Former NBA champion Metta World Peace and his company, 37 Partners, are making a significant leap into the world of artificial intelligence with the official launch of "Perpetual Celebrity Commerce" (PCC) today, March 4, 2026. This new AI-powered platform is designed to empower professional talent, including athletes and entertainers, to deploy officially licensed digital likenesses for live commerce and enhanced fan engagement across global markets.

Metta World Peace's own digital likeness is set to be the inaugural talent to debut on the platform, launching today on Shopee, a leading e-commerce marketplace in Southeast Asia. This marks a new era for fan interaction, with his AI avatar participating in livestreamed sales and real-time fan engagement, complete with multilingual translation and regional customization. Matthew Heller, co-founder and CEO of 37 Partners, notes that PCC aims to bridge the gap between a celebrity's global fanbase and their ability to monetize those markets effectively.

The PCC platform, powered by technology from Chinese AI firm Johnsmith.ai, offers celebrities an authenticated and secure method to monetize their digital presence. Crucially, it also provides legal support, like cease-and-desist letters, against the growing threat of unauthorized AI-generated content and deepfakes. Stephen Stokols, an investor and board director at 37 Partners, highlighted that the primary interest from potential users is often for "defense" against exploitation, though the monetization opportunities are envisioned to be massive.