[Aspects of the thought-provoking fictional events in the 2014 film Her are becoming reality, as reported in this story from the Los Angeles Times; see the original version for more pictures and a 6:53 minute video report featuring an interview with the reporter. For more coverage of this phenomenon, see “Uncharted territory: Do AI girlfriend apps promote unhealthy expectations for human relationships?” in The Guardian. –Matthew]

[Image: Social media influencer Caryn Marjorie. Credit: Ishan Goel]

Thousands chatted with this AI ‘virtual girlfriend.’ Then things got even weirder

By Brian Contreras, Staff Writer
June 27, 2023

Last month, Caryn Marjorie went from a successful but niche social media star to a person of national interest: the subject of attention-grabbing headlines and, for many commentators, a template upon which to project their anxieties about rapidly advancing artificial intelligence.

The cause of the furor was a partnership Marjorie, 23, had launched with a technology startup promising to make a personalized AI “clone” of the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based… read more. “Thousands chatted with this AI ‘virtual girlfriend.’ Then things got even weirder”

[Like computers and robots before it, artificial intelligence is taking on new social roles traditionally reserved for humans. An interesting recent example is reported in the story below from the Longmont Leader; a story in Business Today characterizes it this way: “Reece Wiench and Deyton Truitt’s meeting was no surprise in the digital age – they connected through an online dating app. And now, their union is etched in history as ChatGPT adds ‘wedding officiant’ to its diverse job title list.” The same story adds this detail:

“According to a report by CBS Colorado, the idea came from the bride’s father, Stephen Wiench, who revealed that the initial attempt to enlist an AI bot was met with resistance. “It said ‘no’ at first. ‘I can’t do this, I don’t have eyes, I don’t have a body. I can’t officiate at your wedding,’’’ recalled Wiench.… read more. “ChatGPT officiates Colorado wedding”

[In a 14-minute segment from the Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) program Think Out Loud, robotics researcher Bill Smart describes an ambitious project to design, create and distribute 50 ‘standardized’ robots to academic researchers to, as he says, “try and figure out what parts of human-human psychology and social interaction carry across to human-robot interaction” – i.e., advance CASA/MASA (Computers Are Social Actors/Media Are Social Actors) research. Follow the link above to the original version of the story to listen to the broadcast, and the link below to the project’s website for more information. –Matthew]

[Image: OSU researchers Bill Smart and Naomi Fitter interact with a Quori robot. The two are leading a project to build and distribute 50 of the standardized robots throughout the research community. Credit: Shivani Jinger/Oregon State University]

How a standardized robot could help accelerate research around human-robot interactions

By Gemma DiCarlo (OPB)
June 21, 2023 (Broadcast June 28, 2023)

Repeating experiments and replicating results are key parts of successful scientific research.… read more. “NSF-funded Quori: A standardized robot to help accelerate research around human-robot interactions”

[Another attempt to engage and teach audiences about the realities of climate change is described in this story from Cabin Radio. See the original version for many more images. The Toronto Star has more coverage. And you can visit the Qikiqtaruk: Arctic at Risk website to experience it yourself.  –Matthew]

[Image: A permafrost slump as seen in Qikiqtaruk: Arctic at Risk virtual reality]

In virtual reality, watch climate change unfold on an Arctic island

With a headset, you can see, hear, and soon maybe even smell the change on an island off the Yukon coast.

By Chloe Williams
July 12, 2023

A virtual experience allows users to witness the transformative impacts of a warming climate on Qikiqtaruk, an island off the Yukon coast in the Beaufort Sea.

The project, called “Qikiqtaruk: Arctic at Risk,” was put together by a team of researchers, park rangers, educators and virtual reality creators.… read more. “In virtual reality, watch climate change unfold on an Arctic island”

[As with the formal Simulation Argument and the eerie alternate realities of The Twilight Zone and other science fiction stories, reports of people experiencing inverse presence (in which the ‘real,’ nonmediated world seems to be mediated by technology) don’t have to be true to be thought-provoking and revealing. The report below from The Independent’s Indy100 website and others like it are more evidence that we’ve “crossed over into” an era dominated by ideas of simulation and illusion. The original report includes the viral video, which is also available (at this writing) on TikTok. –Matthew]

[Image: Even the woman’s hair seems to pause in mid-air. Credit: @unknown1575489/TikTok]

TikTokers think video of woman ‘frozen in time’ is proof we’re living in ‘The Matrix’

By Harriet Brewis
July 17, 2023

Millions of people believe they’ve witnessed a real-life “glitch in the Matrix” after a woman was caught on camera apparently “frozen in time”.… read more. “TikTokers think video of woman ‘frozen in time’ is proof we’re living in ‘The Matrix’”