Crypto.com founder Kris Marszalek made the largest domain purchase in history, acquiring AI.com for $70 million, according to the Financial Times. The deal, paid entirely in cryptocurrency, is set to debut during the Super Bowl, where Marszalek plans to unveil a personal AI agent for messaging, app usage, and stock trading. This purchase highlights the growing interest and investment in artificial intelligence across various sectors.
The purchase of AI.com, facilitated by broker Larry Fischer, surpasses previous domain records. Marszalek told the Financial Times that he believes "AI is going to be one of the greatest technological waves of our lifetime," emphasizing a long-term perspective. This investment aligns with the trend of leveraging AI in high-profile events, as seen in this year's Super Bowl advertisements.
Several brands showcased AI in their Super Bowl ads, following the trend from the previous year. Svedka Vodka, for example, created what it touts as the first primarily AI-generated national Super Bowl spot. The 30-second ad, titled "Shake Your Bots Off," features the company's robot character, Fembot, and her new companion, Brobot.
In other AI-related news, India is adjusting its startup rules for deep tech companies. The Indian government updated its startup framework, doubling the period for which deep tech companies are treated as startups to 20 years. The revenue threshold for startup-specific tax, grant, and regulatory benefits was also raised to 3 billion rupees (about $33.12 million), from 1 billion rupees (around $11.04 million) previously. This change aims to align policy timelines with the long development cycles typical of science- and engineering-led businesses, according to TechCrunch.
Waymo, the Alphabet-owned self-driving company, is also expanding its robotaxi services. The company now operates commercial robotaxi services in six markets and plans to grow its fleet to more than a dozen new cities internationally, including London and Tokyo. Waymo has $16 billion to fuel that expansion.
In a separate project, a startup is attempting to recreate lost footage from Orson Welles' classic film "The Magnificent Ambersons" using generative AI. The project, led by Edward Saatchi, stems from a genuine love of Welles and his work, according to an in-depth profile by The New Yorker.
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