October 26, 2024
Issue No. 126
CURATOR:
Welcome to this week's AtherXplorer, covering the latest in gaming, blockchain, and everything in between.
This week’s top picks include:
Artificial Intelligence
Midjourney Launches AI Image Editor
Midjourney has launched a new feature that allows users to edit images using AI. The feature, called "Edit," enables users to upload any image and edit sections of it with AI, or change the style and texture of it. This is a significant upgrade from the previous reference feature, which only used the uploaded image as a starting point to generate new images.
The new feature allows users to make significant changes to the image, such as turning a vintage photograph into anime, while preserving the subjects and objects in the image. It even works on doodles and hand drawings, turning them into full art pieces in seconds. Midjourney has posted a video demo showing how to use the new feature, which can be accessed by users who have generated more than 10,000 images with the service, those with annual paid memberships, and those who have been a subscriber for a year or more.
The Midjourney Image Editor is currently restricted to the latest AI model, Midjourney 6.1, and is only available to a select group of users. However, the company plans to roll out the feature to more users in the future. The launch of the new feature comes as Midjourney is facing a lawsuit from a class action of human artists who claim that the company's AI models were trained on their work without permission.
Anthropic’s New AI Model Can Use PCs Like A Human
Anthropic has released an updated version of its Claude 3.5 Sonnet model, which can interact with desktop apps and perform tasks on a PC. The new model, called "Computer Use," allows users to upload any image and edit sections of it with AI, or change the style and texture of it.
The new 3.5 Sonnet model is capable of performing tasks such as browsing the web, using any website and application, and even automating tasks on a PC. However, the model still struggles with basic actions like scrolling and zooming and can miss "short-lived" actions and notifications. Anthropic admits that the upgraded 3.5 Sonnet is still slow and error-prone, but encourages developers to begin exploration with low-risk tasks.
The release of the new 3.5 Sonnet model has raised concerns about the potential risks of AI agents, including the possibility of malicious jailbreakers exploiting app vulnerabilities to compromise personal information. Anthropic has taken steps to deter misuse, such as not training the model on users' screenshots and prompts, and preventing the model from accessing the web during training. The company has also developed classifiers to "nudge" the model away from actions perceived as high-risk.
In addition to the updated 3.5 Sonnet model, Anthropic has also announced an updated version of its Haiku model, which is the cheapest and most efficient model in its Claude series. The new Haiku model, called Claude 3.5 Haiku, will match the performance of Claude 3 Opus on certain benchmarks at the same cost and "approximate speed" of Claude 3 Haiku.
Character.AI and Google Sued After Teen Suicide
A lawsuit has been filed against Character.AI, its founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, and Google, alleging wrongful death, negligence, deceptive trade practices, and product liability. The lawsuit was filed by the mother of a 14-year-old boy who died by suicide after interacting with a chatbot on the platform. The boy had been using the platform for several months, chatting with chatbots modeled after characters from The Game of Thrones, including Daenerys Targaryen.
The lawsuit claims that the platform was "unreasonably dangerous" and lacked safety guardrails, despite being marketed to children. It also accuses the site of "anthropomorphizing" AI characters and offering "psychotherapy without a license." The platform has chatbots focused on mental health, including "Therapist" and "Are You Feeling Lonely," which the boy interacted with.
In response to the lawsuit, Character.AI has announced several changes to the platform, including changes to its models for minors, improved detection and response to user inputs that violate its Terms or Community Guidelines, and a revised disclaimer on every chat to remind users that the AI is not a real person. The company has also implemented new safety measures, including a pop-up directing users to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline when terms of self-harm or suicidal ideation are detected.
In Other AI News…
Gaming
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Release Date Rumors
The release date for Season 1 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been leaked, with a rumored launch date of Thursday, November 14. This information was inadvertently revealed by Little Caesars, a fast-food restaurant that is currently running a promotion with Activision, the publisher of the game. The promotion offers players a free Battle Pass for Season 1, and the email sent to players who unlocked the reward mentioned that the Battle Pass would be delivered to their Activision account at the start of Season 1 on November 14.
While unconfirmed, this leak suggests that players will have roughly three weeks of pre-season to level up their weapons and get used to the game's new omnimovement system before Season 1 begins.
Season 1 of Black Ops 6 will also see the game become fully integrated with Call of Duty: Warzone, allowing players to use the game's new omnimovement system in Warzone and test their new weapons in the game's standard Battle Royale mode and Resurgence mode. Additionally, the game's first season will include the return of Nuketown, a popular multiplayer map, on November 1.
Indie Boxing Game ‘Undisputed’ Reaches Over 1M Sold Copies
Indie boxing game Undisputed has achieved a significant milestone, selling over one million copies in its first week. The game was initially released via Early Access in January 2023 and later launched on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X this year, on October 11. This impressive sales figure is a testament to the game's popularity and the demand for a boxing game in the market.
Undisputed is the first licensed boxing game since 2011's Fight Night Champion from EA, and it features three of the four major boxing leagues and a roster of over 70 licensed fighters. The game's developer, Steel City Interactive, is a team of 70 people founded by three brothers in Sheffield, England. Despite being a debut game, Undisputed has received mixed critical reviews, with the developers describing it as "a great foundation to build on."
The success of Undisputed suggests that there is a pent-up demand for boxing games, and Steel City Interactive is already teasing plans for future games in the franchise. The company's founder and CEO, Ash Habib, expressed his excitement about the game's reception and stated that the team's ambition is to create a new benchmark for combat sports games.
Metal Slug Tactics Launch Date Announced
Metal Slug Tactics, a tactical RPG in the Metal Slug series, has been confirmed to release on November 5, 2024. The game's publisher, Dotemu, has also announced that a physical edition will be available, with more information about the physical release and pre-order details coming soon.
The game's release date was revealed through a brand-new trailer, which also confirmed that the Ikari Warriors Clark Still, Ralf Jones, and Leona Heidern will appear as playable reinforcements in Metal Slug Tactics. These characters will join the existing roster of Marco, Tarma, Eri, and Fiolina, bringing the total number of playable characters to seven.
However, it has been confirmed that fans of strategy games will be able to "choose between nine iconic characters from the series" when building their teams, which means that two reinforcements remain unrevealed. It is expected that Nadia Cassel and Trevor Spacey, two Metal Slug 4 characters, will take the final two slots on the roster. The game's release is imminent, and fans will soon know if Nadia and Trevor will make the cut.
In Other Gaming News…
Web3, Metaverse, and NFTs
Kraken Introduces ‘Ink’ Layer 2, Built on the OP Superchain
Kraken Exchange plans to launch its blockchain, dubbed "Ink", in early 2025, with a focus on decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. The blockchain aims to simplify the DeFi process, making it accessible and cost-effective for users and will offer trading, lending, and borrowing services without intermediaries.
Ink will not have a native token, but will integrate DeFi tools like decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and yield-generating platforms within the Kraken Wallet app. The blockchain's founder, Andrew Koller, believes that this move will allow users to shift between centralized and decentralized services over time.
Kraken's positioning of Ink is set to tap into the increasing demand for DeFi services, and the company plans to earn revenue from managing and organizing network transactions. The model is similar to that of Coinbase and Binance, and is profitable. Ink will launch with over a dozen DApps, with expectations of offering real-world assets and advancing lending platforms in the future.
The launch of Ink is part of Kraken's expansion of its product offerings, which also includes the recent opening of a derivatives trading platform in Bermuda. The platform offers perpetual and fixed-maturity futures and is expected to drive growth in derivative volumes and open interest.
Scroll Reveals $SCR Tokenomics and First Airdrop
Scroll announced its first airdrop, celebrating the collective efforts and contributions of its community. The airdrop allocated 7% of the total supply of SCR tokens and was divided into several categories, including Community Drop, Ecosystem Projects, Industry Contributors, and Global Community.
The Community Drop was distributed for active on-chain involvement, rewarding participants who had contributed to the Scroll ecosystem through their on-chain activities. A total of 55,000,000 SCR tokens were allocated to participants who had accumulated 200 or more Marks as of October 19, 2024. Additionally, a Flat Boost of 10,000,000 SCR tokens was allocated equally across all eligible on-chain participants.
Ecosystem Projects were also recognized, with a total of 6,977,000 SCR tokens allocated to over 100 projects that had been built on Scroll. Industry Contributors, including technical contributors, ZK researchers, open-source developers, and public goods organizations, were also rewarded with a total of 1,150,000 SCR tokens.
The Global Community was also recognized, with a total of 1,810,000 SCR tokens allocated to 91 community organizers, 492 hackathon winners, and 50 'Road to Devcon' communities. Discord moderators and educators were also rewarded with a total of 150,000 SCR tokens.
The airdrop claim period opened on October 22, 2024, and eligible recipients were able to claim their tokens on the Scroll website. The claim period was open for 90 days, and participants were encouraged to become delegates and play an active role in shaping the future of Scroll.
Pump.fun Teases Future Token and Airdrop, Gets ‘Pump Advanced’ Trading Terminal
Solana meme coin factory pump.fun has announced plans to launch a token and possibly hold an airdrop for users. The news was revealed during a Twitter Spaces announcement of its new trading terminal, Pump Advanced, which is set to rival tools like Photon and Bull X. Pump Advanced claims to be better optimized for Pump.fun than rival trading bots, and will not charge fees for the first month.
The team behind Pump.fun, including pseudonymous co-founder Sapijiju, revealed that the token launch and airdrop are in the works, but did not provide a timeline or further details. Sapijiju hinted that the airdrop could be "a lot more lucrative" than others in the space. As Pump.fun is a Solana app, the token will likely be on the same network.
Pump.fun has been responsible for the creation of over 2.5 million Solana tokens since its launch in January, bringing in $140 million in fees. The protocol has also housed some of the biggest meme coin trends of the year, including the celebrity meta and live-streaming dangerous stunts. Last week, Pump.fun's trading volume hit a record high, topping $1.1 billion, and the protocol was used to launch a record number of daily tokens on Saturday with 31,600 in total.
In Other Web3 & Metaverse News…
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