Exploring the Future: EU Product Passport, AI in Hollywood, and More!

Good afternoon, dear @members of 1E9!

The EU is planning new rules – and both environmental groups and business lobbyists are positive? Then maybe the idea is quite good. At least that is how the Digital Product Passport (DPP) that is being developed in Brussels appears to me. Car batteries, T-shirts, washing machines: in a few years everything will be equipped with QR codes or chips that can be used to retrieve information, for example about the materials contained or about repairs. The product passport is intended to give the circular economy a boost.

Not only are the first manufacturers preparing for this, but also start-ups like Loopid from Munich – co-founded by 1E9 member @christian.adler – see the DPP as an opportunity for new business models: from super-simple resale platforms to deposit and return systems to digital authenticity certification . For anyone who wants to know more about how this works, I’ve written it down here.

A glowing LED floor, OpenAI in Hollywood, AI in a super election year

A Bavarian medium-sized company that has specialized in sports surfaces since the 1970s is currently making it big in the US basketball league NBA: an unusual story about which @Joanne conducted an interview for us. With a glass floor under which LEDs are installed, the company transforms sports halls into playable screens. This not only looks futuristic and spectacular, but also brings advantages for athletes and hall operators.

Another news from the entertainment sector: OpenAI wants to conquer Hollywood with its AI video generator. Company boss Sam Altman is said to have been at one or two Oscar parties for this. Meetings with the big studios are now scheduled to take place. Of course, generative AI is not without controversy in Hollywood.

While the ability to artificially generate deceptively real videos or voices may be helpful for film productions, some experts worry about the misuse of AI for disinformation – especially in the global super election year of 2024. And censorship and the restriction of freedom on the Internet can also be caused by AI reach new dimensions, warns a current study that our columnist Aleksandra Sowa alias @Kryptomania has dealt with: “Election Bonanza with AI in the lead role,” is the title of her latest text, which is, as always, well worth reading.

Happy Birthday, Neuromancer – and other future news

@Michael read through an absolute classic of science fiction for us again: through Neuromancer by William Gibson. The epic is 40 years old, is considered the founder of the cyberpunk genre and could now be made into a film after several failed attempts. Reason enough to take a closer look at why Neuromancer is still relevant today, perhaps even more relevant than ever. After all, the story is not just about the global Internet, but also about artificial intelligence and all-powerful technology companies.

As always, you can find further news from the 1E9 cosmos in the current edition of our Sunday newsletter This Week in Future – among other things, with the US government’s actions against Apple’s market power, personnel turbulence at Stability AI, the (successful) IPO of Reddit, the first patient from Neuralink and new, inexpensive solar cells. If you want to subscribe to the newsletter, you just have to join this circle.

Finally, once again a reference to our call for artists for the next festival of the future: We are looking for your illustrations Future Island for the new posters, the website and the digital stage design during the event. The selected works will be rewarded not only with money, but also with tickets and of course a really wide reach. Feel free to join in!

That’s it from me for this week. Thank you to everyone who makes our work possible through their membership fees. You are the best! If you have any questions, requests, criticism, problems and of course ideas – please contact me.

See you then
Wolfgang

2024-03-28 13:07:04
#1E9_Update #March #Digitization #circular #economy #Bavaria #NBA #Neuromancer #turns #Newsletter