[Ubisoft is developing gaming software that incorporates AI to enhance presence in some innovative ways, as described in this abridged version of a first-person report from Video Games Chronicle; see the complete original version of the story for more details and seven more pictures. –Matthew] The future of gaming, or ‘just a tool’? Hands-on with Teammates, Ubisoft’s ambitious voice AI tech demo We tried Ubisoft’s in-game cloud AI project By Chris ScullionNovember 21, 2025 The debate about the use of AI in video games is one that seems certain to only increase in both intensity and range over time.…

[This story from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Germany provides some of the details of an ambitious multi-method study of the experiences of people with visible and invisible disabilities (PWD) when they have the opportunity to have those disabilities reflected in their avatar in virtual spaces. Although the term self presence isn’t used specifically, in their published article (see the link in the story) the authors conclude that “positive experiences are not only more frequent but also potentially more influential in predicting PWDs’ engagement in the Metaverse, their connection to and satisfaction with their avatars, and their…

[An economics professor at Syracuse University is using presence-evoking virtual reality to help students better understand the impacts of living in societies at different levels of economic development. See the original version of this story for a second image. –Matthew] [Image: Junior economics major Bram Feenstra during a virtual trip to the subject of his studies: Dushanbe, Tajikistan] Virtual Reality Shows Students the Realities of Developing Economies Students in Andrew Jonelis’ Economics of Emerging Markets course have received an up-close view of markets thousands of miles away thanks to the Digital Scholarship Space. By Renée Gearhart LevyNovember 21, 2025 Senior…

[Following many examples of robots in science fiction that evoke medium-as-social-actor presence, the Chinese company XPENG recently presented its robot IRON at a public event. The demonstration was so successful the company representative had to reveal the technology inside to convince the audience it wasn’t actually a human. Coverage from Live Science below provides many details, and an excerpt from Mashable that follows below provides more context. See also “Robotics Company Builds Straight-Up Terminator” from Futurism. –Matthew] Watch: Chinese company’s new humanoid robot moves so smoothly, they had to cut it open to prove a person wasn’t hiding inside Xpeng’s…

[IMAX cameras have always been too noisy to film intimate scenes with real-time dialogue, but new technical innovations allowed director Christopher Nolan and his cinematographer to create the first film entirely shot in the presence-evoking large-screen format. Details are in this story from Variety, followed below by excerpts from coverage in World of Reel and Screen Rant. For more about the new camera, see coverage in Y.M.Cinema Magazine. –Matthew] [Image: “The new IMAX’s Next-Gen 65mm Cameras on the Set of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey” Source: Y.M.Cinema Magazine] Christopher Nolan Shot ‘The Odyssey’ Entirely With Imax Cameras by Creating New Equipment…

[Journalism is just one of the many professions for which artificial intelligence creates presence-related and other ethical challenges and the need for an updated code of ethics. This commentary from the Media 3.0 blog by the MediaPost Editor-in-Chief demonstrates that AI itself can help with the updating process (but thereby argues that humans have to be transparent about AI’s role and take ultimate responsibility for the revised code). –Matthew] Commentary An AI Journalistic Code Of Ethics (Proposed By An AI) By Joe MandeseNovember 17, 2025 Citing a variety of factors related to artificial intelligence — misinformation, disinformation, media literacy, media…