ArenaX Labs – a technology company that aims to teach the world about AI through the power of play – recently announced it raised $6 million in a funding round led by Framework Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on gaming and decentralized finance that co-led ArenaX’s 2021 seed funding round. Additional investors in this round included SevenX Ventures, FunPlus / Xterio, and Moore Strategic Ventures.
This funding round will be used to develop further AI Arena, which is a first-of-its-kind game where human players collect AI-powered characters and train them in fighting strategies.
AI Arena is a player-versus-player (PVP) fighting game comparable to Super Smash Bros. But rather than battling other humans, AI Arena players train characters to fight in their stead.
The greater the skills of its human trainer, the better the fighter the AI character becomes. For actual battles, AI characters fight autonomously. And trainers develop strong bonds with their characters, acquiring a uniquely intimate understanding of AI.
The game requires no coding skills and will be free to play, with a web3 version available for players who can compete for rewards.
KEY QUOTES:
“AI Arena marks a major advance in the fusion between technology and education: an innovative way for people without advanced technical expertise to learn about AI – and to have fun doing so.”
— ArenaX Labs CEO Brandon Da Silva
“We’re doubling down on the ArenaX team because we think they have one of the most ingenious approaches to consumer AI. Most consumers still view AI as a novelty they may engage with on a surface level. The ArenaX team is flipping this narrative by creating products that encourage normal people to begin learning to train AI through the language of play.”
— Framework Ventures co-founder Michael Anderson
