Welcome to my TED Talk! 🔴 Plus Winners for the SIGGRAPH Giveaway 🏆

Blending Realities and Fueling Creativity with AI & 3D Tech

Hello Creative Technologists,

I'm thrilled to share two exciting updates with you all today! First, my TED talk is now live on YouTube and TED.com!

It’s a 6-minute glimpse into a lifelong quest to blend reality and imagination with all manner of creative tech. I explore how technologies like radiance fields and generative AI are blurring the lines between the physical and digital. Check it out below for an optimistic perspective on the future of human creativity and expression:

You can also check it out on the TED website/app with this link: http://go.ted.com/bilawalsidhu

I'm truly grateful for the positive response to my TED talk so far. It's been incredible to see people engaging with the ideas and sharing thoughts like:

You’re definitely a fresh breath of air in the AI world for creatives. Your Ted talk was awesome! It was the first time I really felt like dipping my toes in this and give it a try! So far I think you’re the only one to follow on this topic! Thanks for sharing 🙏🏽 - Esben Johansen

"I am SO proud of you Bilawal! What an incredible opportunity to Transfer Your Skills and help strangers hack their own education & expand their thinking. You’re a good human and I wish you crazy amazing continued success ✨🤟🫂 Keep shining Dear One, keep SHINING!!!" - Sarah Hodsdon

I was full of amazement and wonder of the future when I first saw this TED talk live in Vancouver earlier this year. As I came across it again today, it is just as amazing. The future is here! - David Mandel

This dude is such a badass. This isn't TEDx. This is the main TED event. And his presentation was epic. Everyone should take 6-minutes and look into in the future with @bilawalsidhu - Matt Wolfe

6 minutes is too little for this guy. We need at least an hour of it! - Leyverse

It means so much to me that the talk is sparking optimism and enriching the conversation around AI. But of course, AI is still a controversial subject for many creatives — so a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has shared feedback and helped spread the message of AI empowering creativity, not replacing it!.

🏆 Winners of the NVIDIA GPU Giveaway (~$15,000 value)

Next up, a huge congratulations to our two lucky winners of the RTX6000 Ada GPU giveaway I hosted during SIGGRAPH 2023!

Criteria: Pick the most deserving person for each entry based on the level of effort they put, and also the level of insight in their comments, and their actual need for this GPU to make a difference in their life.

Drumroll please... 🥁

The first winner attending SIGGRAPH in-person is Conrad Curtis with their insightful reflections on the future of generative cinema:

“Well according to Jensen the one thing we were supposed to remember was, the more you buy, the more you save… and it seems I made a great cutaway.

But in all seriousness, my biggest take away was that LLMs as a computing platform are going to enable domain experts to build tools on Omniverse that will reshape the way we think about making things with computers.

This is the Dawn of Generative Cinema and I am confident that at VPP we are building it on Omniverse. I really hope we can get this card… it would mean the world. ”

Here’s the winner with his new prize! Can’t wait to see the cinematic magic Conrad creates:

And the remote participant winner is Nic Colon for their valuable feedback on how NVIDIA's developments will impact creators across the workflow:

I've been eagerly following Bilawal's Twitter and absorbing all the latest developments at the intersection of CGI and AI. Though currently limited by hardware, I've been extensively studying programs like Nuke, Unreal Engine, Embergen, and Stable Diffusion - amassing gigabytes of notes and over 13,000 inspirational screenshots!

I tuned into NVIDIA's SIGGRAPH keynote and was most excited by the emphasis on USD files for streamlining workflows and innovations like Audio2Face and Wonder Dynamics for facial animation realism. Locally accessible tools like DeepSearch also look incredibly useful for organizing my image library.

This giveaway perfectly encapsulates my interests in AI and 3D creation. Though I can't yet utilize some programs fully due to GPU constraints, I'm committed to continued hands-on learning. The RTX6000 would be a game-changer, letting me get the most out of tools like Embergen and Stable Diffusion. I'm grateful for the opportunity and can't wait to put the hardware to good use!

Check out the awesome product shots Nic captured of this gorgeous GPU. Needless to say, I look forward to the visual umami Nic produces in these high end 3D/VFX creation tools:

Enjoy these powerful 48GB GPUs (MSRP of $6,800 each). This is one of the things I love about being a creator and getting opportunities like this NVIDIA giveaway — helping others their creative projects to the next level. A big thanks to all who participated with your thoughts on the keynote — whether remotely or in-person!

Cohort 2 of the Generative AI Masterclass

Lastly, the second cohort of my Generative AI masterclass is open for enrollment on Maven. It’ll be running Sep 17-Oct 1 on Sundays along with weekly office hours. And since you’re in the inner circle, be sure to use the discount code FAM15 to get 15% off.

That wraps up the latest. More exciting news and updates on the horizon, including a brand collaboration and two programs I’m really excited about. For those in the US — I hope you have an awesome labor day holiday. See ya’ll in the next one!

Cheers,

Bilawal Sidhu