowned magician Marco Tempest breathes life into the story of programmer Ada Lovelace through AI-driven performances.
Director Yonatan Dor showcases cinematic AI prowess through animated film projects utilizing cutting-edge tools like Midjourney and Runway.
Virtual Reality Experience of Stranger Things. The collaborative project between Tender Claws and Netflix’s hit series, Stranger Things, offers a unique VR experience. While fans of the show find the immersive world captivating, newcomers may struggle to grasp the narrative nuances without prior familiarity with the show’s characters and storyline.
This Week in XR Podcast. Hosted by Ted Schilowitz, a Futurist at Paramount Global, and Rony Abovitz, the founder of Magic Leap, the podcast features discussions on AI and education. The podcast is available on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube, featuring guest speakers like Katie Conrad, a Professor of English at the University of Kansas.
