Crypto.com made history with a $70 million purchase of the domain AI.com, the most expensive domain acquisition ever, just in time for a Super Bowl ad debut. The cryptocurrency platform, founded by Kris Marszalek, plans to unveil the new website during the big game, offering users a personal AI agent for messaging, app usage, and stock trading, according to TechCrunch.
The purchase, paid entirely in cryptocurrency to an undisclosed seller, broke all previous domain record prices. The sale was facilitated by broker Larry Fischer. Marszalek told the Financial Times that he believes AI will be one of the greatest technological waves of the future, taking a long-term view of 10 to 20 years.
The Super Bowl also saw a surge in AI-related advertising. Brands like Svedka Vodka jumped on the trend, with Svedka creating what it touted as the first primarily AI-generated national Super Bowl spot, according to TechCrunch. The 30-second ad, titled "Shake Your Bots Off," featured the company's robot character, Fembot, and her new companion, Brobot.
However, not all AI-related Super Bowl news was factual. A "leaked" ad for OpenAI, featuring actor Alexander Skarsgård, was revealed to be a hoax, according to The Verge.
In other AI-related news, Waymo, the Alphabet-owned self-driving company, is expanding its robotaxi services. Waymo now operates in six markets, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, and Miami, and plans to expand to over a dozen new cities internationally, including London and Tokyo, according to TechCrunch. The company has $16 billion to fuel this expansion.
The use of AI in creative projects also drew attention. A startup is working to recreate lost footage from Orson Welles' classic film "The Magnificent Ambersons" using generative AI, according to TechCrunch. The project, led by Edward Saatchi, stems from a genuine love of Welles and his work.
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