Pharrell's new platform, Meta's new AI System & TikTok releases a new feature

‍Pharrell Williams to launch new auction platform‍

And the bidding starts at…

Probably more than most of us can afford. Pharrell Williams is creating a new auction platform called ‘Joopiter’ to declutter his life

The musician, producer, innovator & ‘Son of a Pharaoh’ will be auctioning off 20 years’ worth of fashion creations & collaborations on his new platform, designed to bring unity to the ‘fragmented current landscape of high-end auction platforms’. A real threat to the stability of civilization. 

The platform will launch with a Pharrell-only catalogue of items, before expanding to selling other curator’s collections as part of what Williams refers to as a ‘high-touch, white-glove operation’, with hints of a philanthropic side even later down the line.

“Spiritually, it’s a very rich experience, an enlightening experience, to let stories go,” he said in an interview on the venture. Referring to himself as a ‘spiritual unit of awareness’, he elucidated that Joopiter was an ode to the planet, which represents good fortune and higher learning.

Williams’, who also owns skincare brand Humanrace and educational non-profit Yellow, said he will be focusing on Joopiter for the foreseeable future as he makes “space for the next chapter”.  

Going, going, gone. 

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Meta launches ‘Make-A-Video’

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Meta has launched a new system for creating digital art as part of its ongoing research into generative A tech.

‘Make-A-Video’ lets people turn text prompts into brief, high-quality video clips, using paired text-image data to  learn what the world looks like and how it is often described.

“With just a few words or lines of text, Make-A-Video can bring imagination to life and create one-of-a-kind videos full of vivid colours, characters and landscapes. The system can also create videos from images or take existing videos and create new ones that are similar,” Meta said in a statement on the release.

The system is designed to open up new opportunities for creators and artists, by giving people tools to quickly and easily create new content and pushing creative expression by bringing your imagination to life in new ways.

And because AI-generated content is the new ‘it’ thing and Meta loves a bandwagon.

From a teddy bear painting a portrait to a fluffy baby sloth with an orange knitted hat trying to figure out a laptop close up, the surreal just got a whole lot more real.

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TikTok Now

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TikTok has ticked over into copying and it’s the tok of the town.

The platform has launched a new feature which bears an uncanny resemblance to BeReal, the authentic photo sharing app that took the market by storm.

‘TikTok Now’ is a daily photo and video experience that prompts users to share their most authentic moments with the people who matter the most.

“Making possible deeper connections, TikTok Now invites you and your friends to capture what you’re doing in the moment using your device’s front and back camera. You’ll receive a daily prompt to capture a 10-second video or a static photo to easily share what you’re up to,” it explained, adding that it is always looking to expand its suite to foster authentic connections.

It has ‘branded’ the concept somewhat, giving users the ability to post videos in addition to still images, but it’s a video platform, so… doesn’t count.

It’s not uncommon for social media apps to copy or be influenced by each other these days, but it’s the first time that the disruptor (TikTok) has become the disruptee and people are shooketh.

The feature is currently only available in the US, but TikTik will continue experimenting with it over coming weeks before rolling it out across other regions.

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