Tom Brady being paid "millions" for Meta's AI chatbot likeness: Report
Tom Brady is certainly a man in demand these days. The retired quarterback has been keeping himself busy investing in a range of franchises to keep himself involved in competitive sports.
Off the field, Brady is keeping the same pace, it would appear.
In late September, Meta announced a lineup of celebrity-based AI characters with a stable that includes the likes of Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton and, of course, Tom Brady.
Per Variety, Mark Zuckerberg said at the conference during the unveiling:
“This isn’t just gonna be about answering queries. This is about entertainment and about helping you do things to connect with the people around you.”
How much is Mark Zuckerberg's Meta paying Tom Brady for his AI chatbot likeness?
Technology news website The Information published a fresh report this week listing some details on the alleged payments to the A-list celebrities in question.
The report stated that Meta is paying "millions of dollars" to the likes of Brady, Snoop Dogg and Paris Hilton to use their likeness for their AI chatbots.
The report added that one creator is being paid "around $5 million" for the same.
Brady's AI chatbot is named 'Bru' and is being marketed as a sports debater.
Meta linkup is far from Tom Brady's first involvement with technology
The seven-time Super Bowl champion is currently involved with Autograph, an NFT startup that was founded in 2021.
The company, which was co-founded by Brady himself, was initially focused on helping celebrities peddle their NFTs to fans.
Separately, Brady was also involved with FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange that suffered an altogether stunning downfall.
Per a New York Times report, Brady lost $30 million in the FTX scandal, while his ex-wife Gisele Bundchen lost $18 million as part of the same. Author Michael Lewis, who penned a book on FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried's downfall, stated that SBF paid Brady $55 million for 20 hours of his time.
Even with that $30 million hit (most of which was in FTX stock), Tom Brady's net worth stands at a reported $300 million in 2023. He has also signed a $375 million deal with FOX Sports to step into the broadcasting booth from next year, a deal that is certain to bump up his net worth in the years to come.
Meanwhile, Gisele Bundchen went on record with Vanity Fair earlier this year, saying she was "blindsided" in the whole scandal.
"I’m no different than everyone else that trusted the hype," the Brazilian supermodel said. "It’s just... terrible. I’m so sorry for all of us that this happened, and I just pray that justice gets made.”