[This CBC story describes a creative and boundary-extending use of virtual reality and presence in a theater experience designed by Chris Salter, the Director of the Immersive Arts Space at the Zurich University of the Arts. See the original story for four more pictures. The Montreal shows have unfortunately ended but you can find out more about Animate on the MUTEK website. –Matthew]

[Image: An audience in the Italian city of Paestum watches a performance of the VR-enhanced play Animate by director Chris Salter. Credit: Megan Williams/CBC]

Canadian play on climate change brings digital and physical worlds crashing together

VR experience Animate is based on a Newfoundland short story

By Megan Williams,·CBC News
August 20, 2023 (updated August 23, 2023)

In an abandoned tobacco warehouse on the edge of the ancient Italian town of Paestum, south of Naples, a dozen or so spectators sit on upturned logs on what looks like a typical Canadian campsite.… read more. “Canadian play on climate change brings digital and physical worlds crashing together”

[Arguably another step toward more effective presence illusions, a new 3D billboard campaign for the UK retail chain Marks & Spencer features live action, ‘in camera’ images rather than computer-generated ones. For context, coverage in DesignTAXI notes that “If there’s an emerging trend in the world of out-of-home advertisements, it’s 3D billboards. Previously, Subway allowed passers-by to design their very own sandwiches in real-time, while Adidas celebrated Lionel Messi’s World Cup victory with a giant display.” Creative Review adds ”The 3D billboard is definitely having a moment, with brands using the format to sell everything from movies to trainers (see Nike Japan’s viral Air Max Day campaign from last year).” The Sixteen Nine story below provides details about the billboard illusion and how it was created, and Marketing Beat provides a link in support of the campaign’s intent to “highlight M&S Food’s dedication to animal welfare and ethical farming.”… read more. “Real cows, not CGI’d versions, are stars of this 3D illusions billboard campaign in UK”

[A new study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports finds that watching repeated immersive, first-person 360 videos of a person eating M&Ms, especially if the viewing is accompanied by chocolate scents, may evoke a sense of presence and cause habituation that leads to decreased craving and eating of the candy (but note that presence itself wasn’t measured and no comparison with a less immersive media experience was included). The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) press release below includes many of the details and lots of quotes from the researchers; the link to the open-access article in Scientific Reports is at the end. And there’s a one-minute video about the study on YouTube. –Matthew]

[Image: (L-R) NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication (WKWSCI) Assistant Professor Benjamin Li Junting, who led the study, and co-author of the study, NTU’s WKWSCI master’s student Ms Lee Hui Min, posing with a subject equipped with a VR headset.]… read more. “Study: Want to eat less candy? Watching repeated immersive videos of someone else consuming it could help”

[For decades now the misperception that a computer is a human-like social actor rather than just a technology following its programming has been considered an illusion. And until recently it seemed clear that the perception of an AI as more than a technology was too. But as this story from Science reports, as technology evolves the distinctions become less clear. Scholars across disciplines are now developing methods and measures to help us separate effective mimicry that evokes medium-as-social-actor presence, from machines that have actually attained consciousness. Even defining the key terms is challenging (e.g., consciousness is not the same as sentience – see DeGrazia, 2020). –Matthew]

[Image: Credit: Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library Via Getty Images]

If AI becomes conscious, how will we know?

Scientists and philosophers are proposing a checklist based on theories of human consciousness

By Elizabeth Finkel
August 22, 2023

In 2021, Google engineer Blake Lemoine made headlines—and got himself fired—when he claimed that LaMDA, the chatbot he’d been testing, was sentient.… read more. “Medium-as-social-actor presence: If AI becomes conscious, how will we know?”

[A team of researchers and doctors have made it possible for a paralyzed woman to speak again through an on-screen avatar. The technology still has significant limitations, but the potential for continuing refinements offers hope of restoring more natural communication for many people. The inspiring story is reported by The New York Times, where the original version includes additional details, ten more pictures, a 4:49 minute video (also available via YouTube) and two more short videos. From… –Matthew]

A Stroke Stole Her Ability to Speak at 30. A.I. Is Helping to Restore It Years Later.

The brain activity of a paralyzed woman is being translated into words spoken by an avatar. This milestone could help others who have lost speech.

By Pam Belluck
August 23, 2023

At Ann Johnson’s wedding reception 20 years ago, her gift for speech was vividly evident.… read more. “A brain-computer interface and AI allow a paralyzed woman to speak through her avatar”