Whatsapp Communities, Dalle-2 Unleashed and the Instagram NFT Marketplace Launches.

Happy Friday folks,

I don't know about you but these last few weeks have feel almost nauseatingly crazy in the world of how fast technology is moving. Each week it feels like things take a big leap forward. While a lot of this comes down to the recent influx of AI applications being launched but still, if you think things were wild before, we're just getting started.

The whole idea behind Shiny was to have a place that could be fluid with trends and tech as they develop so we'll do our best to keep you up to speed with what's going on. If you're reading this newsletter but aren't yet a member of the community then you can do that here.

Let's get started.

Top 4 Links

• Dalle-2 opens up its API into public beta.

• Instagram launches its NFT marketplace.

• Whatsapp releases Communities.

• Open-AI launches grants for AI startups.

3 New Tools - AI Edition

• SceneryAI - AI-powered image editing. Generate or update images with our AI image editing tool.

• PicSo - Create artwork with your own words. On mobile.

• Elephas - Personal writing assistant for mac. Works across all applications.

Let's kick things off this week with a dose of NFT related news.

We're in a bear market and all but there are some positive signs that things may be slowly returning. Now don't jump the gun as volumes are still wayyyyy down across the board but it feels like there's some good stuff happening.

The big news is that Instagram launched it's NFT marketplace this week.

This is coming on the back of the news that we sent out last week about Reddits Digital Collectables meaning two of the biggest platforms on the internet now have baked in NFT functionality in some form.

Rather than our own write up as why this is important, Kallaway from Espresso did a great job so we're just going to let Jasper summarise his post on it for you.

•Instagram's new NFT feature helps artists make a living by providing a way to sell digital art that can't be reproduced, ensuring that the artist gets paid every time their piece is sold.

• Fans of influencers and creators now have a new way to support the people they love - by buying NFTs attached with utility or cool pieces of art.

• When you buy an NFT from your favourite creator, you're not only supporting them financially, but you're also buying an asset that you can resell in the future.

• The introduction of NFTs on Instagram will usher in a new era of creativity, as more people are given access to create digital art.

• Superfans will be empowered by Tokengating, which allows artists and creators to offer different levels of access to fans based on how many qualifying NFTs they own.

5000 words to 144. You're welcome.

By the way, Espresso is a great newsletter covering web3, you should subscribe here.

Additional NFT Links

p.s not sure if I like these link embeds so let me know what you think!

Another of the threads that runs through a lot of what we talk about in Shiny is communities. Communities imo have a huge effect on all aspects of our personal and works lives.

Got a hobby? Chances are you're a member of a Community hosted on a social platform.

Have kids at school? High chance there's a parents group on Whatsapp (experiences may vary!)

That's why Whatsapp launching communities is so interesting.

Here's some key features:

• 32 Person Video Calls

• Reactions

• File Sharing up to 2gb

• Admin Delete

• In-chat Polls

• 1024 Member Groups

Here's why I think this is a great release from Whatsapp and something that would class as Shiny even thought the platform itself isn't new.

Communities inside of Whatsapp are available without having to download any additional software. A previous barrier to entry for certain demographics. This makes starting a community around a topic or interest super easy no matter the age.

With 2.2 billion users the user base is already there. Joining as simple as a shared link.

What's not know yet is if there will be payments coming but if they do Whatsapp Communities could be a great opportunities for Creators to turn attention into profit.

A couple of things coming out of Open AI this week but before we get into that, there may be a few here who aren't up to speed with some of the basic knowledge on the topic of AI so thought it best to cover some of that ground first.

Answers provided by Jasper (an AI). Meta.

What is AI (Artificial Intelligence)?

AI is a branch of computer science and engineering focused on the creation of intelligent agents, which are systems that can reason, learn, and act autonomously. AI has the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives, from healthcare to transportation to manufacturing.

What is Open AI?

OpenAI is a research company focused on building advanced artificial intelligence. The team is made up of experts in the field, and they are constantly exploring new ways to create AI that can benefit society. OpenAI believes that artificial intelligence should be accessible to everyone, so they make their research open source. This allows anyone to learn from their findings and build on their work.

What is Dalle-2?

The Dalle-2 Image Generation model is a computer-generated image creation process that is used to create high quality and realistic images. The process begins with the selection of a base image, which is then modified to create the desired effect. This process is repeated until the desired image is created.

Additional links for more context.

• Video and blog post explaining Dalle-2 and how it works.

• Blog post explaining the company Open-AI and it's mission.

Now we have a little understand of the context here here's what came out of Open AI this week.

After recently opening up it's GPT-3 API for anyone to use, the company has also put DALLE-2 out into the world in public beta. This means anyone can integrate realistic, prompt based image generation into their applications or just use it for personal use rather than having to wait to be invited. Also, you have the rights to the image you create (a topic for another day).

Next, OpenAI announced they're granting 10 startups 1m USD each along with early access to its systems to build "programming tailored to AI companies". If you're building something you can apply here.

Podcast of the week

• How can Elon fix Twitter? And a LinkedIn deep dive with Jack Raines - Not Investment Advice EP 84.

Quote

"It’s now impossible to distinguish trolling from sincerity online, partly because shitposts have become so lifelike, and partly because life has become so shitpostlike." - Gurwinder Bhogal

Something random to leave you with if you've made it this far. Did you know it's possible to privately own a rail car in America? Me neither! Well turns out some 100 people have them! Wild.

Here's a picture of me staring up at our AI overlords captured by George Benjamin.

Catch you on the next one,Tom