It’s not only real-world idols that look to earn a profit from issuing non-fungible tokens. Rae — a virtual influencer in Singapore rendered through computer-generated imagery and powered by artificial intelligence — is selling “her” first NFTs on Mintable.
Fast facts
- Rae — whose creators’ identities remain mysterious — has dropped her first NFT series on Mintable, with starting bid prices set at around US$392.
- The owners of the NFTs will receive an exclusive AI-generated, personalized thank-you audio message from the virtual celebrity, along with an MP4 file of the artwork.
- “As a virtual being, I stay connected with my fans via social media, and tapping on blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies has enabled me to uncover a new nexus to forge a stronger connection with them,” the virtual influencer said in a statement.
- Debuting last October, Rae now has 510,000 followers on Weibo and nearly 6,900 followers on Instagram. The virtual being has collaborated with a slew of brands, including Audi and streetwear label SBTG.
- The NFTs are not the first featuring a virtual idol. Last month, American 3D digital art company Daz 3D said that it had teamed up with The Diigitals, an all-digital modeling agency, to release a NFT that featured J-Yung, a Korean-inspired virtual idol from The Diigitals, in support of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. The NFT was sold on OpenSea for o.11 WETH (US$217.80).
- And the NFT buzz is continuing, with OpenSea saying this week that it had raised US$100 million in a funding round.