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A new star has recently risen in the crypto world, born out of the unique partnership between an artist and artificial intelligence. Meet Turbo, the meme coin that went from a mere $69 initial investment to a staggering $77 million market cap in a matter of weeks.
Let’s dive in and follow the journey of Rhett Mankind, the digital artist who harnessed the power of AI and community engagement to create Turbo, a now successful, meme cryptocurrency. Explore the unique genesis of this token, the challenges Mankind overcame, and the thriving community he built, which propelled Turbo to unexpected heights.
The Man Behind the Meme
The creator of Turbo is Rhett Mankind, a digital artist based in Australia. The journey of Turbo began as a “digital performance art piece”, an extension of Mankind’s experimentation with AI. The artist, who had no knowledge of coding or smart contracts, sought the assistance of OpenAI’s AI chatbot GPT-4 to create a cryptocurrency token. Mankind was able to navigate the process of launching the cryptocurrency, thanks to step-by-step instructions and lines of code provided by GPT-4. He also received valuable input from his Twitter followers throughout the process.
Mankind started the project as an extension of his exploration of AI, seeing it as a “digital performance art piece.” His initial goal was to create a token with the assistance of the chatbot, which he named “MemeCoinGPT.” After giving the chatbot its name, GPT-4 provided him with instructions on how to create the token and make it popular. The first task was to come up with a name. Though the chatbot suggested names like “HypeHoundCoin” and “StellarSlothToken,” Mankind’s Twitter followers favored the name “TurboToadToken.” GPT-4 also helped create the logo for the token, an image of an orange cartoon toad in a space helmet, later named Quantum Leap.
The Birth of Turbo
Mankind’s collaboration with GPT-4 yielded fascinating results. Upon Mankind’s prompt, GPT-4 generated step-by-step instructions to create and popularize a token. The AI’s suggestions, coupled with inputs from Mankind’s Twitter followers, resulted in the inception of “TurboToadToken” or TTT, represented by a space-helmet-donning orange cartoon toad named Quantum Leap3. Mankind overcame the barrier of not knowing how to code by following GPT-4’s guidance, leading to the creation of the first version of TTT4.
Initial Struggles and Triumph
The initial launch of TTT was marred by an unfortunate event: a malicious bot purchased nearly all of the tokens, leading to an unsuccessful start. Yet, Mankind was not deterred. Encouraged by his Twitter followers and equipped with a new strategy from GPT-4, he adopted a crowdfunding approach for the relaunch. This led to the successful launch of the rebranded Turbo token.
Mankind relaunched the token under a new name, $Turbo, and this time, the launch was a success. The token quickly gained popularity, leading Mankind to take a step back from the project. He made the mascot, Quantum Leap, available for public use through a Creative Commons Zero license. He renounced his ownership of the smart contract, effectively preventing him from altering the code in the future.
The project has since developed a supportive community, with token holders taking the initiative to list the coin on Dextools, establish a Telegram chat, and organize an art contest featuring the token. Despite the financial success that the token brought Mankind, he has stated that he has no immediate plans to sell his tokens and remains involved as a regular community member.
Mankind views the success of Turbo as the result of years of hard work in the Web3 space as a digital artist and investor, rather than an overnight success.
Building the Turbo Community
The community played a significant role in the creation and success of the Turbo meme coin. They were involved at various stages of the coin’s development, and their involvement proved to be crucial in multiple instances:
- Naming and Logo Design: The name “TurboToadToken” and the logo, an orange cartoon toad wearing a space helmet, were both chosen with input from Mankind’s Twitter followers. They preferred the name “TurboToadToken” among other suggestions by the AI chatbot GPT-4.
- Coding Assistance: While creating the token, the Twitter community also assisted Mankind in addressing various coding errors. This helped Mankind and GPT-4 to create the first version of the TurboToadToken.
- Support During Setbacks: After the initial launch failed due to a malicious bot purchasing nearly all of the tokens, Mankind’s Twitter followers encouraged him to continue the project. They voted overwhelmingly in a poll for him to continue, which led him to seek a new approach from GPT-4 and eventually led to the successful relaunch of the coin.
- Community Building Post-Launch: After the launch, the Turbo community, while smaller than other meme coin communities, displayed initiative in various ways. They listed the coin on Dextools, set up a Telegram chat, and organized an art contest that incorporated the token.
- Shared Ownership and Control: After the token’s launch, Mankind renounced ownership of the smart contract and made the mascot freely available to anyone. This action effectively put the control of the project into the community’s hands, fostering a sense of ownership and shared responsibility among its members
Success and the Future
Turbo’s success story is incomplete without mentioning the financial gain it brought Mankind. With $Turbo meteoric rise in the crypto market, Mankind went from investing $69 to becoming a multi-millionaire, on paper at least. He was even able to sell enough tokens to afford a house closer to his daughter’s school, while still holding more than 10% of the total tokens9. Despite this success, Mankind remains an active community member, with no immediate plans to sell off his holdings.
Turbo’s journey serves as a testament to the transformative power of technology and creativity. Mankind’s story is not just about overnight success but about years of dedication in the Web3 space as a digital artist, culminating in a project that has captivated the world of cryptocurrency. In the ever-evolving crypto market, Turbo stands as a beacon of innovation and community spirit, reminding us of the endless possibilities when art meets AI.
Featured image was taken from Turbo