Happy Friday ! Meta Shuts Down ‘Spark AR’, Anthropic’s Artifacts, Volkswagen’s In-Car Gaming, Amazon’s take on AI, HTC’s No-Code Metaverse Builder, PGA Tour’s Web3 Golf, Meta Quest End-of-Summer Sale, Games, Apps, Tools & More. Let’s Start — with this week’s episode of XRB Wire.
Friday lineup
- + Meta’s Spark AR Shuts Down in 2025 …
+ US Feds Get Early Access to AI Testing…
+ Anthropic’s Artifacts for All …
+ Volkswagen’s In-Car Gaming with Air Console…
+ Amazon’s take on AI Strategy in Gaming …
+ PGA Tour’s Web3 Golf Experience for 2026…
+ HTC’s No-Code Metaverse Builder…
+ Games, Apps, Tools & More…
NEWS: BIG STORIES
Meta’s Spark AR Shuts Down in 2025
This one is causing lot of heartburn & rightly so. Decisions like this one negatively affects the investment and effort of thousands of designers, developers, and end users.
“Meta Spark is going away” means that the Meta Spark tools used to create AR effects, Meta Spark Studio and Meta Spark Player, will no longer be accessible. It also means that you’ll no longer be able to access Meta Spark Hub to publish and manage AR effects. Because creators will no longer be able to build, publish and manage their AR effects, we’ll also remove third-party AR effects from Meta technologies, including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.”
“The old adage, ‘Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket,’ continues to ring true.” [ Read More]
Philippines Call Centers Navigate AI’s Impact
In the Philippines, AI is causing ripples across the call center industry. With AI automating tasks that were once handled by humans, the question of job security looms large for a country where these jobs play a significant role in the country's economy.
“ The future for humans, Silicon Valley-based Kannan said, is now more as “middleware” — and he for one is sure that redefined role means fewer jobs.
The unknown is at what speed AI will disrupt the industry. Two years?” said Kannan, whose company employs 12,000 people globally, with 5,000 in the Philippines. “Half the players are in denial and pretending there will be zero impact.” [ Read More]
NOTE: This is bound to happen, given that platforms like Bland ai ask the question, “Still Hiring Humans?”. Their AI phone calling agent can “make millions of phone calls 24/7, in any voice, and for any use case. Call me and I even sound like a human, but I’ll let you be the judge of that.”
Feds Get Early Access to AI Testing
In a groundbreaking move, the U.S. government will gain early access to AI systems from OpenAI and Anthropic to test for doomsday scenarios. This collaboration aims to ensure that AI systems are safe and controlled, addressing growing concerns about AI’s potential risks. It’s a bold step toward preempting AI-related crises, signaling a new era of government involvement in AI regulation. The question is: can these efforts keep pace with the rapid evolution of AI? [ Read More]
NOTE: There’s growing concern about AI’s potential for large-scale harm, while ordinary people remain sidelined as decisions are made by powerful entities. It’s time for governments to take proactive measures to protect everyone’s interests.
OTHER AI NEWS
Anthropic’s New Artifacts Unveiled
Artifacts are now available to all Claude.ai users on Free, Pro, and Team plans, including on iOS and Android apps. Artifacts enhance collaboration by providing a dedicated space to view, iterate, and build on work created with Claude. Since their preview launch in June, users have already generated tens of millions of Artifacts. [ Read More]
Yale’s $150 Million Leadership in AI
Yale University has announced a staggering $150 million investment to bolster its leadership in AI research. This funding will support groundbreaking AI projects and position Yale at the forefront of AI innovation. [ Read More ]
Try It Out…
Virtual Try-On with Kolors : Virtual try-on examples in pairs of person and garment images. Try it out, upload two images ( one each of you & the clothes) and you see yourself wearing new clothes. [Try It Out]
XR / GAME / DESIGN NEWS
Volkswagen’s In-Car Gaming with AirConsole
Volkswagen is partnering with AirConsole to bring multiplayer gaming to European cars, offering a range of casual games from racing to puzzles. The feature is set to launch in select European countries in September. [ Read More]
Amazon Games’ AI Strategy in Gaming
Despite recent layoffs at Amazon Games and industry-wide, Christoph Hartmann, head of Amazon Games argues that AI will create new jobs rather than result in net losses, stating, “Technology always leads to new opportunities.” [ Read More]
PGA Tour’s Web3 Golf Experience for 2026
Stratton Studios, Chain Games, and the PGA Tour have teamed up to launch PGA Tour Rise, a web3 golf game that re-imagines fan engagement. The game integrates blockchain technology, offering an immersive experience on web browsers and mobile devices.. [ Read More]
XR DEVICE / PRODUCT NEWS
HTC’s No-Code Metaverse Builder
HTC has introduced Viverse Create, a no-code platform for building metaverse environments. This tool empowers users to create their own metaverse experiences without needing any programming skills. [ Read More]
XR / GAME LAUNCH
Meta Quest End-of-Summer Sale: 30% Discount on 200+ VR games
Meta is closing out the summer with an exciting sale on its Quest VR headsets. This end-of-summer promotion offers significant discounts on a range of Quest products, making it the perfect time for consumers to dive into the world of VR. [ Read More]
TOOLS
Tella : Record incredible videos. The screen recorder that edits videos for you.
Supercraft AI : SuperCraft lets anyone design great physical products. Its backed by Y Combinator and NVIDIA Inception Program.
Playground : Design anything like a pro. Backed by a long list of valley investors led by Paul Graham and YC.
Krea AI : The easiest way to generate with AI.
DiscoPixel : Powered by AI, make anyone’s face angry, sad, happy, disgusted.
PS. Project / Stories / Launches / Products / Case Studies / Use Cases that you want to share with the world. Send It ! Its FREE.
That’s ALL for this WEEK!
We’ve started to witness how technology is shaking up jobs and daily life. But, just like before, these innovations also boost our productivity, spark creativity, and open doors to new opportunities. It’s all about how we use these tools to our advantage. Happy Weekend.
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