Epicenter brings you in-depth conversations about the technical, economic and social implications of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies. Every week, we interview business leaders, engineers academics and entrepreneurs, and bring you a diverse spectrum of opinions and points of view. Epicenter is hosted by Sebastien Couture, Brian Fabian Crain, Friederike Ernst, Meher Roy and Felix Lutsch. Since 2014, our episodes have been downloaded over 8 million times.
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episode 388: Trevor McFedries: Brud – Using AI to Bridge Real and Virtual Worlds
Trevor McFedries joined us for a fascinating chat about his background in the football and music industries, and how this led him into crypto. Trevor is the cofounder of Brud, a technology startup specializing in artificial intelligence and media. At Brud, they create social media personas with the help of CGI technology, the most well known being Lil Miquela. Lil Miquela is a sentient robot navigating life in LA -- and has millions of followers on instagram.
Trevor also started Friends With Benefits, a gated online community on a private discord server with a community token. We talked with Trevor about the increasingly immersive social media experience, the future for creators and the future of organizations.
Topics covered in this episode:
- Trevor's background in football and music, including his time working at Spotify
- An overview of Brud
- Who is Lil Miquela?
- How do these fictional characters fit into the 'real world'?
- How Trevor got into crypto
- The Friends with Benefits community
- Trevor's views on the future of DAOs
- Brud's experience with VCs as opposed to crowdfunding
- Trevor's take on NFTs and Lil Miquela's NFT drop
- The cultural impact of crypto to society and what the future looks like
Episode links:
- Brud
- Lil Miquela
- Friends with Benefits
- Friends with Benefits on Twitter
- Trevor on Twitter
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This episode is hosted by Friederike Ernst & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/388