Welcome back to V3RSD and thank you for being here! This is Subnation’s weekly roundup of relevant, interesting, and hard-hitting stories from the web3, gaming, and tech spaces. The following five articles cover the topics from our 5Cs: Culture, Content, Community, Conversation, and Commerce. Enjoy, and let us know what you think by leaving a comment!
World-renowned toy maker Mattel is teaming up with the web3 brand Boss Beauties to release a Barbie NFT collection. Each collectible will celebrate one of the 250 careers Barbie has held since her debut in 1959. Buyers will be able to get four NFTs for the price of $25.
Google takes the lead in Content with the release of their new AI tool, MusicLM. Like already existing art generation systems, MusicLM listens to prompts from users and then creates several versions of a song that match. “LoFi beats to work by” anyone?
Last January Yuga Labs announced that their Bored Ape Yacht Club ApeFest would not be returning to its usual spot at NFT NYC. The past week saw the Ape holder community getting more antsy over wen Ape Fest 2023. A final location has yet to be settled.
Shaquille O’Neal was served legal papers for two lawsuits while broadcasting an NBA game. One is related to his promotion of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and the other was related to his NFT project, Astrals.
As companies continue to forge ahead with AI development, some efforts are being made to manage potential risks. One such initiative comes from the U.S. National Science Foundation which plans to launch “seven new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes” with a $140 million investment.
If you’re interested in learning more on any of these topics, you can read the full articles below.
CULTURE
Barbie and Boss Beauties Make Joint Bid to Bring More Women into Web3
Decrypt.co — Barbie maker Mattel has joined forces with women-led Web3 brand Boss Beauties to debut a line of on-chain virtual collectibles that celebrate the many careers undertaken by the iconic toy figure since the popular toy first launched in 1959.
The collection, Boss Beauties x Barbie, features NFTs designed in Boss Beauties’ signature style that pay homage to the 250 careers of Barbie. The first drop will include artists, astronauts, CEOs, doctors, veterinarians, pilots, and more.
The collectibles, which live on Flow, the NFT-focused blockchain behind NBA Top Shot, will go for $25 for a pack of four. They are not available for purchase in cryptocurrency.
Per Mattel, that low price point, paired with an easy check-out process, will lower the barrier to entry into Web3 for Barbie fans. Boss Beauties has long framed its mission as one to onboard the next 1 million women and girls into a Web3 world…[cont]
CONTENT
Google makes its text-to-music AI public
TechCrunch — Google today released MusicLM, a new experimental AI tool that can turn text descriptions into music. Available in the AI Test Kitchen app on the web, Android or iOS, MusicLM lets users type in a prompt like “soulful jazz for a dinner party” or “create an industrial techno sound that is hypnotic” and have the tool create several versions of the song.
Users can specify instruments like “electronic” or “classical,” as well as the “vibe, mood, or emotion” they’re aiming for, as they refine their MusicLM-generated creations.
When Google previewed MusicLM in an academic paper in January, it said that it had “no immediate plans” to release it. The coauthors of the paper noted the many ethical challenges posed by a system like MusicLM, including a tendency to incorporate copyrighted material from training data into the generated songs.
But in the intervening months, Google says it’s been working with musicians and hosting workshops to “see how [the] technology can empower the creative process.” One of the outcomes? The version of MusicLM in AI Test Kitchen won’t generate music with specific artists or vocals. Make of that what you will…[cont]
COMMUNITY
ApeFest 2023 Detaches Itself From NFT.NYC To Explore New Locations
NFT Evening — After two successful events alongside NFT.NYC, Bored Ape Yacht Club’s ApeFest 2023 is looking at new locations. The annual festival for Bored Ape and Mutant Ape holders, ApeFest has become one of the most anticipated NFT events every year. While in the past two years it coincided with NFT.NYC, one of the biggest annual NFT events, this year, Yuga Labs is changing things around. Let’s take a closer look at what we know so far about ApeFest 2023.
Earlier today, blockchain expert and BAYC investor, JBond shared Discord messages from the BAYC server announcing ApeFest’s change in location.
“We’ve been getting some questions about ApeFest timing this year since NFT NYC has changed to April,” NGBxBen wrote on Discord. “We’re still working on the specifics and don’t have any details to share yet, but we can tell you that it will not be in April…” [cont]
CONVERSATION
Shaq Hit With Lawsuits Over Solana NFT Project, FTX During NBA Game
Decrypt.co — Basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal was delivered legal papers for two separate lawsuits in the broader crypto and NFT realm on Tuesday — and was served while broadcasting an NBA game at what once was Miami’s FTX Arena.
One of the lawsuits centers on celebrities that promoted the collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, including other high-profile defendants like former NFL quarterback Tom Brady and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” TV star Larry David.
Yet, the other complaint focuses specifically on O’Neal and his NFT project, Astrals, launched last March. The lawsuit alleges that Astrals NFTs offered for sale were unregistered securities and attached to promises made by the former NBA player…[cont]
COMMERCE
Carnegie Mellon To Launch AI Institute Through $140M Federally Funded Program
Hypemoon — In early May, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), in collaboration with other federal agencies, stakeholders, and higher education institutions, announced the launch of a $140 million USD investment fund to establish “seven new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes,” (AI Institutes).
It stated that the initiative is “part of a broader effort across the federal government to advance a cohesive approach to AI-related opportunities and risks,” something that has been weighing heavily on the minds of individuals, companies, and regulators.
NSF expressed hopes that the new AI Institutes will function in a way that advances foundational AI research in a way that promotes ethical and trustworthy systems. Other goals include the development of novel approaches to areas like cybersecurity, climate change, brain study, public health, and education…[cont]
That’s all from us here at Subnation this week. Thank you for joining us for V3RSD! If you’d like this directly in your inbox every Monday, you can sign up HERE.
