👉 AvatarOS secures $7M seed funding for AI-Powered virtual influencer platform

AvatarOS has successfully raised $7 million in a seed funding round. Founded by Isaac Bratzel, known for creating virtual influencers like Lil Miquela and Amelia 2.0, AvatarOS aims to develop high-quality avatars that possess personalized traits and lifelike movements.

The company is currently in an exploratory phase to establish its product-market fit, focusing on creating premium 3D avatars for clients. The platform intends to differentiate itself by enhancing how avatars move, emphasizing unique, human-like movements rather than generic animations.

With this funding, AvatarOS plans to expand its team and develop machine learning technologies to improve avatar realism. The startup is onboarding beta users and releasing an API for easier integration of avatars into various applications. Bratzel believes that by providing high-quality avatars, the platform can stand out in a crowded content space, addressing the saturation of easily generated digital content.

👉 Christie’s AI Art auction surpasses expectations despite controversy

Christie’s first auction dedicated to AI-generated art, titled "Augmented Intelligence," has reportedly exceeded expectations, generating over $700,000 in sales. The event featured works from various artists, with Refik Anadol’s piece “Machine Hallucinations — ISS Dreams — A” selling for $277,200, the highest price of the auction.

Despite the success, the auction faced significant backlash, as nearly 6,500 artists signed an open letter demanding its cancellation. They criticized Christie’s for showcasing AI artworks created using models trained on copyrighted materials without proper licensing, arguing that this exploits human artists and undermines their work.

Nicole Sales Giles, Christie’s VP of digital art sales, noted that the auction's success indicates that collectors appreciate innovative artistic expressions, even as many artists continue to voice their concerns over the ethical implications of AI in art.

👉 Sony experiments with AI-Powered PlayStation characters

Sony is developing a prototype AI-powered version of Aloy from Horizon Forbidden West, showcasing a technology that enables the character to hold conversations with players through voice prompts. This internal demonstration was led by Sharwin Raghoebardajal, a director of software engineering at Sony Interactive Entertainment, using OpenAI’s Whisper for speech-to-text and GPT-4 along with Sony's own Emotional Voice Synthesis for conversation generation.

The demo, which was briefly available before being pulled due to copyright claims, highlights Sony's efforts to integrate advanced AI technologies into gaming. While the prototype runs on PC, there are plans to implement parts of this technology on PS5 consoles with minimal performance impact, raising questions about the future role of AI in video game development and its implications for voice actors and game creators.

👉 Infinite Realms aims to transform fantasy books into interactive game worlds

Infinite Realms, a spinoff from Unleashed Games, seeks to license bestselling fantasy books and turn them into immersive game worlds. CEO Irena Pereira explained that the company aims to combine the creativity of small game developers with advanced AI tools to develop engaging environments based on popular literary works.

The concept evolved during discussions with a venture capitalist and reflects a desire to create a system where fantasy authors' worlds can become playable experiences. Pereira emphasized that Infinite Realms functions as an AI-driven engine capable of transforming book manuscripts into interactive game settings.

By licensing these intellectual properties to various game studios, Infinite Realms hopes to facilitate the creation of diverse games, effectively serving as an AI-driven licensing platform for fantasy literature adaptations.